Next morning we decided to find a brunch place since our next meal would be rather late. Jester was a rather popular place among the locals when we googled online so we made our way there. We were right on dot at 8.30am since according to Google, it says the shop opens at 8.30am. But we were told by the staffs to wait outside as they were not ready yet. Well, it was strange since their bagels and croissants were on display, ready to be purchased. Anyway, we waited silently outside for 10 mins not daring to go in, in case we got scolded again
First in line, waiting patiently. And soon people started queuing behind us
So after it seemed like forever, the staff called out to us, ready for the day. And we made our order quickly. Food was okay. I don’t think it was fantastic but it wasn’t bad either. I’m not sure why it’s so popular. There’s definitely better brunch places that we tried before
anyway, here’s our BREAKFAST!
It definitely looked better than it tasted
And since the weather was surprisingly cold in the morning, we quickly finished our food and made our way to Plaza Patio De Banderas since we had so much time
Lets just say it was.. very underwhelming 
Yes, it’s just that. lol
We stayed for about 2 minutes before we made our way to Cathedral & bell tower where we still had time before our time slot at 10.55am. I was too cold to move so I sat the bench, waiting for time to come while the friend was too cold to stay still, so she went to explore. Lol. And it was finally time to go up
34 floors later…
Well, I guess the time spent at the top took 10 minutes max? Since everyone just quickly took some photos and allowing others to come into their spot for their turn. And with that, we proceeded down to the first floor again. Did I mention the way up/down is a gentle slope? So please wear proper shoes
We went inside the cathedral where we sat and stoned there for some time. We also took advantage listening to the stories by random tour guides since they were giving a tour of the place for other tourists. When we finally decided to make way to the next attraction, we got lost. We couldn’t find the exit. Lol. It took us 10 mins to be finally able to exit from the cathedral. I thought it was quite funny
Our next attraction was the Alcazar palace which was a short walk away. And to our horror, the queue was so long to enter. So we decided to display our kampung spirit and slide in whenever there was a hole to move in. Lol When we finally made it to the front of the line, the lady was saying something rather anxiously which we obviously didn’t understand. All I knew was somehow, it didn’t feel something was right. So we google-translated our ticket and to our horror, we realized we had to be at the upper rooms 15 mins before scheduled time.
And that cued panic
We took some time to find the entrance to the upper rooms and by the time we reached, we were too late. Thankfully they allowed 2/3 us in. So we managed to see how the residence looks like when the royal family lives in here. Well, it was interesting to know but not a must-visit. Unfortunately no photos/videos allowed in here
Visited the rest of Alcazar and that included the very pretty gardens. So that deserved some photos here
We also paid a visit to Banos de Maria Padilla, a famous underground bath where the King had an affair with Maria, a noble lady of dazzling beauty
And with that, we ended our self tour, which I couldn’t wait to make my way for lunch cos the weather was getting warm and I just wanted to sit down
We passed by Plaza de Espana as we walked over to lunch/dinner which was a mistake. Cos the sun came out. And when the sun comes out, it’s crazily hot. The weather in Spain can be really extreme
Reached Sobretablas after a good 30 mins walk though on the way there we kept thinking why is this walk never ending? lol. We were glad we could finally rest in the comfort of the air-conditioned restaurant and we could finally eat. Decided to go for the ala carte instead of the tasting menu since there were specific things we wanna eat
and it was actually quite crowded
Fried King Prawns w Pork Rinds €7.50
I really liked this. Prawns but keropok style. I thought the sauce was good too and it went well with the pork rinds
Egg Yolk and Mojama Ensaladilla €7.50
First dish – tasted like potato salad. It was good and the portion was rather huge for a starter
immered Cooked Eggs w Fried Vegetables & Small Prawns €15
Interesting dish. When it came, we were surprised by the presentation. Definitely not something we expected. I call this the Spanish rojak. Lol. But it was quite nice I thought
Iberian Suckling Pig served w Pear & Crispy Milk €28
The friend wanted the suckling pig. It had a rather strong porky taste. So I didn’t have much of it. Though I felt the pear compote made the dish a little better overall
Charcoal Grilled Seabass w Pumpkin & Orange €24
This dish.. was pretty normal. I wished they had done the skin crispy. It honestly just tasted like fish
Cannelloni of Coquelet w Truffle & Mushroom €28
It was not bad. Felt more puff pastry than pasta like. But it felt a little heavy after awhile with the strong flavours
Clementine Flan w Rosemary Whipped Cream €7.50
It definitely sounded better. Lol. Well, it’s sponge cake served with a tangy orange sauce which was abit sweet..
Fried Chocolate Bombon €7.50
You know. I was expecting chocolates filled with ganache. This was..very sweet. We couldn’t really tell what we were eating
Sad to say, the meal started out strong and went downhill. Boo. And it’s on the Bib Gourmand restaurant list. Well, I guess we won’t be returning again
We decided to grab a taxi back to our hotel cos we were too lazy and tired to walk back. Then we spent some time lazing around before we decided to head back to Metropol Parasol for the sunset and lightshow. Cos we need to make full use of the ticket you know. lol
The breeze was nice and there were lot people watching the sunset, so much that there was actually no empty space at the railings (this was like the empty spot with no nice views. lol)
Anyway we managed to find ourselves with a nice spot for the sunset
The lightshow was supposed to start at 8pm but somehow it got delayed. And when it finally came out, I was underwhelmed.. It was honestly nothing much. And with that we head back to rest for the day since we had a day trip the next day!
