Leaving Lagos meant also leaving Portugal for us. We were headed back to spend some additional time in Spain.
Just another day as we follow both a bicyclist and a tractor.
Storkes in their nest.
We made a slight detour to visit the Colombus Monument in Huelva, Spain. It was sculpted in the late 1920’s and stands a little over 121 feet. This was supposedly where Colombus last touched European soil on his journey to America.
Then we went on to Seville. Will and I had been to Seville before but hadn’t minded a return trip at all. This time around, I wanted to visit the “mushroom” or Setas de Sevilla. It is the world’s largest wooden structure and is made from Finnish pine. There are shops and restaurants along the bottom, but the top offers a walkway with a 360° view of Seville. It was a beautiful morning, and we had some great views.
That afternoon, we had a tour of the Alcazar and the Cathedral. Will and I had done the tour before, but thought it was a must do for everyone else. We had an art history major for a tour guide, and it was interesting to get her take and what she found fascinating. We also learned more about the 2nd son of Christopher Colombus, Ferdinand and his importance in “bringing America” to life. He wrote books on America from interviews he conducted despite never going to America himself. His books were quite popular and he is buried in the Cathedral. The remains of Christopher Colombus are in the Cathedral as well. DNA testing done in 2006 verified the claim that the remains are indeed that of Christopher Colombus.
Inside the Alacazar 
Gardens inside the Alacazar 
Wooden Crocodile at Cathedral Entrance. 
Inside the Seville Cathedral 
Columbus’ tomb
The majority of our group climbed the bell tower of the Cathedral as well. I opted out this time as I remember it having some nice views, but being very crowded.
That night we attended a Flamengo show. Both the male and female dancers were incredible with their fast feet. We all really enjoyed the show.
The next morning was an early start. We had a day trip planned to Cordoba and needed to be there for our 10am tour. Made it just in time for the tour. Like the Cathedral in Seville, Cordoba’s Cathedral was once a mosque. It was fascinating to learn the history and how it has been expanded throughout the years. Much of it still does not look like a Cathedral. But don’t worry about every 15 minutes a message is broadcast reminding you, that you are in a catholic church.
Samples of workers’ signatures. They would mark the pieces they worked on in the Cathedral so they could be paid.
Our tour also took us on a tour of the old Jewish neighborhood of Cordoba and all the small narrow streets.
We were all hungry at that point, so we found a restaurant to try some of the local fare. I tried the ox tail stew. Very good.
We walked around some more on own and then drove back to Seville. The rain was coming down hard in Seville and we all got totally drenched in the short walk from the parking garage. At least the weather held out for us in Cordoba as we only had to deal with a few sprinkles.
The rain was still threatening the following morning. So, Will and I went out to run an errand as we waited for the weather to clear up to really get out and see some more of the city.
That afternoon we headed on over to the Plaza Espana. The city’s parks department was out in full force. They had the city parks shut down while they were doing cleanup from the recent storms. There were tree branches everywhere. In spite of all the detours, we did make it to the Plaza eventually. One benefit is that it was not as crowded as the last time we were there. The Flamenco dancers were still there, and we watched them for a bit.
Tree branches were everywhere
That night in Hercules Plaza (Hercules was supposedly the founder of Seville), we stumbled upon an Italian restaurant that has numerous gluten-free dishes and desserts. I really enjoyed my tiramisu.
Left Seville and on the way to our next destination, we stopped at Jerez de la Frontera. It’s a town known for making sherry and the Royal Andalusian Horse Riding School. We walked around the old town area for a bit and had a nice lunch.
Escargot anyone? 
The tourist information office advised us to go to one of the old sherry bars at 2. So, we went to Tabanco El Pasaje where they had flamenco dancing and sampled the sherry. The old bar also had a small kitchen fire while we were there as well. Guess it wasn’t too serious as the flamenco dancer carried on. It was a cool experience.
