Other than Barcelona, we have spent little or no time visiting the Spanish cities that are renowned for their history, architecture and culture which is, I’m sure you’ll agree, a remarkable oversight. Very pleased therefore to report on a pleasant week in a couple of lovely Spanish cities coupled with a pleasant trip down the Guadalquivir River. Fascinating to watch a relatively large ship navigate its way down quite a narrow river and its accompanying locks…..
Overnight in Seville, which is a beautiful and culturally rich city and worthy of a week’s visit in its own right. Whistle stop tour around the old centre. The cathedral, Real Alcazar, Bull Ring, University and the winding streets of the Santa Cruz district were among the highlights. Lucky to catch an evening at the April Fair on the fair’s last night with midnight fireworks to finish, fantastically well attended by the Sevillians, many in their traditional dress.
Motril is often used as a starting point for Granada and the Alhambra Palace but we decided to have a look around the town itself instead. Much of interest in the old heart of the city. It’s also a fairly popular beach resort for the Spanish but we didn’t search out the beaches as we would simply have turned a deeply embarrassing bright pink in the heat.
Valencia is another lovely city worthy of a longer visit. Strolling around the old town was a delight. Another stunning cathedral and bell tower (which, of course we climbed!), the Plaza de Toreos, La Lonja (the silk market, a World Heritage site), the stylish Mercado Central and the numerous palaces and churches to be found down virtually every street made for a long but relaxing visit. Fairly good beer and very cheap prices kept us refreshed along the way.
Barcelona was a washout. Solid and very heavy rain made for a very wet visit and reinforced how lucky we had been to get warm and sunny weather the rest of the week. Luckily for us we had spent a few days in Barcelona previously so we didn’t feel too cheated. It did mean however that we didn’t get to a couple of the Gaudi buildings we had missed last time around. Ventured out, got extremely wet and then it was time for the flight home!