Click here, if you’d like to read from the beginning of this trip.

We woke up delighted this morning because in a couple hours we would be hopping the Renfe to Sevilla to see Matt’s uncle Jerry and his husband, Mitchell. We absolutely adore these two and were so excited to visit their new home and meet the cats…more about them later.

Both of us were in the mood to try something different for breakfast this morning. Although we love the airy atmosphere and steller orange juice of Noviembre, there was a cafe at Plaza de la Constitución we wanted to try. Once at Cafe Central we ordered espresso, orange juice, and jamón tostadas. After a healthy drizzle of olive oil, we dug in. The baguette was supremely crunchy, but the inside was light and chewy. And the jamón, well, let’s just say we were happy to experience this cafe. Plus, their orange juice was pretty fantastic as well! We will be back.

On our walk to Mercado Central de Atarazanas, we saw the most bizarre thing. A Spanish pop duo band was filming a music video in the walkways of historic Malaga. They were playing their guitars and some girls were dancing and following along. It was pretty incredible. I’m so bummed I didn’t get a photo. But, that’s not it. Shortly after the spotting, we saw a clown on roller skates! I mean, what?! Once in a lifetime, I’m sure.

We arrived at the mercado and set about buying lunch for our train ride to Sevilla. At various vendors, we purchased dried apricots, salted and roasted marcona almonds (Honestly, the best almonds I’ve ever had. I special order them, sometimes, as a treat.), olives, majon and manchego cheese, Jamón Iberico, wholegrain baguette, and a bottle of red wine.

Leaving Malaga, we were a bit melancholy. We’d already fallen in love with the city. Luckily for us, we had another couple days on our way back before flying home. So, we happily climbed on the Renfe commuter train to Sevilla. The train ride was about 3 hours and 19,30 euro each (about $23). We could have opted for the high speed train, arriving in 2 hours, but the price almost doubled and we weren’t in a hurry. This was my first recollection of being on a train and I loved every minute! The scenery was stunning. Rolling hills studded with thousands of olive, orange, and lemon trees. I didn’t want to take my eyes off of them, but I did when Matt brought produced our amazing market lunch.

This was one of the best meals of our trip. Ridiculously simple and ridiculously divine.

In Sevilla, we checked into the Espacio Azahar. The location of this hotel is perfect for exploring Sevilla. Our room was clean and faced a quiet pedestrian street. There is a small breakfast area on the main floor.

It was difficult to notice many details of our room because we were so excited to see Jerry and Mitchell and meet their two adopted Spanish cats, Dudo and Moose. I would post my pictures of the cats here, but Mitchell takes amazing photos of them for his blog. As a bonus for you, his blog is a hoot and a half to read.

I’ve loved Jerry and Mitchell from the minute I met them a decade ago at their home in Santa Barbara. Jerry is hilarious. Mitchell is quick-witted. Both are extremely kind and generous. We planned this trip around visiting them in Sevilla. We love them both dearly.

After hugs and kisses, chatting about Malaga, and introducing ourselves to the cats, we took a stroll before dinner. This store won my vote for Best of Show…if that were a thing on vacations.

As it was January 4, many stores were still decorated for the holiday season. The other window of this shop had a Christmas tree decorated with shoes. Talk about targeting a girl’s heart!

And we were off to dinner at Catalina Casa de Comidas y mas, a lovely restaurant with a slightly rustic feel amidst the white on white decor. Jerry and Mitchell’s neighbors own and run this wonderful establishment. Our tapas dinner was marvelous.

1. Patatas Bravas – Baby potatoes baked until soft, topped with romesco and yogurt sauce.
2. Fried Artichokes – The artichokes were sliced and fried before being topped with romesco and aioli. They were amazing!
3. Blue Cheese Risotto – A favorite of the trip, the risotto was super creamy and the blue cheese sort of melted into it adding a nice pungent flavor.
4. Mushroom Croquettes – Of course, yes.
5. Rollitos – Similar to cordon bleu. They roll together shrimp, Tetilla cheese, and Jamón, and then they fry it!
6. Bacalao Tortilla – Salt cod (Bacalao) is very popular in Southern Spain. We saw it on many menus and all over the open air markets. In this dish, it was cooked with eggs to make a tortilla, similar to a frittata.
7. Solomillo Buey Foie – Solomillo is very similar to a cut of sirloin. In this case, it was ox loin topped with foie gras and finished with a Vino de Naranja reduction. Vino de Naranja is an orange wine made with Sevilla oranges. So yummy!

We each had our own dessert, as it should be, but I honestly only remember mine! It was a chocolate and Bavarian cream napoleon and it was an excellent finish to an excellent meal.

The First Trip – Sevilla, Spain – Day 1