I felt that the second half of the day warranted a post of its own because we visited the most spectacular park we've ever seen. This is Parque de Maria Luisa, It's a 15-minute walk from our hotel and even though we'd seen pictures of it online, we still weren't prepared for its grandeur.
From the entrance of the park, you're immediately greeted by the Plaza de Espana which consists of buildings arranged in an expansive semi-circle formation, constructed for the Ibero-American Exposition in 1929. Gorgeous structures, pretty bridges and a man-made lake where boaters (aka tourists) attempt to have a leisurely row. It had a serene, Venice-like vibe about it.
In all my years of travel, I've never seen a park like this one. It looks more like a palace! So, so captivating.
Once again, the decor and details reflect the Moorish (Muslim) influence in Seville. Intricately painted ceramic tiles, commonly in cool shades of blue, are the preferred design.
The park has pockets of scenic greenery, thoughtfully arranged to give postcard-quality photos. I could spend all day here.
We walked to another part of the park - Plaza de America, also created for the 1929 expo. More gaping and jaw dropping. It looks like a set for Aladdin, the movie. Can you picture Princess Jasmine strolling through the gardens with her tiger? I can.
By the late afternoon, we were getting pretty tired as we'd had a long day and walked a lot. Walking back to the hotel would take at least half an hour or so (we were deep inside the park), and the thought of it was pretty daunting. At first, we thought we would cab back to the hotel, then we saw an elegant horse and carriage parked under a shady spot.
Side note: Seville has one unique feature and that's the horse and carriage. You find them around all the major tourist attractions, such as at the cathedral in this photo:
We spoke to the driver and arranged to be brought all the way back to the cathedral area. By the way, the horses here don't just travel on pavements - they go right onto the roads and trot next to traffic. (They don't always obey traffic lights, though!)
We dubbed our horse the Fast and Furious racehorse because it overtook a couple of others, much to the amusement of the other carriage drivers. I'm quite impressed that the horses don't get spooked by loud vehicles zooming past them on narrow roads.
More pricey than taking a cab, but oh, so worth it. It was a unique experience and we enjoyed it a heck of a lot.
After that long day, we didn't want to have to think too hard about dinner, so we simply returned to La Azotea. We ordered a couple of different items from yesterday. All were perfectly delicious.
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| Mushroom and cheese risotto |
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| Pork cheeks |
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| Oxtail meatballs |
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| Chocolate coulant with vanilla ice cream |
Without doubt, Spain has some of the best cuisines we've ever tasted. It's a haven for foodies.
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