Registry Information

Hello friends and family!

We are excited to share our special day with you very very very soon.

After our wedding celebration, we are planning on moving out of the country and we can't bring much with us, so we hope you enjoy browsing our "alternative" registry (where you can help contribute to our dream honeymoon in Italy) or, if you prefer, our Spanish bank account number is the following: ES08 2080 5867 0130 4000 2651.

Thank you for visiting, and we can't wait to see you all in Sevilla!

Travel Checklist

Don't forget these important things!

Passport 

You won't be allowed to leave the US without it and it could take up to two months to get yours, so plan ahead! It's also smart to keep a physical copy of your passport with you in a separate place just incase yours is lost – it won't replace it, but it will help. Also, remember to keep your passport on you at all times while in Spain!

Euros

While you can always use your credit and debit cards abroad, you will need to have some cash. Only some local banks will be able to exchange Dollars into Euros, and they do it for a pretty high fee. Just make sure you have a few Euros on you just incase you need to purchase something like a water from the airport when connecting through Madrid for example. You won't want to take the time exchanging money or looking for an ATM. Once in Sevilla the best thing to do is to go to an ATM and pull out cash. Find an ATM that is connected with a local bank, and you will only be charged something like a $5 withdrawal fee. Do not withdraw cash from an ATM that tells you it will charge a percentage of what you pull out, as this will cost more. Keep in mind that you need to call and notify your bank BEFORE your trip to make a note on your account that you will be out of the country and when. Otherwise you will be stuck at the ATM spending lots of money making a cell phone call to your bank just to withdraw cash – I know this from experience. The other thing to remember is that you may have a limit of something like $300 to withdraw from an ATM in a day. Let's say you want to withdraw 250€ from an ATM, after the exchange rate applies that will be equal to $311.33, which means your bank will decline the transaction and you'll only be able to pull out 200€. So you may also want to raise the limit of how much you can withdraw in a day to avoid this situation. NOTE: While on the subject of money in Spain, keep in mind that you do not need to tip for services. Generally a tip is not normal and is not expected. If the service is excellent you may leave a couple of Euros or just ask for less back in change when paying, but still not necessary. 

Cell Phone 

Using a cell phone abroad isn't very cheap. Check with your carrier before your trip to see what options they have to offer. You might want to sign up for a global plan just for your trip and then cancel it when you return. It makes calling and texting cheaper, and you can get some data to use just incase you need it for a short while, like for using maps to find your hotel. But you'll have to keep your data turned off while not it use or pay a lot for it. Note: You may want to have an external battery for your cell phone. The phone will not likely last the 20+ hour trip from the US to Sevilla and you'll need to recharge your phone or accessories. Here's what I use and it recharges my iPhone from 0-100% plus some - click here.

Travel Guide

Bring a current travel guide. They have them for Spain, Andalusia, and also Sevilla. Maybe also check out a Spanish phrase book. It can really help you pick up a few useful words and phrases. Just remember that the phrase book should be specific to the Castilian Spanish that is spoken in Spain. 

Here are the two books I have:
Lonely Planet Spanish Phrasebook & Dictionary

http://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Spanish-Phrasebook-Dictionary-Phrasebooks/dp/1742208096

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Seville & Andalusia

http://www.amazon.com/DK-Eyewitness-Travel-Guide-Andalusia/dp/1465411348/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427656355&sr=1-1&keywords=eyewitness+travel+seville

10 Things You Cannot Miss in Sevilla

1. The Food

Please refer to our 15 Must-Try Foods In Sevilla post to find out more about the delicious Andalusian cuisine.

2. La Catedral de Sevilla

The number one must see, and you definitely won't miss it. It is the largest cathedral in the world! It is located right in the city center. Plan to spend a few hours visiting the cathedral. Inside you can see beautiful artwork, treasures, and even the tomb of Columbus.

3. La Giralda

La giralda is the bell tower of la cathedral de Sevilla. When you go to visit the cathedral, make your way over to la giralda and climb your way up to the top to get a spectacular view of Sevilla.

