Feliz Navidad, Frohes Weihnachten, Merry Christmas

Cathedral of Seville

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, living abroad is not always sunshine and rainbows….especially during the holidays. Yes, the Christmas markets are beautiful over here and we thoroughly enjoy them, but there’s not really anything that can replace being with family. That being said, we stayed on this side of the pond (2nd Christmas away from home) and spent our Christmas holiday in Spain. We’ve been to Spain once before and really enjoyed our time there, so we looked forward to returning. This time to Andalusia: Seville, Córdoba and Granada.

Entrance to the Real Alcázar de Sevilla

First stop: Seville. The moment we got off the plane, we were already loving and soaking up the sun. The past couple of months here in Berlin have been gray. No rain, just gray. Our first order of business after checking into our hotel: tapas and sangria! Tapas are such a highlight for us in Spain because it allows us to try lots of (cheap) dishes. Once the bellies were full, we aimlessly strolled through the city enjoying the company of all the locals on their evening paseos. We ended up at the Plaza de España. This place blew us away. Since we traveled during the off season, it wasn’t crowded which we both really appreciated at all the sights we visited.

Plaza de España 

One of the highlights of our trip was visiting the Real Alcázar de Sevilla. It is a royal palace that the Moorish rulers started constructing in the 8th century!!! It’s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was probably the best €22 we have ever spent on admission fees. It was one of the most beautiful places that we have ever visited. If we ever go back to Seville, I’m almost certain that we will be returning. (For those Game of Thrones fans reading this, there were some scenes filmed here in season 5 as the Water Gardens of Dorne)

This same day we went to the other attraction we felt is a “must-do” while in Seville, the Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla, or more simply the Bullfighting Ring/Museum of Seville. This one was built in the late 18th century and is still used today for bullfights during the late spring/summer.

On Christmas Eve we took an afternoon train to Córdoba. This city was SUPER sleepy…(because it was Christmas)! Christmas Eve seemed to be their major day to celebrate the holiday rather than Christmas Day. We weren’t quite prepared for this. When we went out searching for a place to eat dinner...nada, zilch, nichts. Every. Single. Establishment. Was closed. So then began our trek to the nearest supermarket. We had success and bought the staples one would buy for a Spanish picnic: jamón, cheese, wine, and some fruit. It was...memorable.

On the bright side, we found a lovely restaurant that was open on Christmas Day, made reservations and had a lovely meal! Food discussion aside, on Christmas, we went to the Mezquita which is the main attraction in the city. It was extraordinary! It’s one of the places that we saw in our Rick Steve’s Spain book that we wanted to see. It looked so cool in the book, but the pictures don’t do it any justice. The architecture in this part of Spain, with the Moorish influence, is absolutely beautiful….and a little unexpected. The intricate, colorful patterns in every city were endless and quite inspiring.

Inside the Mezquita

Granada was just as beautiful as Seville and Córdoba. The main attraction there is the Alhambra which is a palace/fortress complex that was originally built in the 9th century and renovated in the 13th century. We were terrible planners and didn’t get tickets to go into the main areas of the palace….but like we always say, next time. It’s also an UNESCO World Heritage Site that I hope we get to see should we return to Granada. The history here in Europe never ceases to amaze us. There are some free access areas that we took advantage of.

Alhambra views <3

Beauty around every corner

We are continually grateful of the opportunities that we have been presented in our lives abroad. 2018 presented changes and experiences that we will remember forever, so we’re excited to see what’s in store for 2019! Happy New Year <3