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The sun was shining as we arose from a good night’s sleep so everything was looking good for a visit into the city of Seville, about 5 kilometres away. The receptionist at our apartment complex gave us some useful tips on what to see, where to eat and where to park. So after breakfast we headed off for the sights of Seville.
We thought we were following the directions we had been given but there seemed to be two sets of bridges over two water crossings. We started looking for a park once we had crossed the river not the canal. After cruising a while a helpful gentleman from Nigeria pointed out a perfect parking space. His help was worth a “small” gratuity and so the car was parked up for the day and after thanking our friendly “parking attendant” we were off to explore. Our helpful friend had a huge smile as we left and he headed in the opposite direction. Hopefully our car would be there with all its wheels etc, when we returned.
Walking into the city we realised we hadn’t driven far enough because we came across a huge public carpark with plenty of spaces. The part
of Seville we had chosen to explore was the older part with its historic buildings. In one of the squares there was a huge book sellers market. Modern trams run through part of the city and must have rechargeable batteries because there are no overhead wires through the historic section of the city. For the energetic there are bikes for hire, similar to other cities we have been to, where you can ride the bike and drop it off somewhere else in the city at a designated bike stand.
Number one on our list of sights was the Real Alcazar, the former Royal Palace. What an incredible place. The Moorish influence was obvious in the architecture and the gardens were fabulous. Jacaranda trees were in full bloom and there were several examples of bougainvillea. We could just imagine members of the Royal court walking the grounds discussing the adventures of the great Spanish explorers and traders.
Our second attraction was the cathedral. This building was built on the site of a great mosque after the moors had been forced from the country. The current bell tower was once the minaret for the mosque. Moorish designs cover the bottom two thirds
of the tower. The top third was added later to support the bells. The climb up thirty-five ramps and seventeen steeps gave us a great view of the city.
The rest of our time was spent soaking up the atmosphere of the city and reflecting on what it must be like in July and August when it is extremely hot and full of tourists. We headed back to the car and there it was smiling happily at us with its four wheels still there and windows intact. We quietly thanked our friendly parking attendant, in his absence, for looking after our car.
We headed back to our apartment tired but satisfied with the day. Now that we have a fridge the beer made a welcome refreshment. Tomorrow we plan an early start as we head for Malaga via Gibraltar. We’ve checked out the immigration requirements and we should be fine. Just hope we can re-enter Spain otherwise the holiday comes to a crashing end.
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