Now, almost five weeks into our travels, Brian and I have learned a thing or two about how to be good travel companions to each other. We are sharing one piece of proper luggage during this trip, so it’s been a continual lesson in sharing, consideration, and compromise. For example, if your partner dumps all of your clothes on the floor, it doesn’t mean your partner doesn’t care that you neatly packed your sundresses so they won’t wrinkle, it means your partner is hurrying to find his/her DuckTales shirt so he/she can be ready 20 minutes ago per your request. So really, it’s all for you.
When we were in Seville earlier in August, a few tricks to make this arrangement more sustainable emerged. While much of long term traveling together is a social balancing act, we’ve discovered some tools over the years of traveling together. Below is a list of items we had the foresight to pack this time around to aid in our travels and to keep us from squabbling over non-issues.
Six Things to Pack for Smooth Sailing:
1. Wipes
Baby wipes are the greatest thing to happen to my 20s. Having discovered their usefullness for removing face paint in college, I’ve taken to carrying a pack whenever I’m on the move. When travelling, they are great for refreshing so you don’t have a hissy fit about who gets the first shower when reaching your Airbnb. This was super important in Seville because it was well over 95 degrees Fahrenheit all day. We rented bikes, which was a great way to get around this tiny city quickly, but also meant we were constantly sweaty and in need of refreshing. This is the service we rented from.
Matador statue in Seville
2. Sleep Masks
We’ve both taken to carrying around eye shades during our travels. These are of course helpful when trying to adjust to timezones or if your partner wants to stay up later reading (or blogging). In Seville, the whole city seems to shut down around 2pm for siesta, so it’s helpful to have a blackout shade to adjust to this flow of activity. Anyways, it’s so hot in the middle of the day that you really have no choice but to find a shady corner to nap in. Tip: its really worth getting a slightly more expensive mask so its comfortable and it actually blocks out light. The cadillac of sleep masks — according to Brian anyways.
3. Packing Cubes
I have a set of packing cubes. Brian doesn’t. Therefore, what is in the cubes is mine (theoretically) and the negative space in the rest of the bag is his (theoretically). My former coworkers sent me on my way with this set of packing cubes which are great as there is a “clean” side and a “laundry” side. This makes for neat organization and quick costume changes when switching from morning bike ride adventure gear to an afternoon spent exploring the old town and crossing the river to hip Triana. Here are the kick ass packing cubes I’ve been using.
Exploring the gardens of Real Alcazar
4. (Spare) Plastic Bags & Ziplock Bags
Useful for everything from transporting leftover muesli between Airbnbs to isolating malodorous hiking shoes to sorting liquids for going through security. Useful for relationships too, so my deodorant doesn’t inhale man cologne smell and my clean clothes don’t smell like spilled olive juice from a Sevillian tapas bar. Also, many stores will charge extra for the global damage of plastic bags, so bring your own to seem like a green, European local.
5. Headphone Splitter
Brian is always anxious to get to the airport early and I’m a nervous flyer. Now that Netflix allows downloads (praise be!), we’ve taken to pacifying ourselves with TV and movies at the uncomfortable points of travel. With a headphone splitter, we can watch House of Cards together so that we can make dramatic/outraged/shocked faces at each other along the way. It helps us to be able to share something, rather than retreating into our own backlogs of podcasts. Not to mention, this device is tiny and is easily packed anywhere.
6. Pen
Despite the digital age, in which all of our travel documents are electronic, I’ve needed a pen at least three times a day. We’ve taken to writing down our tapas schemes on napkins before finalizing our order and for writing good ol’ fashion postcards. Brian found some inspiring articles (especially this one) about where to get tapas in Seville, so we had to heavily annotate our map to figure out our route. More on our tapas tour below! What’s more is it’s always useful to have one on a plane so you can start filling out customs forms ahead of getting in line (don’t be that guy with the greasy fingers asking to borrow a pen).
Striking tower of Real Alcazar amid the native foliage
DIY Tapas Tour in Seville
Brian did a great job researching the most interesting, traditional, and popular tapas bars in this Andalucian city. Unfortunately, we learned through the course of activities that many shops and restaurants are closed for a week or longer in the August. This resulted in quite a few disappointments as we attempted to navigate the medieval streets in pursuit of fine bites, but we were able find a handful that were open and worth eating at, as well as discover unknown spots. These three were our favorites:
El Rinconcillo
Antique bar tucked deep within the maze that is the oldest part of the city. This bar is known for the antiquated decor, poker-faced waitstaff, and the quaint tallying of the bill with chalk on the bar. Here, we enjoyed tinto de verano (basically a red wine spritzer), ham croquettes, sheep’s milk cheese, and slices of local cured meat.The price was right: two drinks and four tapas came to about 12 euros.
Having our bill tallied up ON the bar
Bodega Dos de Mayo
In contrast to the previous bar, the waitstaff here are notoriously friendly, offering sincere greetings just as the doors open at 8pm. We sat out in the plaza while sipping sangria and trying various tapas dishes such as fresh seafood salad, more croquettes – prawn this time, and hake cooked with fruits of the sea and garlic. The six or so tapas plates and a pitcher of sangria cost us about 28 euros.
A plate of coveted Iberian ham (jamón)
Bar Pelayo
Set down a side street near the Real Alcazar palace, Bar Pelayo made for a good tapas lunch full of classics and our waitress’ locally recommended specialities. Although I wasn’t wild about the bull head decor, the place was spacious and comfortable. We had olives, goats cheese, avocado anchovy toast, zucchini-wrapped shrimp, and duck breast, amongst other dishes. A pitcher of sangria and eight or nine tapas dishes will set you back about about 35 euros.
To DIY your own tapas tour, seek out recommendations, but also keep your eyes peeled for places set away from the main tourist drags. I’ve noticed that, frequently, the most local-seeming bars are clustered near one another and are easily identifiable by the hordes of smoking Spanish speakers holding glasses of wine out front. These places will most definitely not have pictures in laminated menus, if they even have menus at all.
Of course, Seville is much more than heavy summer heat and cool evening bites. The ornate architecture is stunning and the people laidback. I was surprised by how quiet the city was, but I would happily return, especially to use as a homebase for exploring the surrounding countryside or for day trips to Cadiz or Cordoba. Perhaps that should be our next adventure!
-Sophie
idaknowwheretogo (I don't know where to go!) 