Arlene Geres Counselling: Sensational Seville

Just a few hours down the freeway from Granada is the sweet town of Sevilla, although our introduction to the city was actually kind of sour. While the GPS helped us find our way into the center of town, it had a hard time finding our hotel, and we spent a very frustrating hour driving around in circles, going the wrong way down one way streets, and finally getting stuck in a street that was too narrow to drive through. (Many of Sevilles's streets are from the horse and buggy age, and are too narrow for cars!) At this point, a few locals took pity on us, and after backing us out of a spot that was so tight that the shop owners had to close their doors to make room for the car to pass, a young man jumped on his motorcycle and led us straight to our hotel. The next time we visit Spain, we are NOT renting a car!

This was our favourite town so far, with a lively atmosphere, friendly people, tapas bars and pastry shops on every corner, and the most unbelievable old buildings!

On the way into town we passed under the amazing Metropol Parasol, the world's largest wooden sculpture. This looks like a giant honeycomb, and was just completed in 2010. This was the only modern artifact that caught our eye in Sevilla, as the city is a treasure of old buildings, from the sweet shop on the corner

to the watchmaker's shop

to the lovely Spanish balconies overlooking the road below.

The shops were a visual delight, from the souvenir shops,

to the sweet shops

the flower carts

and perfumeria.

Naturally, we visited a few churches, including the small church on the corner

the Basilica de Macarena

and the Catedral de Sevilla.

This is the 3rd largest cathedral in the world next to the Vatican and St. Paul's. As with many Spanish cathedrals, it is built on the site of what was once a mosque.