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36 hours layover guide of Sevilla

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Hello my Aviator, the past year I spend over six layovers in Sevilla and I take this as an opportunity to share my highlights of this beautiful city with you. My layover is usually 36 hours and this is why my following city guide is based on this period of time. Additionally, I will give general tips for your next city trip.

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Bar at the Alfonso XIII Hotel / Photo by Emilie (@esunshi)

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Facts about Sevilla

Sevilla is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is situated on the plain of the river Guadalquivir. Seville has a municipal population of about 703,000 as of 2011, making it the fourth-largest city in Spain. Seville is approximately 2,200 years old. The passage of the various civilizations has left the city with a distinct personality, and a large and well-preserved historical center.

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Expo venue of 1992 / lost place in Sevilla

Travel tip: bank

Over the years I have spent a lot of money on fees when paying with my checking account abroad. But those days are finally over. I recently opened a new account. This premium bank offers an account which incorporates many benefits to their customers. Which is especially useful for me as a frequent traveler who spends a lot of time in foreign countries. Besides giving me the services of traditional a checking account, it includes a MasterCard Gold free of charge.

In Sevilla, you can pay with your card in many shops and restaurants, but I have been to other cities in which they require cash for purchases. Especially taxi drivers, who rarely accept credit cards. With the gold credit card I can withdraw money for free and I even have an exclusive insurance package as well. For example, my health and my luggage are all ensured when I am staying abroad, even when I am not paying with the card.

Watch my V-log about Sevilla. Subscribe my YouTube channel for more videos:

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36 hours layover guide of Sevilla

10:00 - 14:00

Buenos dias

Like my flight, you arrive in Sevilla in the morning. Since it is too early for the check-in, I suggest to drop your luggage at the concierge and start discovering the city right away. The old town consists of many narrow streets with historical buildings. I usually approach a new city without a strict guide, so let your feet decide where to go. You will be surprised about the places to discover, which you did not expect.

Healthy snacking

Maybe you have not had a good breakfast yet or you are ready for a small lunch. Close to the cathedral you can find a healthy food place, called "Milk Away". Their smoothies and salads are fantastic. I always have the Acai bowl with granola and fresh fruits (it is up to you to decide which ones you like on top). For more healthy cafés, restaurants and shops around your personal location, I recommend the App called "Happy Cow".

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Acai bowl at the healthy food place "Milk Away"

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famous cathedral in old town of Sevilla

Travel tip: accommodation

Since you are staying only for one night I suggest sleeping in the Alfonso XIII hotel, named after King Alfonso of Spain. This elegant hotel with an Arabic style is located in the center of Sevilla. I personally always choose a hotel which is located in walking distance to major attractions when planning a short city trip. This saves time and I can return to the hotel for a quick break between sight-seeing. Apart from all the online booking platforms, I recommend, to always check the website of the hotel as well. Sometimes the rates are even better or you receive extras complimentary.

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Hotel Alfonso XII hotel

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pool of the Alfonso XIII hotel

14:00 - 18:00

Check-in

Time to check-in to your hotel and to refresh and relax a little bit. The Alfonso XIII has an inviting outside area with a pool. Enjoy a couple of hours of sunbathing, swimming and doing sports.

18:00 - 22:00

Sunset

There are many beautiful locations from where you can watch the sunset, but for me the most spectacular place is the Metropol Parasol. This tree-shaped wooden sculpture grants you the best views of Sevilla. Plan enough time to get up, because there might be a queue to get up. (entrance fee: 3€)

Now it is time to have a tasty dinner. Sevilla offers a huge variety of dining options. Most restaurants do not open before 20:00. For popular places, you need to make a dinner reservation. Last time in Sevilla I had dinner at El Paladar a simple looking Tapas bar. They offer three menu boards including one with meat, one vegetarian, and one vegan. It was tasty, inexpensive and local.

