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Showing posts from October, 2018

Mushrooms and Plaza de España

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The Plaza de España in Sevilla is without a doubt the most impressive plaza I've seen in Spain.  And there have been a lot.  Built in 1929, this beautiful plaza even has a moat within it.  The buildings and bridges are beautifully decorated with blue tiles, and around the plaza are fourty-nine pavilions, each dedicated to the provinces of Spain.  These pavilions are intricately decorated with painted tiles that depict symbols of the city as well as maps, etc.  I also just recently discovered that this plaza was used to film a scene in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones!  It's pretty cool re-watching the scene and recognizing the buildings in the background. On the evening of my second day in Sevilla, I decided to visit the Setas [Mushrooms] de Sevilla (or the Metropol Parasol).  This wooden structure was completed in 2011, and it's the largest wooden structure in the world.  It is located in the old quarter o...

The World's Largest Gothic Cathedral

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Day two of Sevilla included going inside the Catedral de Sevilla, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world.  Not only did I get to go inside the cathedral, I also got to go up into the bell tower, La Giralda!  The Catedral de Sevilla was completed in 1528, and it is truly huge.  I've seen so many cathedrals in the last two and a half months in Europe, and I'm still not tired of them!  It blows my mind every time to see the incredible detail in the artwork and architecture of these buildings.  Whether you're religious or not, these buildings are amazing. The cathedral is giant from the outside, and when you walk inside, it seems even bigger.  The church is full of light thanks to its many windows, and every room and knave is full of beautiful paintings, sculptures, architecture, and ancient items used by the church.  It's one of those places where all you can do is "ooh" and "ahh" as you walk into each section of the building.  Tryi...

Surprise, Sevilla!

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Instead of going back to Palma as planned, I ended up taking a train to Sevilla for a couple days before I came back to the island.  I took the Ave, one of Europe's fastest trains, and got to Sevilla in just a couple hours!  The train was really nice; I prefer that experience over any plane I've ridden on.  I had plenty of room.  I could get up and go to the bathroom whenever I wanted.  The bathroom was actually big enough for a human being.  We even got a meal on our trip, and the service was fantastic.  I highly recommend it.  I arrived at the train station in Sevilla, took a taxi to my hostel, and my adventure began.   I stayed in a hostel right in the historic center of the city, so I was in the thick of it.  The location made it easy to walk everywhere I wanted to go.  The hostel itself was quirky and fun.  It was full of art and fun murals. On my first day, I checked into my room and then jus...