Upon arrival we drove around some modern parts of this large city and then visited buildings that were part of the 1929 World Exposition. Obviously that year turned out poorly and the exposition was a flop, but the buildings and gardens are lovely. Then we visited the Spain Plaza and saw their beautiful building. In the large courtyard were tiled displays for each area of the country. Would have like to have spent more time here.
On to the old city where we went to Santa Cruz which was the Jewish Quarter before 1492. Lovely narrow streets with shops and cafes.
We were rushed to the cathedral where we got a quickie tour. The main altar is being refurbished so we did not get to see it. It is the most famous part of this church which is the third largest in Europe. The rest of the church does not disappoint as we saw the tomb of Columbus and also his second son and a Goya hanging in one chapel. There are 28 small chapels surrounding the main areas, but we did not get time to see more than two. We did visit the Sacristy and that was beautiful.
We left the cathedral without climbing the famous Giraldi Tower and then had some free time. We chose a tiny bar and had good tapas for lunch. We wanted to visit the Alcazar, the royal palace, but again not enough time. So we strolled around and found a tiny pastry shop that Rick Steves mentions in his guidebook. It is run by cloistered nuns and they send your purchases to you on a lazy susan from behind a wall so you won't see them. Alas they were closed for siesta so we peeked in the window.
Back on the bus we finally got home about 8:00 pm after getting on the bus at 6:40 in the morning. At least we got to see Sevilla and did not have to drive. We had a very good Italian dinner at one of the restaurants in our complex and then headed home to pack and sleep.
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