Scootering Around Sevilla

December 2

Dad:

After riding the electric scooter in Paris, I wanted to try it again with everyone and found an AirBnb experience where we could all drive around Seville on scooters for a 2 hour tour at a reasonable price. After messaging the host with a few safety and age related questions, we booked it. Mom was a bit nervous about riding around the city but the host ensured us it was very safe for kids as well as adults. Perfect!

Sam:

This morning we went on an electric scooter tour of Seville and on the way to the starting area, we got some food and saw some really cool things on the way, like the Pillars of Hercules, the Alameda de Hercules (an outdoor market square), and a place called the Church of Macarena. Of course, Mom made us dance and sing the Macarena in front of it. Ugh!

We got on our scooters and drove around for a few minutes to get used to it, then we were off!

Mom:

Our tour guide, Francisco, first led us to the Bridge Puente de Triana to view the Torre del Oro (tower of gold). He told us the three legends about how the tower got its name.

Next, we scooted over to Palacio de San Telmo. This was a sailing school that was built in the advice of Christopher Columbus after finding America. He knew that many more trained sailors would be needed to bring back riches from the New World.  Later, it was a monastery. The original building burnt down, but was rebuilt and now used as the mayor’s office.

We went through the very beautiful Parque de María Luisa to get to the Plaza de España de Sevilla, which was built for the world exposition in 1929. It was a stunning building with gorgeous bridges, arches, and tile work. Each part of the structure has a significant meaning, representing the regions of Spain and its colonies. Our family had a great time riding our scooters all around the grounds and admiring it.

Lastly, we headed to the city centre, where we saw the most historical buildings in the city: the Real Alcazar (from the outside), Cathedral, Archives of Indies (where historical trading records are kept) and the Royal Tobacco Factory (now a university campus).

Charlotte:

We were looking for a place to get tapas then we found a place called Bodega Santa Cruz.

The tapas were delicious!! Tapas are a little snack that are very popular in Spain because in Spain they eat their dinner very late (about 9 or 10 o’clock), so it fills them up until dinner. We got lots of different types of tapas, like cheese, ham, and squid. They were pretty good. I really liked the ham and cheese ones. Dad liked the squid tapas (calamari) the best. Mom also liked the ham and cheese tapas and so did Sam.

Mom:

Although we were a bit tired and it was getting dark, we wanted to check out Las Setas de Sevilla (the mushrooms of Seville). This is actually a large elevated walkway and a piece of modern art. We were told that it’s best to go at sunset to enjoy the view over the city; unfortunately it was pretty cloudy…

We popped back in to our AirBnB for a quick supper and then used the Cabify app to book a ride to La Carboneria to watch some live Flamenco (Spanish dancing, guitar, and singing).