In comparison a lazy day - we would be covering familiar
territory getting to where we want, so we plan the day with a
couple of taxi rides.
First stop the Gold Tower (Torre del Oro), which is really a
naval museum and the only views of the river obscured by
attendants/guards on duty blocking them. They had "Spanish
Armada" emblazoned on their sleeve - we tactfully omitted to
mention Sir Francis Drake!!
We walked to Reales Alcazares via the Tourist information office
passing a MacDonalds on Paseo de las Delicias - delicious and
MacDonalds in the same sentence isn't something you hear very
often.
The Reales Alcazares is a Royal residence with a few other
additions over the years. There are plenty of horseshoe arches,
patios and plaster stucco work for which we are now getting a bit
blaze - when you've seen one horseshoe arch..... The place was
spectacularly attractive none-the-less. The gardens are big and a
quick whiz around them to take in the main features is all that
is really required, unless you have hours to spare to take it all
in and sit under trees contemplating life, the universe and
everything.
We have lunch in the cafe/bar (very limited choice - I have
Serrano ham sandwich for the umpteenth time this week) before
setting off, on foot, to Plaza de Espana. We walk through the
University looking for a bit of its past - a tiled (azulejos)
advert for the Royal Tobacco Factory - but fail to find it, but
carry on to Parque Maria Luisa.
The semi-circular Plaza de Espana is very big and very nice to
view - plenty of imaginative tile work showing the provinces of
Spain and images of the area. The park itself is worth a gentle
stroll around and some of the fountains are particularly
interesting, like the duck blowing upwards as the frogs surround
it blowing to it (you had to be there!).
Taxi time, and we travel, not back to the hotel 'cos that would
be too easy, but to the town hall for a look at that before
walking on to the hotel via a smart Studebaker cars azulejo
billboard and the shopping streets, stopping at Marks and
Spencers for a drink and look round the sale items!!
Back at the hotel we rest and eat in before getting the car out
of the garage and driving over to the Omnimax theatre to see an
Imax film. It was special offer day, two for the price of one, so
we watched two IMAX films - Living Sea and Vertigo. The latter
lost a bit because there was a lot of talking in it (in Spanish)
so was lost on us, but the images were good - mainly computer
generated in "Vertigo".
Driving back to the hotel was a bit tricky, the roads being a bit
unclear, so we followed a sightseeing Leyland bus (converted for
continental use) which got us to the main road and we then knew
our way - sort of.
Coffee, pack the bags and bed too tired to go out and watch the
fireworks display that we know is going to happen.
Go to Day 9
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Author: val_and_andrew@hotmail.com
Copyright © 1998 Andrew J White