Birthday Celebrations with High School Friends in Seville

In early May, Jessica organized a week-long trip to Spain for our high school friends to celebrate our collective 40th birthdays. Two couples ended up coming and I joined them for their time in Seville! I'd wanted to go back after bad weather kept us from seeing a lot of the city on our trip there 5 years ago.  

This time around, the weather was perfect. Hot and sunny, just as Spain should be. 

I'd read that the Jacaranda trees would be in bloom this time of year, and wow, we were in for a treat! 

I took an early morning flight and was very grateful that I was able to check into my hotel early to freshen up. I spent some time poolside while the group finished up a museum visit. 

We explored for a while and then had a long lunch before our tour of the Cathedral and Giralda tower. 

View of my hotel pool from the tower

The day I arrived was Chris' birthday and we went to a yummy dinner at con Tenedor to celebrate. 

Day 2 we spent the morning touring the Real Alcazar palace. It was as beautiful as I'd remembered and this time I finally got to explore the gardens, which were closed due to high winds before. 

We had lunch and beer at an art cafe and then Jessica led us on a curated boutique shopping adventure. 

The crew had a reservation at the Aire Baths that Pete and I had already visited, so I passed and spent the hot afternoon by the pool with my book, dipping in to cool off. I stayed until my shade was completely gone. 

Next stop was the Plaza de Espana and I couldn't wait to see it. Gorgeous Jacaranda trees on the walk there. 

Flamenco street performers

I loved all of the tile work, depicting all 50 of the provinces of Spain. The early evening light was so pretty. 

We took a long walk along the river to the Triana neighborhood for tapas. 

The first stop had a limited menu and Jesus stuff all over the walls, but the second stop at Bar Tipico was delicious. We made it to a third spot mostly for drinks and had fun playing card games until the bar shut down (very early for Spaniards!).