Hello from beautiful southern Spain! I am at the beginning of a wonderful trip to Spain ans we have started in the south in the city of Seville. We are stayinig in the old quarter of Santa Cruz. While itis usually dry and warm here we are set for rain each day but will not stop me from seeing it all. We arrived by train from Madrid and our first night we went on a tapas,, wine and flameco tour that was so much fun. It was 9 people and our guide who herself is a flamenco dancer. the food was good and I loved the sweet vermouth and sweet sherry.
The next day we went to see the beautiful Alcazar which means palace and its immense gardens and then the huge cathedral which is the 3rd largest Christian church and has part of the remains of Christopher Columbus. We also walked all the way up the Giralta Tower which has a 17% incline but is done all in ramps as it was part of the mosque that origially sat on the spot. the ramp allowed them to ride a horse to the top to call believers to prayer five times a day. i was proud I was not winded at the top!! Both places are stunning and have so much to see that it can stagger the mind. it is a great example of the Moorish influence in Spain. the tilework is unbelievable and the patterns marvel the eye. i love architecture and this city is loaded. The great tiny streets in in our area were once the Jewish quarter and you can easily get lost.
we also walked through the university of Seville and the Plaza de Espana which was built as part of worlds fair and shows off the wonders of Spain. Our dinner was fabulous at a local place and then a nice end of the day with more sherry!
Tomorrow headed to sherry tasting in the wineries at Jerez de la Fronterra and then on to Cadiz on the coast ...this will be a day trip via the train.
