Justification for Skipping Out on a Work Conference – Seville, Spain

Traveling to Seville Spain was one of those life-affirming moments for this blogger. There were many firsts involved for this small town (country) girl who had only traveled to a few places around the United States before this trip.  

1. The first stamp on my passport.   

2. My first trip without family. 

3. The first business trip.  

4. My first ride on a train. 

All of these new experiences played a key role on my path of self-discovery. When work had me attending a business conference with a handful of other coworkers outside of the United States, I was thrilled with the opportunity.

Several times co-workers had to rescue me from harms way as we walked the narrow streets. I wanted to look at everything and often I would not glance the correct way for on-coming traffic (they drive on the left side in Spain).

We flew by this amazing tower, Torre del Oro, on our way to the hotel. Not until we took the Hop-on-Hop-off Bus tour, did I find out exactly what it was. The circular tower was originally used to protect the city from invading forces. It is now used as the maritime museum, overlooking the Guadalquivir River

One of the most breathtaking buildings I saw was the Cathedral and Bell Tower of La Giralda. We had the pleasure of walking by this amazing building every day that we were in Seville, finally taking a tour on our last day. I later learned this was the largest cathedral in the world.

The Christmas Market located outside of the Cathedral was my first Christmas market experience (see future posts for Budapest and Manchester for other experiences). The Seville market had the best selection of Nativity scenes I had ever seen.

I had to add this photo. I can’t imagine what the owner of the car thought when they came out to drive away… :)

The Seville Alcazar Palace was very interesting. As it turns out, it is oldest palace still in use in Europe. The tile work is breathtaking.

We snuck away from our conference one lazy afternoon to visit the Plaza de Espana. Because we didn’t have extra time for an official tour, I did not realize it was a building that showcased some of Spain’s industry and technology offices. Even though we only saw the outside of the buildings, I have to say it was one of the more beautiful places we were able to see on this trip.

Finally, one of the most memorable moments was the release of paper lanterns powered by lit candles. I can only imagine where all of those ended up. As they floated above us, it felt as if the stars were within touching distance.

Stop back by next week as I highlight my love for the Spanish Sangria, as well as share insight in to the three different Bull Fighting arenas I had the privilege to tour while in Spain.

Cheers!

Tami

For more about my adventures in Spain, check out my other blog posts at the following links: