Where is your favourite travel destination?

Take the Quiz

When you are planning a trip:

1. Do you like to return to a place you already love? OR
2. Do you like to try something new?

This was my second trip to Seville. I loved it the first time.

Would I love Seville as much the second time?

For our first activity, we tried something new: We went to Plaza de España 

Plaza de España was built in 1929 when Seville hosted a World’s Fair. The entire southern end of the city was redeveloped with grand boulevards and gardens. At the centre is Plaza de España, an enormous plaza with fountains, a waterway, pavilions and gardens.

After our high-speed train trip from Toledo, through Madrid to Seville, we were happy to walk from the centre of the city to the Plaza de España. We strolled down the grand boulevards and stopped to explore the large parks along the way.

When we arrived at the Plaza de España, we emerged from shady walkways into an explosion of sunlight and water and colour. The scale of the plaza is enormous.

Everyone loves fountains, even if you have seen one before

Would you rather walk or take a horse-drawn carriage?

You can take a carriage from the centre of the city to the plaza. We liked our walk but some might find it a bit far.

You can rent a boat and row around the plaza

The whole building is surrounded by a moat.

You can take a flight of stairs for a beautiful view over the plaza

We did not see any restaurants or shops in the plaza. Take water and plan to eat later.

We found the cornerstone tile

Take some time to see the tiles. They are just beautiful.

There are lots of selfie opportunities in the plaza

Our first outing was a major success. We did something new in a city I love.

Do you like al fresco dining? Then Seville is the place for you!

We passed this lovely restaurant, with full intentions of returning that evening.

We got waylaid by another great al fresco restaurant … next trip!

This tapa restaurant was a new place for us and it was fabulous!

https://www.tuhogarfueradecasa.com/perro-viejo/

We returned to my favourite restaurant from the previous trip.

http://www.ocagiuliva.es/index.php?lang=es

It was fabulous this time too!

The Alcázar of Seville is a magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Site

Things change in three years. On my previous trip, there was no lineup to get in. This time, the lineup stretched around to the back of the building.

Instead of waiting in line, we got out our phones and booked online. We got an entry time of 4:00 PM.

The Alcázar closes at 5:00 PM. Would an hour be enough time?

We found a very helpful security person. She told us that we could arrive a half hour before our ticket time. She also said that although the Alcázar closes at 5:00, visitors can stay inside until 5:30. That gave us two hours. It was just right.

If you are interested in more information on the Alcázar, you can flip back to my previous blog:

This is the most famous view of the Alcázar

The end of the day is my favourite time to visit a popular tourist destination. It is not as crowded. When we first arrived at the reflecting pool, there were lots of people lined up to take photos. By 5:00 PM, everyone was gone. I took most of my photos in the last half hour of our visit.

Since this was my second visit to the Alcázar, I knew what I wanted to see.

This reflecting pool is very relaxing

This reflecting pool is smaller, quieter and more peaceful. I could sit here all day.

Some people go to the Alcázar to see tiles … me … I love the tiles

This tile pattern is a tessellation. There are no gaps or overlaps in the tiling. M.C. Escher saw the same tessellation tiles at the Alhambra Palace in Granada. Escher was inspired by these tiles to create tessellation art.

One of the great things about travelling is seeing something that inspired someone else. Who looks at tiles? Who thinks they are interesting?

Day and Night is one of Escher’s most famous tessellations

If you are interested in the tiles at the Alhambra Palace that inspired Escher, you can flip back to this earlier post:

https://boomervoice.ca/alhambra-world-heritage-site-inspiration-for-artists-and-dreamers/

Here is a link to an earlier post on our visit to The Hague

https://boomervoice.ca/top-3-things-to-do-in-a-day-in-the-hague-in-the-netherlands/

This is a perfect selfie: I am sitting in a tiled room in the Alcázar in Seville

Following Escher and his tessellations took me to the Alhambra Palace in Granada, the Alcázar in Seville and the Escher Museum in The Hague.

