Seville: Las Setas de la Encarnación

Seville: Italica

We had a fantastic day with our friend Marcial, visiting Italica, a more-than-2000-year-old Roman city. The floor tiles are still intact, the ancient plumbing is still visible, the layout and the walls and the gardens are all evident. We ended our day at Ventorillo Canario, a Canary Islands restaurant. The food was outstanding: grilled beef, salted potatoes with an amazing salsa, olives, beer, and croquettes. 

The mosaic of the Neptune house, depicting Neptune with an array
of sea creatures. This room is believed to have been the frigidarium of
the thermal baths.

From the house of birds, so named because of the mosaic
(there are more than 30 birds!)

The gods representing the days of the week.

David and Marcial, overlooking the baths.

The amphitheatre is impressive. You can walk inside it as well as up into
the stands.

The hall within the stadium, on the ground level, tunneled in the rocks beneath the seating.

Ventorillo Canario

Gibraltar

We took the cable car up the Rock of Gibraltar. There are signs everywhere warning against the Barbary macaques, which are used to people and will go for food and for plastic bags (which they associate with food). The monkeys are evident even before you get out of the cable car. Our first monkey of the trip showed up right after we took the group photo below: it jumped up onto the fence right behind Marcial, who practically leaned into him. 

View out of the cable car window.

St. Michael's cave

The walk off of the rock into the city of Gibraltar.

Windmills on the drive home to Seville

Seville: Barrio de Santa Cruz and Flamenco at CarbonerIa

We spent the night in Barrio de Santa Cruz with our friend Marcial. As we were walking to find tapas, we heard a parade on a nearby street. We followed the procession for a bit. The music had the texture of a marching band, broken up with horn solos. The parade squeezed through one of the extremely narrow streets of the neighborhood, the float leading to the church.

A parade through Barrio de Santa Cruz to a neighborhood church.

The float leading the parade to the church.

Children make these replica floats from kits, and carry them
on their heads.

After supper, we went to La Carboneria, a neighborhood bar that has Flamenco most nights. The performance was fantastic.

Flamenco at Carboneria

Seville: Maria Luisa park and a boat ride on the river

Plaza de America

Four-person cycle.

Fountain commemorating Juan Sebastián Elcano, on the corner outside
Maria Luisa Park.

Torre del Orro

Triana Bridge

Seville, Cathedral and Giralda Tower

The Giralda Tower was built as a minaret in the 12th century, but the associated mosque was damaged during a 14th century earthquake. The cathedral was built to replace the mosque in the 15th century, and the minaret was converted to a bell tower. 

Giralda Tower

A view from the beginning of the walk up the tower. There are 36 floors.

Looking at the cathedral from inside the tower.

Seville from inside the tower, with the Calatrava bridge in the distance.

Seville: Alcazar

Alcazar is the royal palace of Spain, originally a Moorish fort. The upper levels are still used by the royal family.

We spent most of our time exploring the gardens. There were fountains and birds (including an enormous peacock), a maze garden, fish, gazebos.