I'd like to take this opportunity to recommend the Casco Viejo, a historic district brimming with picturesque streets, lively squares and traditional Basque buildings, such as the Church of San Nicolás and the Plaza Nueva, an ideal place to enjoy pintxos.

I loved reading this and seeing your fantastic photos.

The tour with Marina. Was this private?? Does she have a contact e-mail? I want to revisit the Alcazar and the.Cathedral among other sights.
i will look up the company Marina works for

I only have 5 nights this year and it looks as if my restaurant list is almost full!!! With those sumptuous hotel breakfasts, it’s difficult to squeeze in room for lunch. I am going to try to be among the first at breakfast, rather than file in just before the mealtime ends!

Thanks everyone for your appreciation of the report and the pictures. I had great fun putting it all together as it brought back vivid memories of a wonderful trip. I am sad the report and the trip are over! Like danon I will have to go back to España every year!

KarenWoo — yes, Maribel provided many of the restaurant recommendations. She is a travel treasure! And ekscrunchy endorsed many of the restaurants in Seville and Madrid!

ekscrunchy — going to breakfast early is a good strategy! We never did, and so almost always had only a bite for lunch along with a glass of sangria or beer. Just enough to rest tired feet!

And yes, Seville Walking Tours does offer private tours. This is the company Rick Steves recommends. We took a private tour to the Alcazar and it was great. And we were lucky to be the only guests for the city walking tour! You can reach them at http://www.sevillawalkingtours.com. You will be assigned one of their three guides. Enjoy and thanks again for the Bar Eslava recommendation!

The funny thing about sangría is that I´ve never seen any local having it...and definitely not a thing we have in the north!

Yes...many tourists think its THE drink to have anywhere in Spain, along with paella!

BUT: I did take a cue from local diners seated near us at CASA SALVADOR, outside Valencia (fantastic place, gracias, Maribel!!) and ordered a glass of the house-made white wine sangria to eat with my "Reguerot" paella. (Among the best rices we had on the trip and among the favorite restaurants) What a huge glass! Even I (!!) could not finish it but then, the partner was eyeing me and reminding me that I had to drive us into Valencia after lunch.

http://casasalvador.com/wp-content/u...CASTELLANO.pdf

I really enjoyed your report, particularly about Seville, where I’ve not yet been but is near the top of my bucket list. So much useful information and helpful photos. I’ll be referring to your report when planning that trip!

Hi JoanYUL — glad the report will help you in your trip planning. So many others helped me put this trip together and I am glad I could help too.

mikelg — I usually never drink sangria, even during prior visits to Spain. A good red wine of the region or an old fashioned are my preferences. But in the July heat, a glass of cold sangria with lots of ice at lunch did the trick!