Seville: first impressions

What can I say about Seville? It’s very hot and very crowded! I arrived about midday on the bus from Carmona and couldn’t find a taxi to get me to my hotel. “It’s the Feria” is the excuse for everything taking twice as long and twice as expensive. As I was about to give up, a taxi arrived to drop somebody off. Success! But the driver gave a big sigh of displeasure when I told him the name of the hotel. “Mucho traffic”. …

Everywhere were girls dressed up to the nines in flamenco outfits:

When I found my hotel, Dona Maria, it was in a prime position in the centre of things, very close to the Cathedral. Waiting for me was a very cold bottle (the size of a beer bottle) but containing Manzanilla Sherry. This will go down well over the next 3 days:

My bed was ready for a long siesta:

Next Day

Now I’m in a long queue to buy a ticket for the Cathedral. I hope I’m in the right place as there is more than one entrance.

It’s best to buy a ticket online, but to do this seemed to render it impossible to buy a reduced ticket for pensioners. Once inside, the size of the building is pretty surprising and it can easily swallow up the crowds. I didn’t intend to climb up the Giralda (pictured above) as it would be too exhausting.

I stopped at the tomb of Christopher Columbus, supported by four bearers, representing Navarre, Aragon, León, Castile:

This one is Leon:


The High Altar is enormous:

Silver in abundance:


Outside, the exit is via the Courtyard of Orange Trees: