Sevilla, Spain

My heart is bursting with Spanish pride! It gave me such a peacefulness to return to this wonderful country after 6 years. My Spanish was rusty at first, but just hearing the pure Castilian accent flooded my mind with memories and vocabulary. I was a "madrugada" (girl who wakes at dawn) for "desayuno" (breakfast) and then I helped with excursions and got to join a tour called Stunning Seville. 

Interesting fact: Ads are prohibited on the highway so you're not distracted trying to read while you're driving. 

Common Spanish nicknames:

Javier: Javi

Jose: Pepe

Enrique: Kique/Kike

Francisco: Kico

Manuel: Manolo, Lolo

Dolores: Lola

Maria Isabel: Maribel

Maria Luisa: Marisa

Ana Isabel: Anabel

Lunch at the Macarena Hotel: gazpacho, sangria, patatas, cheeses, meats, beets and olives.

                      80% of Spanish oil is made in Andalucía. Over 100 species of olive trees. 

Alcazar= fortress of the palace for the king. Eva Peron gifted the trees at the entrance in 1947. But the ancient wall is from the 12th century. 

Bottom has Moorish influence, top is Italian Renaissance style. 

Garden of the Dancer

Where is Christopher Columbus from? And which one is his tomb? There are many claims for both. But this tomb was actually sent to Texas for DNA testing and confirmed to be him. The problem is: there was only 20% of his remains...where's the rest? Perhaps he was hiding Jewish ancestry. 

Largest Gothic church in the world. At 23,000 square feet it holds the Guinness Book World Record for largest area! Organ has 7600 pipes. 85 German and Flemish stained glass windows.