Seville - Day 2

Thursday, September 8

We decided to join a walking tour today, and met our guide Maria about 11am in front of the Cathedral, and the main tower the Giralda. It gets this name from the girl on top, which is actually a weather vane, called Giraldillo! The Cathedral was built over the main Almohad mosque of the 9th century, and the only part that remains is the tower, and it has old Roman blocks as part of the foundations. The Cathedral was commenced in 1401 and it is the 3rd biggest in the world, as well as the largest Gothic temple in the world because it took nearly 500 years before it was finished!

From there we saw the Royal Palace (Real Alcazar), then walked along Constitution Avenue and saw the great buildings and hotels constructed for the 1929 American Exposition before walking through the University. The University building was where the Carmen Tobacco Company was based in the 1800s and was the inspiration for the setting of the opera Carmen by Bizet.

We then walked to the Plaza de Espagna, the main pavilion for Spain at the 1929 Expo, and it is simply stunning. Its size, its design and the materials used all combine to impress, and this was the idea of the 1929 Expo. However due to the Wall Street crash that year the crowds didn't come as expected so it was a flop in its time, but it has left Seville with a great legacy and some fabulous tourist attractions! There are also beautiful gardens around this area, and other pavilions built at this time as well, which all adds to the appeal of this area of Seville.

We had worked up a good appetite by now and had another delicious lunch before returning to our hotel for a siesta. We ventured out again around 7:30pm as we wanted to see Seville at night, so we walked much the same route as on the walking tour to get to Plaza de Espagna before sunset. The setting sun added to the colours of the bricks and tiles, and we were able to walk around the whole plaza taking in all the tiled displays of the various cities and regions of Spain.

On our return past the Cathedral there was a big crowd watching the opening of the Biennial Flamenco festival, so we're hoping to catch some performances while we're here. The Cathedral looked spectacular all lit up at night and there was a great atmosphere on the streets. It was a terrific end to another very enjoyable day.