Seville - another UNESCO World Heritage listed town

Plaza de España is a remnant of the Iberoamerican Exposition of 1929 and is built in the Spanish regionalist style. The main structure is a semi circular square measuring 200 metres in diameter and features towers, bridges over water and a gorgeouus fountain. But the real interest for the average person is the ceramic tiles depicting the history of all the Spanish Provinces. It was overcast this morning which didn't  help these photos, but it cleared to a hot and sunny day.

From there we did a short walk through the Maria Luisa Gardens. The distinctive features of this park are the groves and avenues of its design and the many gazebos.

The church of El Salvador has been the second most important church in Seville for over 600 years. It is now a baroque style building but has remains of Roman, Visigothic and Islamic architecture.

One feature of Spain which we particularly like is that they acknowedge non EU people who are over 65 years with greatly reduced entry prices. Today's  dual ticket for Salvador and the Cathedral cost €4.

Seville Cathedral began in the 13th century, at which time the Great 12th C Muslim Mosque was respected, giving the cathedral a huge floor area and many beautiful features. There are many very old stained glass windows, dating from the 1400s.

 The tomb of Christopher Columbus

The Giralda was the Muslim minaret, the tallest of its time. Now, with the addition of  three new sections it has become a 97 metre tall bell tower. The unique feature of this is that you climb to the top up ramps with only seventeen steps to mount at the end. I have heard that this was so the muezzin could ride his horse up the tower (five times a day) to call the Muslims to prayer. 
Great views from the top made the climb well worth while.

Tapas is the best way to eat when you are eating out every evening. Once again we are surrounded by a multitude of eating venues. They are generally quick, cheap, tasty and have lots of variety. We chose four tapas to share this evening - fried camembert with raspberry sauce, ham croquettes, potatoes bravas and flamenquin, a pork and ham dish from  Cordoba.

A slow stroll around this lovely World Heritage listed town and it was time to head home.