Seville-Andalucia, Spain

Valter tied the laces of his hiking boots while I was busy preparing some necessities to put in my backpack. I wore a loose white tank top and a peek-a-boo sports bra paired with black knee-length leggings.

The weather in the city of Seville, Andalusia in September can be said to be hot, the sun outside is cute and funny. Approximately the temperature ranges from 37 -38 degrees Celsius.

hmmm... Mamamia.

Ting... The sound of a bell came from the door. Valter then rushed to open the door for Joseph and Liana, who were joining us to visit Andalusia.

"Guys, are you guys ready?" Asked Joseph and pushed his way into our hotel room, followed by Liana who looked dazzling with a pink top and a wide hat prepared to keep the sun away.

The trip to Seville is my victory after a long debate between Joseph and myself. Joseph suggested going to Ibiza and of course, it is opposite to Valter's and my wish, to travel to places of nature and history.

Ibiza is an island not far from Barcelona which is a paradise for clubbers. A popular destination that is legendary for its nightlife and nude parties everywhere. Although it cannot be denied that Ibiza also offers an extraordinary natural seaside charm, sex and alcohol are very closely related to each other on Ibiza.

The name Andalusia comes from the Arabic 'Al Andalus'. It is in this city that we can trace the history of Islam in Spain. "Andalusian culture was heavily influenced by Muslim rule that lasted eight centuries and ended in 1492 with the re-conquest of Granada by the Catholic kings and queens. In ancient times the people of Al-Andalus consisted of three main groups based on the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish religions. In every city, each community lives in a different area which is unique. At this time they live in a 'golden era' where each one of them lives together in tolerance, mutual respect, and maintains harmony between the religious believers." Valter spoke making me realize as I looked carefully around the city of Seville. I nodded understandingly at Valter's explanation, this city has a very strong history, culture.

"Christians in al-Andalus are known as the Muzarab people where they embraced Christianity but adopted Arabic culture, they speak and write in Arabic." he added again. "It's very interesting, I can glimpse it from an architectural point of view, as there are many cultural elements in one building," I said without looking at Valter.

We explored the city of Seville on foot around the area of ​​Santa Cruz in the old town of Seville. There are lots of pedestrians and small alleys that connect landmarks to each other. Resulting in many outdoor cafes and restaurants around the district serving tapas and a variety of Spanish culinary cheap but delicious. Also shops are scattered almost on every corner of the alley.

Seville Cathedral is one of the greatest masterpieces of extraordinary beauty, comprising of eighty chapel units making it the largest cathedral in the world. This cathedral is designated as one of the UNESCO world heritage sites. This cathedral was a mosque that was later converted into a church, more or less in history like the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. A church that was later converted into a mosque. In terms of the design of the cathedral, there have been many changes, the architecture has been transformed into a dramatic gothic-style intricate design. I can still catch traces of the Moorish design*, as the original form when it was still functioning as a mosque. Such as the shape of the front gate and the dome above which is still round. The fountain in front is ornated with Moorish designs and the tower next to it which still has traces of the Moorish style. In this cathedral, there is also the tomb of Cristopher Columbus, the discoverer of the American continent, and King St. Ferdinand II.

The Cathedral Tower is called the Giralda Tower, which is one of Seville's symbols that do not escape my sight. Previously, the Giralda Tower was a tower for Muslims to say the call to prayer, which has now been converted into a cathedral bell tower. The unique thing about the tower is that this tower does not have a ladder to climb to the top, but there are ramps to the very top of the tower. This was deliberately designed to make it easier for Muslims to ride horses to the top of the tower rather than walking or climbing.

Not far from the cathedral, across the south, stands another palace that is equally impressive named Alcazar which is also a UNESCO world heritage site. The oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and has been around for more than a thousand years. From Islamic Isbyllia to medieval Christianity and Seville Jews to present today. This magnificent palace has the nuance of Moroccan design in great detail and is amazing. On the side of the wall there are still intact calligraphy verses from the Koran, Spanish historical paintings, on the other walls there is also a large painting of Mother Mary protecting all mankind painted with various faces, circles, and races. In another part of the palace there is a pond, a beautiful garden aesthetically moored with a maze of flowers, and various tropical plants such as palm trees, limes, oranges, bananas.

The Alcazar Palace is so beautiful, the garden inside makes you feel like you are in heaven. All the plants are so close together, and there is a wall of vines, a gate of plants with a beautiful arched door. No wonder the Alcazar palace was used as one of the locations for the famous TV drama Game of Thrones.

