Skip to content

A Spanish Fairytale

By crstein1

SpainI’m convinced that I found the place where every fairy tale is set.  My friends and I took an overnight bus from Madrid to Seville a week ago and spent most of the weekend in the picturesque city.  Immediately after getting off the bus at 7 am we were mesmerized.  Seville is located in the region of Andalucía, in southern Spain.  All of the houses look like dollhouses and there is even a castle and a beautiful cathedral (the third biggest cathedral in Europe and the home of the tomb of Christopher Columbus).  The streets are filled with thousands of orange trees and in the main plazas there are many horses and carriages which offer rides around the city.  The weather was beautiful (over 60°F and incredibly sunny) and the branches of the orange trees were heavy with fruit.  On a walking tour of the city, the guide explained to us that once upon a time there was a queen who lived in Seville who was from the mountains in the north of Spain.  She loved Seville but missed the snow that was typical of her former home.  The king had orange trees planted around the city, and when the trees began to blossom, the streets became covered with the white petals, just like snow.

Spain

My friends and I visited a palace (Alcázar Palace), climbed to the top of the Tower of Gold (Torre del Oro) and ate the most amazing paella.  The whole weekend we couldn't help but to think it was too good to be true.  Other people have recognized the mythical qualities of Seville as well.  Part of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was filmed in the Plaza de España in the center of Seville.  I can’t fully make sense of this travel experience.  This type of perfection doesn't exist in real life, right?  It seems more like a wild imagination, or a mesmerizing dream.  Or perhaps, it’s just a magical fairy tale.