This past weekend I spent Friday and Saturday in Sevilla, the capital city of Andalucía. I've heard this place described as "like Córdoba, only more Córdoba," and since I adore this city needless to say I was very excited. Having visited, I am not sure I totally agree. There are certain things that are similar, but I found Sevilla to have a very different personality. Regardless, I was charmed by Sevilla in ways that I was not expecting.
The first unexpected charm: Naboo. Anyone who has tried to introduce me to Star Wars will cringe as I say this, but I still don't get it. I don't understand the hype. I was amused by episodes 4, 5, and 6, but 1, 2, and 3 were a bit of a struggle. Regardless, my first introduction to Sevilla came from this second trilogy. The Plaza de España was used to film parts of Star Wars, namely Naboo, and was also used as a setting in Lawrence of Arabia. So my first introduction to Sevilla came through the movies that I watched.
The plaza is actually part of the series of buildings created for the World's Fairs in Sevilla. There were two of them. This is by far the gem in the crown of these unique little buildings. The four bridges represent the four kingdoms united in Spain under Ferdinand and Isabella, and during the daytime you can hear the clatter of castanets as street vendors try to convince you to buy colorful fans and visitors in rowboats travel around the small channel.
The second charm: the famous cathedral, which the creators planned on making so large that people would take them for madmen. They accomplished their goal. Although the inside is beautiful and impressively expansive, it did feel a lot like the other cathedrals that I have visited. I suppose I am beginning to be spoiled with the beauty of churches in Europe. 
However, this cathedral, like the one in Córdoba, is built where there was a mosque. Unlike Córdoba, the mosque was destroyed, except for the beautiful tower, the Giralda. If you climb up 34 ramps, designed for a horse to climb so that the person to deliver the call to prayer 5 times a day wouldn't have to climb it on his own, you get an incredible view of the city. But the view is even better at night, looking up at the Giralda.
Inside the cathedral, you can find the tomb of Christopher Columbus. There isn't a lot of him left, but his box is still pretty impressive.
We also visited the palace right next to the cathedral. Decorated in true Arabic style, it is truly a gem and one of my favorite places so far. I promptly decided I would live in such a place when I grow up and busied myself exploring the expansive and beautiful gardens.
Underneath the palace, off of the gardens, is the beautiful set of Arabic baths.
Sevilla isn't just special for the beautiful sights but for the people. This place is famous for its Flamenco, and I found it in bars and also on the streets.
Sevilla is also on the same river as Córdoba, the Guadalquivir, but here it is a much larger, navigable river. It was really important for ships back in the day. One of my favorite landmarks along the river is El Torre de Oro, that has a naval museum and a pretty decent view from the top.
Finally, in my downtime, I spent a considerable amount of time wandering through the Barrio Santa Cruz, which is the old Jewish Quarter of the city. While I prefer the Judería in Córdoba, this section of town was filled with adorable plazas, cute stores, and a great sense of romance.
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