Valter wiped the sweat on my forehead attentively, "We better rest for a moment, you also look a little tired," he said, pulling me down onto his shoulder. Liana also looked hot and a little empty like me. "It's lunchtime, we better go relax for a moment," said Valter, giving the code to me to follow him, choosing a comfortable place to have lunch. I took Valter's hand affectionately along the streets of Seville's old town, from its beautiful buildings, breathtaking views and passionate culture.

The boisterous voices of people laughing happily while tasting tapas and wine. The culinary aroma from the kitchens of the restaurants that pampers the tongue, the street musicians with melodious voices and melodic guitar strains, and the passionate smiles of the couples of elderly tourists who walk slowly hand in hand along the cobblestone paths. It is an unforgettable portrait. A portrait of intimacy and romance. Seville is a city of romance.

We had lunch in an old, restored tavern that had preserved its original design. We enjoyed traditional dishes while enjoying the typical Andalusian decor with plain brick walls and forged iron lampshades, in a special adjoining room for serving special tapas orders. A large mahogany bar that had a classic look to it with whiskey barrels and wine bottles strewn on wall shelves behind the bar with several bartenders ready to serve.

My eyes fell on a beautiful girl wearing a flower-patterned body-con dress enjoying a drink while occasionally gazing at Valter in awe. Her eyes could not let go of Valter which made me not focus on the conversation at our table. I turned my gaze towards Liana who was busy talking about the city of Granada, I tried to focus on the conversation but the corner of my eye still eyed the woman.

The woman moved towards our table with a glass of wine in her hand, her tight clothes carved her plump body which was beautifully carved as she walked. She stopped at our table and looked at Valter with an interested gaze. Liana stopped telling stories, and the four of us looked up at the woman. She smiled faintly behind her flushed lips, then left a lipstick-stained wine glass and a piece of paper on the table right in front of Valter. Before we had time to say a word, the woman had already left. I quickly grabbed the paper that the woman left, looking at Valter with a confused face, who looked at Joseph as if asking for an explanation of what was going on. I opened the white paper, there was a name and phone number, Cella +954 XXX XXX. "She likes you, Valter. She gave you her number hoping you would call her." Joseph whispered with a small chuckle.

I looked at Joseph sarcastically, and looked at Valter with an unhappy face, I was jealous, still imagining the woman's very seductive physique. Valter chuckled at my face, which was flushed red from jealousy, Valter kissed my lips, grabbed my hand and stroked the back of my hand. We arrived at the most impressive building area in Seville after the cathedral. The building Plaza de Espana stunned us. The red palace in the shape of a giant semicircle, the space in front of it is so wide open with a unique architectural design, this place has also been used as a scene in one of the prequels to the Star Wars film.

I turned around walking around the giant palace as if I didn't care about the scorching heat that made my body sticky. Valter approached standing beside me. "The palace was built in 1929 as a testament to Spain's pure achievements in the fields of industry and architecture. At both ends of the Palace, it has two towers. The north and the south. There are forty-eight pavilions with colorful ceramic tile designs representing and depicting the historical sights of each province in the region." Valter said, pointing to one by one the designs in front of the Palace.

Right in front of the building, there is a five hundred meter long canal following the design of the Palace which is crossed by four bridges. Each a beautiful bridge, with small pillars made of azalea tiles, the four bridges representing the four ancient kingdoms of Spain namely Castille, Aragon, Navarre, and Leon. This lovely little canal provides small boats that can be rented and paddled under the four bridges on the canal, looking very beautifully resembling the small city of Venice.

In front of the palace, there is a tall fountain with Moorish designs known as Vicente Traver. It depicts the many horse-drawn carriages that can still be used by tourists or couples on dates that want to tour the palace without having to walk.

Seville is too beautiful to describe in words. The city deserves more than just beautiful words, from Moorish monuments, catholic buildings, bars, tapas cafes, mouth-watering food and enchanting old surroundings to flamenco shows all around. We were very spoiled here.

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(*) Moors: Muslims from medieval times who lived in Al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula including modern Spain and Portugal) as well as Morocco and West Africa, whose culture is called Moorish.

This word is also used in Europe to designate people who have Arab or African ancestry. The name Moor comes from the ancient tribe of Maure and the kingdom of Mauritania.