Friday 22 October
Today we started by exploring our neighbourhood with its cobbled, narrow streets, pavement cafes, plazas and churches. We stuck our head into the Church of Santa Catalina to get our daily dose of ornate religious decor.
After this we came across the Case de Pilatos which was a magnificent find. This palace, of Italian Rennaisance design, also has Mudejar elements akin to other other Andalusian palaces/churches we'd seen. So it has a Moorish feel but the garden has marble figurines giving it the Italian look that the owner of the time wanted.
The highlight of this building has to be the tiling. The azulejo, Spanish glazed tiles, are amazing and, with 150 different designs, one of the largest collection in the world. The courtyard's walls are ablaze with these tiles, each a slightly different design in glorious blues, greens golds and purples. Absolutely stunning.
Look at this staircase!
And, just in case you thought I was only interested in tiles, I found a sundial albeit sadly tucked away in a corner.
Once tile-sated, we wandered back down to the Parc de Maria Luisa. Oooh, more tiles.
We stuck our head into the Museum of Art and Popular Customs, but, sadly, the advertised costume exhibit was closed so we didn't linger. Nearby was the Plaza de España so we strolled around this again, people watching and enjoying a bit of flamenco.
And we rounded off the day with a stroll by the river, and the Torre del Oro, as the sun set, before heading for supper.
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