Look up and you will see more tessellations in the ceiling in the Alcázar

You can imagine that you are seeing the desert sky at night.

There is so many ideas to explore at the Alcázar … the birthplace of modern travel is here!

The Alcázar reminds us of the importance of travel

Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain. Magellan planned the first trip around the world in Seville. The first map of the world was made here.

Would you set sail with a boat, a piece of paper and an idea to explore the boundaries of our world?

The threads of our history are sewn into the tapestries in the Alcázar

If you are fascinated by the birthplace of modern travel, you can go next door from the Alcázar to the General Archive of the Indies, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I did a whole blog on the Archive.

Practical Tip:If you are in downtown Seville and you really need to find a bathroom, go into the General Archive of the Indies UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is empty and they have bathrooms.

https://boomervoice.ca/ultimate-geocaching-searching-for-spanish-ghost-galleons-in-a-world-heritage-archive/

With a few minutes to closing time, I snapped away

This is where I would like to have dinner

Everyone else is gone and I can enjoy my favourite rooms in the Alcázar

I missed the baths on my first trip

Sometimes I look at Instagram photos after I am back from a trip. I saw lots of photos of the baths. How did I miss this?

We had to ask for directions. The baths are tucked into a quiet spot that you would miss unless you are looking.

Sometimes you see something new and surprising when you return to a familiar place

This fabulous infinity corridor is next to the baths

Now it is time to head outside to the wonderful gardens at the Alcázar

This fountain was featured in Game of Thrones

Take time to wander around the gardens. Everything is amazing

This is one view from the end of the elevated portico

The gardens are perfect on a grand scale and a small scale

It was after 5:00 PM and the Alcázar was closing. I had one final destination … a familiar destination. There is a cafe in the gardens where you can get snacks and a drink. A cold beer after a long day is perfect … except if it is after 5:00 PM.

The bar was closed.

Time to leave.

This artist is just outside the Alcázar

She was happy that I wanted to take her photo with her fabulous artwork of the tiles in the Alcázar.

I loved my second visit to the Alcázar. I saw things I wanted to see again and I saw things that I missed the first time ’round.

Time to set off to see another UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Cathedral in Seville is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Cathedral is very large: it is the third largest cathedral in the world. It is not my favourite cathedral.

On my first visit, I missed the tomb of Christopher Columbus. I found the tomb this time, in plain sight.

The tomb of Christopher Columbus is very impressive

I am very glad that I returned to the Cathedral to see the tomb

This is the tomb from underneath

I had to contort myself a bit to see the undercarriage of the tomb

I love this!

I have neck-crane from looking at ceilings. If there are no crowds, I will lie on the floor to see the ceiling. Here, I didn’t have to do that.

Just look in the mirror!

Have you ever seen a crocodile in a church?

I thought I had seen everything until … I looked up. There is a crocodile suspended above the entrance.

As we were leaving, I glanced up. A crocodile?

Here is the best explanationI could find: In ancient Egypt the crocodile God, Sobekh, had great powers. He could protect people against the evil eye. A crocodile over the entrance to the cathedral kept the forces of evil at bay.

We all need a crocodile!

Take time to enjoy the orange orchard outside the Cathedral

The Cathedral is undergoing restorations.

Look at the difference when the stone is cleaned!

See the Cathedral at night

See the sunset from Metropol Parasol

“The Mushroom” was designed to be a modern-day plaza. It is the largest wooden structure in the world. There were huge complications and cost overruns in its construction. It looks a little tired in the daylight but really interesting at night.

See Metropol Parasol at its best … in the dark

The best sunset of Seville is from the Metropol Parasol

Now it is time to take the quiz

When you are planning a trip:

1. Do you like to return to a place you already love? OR
2. Do you like to try something new?

For me, the answer is both a and b

I returned to a place I already love.

I saw new things, tried new things and explored new things in a place I already love.

What are your recommendations for a new/old place to visit?