My cousin warned me that I’d fall in love with Seville. He was spot on. Amazing weather, culture, food, shopping, sights and sites, the city with ‘not enough eyes to see and heart to admire’ surpassed all my expectations. I woke up every day pinching myself, feeling so privileged to be there. I’d totally move here if I could, and here’s why:

1. The weather is amazing. The sky is perpetually blue. The sun sets at about 9pm, after which the locals come out to eat and play. Although in May, the Mediterranean climate is about 30 degrees Celsius, it didn’t feel that hot. We walked everywhere, even in the hottest part of the afternoon, which brings me to the next point,
2. Everything is within walking distance. Getting around Seville by foot was a great way to see all that this curious city has to offer and it made the pedometer app proud. We stayed in the heart of the old town so everything was a stone’s throw away. Ok, some places was more like a discus’ throw, but each walk seemed short because it was literally ‘a walk in the park’. Plus, we were rewarded by surprises at every twist and turn, because…
3. Seville is SO STUNNING! From the windy cobble-stoned streets lined by immaculate heritage terraces to the spacious, picturesque gardens with their lush green foliage and mosaic-paved fountains, it felt like I was walking into a beautifully illustrated story book. The gardens are relaxing and romantic in the evening.
4. The monuments and museums are breathtakingly magnificent. The sheer size and intricate detailing of all of them had me reaching for my iPhone6 camera every two seconds. My jaw dropped on multiple occasions at the Real Alcázar (Royal Palace), Metropol Parasol and Plaza de Espana. The Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla (Museum of Fine Arts) and the Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (Contemporary Museum) offered contrasting spectrums of art. The latter is housed in an old Monastery that got converted into a grainery, it had a quirky cafe overlooking a lush garden to boot!
5. There are plenty of playgrounds and dogs in Seville. We saw so many bubs which made me miss Winston so much. People are really diligent in walking their pooches – and picking up after them!
   
6. The FOOD! I’m lost for words here. Delicious, divine, delectable, Sevillian cuisine is definitely the highlight. Plus, it’s ranges from very affordable tapas to less-affordable-but-so-worth-it fine dining. Being a coastal town, the fish and seafood is fresh and succulent. Even the Spanish word for delicious is ‘succulento’! Although we tried to eat “local” cuisine, we enthusiastically identified the many sushi joints and Japanese fusion restaurants we encountered due to an interesting historical fact we read on the plane. In the 17th century, Japanese Christians were being persecuted in their home country, so a group of them sailed to Rome to seek help from the Pope. The Pope at the time didn’t offer aid so six samurai decided to stay in the south of Spain rather than return and face cruel punishments.  There’s still a small community in Spain who can trace their ancestry back to these samurai!  Since both the Japanese and the Sevillians have an affinity with fish, it worked a treat!
7. And last but not least: Shopping in Seville is sensational! Ok, so maybe it just seems like it because I haven’t bought shoes in over a year – but I loved shoe shopping in Seville.  As the Sevillians walk a lot, their shoes are really chic and comfy. I treated myself to a pair of Spanish espadrilles. I’ll share with you my spoils in coming posts.

After spending 4 days in Seville I wish I could move there to live! Thanks to all the pooches and pretty sights, I could work as a vet and blogger? I’d just need to learn Spanish and get my hands on an EU passport…hmm. At least I’d love to bring my family here for a holiday, they’d love the warm climate, fresh cuisine and amazing attractions.

Next up, I’ll share with you some of my Sevillian spoils!

[spoiler title=”中文版”]在来塞维利亚之前， 我的表哥说我一定会爱上这个漂亮的城市。当初我没相信他。所谓“不够眼所看，不够心佩服”的城市深深地吸引了我。塞维利亚具有美妙的天气，丰富的文化，爽口的美食，精彩的购物和雄伟的景点。在这里，从世界各地来的旅客不少。我感到十分荣幸能在这么美妙的城市度假。如果可能的话，我真希望能般到那里，至少再来一次。原因此在：

1.塞维利亚温暖的天气-天空永远是蓝的。太阳7点升起，晚上9点落山。傍晚当地人等日落才出门回头（他们吃晚饭很晚）。5月份的地中海气候约为30摄氏度，但并不感觉那么热。每天在下午最热的时候我们还在步行游览。
2.这个城市到处都走得到。这四天我们没乘车，四处步行游览塞维利亚。这样才能看见每条弄堂，每个角落的美景。我们住在老城区的中心，离所有的景点不远。有些旅游景点不是那么近，但因为这个城市非常美，到处都有漂亮的景色来欣赏，所以就连远的地方距离也不显得长。
3.塞维利亚真美，真浪漫！我不停地拍照。鹅卵石铺就的街道，传统风格的房屋，风景如画的花园，郁郁葱葱的绿树和，感觉就像我走进了一个美丽的童画故事。
4.城市的旅游景点，纪念碑和博物馆都让人赞叹壮观。我们参观了皇家城堡，西班牙广场和一系列的现代化建筑。它们都非常地辉煌，壮观，华丽。城堡完美的花园太迷人了。它拥有一个‘喷泉器官琴’，在全世界才有4台。优美的音乐来自于不同管道的机构。美术博物馆和安达卢西亚中心当代艺术馆（具有更现代化的作品）是不能错过的。当代艺术馆坐落在一座古老的修道院里。它还具有一个可爱的咖啡厅！
5.塞维利亚人很爱他们的孩子和宠物。城市里小孩乐园不少。我们看到许多开心的孩子与父母在外吃饭，在儿童运动场上玩，使我十分想念我们的宝宝。每天我都看到许多人遛狗。
6.这里的食物太美妙了！塞维利亚美食绝对是亮点。质量好，新鲜，价格实惠，精致美食。作为一个沿海小镇，塞维利亚的鱼和海鲜特别有名。虽然我们试图吃本地的美食，我们也乐意品尝日本和西班牙融合的餐馆。在来塞维利亚路上的时候，我在飞机上读到了一片非常有趣的历史。17世纪的时候，日本的基督徒受迫害，因此一批日本人航行到罗马寻求教皇的帮助。教皇当时没有提供援助，因此6位武士决定留在西班牙的南部。如果他们返回一定面对残酷的惩罚。西班牙有一小批日本人就是这些武士们的后裔！因为日本人和塞维利亚人都爱吃鱼，他们融合的食物特别爽口！
7.最后一点非常重要：塞维利亚购物真棒！也许因为我一年多都没买过鞋了，但在塞维利亚买鞋子最爽。我买了一双当地有名的鞋：编织帆布鞋。西班牙人走很多路，因此他们的鞋都很舒适并特别别致。

在塞维利亚度了四天后，我真不想走！塞维利亚人都养宠物，因此也许我在这儿能继续作兽医并写博客？就需要学习西班牙语，并得到欧盟的护照…至少希望在不久的将来我能带家人一起来度假！他们一定也会爱上这城市温暖的气候，新鲜的美食和惊人的景点。

接下来，我将与你分享一些塞维利亚的采购！[/spoiler]