4. Los Reales Alcázares

The oldest royal palace still in use in Europe. It is absolutely beautiful, and was originally a Moorish fort. You'll be able to see the palace in the new season of Game of Thrones in 2015 as they just recently filmed here, but it is much more astonishing to see it in person. Just across from the cathedral in the city center. Plan to spend several hours here when visiting, and remember to be prepared for some heat if you're here in the late afternoon.

We will also be taking wedding photos here the Monday after our wedding!

5. La Plaza de España

Featured in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, this 1929 plaza was built on the edge of the María Luisa Park. You can walk around admiring the tile maps of all of Spain's provinces or rent a boat to see the plaza from a different perspective.

Don't forget to go for a walk at the María Luisa Park afterwards!

6. A Walk Through the City Center

7. Las Setas

8. El Puente de Triana

What is so special about this bridge? The view. You will see the city from a different perspective, from right above the Río Guadalquivir (we could also call it the Rio Grande or Big River, if we were speaking Spanish or English, and not Arabic).

9. La Iglesia del Salvador

This is one of the many churches in Sevilla. What is so special about it? It is truly beautiful. The ticket to access the Cathedral allows you to visit this church as well, so do not forget to go once you are done with the Cathedral and the Giralda.

There is also a very famous bar with beer and tinto right in front of it, so go get a drink before or after to cool down from all of that Sevillian heat! There is a "catch": you will drink standing in the street, there are no seats.

10. Our Wedding!

Now that would be bad, wouldn't it? ;)

Bonuses:

• Parque de María Luisa (María Luisa Park): Walk around or hire a horse carriage. While you're there, don't forget to visit Plaza de América, where you will be able to feed pigeons and visit a few museums.

• Itálica
• Museo de Bellas Artes

15 Must-Try Foods in Sevilla

1. Tapas

Tapas are one of those things you can have to keep you going before lunch, in-between your midday meal and dinner, or while drinking late nights at the bar. Tapas can be all sorts of foods, like olives, salmorejo, or even something hot like patatas bravas or calamares fritos. What makes them so good? They are served in small portions, so you get to eat lots of different dishes. They are usually shared with whomever you are out with. Tapas originate in Sevilla, and are so much a part of the culture that you don't go "out to eat" (comer), you go "de tapeo" and use the verb "tapear" instead of "comer".

If you want to be like a Sevillian, you should definitely order tapas with a cerveza - beer, vino - wine, or my favorite, tinto de verano - summer red wine (see below). Some popular and typical tapas are papas aliñás – dressed potatoes, solomillo al whisky – pork sirloin, and montaditos – little sandwiches.

2. Gazpacho and Salmorejo

Ángela's favorite food in the world is gazpacho. It can be thought of as a cold soup, and on a hot summer day in Sevilla, there is nothing more refreshing than a cold glass or bowl of fresh gazpacho! It's made mostly of tomato, with red and green bell pepper, garlic and onion, lots of Spanish olive oil, fresh bread, and a touch of vinegar. Blend it all together, add a touch of salt, let it chill, and you have gazpacho. Sometimes it is served with pieces of jamón serrano or even fresh melon. Another food to try is gazpacho's cousin salmorejo. Salmorejo is similar, but it is made with more bread, so it has a thicker consistency.

3. Tortilla de patatas

One of the most common foods you'll find in Spain is tortilla de patatas – Spanish omelette. It's made of eggs and potatoes that have been simmered with onion in olive oil. You can find it at bars and cafés, any place you can find tapas, and there's almost always one at home that's been homemade. It's sliced like a pie and served alone with mayo, in-between a piece of bread, or sometimes with a little bit of salmorejo on top. It's delicious, and perfect for a light dinner.