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vies of the Metropol Parasol

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sunset from the roof of the Metropol Parasol

22:00 - 24:00

Drinks and show

In Sevilla, the life takes place on the streets. Even late at night people are outside enjoying themselves. I can recommend the rooftop of the EME hotel for some drinks. The bar grants a nice view of the illuminated cathedral. Andalucia is also known for its Flamenco dance shows. I have not been to one yet, but it is on my list for my next layovers in Sevilla.

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Rooftop of the EME hotel

Travel tip: season

Sevilla is a city you can visit the whole year around. But keep in my mind that Sevilla is the hottest major metropolitan area in the geographical Western Europe, with summer average high temperatures of above 35 °C. Therefore I recommend coming here in spring or in late summer. While writing this article I am actually sitting in the sun in Sevilla it is around 25°C at ist already the end of October. At this time of the year, the climate is much better for sightseeing.

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Royal Palace of Sevilla

Next day

09:00 - 11:00

Breakfast

Start the day with a good breakfast followed by an espresso in the sun on the terrace. In my opinion, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This gives you the energy for the day. Nevertheless, you should eat consciously. Even in hotels, I try to avoid white wheat bread, dairy products, and sugar. Here you can find my recipe for my super healthy breakfast bowl.

11:00 - 13:00

Real Alcázar

The old town contains three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of them is the Alcázar palace complex, the royal palace. This is one of my highlights in Sevilla and it is also renowned as one of the most beautiful places in Spain. Plan enough time (minimum 2 hours) to discover all rooms and to take a stroll through the extensive gardens. (entrance fee: 9,50€)

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Garden of the Royal Palace

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Real Alcázar courtyard

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Garden of the Real Alcázar

14:00 - 16:00

Plaza de España

Not far from the royal palace, you can find the Plaza de España. The first time visiting this square, I was overwhelmed by its size, architecture and look. I was surprised when I found out that the square is relatively young. It was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. You can even rent a small paddle boat to discover the square from the water. If you are lucky you can watch Flamenco dancer with live music underneath the roof in the middle of the building.

18:00 - 20:00

Shopping

The old town consists of many shops and small boutique. As a souvenir I often buy clothing, so I get reminded of my stay when wearing them.

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Beautiful square: Plaza de España

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Plaza de España at sunset

Have you been to Spain and what is your favorite in Spain so far? Please comment below and subscribe to my newsletter with your email below.

Happy and safe traveling!

Your Pilot Patrick

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by pilotpatrick

Living in Barcelona +healthy food and insider guide

I always wanted to live in a city at the beach with sunny weather. That is why I decided to move my home base from Berlin to Barcelona last summer. In the beginning, my plan was to stay longer than three months but then my pilot career changed everything. Read about my experience living in Barcelona and find insider sightseeing tips.

Luckily my former employee had an open base concept which allowed crews to live within Europe where ever they wanted to as long an airport was located in the vicinity. I have been to Barcelona many times during my journeys as a private jet pilot and I felt in love with this city right away. I was fascinated by the architecture, the people and the good vibes. Whenever I returned for a night stop I realized more and more that I could imagine living there. Last summer I fulfilled this. After a week on tour, I did not end in Berlin but in Barcelona with one suitcase. Hola Barcelona. It was a super strange feeling, but from the first minute, I already felt home.

sight seeing — View of Barcelona from mountain Tibidabo

I found a nice room in a big apartment on Idealista. It was completely furnished had an ensuite bathroom and the location was right in the heart of the old town called Barrio Gotic. The idea was to do a test phase of three months in this apartment since I have never lived in a shared flat before.

