Seville, Spain – The Ultimate Destination for History, Culture, and Tapas

Seville, Spain – The Ultimate Destination for History, Culture, and Tapas

ATTENTION! It has come to our attention that someone is using our content to scam people. We will never text, ask or offer anyone money for liking our videos or subscribing. It’s our second day exploring the capital of Andalucia
– the city of Sevilla! Today we will visit the majestic Plaza de España and stroll through the beautiful María Luisa park. We will then have a look at the Golden Tower, which was the starting and ending point
of once-flourishing trade route. We will find out why the decoration
of the city hall was never finished and visit the historic district of Santa Cruz. We will explore it’s tangled web of narrow streets, visit its beautiful churches, and taste orange wines at a specialty orange shop
called ‘Orange Tree Sevilla’ Breakfast is served! Designed by Aníbal González and built in 1928, for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, this magnificent landmark was a showstopper that combined elements of Baroque, Renaissance,
and Moorish Revival architecture, all with a touch of 1920s Art Deco. This grand half-circle complex and its central fountain, the Vicente Traver, were built on the edge of Maria Luisa Park to showcase Spain’s industry and technology. It covers an area of 50,000 square metres, and without a doubt is one
of the most impressive plazas in Spain. The plaza features a 515-meter canal,
which you can travel by boat, or take a ride on one of the horse carriages
for a truly romantic and authentic experience. With its tiled alcoves representing each province of Spain, the Plaza de España is more than just a building, it is a symbol of country’s pride, with visitors flocking to take portraits in front of
their home region alcoves from all over Spain. Today, the Plaza de España has been renovated
and adapted for use as government offices. The grand mansions from the fair have
also been transformed into museums, with the most distant one showcasing city’s archaeology collections, including Roman mosaics and artifacts. The Plaza de España has even found its way
into the world of films, with scenes from Lawrence of Arabia,
Star Wars: Episode II, The Dictator, and many more have been shot on its grand premises. The Plaza de España will always be a testament
to Spain’s rich history and architecture, and its influence will continue to be felt
for generations to come. After checking out Plaza de España,
we went for a stroll through Maria Luisa park. Most of the grounds that were used for the park were formerly the gardens of the Palace of San Telmo. They were donated to the city of Sevilla in 1893 by the Infanta Luisa Fernanda,
the Duchess of Montpensier, for use as a public park. Starting in 1911, the entire southern end of the city was redeveloped into an expanse of
gardens and grand boulevards by Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier. There’s only one way to survive this heat! – haha, oh my god! Is it cold? No! Ohh, oh my god, I’m boiling! It was designed in a “Moorish paradisical style”, with a half mile of tiled fountains, pavilions,
walls, ponds and benches, with lush palm and orange trees, Mediterranean pines,
and beautiful flower beds. The museum of Arts and Popular Customs of Seville
that occupies the Mudéjar Pavilion, was designed by Aníbal González and built in 1914, and served as an art pavilion, during
the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. Being a gateway to the new world in the 16th century, Sevilla flourished during the age of discovery as Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan and
Amerigo Vespucci – all sailed from here. We are standing in front of a replica of a ship, in which Christopher Columbus and his crew
made a maiden voyage around the world. Just looking at the size of the ship, which is quite small considering the difficult
journey that they had to make, and out of 200 people that were part of the original crew, only 18 managed to return. The trade made the city of Sevilla an important centre
of arts and culture during the 17th century. As the Spanish empire crumbled in the 18th century,
Sevilla’s trade and power faded as well. Constructed at the beginning of the 13th century, the golden tower served as a prison
during the Middle Ages. Name comes from the golden shine
it projected on the river, due to its building materials. Serving as an important point
of the city’s fortification, a heavy chain was placed across the river
to protect the harbour and stop any enemy ships advancing up the river. The tower was badly damaged
by the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, and the Marquis of Monte Real proposed demolishing it, however, people of Seville objected
and appealed to the king, who intervened and in 1760 the damage was repaired. That same year, the upper cylindrical floor was built, a work of the military engineer
Sebastian Van der Borcht. Having been recommended by our tour guide, we made our way back to the centre
to try tapas at the Casa Tomate, and we were not disappointed! The menu features meats, fish, fried foods
and a wide range of vegetarian options, you can also enjoy one of the best selections
of Iberian cold cuts in the city. All are locally sourced to bring you closer to
the gastronomic tradition of this beautiful region. This ended up being my favourite place
and we returned here many times! In the 15th century, with the discovery of America
and the importance and wealth the city was acquiring, it was decided to create a new larger and
better-quality headquarters for the Sevillan city hall. During the 19th century, the Convent of San Francisco suffered military occupation, two fires,
and a lack of care almost left it in ruins. The first restoration project was approved by the
Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, but could not be carried out
due to economic problems with the City Council. A second project was approved in 1855, but works suffered continuous interruptions. It was decided to make a facade
that would extend the Plateresque building. However, the decorations in this sector
were never completed and today, we can still see the facade
with stone blocks ready to be carved. Although sculptor Pedro Domínguez
started working on the façade in 1890, the work dragged on for almost a century,
passing from one sculptor to the next until it was finally abandoned in the 1970s, leaving the carvings as we see today. The last in this long line of stone carvers
was Manuel Echegoyán. It so happened that in 1966, actress Grace Kelly
visited the city with her husband, Prince Rainier of Monaco. The sculptor was starstruck by Grace Kelly and decided to use her as a model for one of the medallions, placing her among the imperial coats of arms,
statues of Hercules and Julius Caesar, and stone reliefs of mythological animals. This caused an uproar, and the sculptor was ordered
to rectify his work under the threat of withdrawal of funds. In an act of protest, the sculptor placed the effigy of his wife, opposite his own self-portrait
leaving the project in its current state. If you come visit Sevilla – don’t walk through this arch! This used to be a monastery, and as men walked through this arch into that door –
they became a monk, and today it is considered that
if you walk through this arch – you will never get married! So now we are heading to Santa Cruz –
the Jewish quarter of the city of Sevilla. It is considered to be
one of the most beautiful districts of the city. The Barrio de Santa Cruz is a labyrinth of
narrow streets and alleys dating back to the old judería. These narrow streets provide much-needed protection
from the hot Spanish sun in the summer and even the abundant orange trees are serving
the same purpose as they never shed their leaves. There are plenty of shops and restaurants
offering true authentic experiences, but being a popular place
it also has a fair share of tourist traps as well. We popped into a specialty craft shop
called ‘Orange Tree Sevilla’. Here you can find all kind of hand-crafted products
made from Sevillan oranges, and you can also sample their selection of
orange wines and marmalade and we thoroughly enjoyed it. This is also good! Cheers!
It’s very nice! For me, it’s still sweet, but less sweet. Oh, this one is a lot stronger! It’s got like a little kick to it. Could not resist, and got ourselves an orange wine! It’s delicious! We will link the shop down below. The Moors were relatively tolerant of other religions. Christians, Muslims and Jews
shared the city peacefully during their rule. When Ferdinand III of Castile conquered the city in 1248, he handed over this district to the Jews. Here, they could live with relative freedom, until the 14th century, when the Alhambra decree was adopted. During this period Jewish people were driven out
or even killed if they did not convert to Christianity. After all Jews were driven out of the city in 1492,
the neighbourhood was in a bad shape. In the 18th century, it underwent
a major urban renewal process, including converting former synagogues into churches. Construction of Iglesia de Santa Cruz, began in 1655 and was completed in 1672. The main chapel, designed by architect Jose Tirado, was added in 1728 and it is the headquarters
of the Brotherhood of Santa Cruz. We also visited the Iglesia de Santa María la Blanca
(“Saint Mary the White”), just outside the neighborhood, which is a
converted 14th century Mudéjar synagogue. The original synagogue was built in the 13th century and In 1391, after the massacre and forced conversion of Jews, it was transformed into a Christian church, being rebuilt in the middle of the 17th century. This temple stands out as one
of the most impressive examples of Andalusian architecture from the first Baroque period. Our second day was coming to an end, and we spent the rest of the evening exploring
the narrow streets of Santa Cruz and its surroundings. Tomorrow is our final day in this incredible city. We will finally visit the Sevilla Cathedral
and climb up the Giralda de Sevilla, which offers the best panoramic view of the city. We will explore the palace of Alcazar and its gardens. This palace is probably the best example of
Mudéjar architecture in the Iberian Peninsula, combining Romanesque, Gothic,
and Renaissance structural elements. We will then try taps at the famous Bodega de Santa Cruz, and end our day enjoying a flamenco show.

Join us on our second day exploring the capital of Andalucía – the city of Sevilla! Today we will take a look at the Plaza de España and stroll through Maria Luisa park. We will then visit the starting point of the once-flourishing trade route and try tapas at my personal favourite Casa Tomate Tapas Bar! Find out why the decoration of the City Hall was never finished and why you should not walk through its arch. We will navigate a labyrinth of narrow streets of Barrio de Santa Cruz, try orange wines at Orange Tree Sevilla, and visit the district’s beautiful churches!

Watch in 4K!

➡️ Casa Tomate Tapas Bar: http://www.casatomatebar.com/
➡️ Orange Tree Sevilla Shop: https://orangetreesevilla.com/

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⏱️ Video Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
1:08 – Plaza de España
3:49 – Maria Luisa Park
5:43 – Harbour
6:41 – Torre Del Oro
7:30 – Casa Tomate
8:15 – City
8:50 – City Hall
10:47 – Santa Cruz
11:25 – Orange Tree Sevilla
12:30 – Santa Cruz
13:27 – Iglesia de Santa Cruz
14:09 – Iglesia de Santa María la Blanca
14:51 – Plans for tomorrow

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