It has been a poor start to the summer in England and so it was great to escape the rain and spend a few days with good friends in a very sunny Sevilla.

Just about 2 1/4 hours from London Sevilla is in the heart of Andalusia in Southern Spain and gets very hot indeed in the height of summer.in June it was around 28 so very pleasant indeed.

We stayed in a very old collection of buildings now a nice hotel called Hotel Las Casas de la Juderia on Calle Santa Maria la Blanca, about 10 minutes  walk from the main square where the Alcazar and the huge Cathedral of Seville are. This is one of the Hotel’s many inner courtyards which are open to the sky, but cool on a hot day.

A courtyard in the Casa de la Juderia Watercolour 9 inches by 7

The little streets are interesting in Seville with shops, houses and restaurants and of course Tapas bars. They get very busy late in the evening as eating out is a common thing obviously for the local population.

The main attraction of Seville is the Alcazar some of which is well over a thousand years old.

Evidence of the Romans in aqueducts and the layout of the city are also to be seen.

In between the touring around and eating and drinking there was time for a few quick sketches of some things that we visited and saw. These were all very quick sketches with watercolour that might become the basis for larger watercolours back in the studio.

A guide for the Alcazar is in my mind essential and our’s, Maria, was very knowledgeable and interesting.

The entrance to The Alcazar

Here is the front to the Alcazar where the queue to get in can be found.

Do buy tickets in advance for the Alcazar and the Cathedral as this will avoid the long queues.

Inside the Palace  the decoration , much in the Moorish style, is truly fantastic and very well worth seeing and the gardens are extremely beautiful too. After the guided tour we were able to retrace our steps to some of the rooms and to linger in the gardens and have some lunch there.

Just inside the entrance to the Alcazar, the first Courtyard

When you have finished and seen everything inside the Alcazar this is the view as you  emerge of The Giralda and the Cathedral.

The Giralda ,once a Moorish tower is adjacent to the enormous Cathedral of Seville and can be part of the entrance ticket. We didn’t climb to the top but even seeing it from below is very impressive.

The view from the Alcazar exit of the Cathedral and The Giralda.

Of course there are many other sights to see and visit in Seville, the Bullring, the River and the various old quarters of the City.

Also there is the Place d’Espagna built for the 1929 exhibition and it is surrounded by the lovely María Luisa Park.

By the substantial river is the famous tower, Cruceros Torre del Ore, built in the 13th Century.

A nice subject for another small watercolour!

Cruceros Torre del Ore by the river in Seville. Watercolour and ink. 9 inches by 7.

visiting Sevilla involves quite a lot of walking but most things are easily reachable on foot. Taxis are plentiful and reasonable and the trip back to the airport easy to.

Alas now back in the UK where it still seems to be rather changeable weather, maybe the sun will shine soon.

Happy travelling

Brian