Seville, Spain

We left Tavira in the morning for a three hour bus ride across the border into Spain and then on to Seville. The ride was mostly through rural areas and the countryside was filled with fields of greenhouses growing strawberries.  I looked up the area and it is called Huevla and it produces 85% of all the strawberries in Spain. The growing season starts in January until June. I wish I had a picture of the mlles of greenhouses but didn't take one, though the strawberries were on sale in Seville for 3CAD for 2 kilograms and they were delicious!

Our accommodation in Seville was in a very modern apartment located inside this tiled gate...

It was in a working class neighbourhood of Seville called Macarena which was about 20 minutes walk from the Center of the city. It was very lively with lots of places to sit in the sun...

Here was a market where you went inside to get your food and drink and then found a place to sit wherever...

This Mom was breast feeding...

And this stylish little girl was playing tag...

There was a fresh market just around the corner where the locals went everyday...

One morning as we were walking we came across a big flea market with lots of opportunity for picture taking...

Always time for a chat...

A used flamenco dress anyone...

And this seller was dressed for the weather...

A city known for great architecture also built this contemporary installation called the mushroom which is in an old square that we passed every day. We really didn't get it, but it is now a landmark sight in the city!

Seville is the capital of the Andalusia region in southern Spain with a population of approximately 800,000 people. It is built on two sides of the  Guadalquivir River and is a great walking city because it is built on a plain with no hills.

There is a wide walkway along the river and a number of pedestrian bridges going across.

You can also take a cruise on the river...

On the west side of the river from Centro is the Triana neighbourhood  

Like other neighborhoods that were historically separated from the main city, it was known as an arrabal. Residents of Triana have traditionally been called trianeros; they identify strongly with the neighborhood and consider it different in character from the rest of Seville. 

Great markets...

Architecture 

And local Spanish style bars, love how they all socialize in the middle of the afternoon.  

We stopped in here and for 5 Euros bought two beers and a plate of gambas...

Don enjoying the treat....

Besides exploring the neighbourhoods of Seville we also visited some of the main attractions including The Catherdral which is the third largest in the world and the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world. Construction began in 1402 and continued until 1506.

It was massive...

Beautiful details...

 Inside there were high arches...

And great treasures...

This crown has the second largest set pearl in the world.

The gilded altar is also one of the largest in the world and took 80 years to build...

Another interesting aspect of this church is the tomb of Christopher Columbus which is held aloft by four huge allegorial figures representing the kingdoms of León, Castile, Aragón and Navarra.  It is a beautiful sculpture.

A couple of more photos from inside the Cathedral...

The Silver Altar

Another important building in Seville is The Alcazar of Seville which is a royal palace originally developed by Moorish Muslim kings. The palace is renowned as one of the most beautiful in Spain, being regarded as one of the most outstanding examples of mudéjar architecture found on the Iberian Peninsula. The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence, it  is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

It is a very popular site so always line ups to enter...

It is a large structure with beautiful gardens...

Gorgeous interior spaces...

Beautiful tile work...

Fountains and pools...

Just a beautiful place and to think it was built in the 14th century ...

And this miniature photographer was taking in all the sights...

And finally, The Plaza de España which is a plaza in the Parque de María Luisa, in Seville, Spain, built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.

It is built in a semi circular shape with a moat around it...

It has a large fountain in front which was filled with coins that this guy was gladly collecting...

It also has a lot of beautiful tile work on many surfaces...

These alcoves represent the different provinces of Spain.

Enjoying the sun...

It was very grand structure and for movie buffs, a number of famous movies have been shot here including a Star Wars episode,can you guess which one? 

We really enjoyed our four days in Seville...

The squares...

The streets 

These cuties playing with their Dad..

The alley ways...

The tapas bars...

And the views, these were taken from the terrace of a large department store in the Center of the city...

Me in my new vest I bought in Portugal, a good piece of clothing for this type of weather. We enjoyed a drink on the terrace before starting out for another day. 

We both would recommend this city as a place to visit, even in winter as the days were in the high teens and evenings were around 10 or so. Now onto to Granada...