29 October 2019: Seville (0 miles-922 total)

Purely a sights of Seville day, all walking and no bike riding. Rather than write about my day, enjoy the photos.

Dog of the Day #1

Metropol Parasol or Setas de Seville

The Metropol Parasol, popularly known as the Mushrooms of the Incarnation, is a wooden structure with 2 concrete columns that hold the access elevators to the viewpoint and is located in the central Plaza de la Encarnación in the city of Seville. It measures 150 x 70 metres and is approximately 26 metres high. It was the winning project in the competition opened by the Seville City Council to carry out the renovation of the square in which it is located; its designer was the architect from Berlin, Jürgen Mayer. The structure consists of six large, mushroom-shaped parasols, whose design is inspired by the arches of Seville's cathedral and the ¨ficus¨ of nearby Plaza del Cristo de Burgos. All in all, it has five levels. The upper level contains a lookout point and a panoramic route that covers most of the area.

Inside the central parasols, at a height of 22 metres, there is a tapas restaurant and space for events. Under the parasols is an elevated, shady and diaphanous square (Plaza Mayor) designed to host events. At ground level is the Mercado de la Encarnación market, along with commercial and catering spaces. Finally, the basement hosts the Antiquarium Museum, which displays the archaeological remains found there.

Party Poodle or Doodle? Visiting the Parasol

Mercado de la Encarnación market

 Fine Arts University of Seville (3 photos)

Street Scene

Bookstore

Dog of the Day #2. A leaner.

Halloween is big.

At 10 am, I did not know it was a bar sign. Right in the centre of Seville, two minutes from the cathedral, this dark dive bar offers a welcome change from the traditional strip-lit or hip mismatched furniture joints that abound. With bizarre gothic decor and friendly staff, the focus is on the music - 1970s, '80s and '90s rock. An unpretentious crowd quaffs well-priced drinks; there's a special gin and tonic menu.

Not all wall tiles are morbid.

Excited students

They seem to collect between the Alcazar and cathedral.

Guard Dogs

Attractive Apartments 

Another ornate church

La Casa de Pilatos is an Andalusian palace in Seville, Spain, which serves as the permanent residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli. It is an example of an Italian Renaissance building with Mudéjar elements and decorations. It is considered the prototype of the Andalusian palace. 

Most of the on-line reviews suggested that the paid admission to this palace was a disappointment, and the staff was indifferent. Also, references to pilates (exercise regimen) and Pilate (the Roman who accepted Jesus crucifixion sentence) are unrelated.

My Alcazar Non-Tour. This was my 3rd opportunity to visit the Alcazar, the leading attraction in Seville. So I pre-booked an English-language tour on booking.com. I took a phone call yesterday, asking if I could change delay my tour time from 3 pm to 4pm. No problem.

I explored the parts of Seville this morning that I had missed last time and reserved the afternoon around this tour. I went to the meeting point 45 minutes early, an odd location just north of the Alcazar. Most Alcazar tours begin at the main entrance. When no one showed, I began calling the tour company phone number. Now answer, then, about 4:05 pm, I got a call asking where I was. The person spoke poor English (not promising for and English-language tour) and kept repeating the address. 

Apparently, the link in their email was incorrect. I later found the address, and they accepted no responsibility for the link, saying: If I inserted the address in google (not clicking the link) then I would have gotten there. They refused a refund.