The friend really wanted to visit the white villages. So we arranged a day trip with Notjustatourist to take a trip up to Ronda and the white villages. They had designated a pickup point which was a walking distance from our hotel and also kindly arranged an English speaking guide named Abby to take us on our tour. We didn’t expect it would be a private tour but we would gladly take it 🙂
And first view of the trip!
The view of Zahara de la Sierra was really gorgeous. I think we couldn’t stop exclaiming when we reached and the guide was pretty amused
It’s really pretty!
We quickly went back to the car cos it was quite chilly and we moved on to the second location to explore the town a little
We came across these on the wall. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be part of decoration but anyway it translated to ‘Drink to forget but don’t forget to drink’ which I found it quite amusing
We walked around the small town a little and we covered some of the main attractions before plopping ourselves into a cafe and the friends decided to buy some chips back. Lol
While I chilled with a cup of local coffee. Lets just say it’s not to my taste
18th Century Catholic Church which was pretty small in size
Local city hall
Viewpoint which had a really nice view
We went to visit the 2nd town next, which was the White village of Grazalema perched 830m above sea levels. It’s a small village and as we wandered around, we spotted signs of bullfighting tradition everywhere. The guide also took time to explain to us what the posters mean (even though we probably can’t remember it now)
We were told the water is from the 6th Century
Headed to the main square, Plaza de Espana and we saw the monument of the bull which reflects the local traditions of Grazalema and deep history of bullfighting in Spain. I thought the monument was pretty cool
We popped by a local store selling artisanal goods before we moved on to the last village for the day
And finally, to the last village of Ronda
As we walked around the viewpoint, we were told this was an important symbol of the village with the French invasion destroying everything and only the left tower was left
18th-century Puente Nuevo bridge which had a wealth of history behind this
It was a pretty nice day with music in the background as we wandered around buying souvenirs. After that the guide left us while we went to search for lunch cos we were hungry
The guide recommended this place – Bar Casa Moreno which was a well-known local tapas place that served really good local tapas. We had to wait awhile though thankfully the couple infront of us left so we were first in line
This was quite a hidden street and if you didn’t wander around this area, you probably won’t know there’s a street selling local tapas in this area
We were famished. So we ordered anything that sounded nice. Most of the tapas were priced around €5. All I remembered was there were a lot of bread (so as to keep you full). But the quality of the food was questionable. I wouldn’t come back here again
Still, for the experience
We had some time left so we decided to check out Plaza de Toros, which was Spain’s oldest bullfighting ring that dates to 1784
Lets just say it was very yellow. Lol
We took some photos in the ring before hiding from the heat at the gallery which showcased some of the history and also, some of their fancy costumes
Really cool. But this costume in this weather? HMM
Then we were craving for ice cream. So we crossed opposite where souvenir shops lined up ineatly and found one ice cream shop that looked like it was really popular
It was a mistake. It was very sweet
We went to the meet-up point to meet with Abby and our driver before we commenced our drive back to Seville city in kpop hits non-stop. Lol. I really enjoyed our times spent with Notjustatourist, even better when no one else joined us on our tour. I would recommend you to give them a try too
The friend decided to abandon us for dinner again, so we headed to Perro Viejo tapas bar without her. The tapas bar seemed to be a popular place so we were glad we made a reservation beforehand
But before that, a shot infront of ‘Mushroom’
I have to say the shot looks so nice in this evening colour tone. We took awhile before we finally got to our turn cos the group infront of us was just not automatic
When we were led to the second floor, we realised most of the customers were tourists and there was just a table of Koreans sitting beside us
But as we left the restaurant after our meal, we realised there were a lot more locals sitting downstairs
Started with a glass of wine to unwind though I didn’t really like it. I thought it was a little too acidic for my liking
Tuna Ceviche w Mandarin Leche de Tigre €8
I liked the tuna ceviche but not much of the tacos base. So I ate the ceviche and left the tacos untouched
Iberian Ham Croquettes €4.80
Decent croquettes, served creamy & hot
Oysters – Bloody Mary | Pearls & Ponzu Sauce €4.50 each
Initially they served us half a dozen and I was shocked. Then they realised it was the wrong order and came back with the correct order. I preferred the Bloody Mary to Ponzu sauce, so as to mask up the strong oyster taste
Butterfish Tataki w Sautéed Baby Spinach €16
Was surprised by the presentation of this dish. It looked absolutely like an Asian dish. Lol. I mean, baby spinach? And it tasted very Asian too. The fish with the sauce and vegetables. It was good, don’t get me wrong. Just wasn’t what we expected
Crispy Chicken Thigh w Carrot Puree €14
We thought the chicken thigh was well-executed too. Safe, hearty and a well-liked dish
Creamy Cheesecake €6.50
We wanted to try the cheesecake. But it was too creamy for me. The friend had half of it and gave up. Cos we realised we had ordered quite abit for dinner. Lol
And with that, we ended the night packing our luggages to move homes again
Read here for the rest of my travelogues:
Easily satisfied, Hard to please 