4. Jamón serrano

The most delicious and prestigious meat in the entire world! Jamón serrano, or jamón ibérico, is a dry-cured Spanish ham that often takes around two years before it is fully cured. One unique thing you'll notice about jamón is that it is cut and served right off of the leg. The outside of the pata de jamón – the leg, along with excess fat, is trimmed off until you hit the meat of the leg. It is then cut very thin with a sharp knife and served in small thin pieces. It is salty, and very rich in flavor. Jamón can be compared to the Italian proscuito, but even many Italians agree that jamón serrano has a superior flavor. You will see legs of jamón hanging from every bar in Sevilla, and in grocery stores there is always a section dedicated solely to jamón serrano. It can be ordered as a tapa, and is commonly found on bocadillos or a tostada.

5. Dry Cured Meats

Some of the best you can find in the world.  My favorites are chorizo – not like Mexican fresh chorizo, salchichon, and the caña de lomo is extraordinary.

6. Tostada

It's delicious, and it's the most common thing eaten for breakfast in Spain. Simply put, it's just toast, but what makes it special are the Spanish tomatoes, Spanish olive oil, and jamón serrano that you usually put on top of it. You can find this for breakfast at any bar – and yes, they eat breakfast in bars. Order it with jamón and a coffee and you'll be set for the day.

7. Aceitunas

Spain's olive oil is famous for a reason: the quality of their olives. Try the different types of olives as a tapa, such as manzanilla and gordal, in the different available styles – pitted, with garlic, or de la abuela - grandma's olives.

8. Tomates aliñados

Tomatoes in Spain are absolutely delicious, sweet, and full of flavor, and you will find tomatoes in many Spanish dishes. They often eat them sliced up and seasoned lightly with olive oil, fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar, salt, chopped garlic, and sometimes oregano. Also, don't mistake any green tomatoes you see for not being ripe. Some of the most delicious tomatoes are lightly colored and full of green.

9. Queso

Probably the most well known cheese from Spain is queso manchego. It's a delicious flavorful firm cheese that goes well with dry cured meats and wine. You can find lots of good cheeses at all of the restaurants and bars. View this link to see the most famous Spanish cheeses and where they come from.

10. Empanada de atún

 An Empanada in Spain is something like a large flat pie with a filling, and it is not a dessert, rather something you eat for lunch or dinner. One of the most common types of empanada you will find is the empanada de atún – tuna empanada. Its one of my favorite things to eat in Spain, with its flaky crust and delicious filling containing bell peppers, tomato, olive oil, onion, and garlic.

11. Paella 

Probably the most well known dish from Spain is paella, or paella de marisco – seafood paella. If you haven't tried it before this is one dish you most definitely need to have when in Spain. It's made by simmering an assortment of seafood and shellfish and some vegetables with rice. What you get in the end is a tasty creamy rice dish full of seafood flavor.

12. Pescaíto frito

All seafood is amazing in Spain, especially the fried fish. It's very commonly eaten, and you won't miss it on any restaurant menu. There are many different types of fried fish to try, and they are all very good.

13. Chocolate con churros

They are not like the Mexican ones! You can get yourself some at any local churrería. Ask for them with a side of their chocolate sauce and eat them for breakfast.

14. Tinto de verano

Spain's "Summer Red Wine" is a refreshing mix of red wine and soda, served on the rocks. The soda choices are blanca – plain, limón – lemon, and naranja – orange. To quench your thirst like any other Sevillian does, order a tinto con limón anywhere you go to eat.

15. Cerveza Cruzcampo

Cruzcampo is the most loved beer in Sevilla. Brewed in this city since 1904, it ranks number 1 in sales in Spain. Its extremely refreshing taste will surely help you get through the summer heat just fine. You can even order a Cruzcampo Glacial at some bars for an extra cold and refreshing beer.

Other foods to try in Spain:

Pasteles – Delicious pastries from Confiteria la Campana

Helado – Gelato. Helado de La Fiorentina

Montaditos – Little Sandwiches at 100 Montaditos, Spain's most popular fast food chain.

                      Spanish Website: http://spain.100montaditos.com

                      US Website: http://us.100montaditos.com

Welcome!

Welcome to our website! Here you can find all the information you need to know for our wedding, as well as some information on how to have a good time here in Sevilla – which is very easy to do!

:)