I lived in a really narrow (3 meters) street called Carrer Petritxol in a building which was over 700 years old. Compared to the tight construction of the houses the apartment was really big. Thousands of people moved through this street because it was one of the most beautiful and historic streets in Gotic. It was Picasso, who had his gallery on this street and it was Salvador Dali who had his coffee in a Granja café. It felt surreal to live at such a historic place.

famous and historic Carrer de Petritxol in Barcelona — Living in the Carrer de Petritxol

The culture of Barcelona is so rich and the people are really proud of Catalunya. I was fascinated by the number of cultural events and that all age classes carry on the tradition. La Merce was the biggest and most spectacular festival I could attend. It is held in honor of Mare de Deu de la Mercè, the Patron Saint of Barcelona. I watch the groups building their towers of human beings and watched parades of their famous oversized dolls. The festival ended with the correfoc (fire run), where people danced in fireworks. No joke. I was right with them.

cultural events in Barcelona — La Marce festival in Barcelona

My plan was to stay longer, but then my pilot career changed everything. I need to move back to Germany to start my job with the new employee and to do my type rating on the A300-600. I was sad on one hand, but on the other, I was happy about the big step in my career. Luckily I could spend the entire October in Barcelona without working. Personally, this was the most beautiful time. It was not too hot and not too crowded by tourists. This month I did things I always wanted to do. I went to have surf lessons two times a week and every second day I attended private Spanish lessons.

pilot patrick surfing in Barcelona — Surf lesson at the Playa Barceloneta in October

Insider tips

Barcelona is a great city to do sight seeing. Around every corner, you will discover something new. I recommend renting a scooter to do sight seeing but only when you feel comfortable driving in high traffic situations. Moto rent offers affordable prices. A scooter gives you so much freedom to go to different places in a minimum amount of time.

moto rent in Barcelona — Sight seeing with the scooter on top of Montjuic hill

Gaudi

Barcelona is the city of Gaudi. His architecture is world famous. Unfortunately, the entry prices to most landmarks are quite expensive and the queues long. In my opinion, it is already enough to gaze the impressive exterior. Take a walk through the famous Parc Güell and have a fantastic view over the city. I visited the interior of the Sagrada Familia. I bought tickets at a hotel reception so I did not have to wait in line. A visit to the tomb of Gaudi in the crypt is for free!

For outfit details please visit www.updressed.com/pilotpatric. I am constantly updating my page.

Barrio Gotic

Take a stroll through the oldest part of town without any particular destination. Walk through Carrer de Petrixol. Stop at a famous Granja Dulcinea for a coffee or even a hot chocolate with churros. To have a spectacular view over Barcelona ascend the bell tower of the Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi.

EL Born

My favorite part of town. Many restaurants, bars and boutiques in unique streets. Visit "El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria" for free. It displays the old fundaments of the city and you can explore the history of Barcelona.

Turó del Carmel

A must visit if you want to have the best view over Barcelona and the sea. Turó del Carmel is a hill with a bunker on top located Best time is during sunset and sunrise.

enjoying the city of Barcelona — Viewpoint from the Bunker del Carmel

Other highlights:

Montjuïc Castle
Palau Nacional
Montserrat mountain
Picasso Museum
Arco de Triunfo de Barcelona

Even three months were not sufficient to see everything of Barcelona. The city satisfies every interest. Culture, entertainment, and relaxation. I really loved to take a walk along the beach of Barceloneta during sunset. The atmosphere, the colors and the scenery are unique.

Don't do that

visit the La Boqueria on La Rambla (too crowded and touristic)
be negligent with your valuables
go too early to dinner most restaurants are still closed
rely on taxis to get around in the city on the weekend

My healthy eating guide

As you know I am a foodie pilot and I am a big fan of healthy and tasty meals. Barcelona offers many diverse places and there is much more than tapas and paellas.

healthy clean raw food in El Born Barcelona — Raw lunch at the Blue project Café

Teresa's Carles: Vegetarian food and juices (only indoor/more for dinner) El Raval

Teresa's: Vegetarian café with healthy snacks and juices (breakfast, brunch, lunch) El Raval

Flax and Kale: Healthy restaurant offering a diverse menu (best for brunch and dinner) Make a reservation and request a table on their outdoor rooftop garden El Raval

Petit Brot: completely raw café, daily menus and juices (breakfast and lunch) El Raval

Casa Gispert: Dried fruits, nuts and so much more. Best dried mangos I ever had. El Born

BeBo cold pressed: Tasty healthy juices, raw snacks (more for to go) Eixample

Chaitea house food: trendy restaurant with healthy meal options Eixample

Barraca: seafood and paella overlooking the beach of Barceloneta (lunch and dinner)

