THE ONE WHERE YOU (VIRTUALLY) TRAVEL WITH ME - PART 1

Hop on a (virtual) plane with me, and I’ll show you around the cities that I visited during my first summer in Spain. The best part is that it's a photo tour!

Venga, vamos . . . “C’mon, let’s go!”

First stop,

Sevilla

This is the Plaza de España, the prettiest plaza in all of Spain, in my opinion.

Part of the river moat at the Plaza de España

A typical Spanish cobblestone side street found in smaller Spanish cities

The town center, where no cars are allowed — only pedestrians, bikes, horse and carriages and the metro

Night view of the town center

Sevilla has some of the most picturesque flowers I've ever seen

Las Setas de Sevilla, or “The Sevilla Mushrooms.” However, Americans always think that the Setas look more like waffles :)

Rooftop view from Las Setas

Las Setas is one of the most coveted spots to watch the sun go down, as the town is lit up at sunset

One of the many gardens in the city

This is the area of Sevilla called Triana. It is known for its beautiful festivals that usually honor saints, this one called La Velá de Santa Ana, and handmade ceramics.

El Real Alcázar de Sevilla, a royal palace in Sevilla

Tinto de Verano is one of Spain's famous summer drinks (red wine mixed with lemonade)! You're also getting a nighttime view of La Giralda, the Sevilla Cathedral's bell tower.

Sevilla is my favorite place in Spain, which made it very hard to choose just a handful of pictures to start this virtual tour.

Our second stop is . . .

Cádiz

A quiet, yet beautiful beach town, Cádiz is the perfect place to take a day trip to (from Sevilla). A lot of families also take vacations, or “holidays,” to Cádiz.

The Cádiz Cathedral

A very rocky jetty

It was only crowded during peak afternoon, but even so, the color variety of umbrellas made for a pretty shot. This particular beach is Playa Santa María del Mar.

Cádiz survives on tourism. I noticed souvenir shops, signs for hotels, and a few street vendors, as pictured here.

Did I mention that palm trees are everywhere in Southern Spain?

Third stop,

Córdoba

La Mezquita Catedral is a place of worship in Córdoba that was once half-mosque, half-cathedral, and for that unique reason, it brings in many tourists. Today, it just functions as Córdoba's Catholic Cathedral.

La Mezquita Catedral’s bell tower

Córdoba's cobblestone side streets are distinct from any other in Spain — you can tell you're in Córdoba by the vibrant, hanging flower pots that line these streets. This is my favorite picture that I took in Córdoba.

If not for its rich culture, you should go to Córdoba because of its rich natural beauty and art.

Córdoba also has a lot of handmade ceramics. I love ceramics, so of course I fell in love with the art here (and in Sevilla). I love how each plate is art itself, but together, all of the plates positioned on the wall create a bigger piece of art.

Cute, little art and souvenir shops can be found throughout the town

Another reason why I loved Córdoba was because there was distinct art down every turn.

A beautiful flower overhang

For now, our fourth and final stop in Spain is . . .

Granada

I cannot tell you how long I walked in the heat and how much I climbed (the whole town is on an incline) to get to a point where I could see this skyline. La Alhambra, Granada's famous palace and fortress, is pictured on the left in distance.

Views from La Alhambra

Views from a different side of La Alhambra

A pretty street view

I love that I saw these kind of flowers only in Granada.

One of the town squares

Granada is also rich in culture, but the city and nature have more muted colors than Córdoba.

Apartments

I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of the Spain photo tour because Part 2 will be coming to you soon!

(I went to Madrid for a weekend that summer, but I'll save Madrid for Part 2, since I lived there last summer. I also went to Lagos, a city in Portugal, but for now, I’m sticking with a Spain tour.)