Cafè Jaime Beriestain: high-class food in a concept restaurant (more for dinner) Eixample

Nuba: fancy restaurant with live DJ, nice interior and outside seating (more for dinner)

My resume living in Barcelona

After three months in Barcelona, I love the city even more. I really enjoyed the Mediterranean lifestyle. Everything was a little bit more relaxed and when it got too hot shops closed for a siesta. Sometimes I had the impression that it was too crowded (mainly because of tourists) Catalan or Spanish are not a requirement to live in Barcelona. Since they are proud of the Catalan language they rather speak English with you than in Spanish.

Fantastic weather and a great variety of restaurants and cultural events are a big plus. Organic products and the lease for a nice apartment are quite expensive. To sum it up the quality of life is extremely high. Especially because a beautiful beach is only one-foot step away. My dream would be to live in Berlin and Barcelona!

What is your favorite city in Europe?

Your Pilot Patrick

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by pilotpatrick

A day of a Private Jet Pilot III

Welcome back on board and enjoy the last blogpost of this series "A day of a Private Jet Pilot". Make sure you have read Part 1 and Part 2.

Private Jet Pilot

Inflight having a healthy meal

The Approach

45 minutes prior our expected time of arrival (ETA) I start to prepare the approach, receive the actual weather and do an approach briefing. Runway 13 in use in Malaga (130 degrees magnetic orientated) Summerly weather conditions with only some clouds and temperature over 30 degrees. The approach is quite turbulent since the flight route takes us overhead a mountains area and thermic conditions are prevailing.

Citation XLS+ in sunny Malaga

At 17:25 after 3:05 hours flight time we reach our parking stand. The handling service informs us that the driver of the passengers told him that they will arrive in approximately 30 minutes. That means we need to hurry up to prepare everything for the next and last flight to Naples. We need the full package. Fuel, catering and fresh documents. Together we check the weather again of our destination and alternate. It looks that major parts of the thunderstorms will have moved southbound. Good news! While the captain is inside waiting for the passengers to arrive Victoria and me prepare the rest. Just in time for our passengers to board the aircraft. The couple is really happy to meet the crew since the flight was not confirmed four hours ago.

I feel good - important to stay hydrated

Flight to Naples

The flight is again really smooth. After Victoria has served a dinner for the passengers she dims the cabin lighting and helps the passengers to move the seats into a flat position for a little rest. We can see an amazing sunset overhead the Mediterranean Sea.

Sunset on top of the clouds Why I fly - sunset up in the air

Last approach of the day. Now it is really important to stay focused and concentrated. It has been a really long. As expected the weather has calmed down. We are cleared for a straight in approach which means that no big turns are required to align with the centerline of the runway. Ciao! Cleared to land advices the tower.

The landing

Watch out laser beams! Someone is pointing on us from the ground. We lower hour heads and turn of the lightning of the aircraft. Strong laser beams can harm us and cause intense reflections in the cockpit. There is the chance to loose the controls of the plane because of temporary blindness. Why and who does something like this?! It can be so dangerous for air traffic and it is a criminal offense with high punishments.

Cockpitview approaching LIRN at night

Shortly prior landing I can see fireworks on the right side. On block at 21:05 after 2:16 hours flight time. After the passengers have left the aircraft we start with our post flight duties. Finish the paper work, clean up the cabin, unload the luggage and install the red protection covers again. This takes another 30-45 minutes to be done.

Finally done

We are finally done for today. For the record: over 6.000 km flown and 8:29 hours up in the air. I think this is my new personal record! It is 22:30 by now when we finally reach the hotel. I am happy to get out of my uniform. 10 minutes later we meet as crew again to have dinner. We reflect the day and talk already about the upcoming flights.

Back in my hotel room. I answers some of my private messages and immediately fall asleep after closing my eyes!

I hope you have enjoyed flying with me. Good night from Naples!

Your Pilot Patrick

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