Thursday 12 February

I woke during the night and read my book, Shroud for a Nightingale by P.D. James. We were  up for breakfast at 9. The breakfast was excellent. I had cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit, boiled egg, soft bread and coffee.

We passed the former tobacco factory which now houses the university

We decided to visit the nearby cathedral and the Giralda. There was a long queue to get in and we needed passports to avoid paying the full price.

The west entrance to the cathedral was imposing

In the cathedral there was a mixture of Moorish and Gothic architecture with later Baroque adornments. The church covered a large area with its many chapels and lavish gold altars.

From the bell tower we could see the cathedral buttresses

The river trip along the Guadalquivir was was restful

We also enjoyed the outer courtyard with orange trees, before ascending 35 flights to the top of the Giralda bell tower. We had closeup views of the cathedral roofs and flying buttresses. At the top there was a panoramic view of the city.



We had lunch in the nearby cafe with sandwiches and beer. Then we took a boat trip on the Guadalquivir River with its many landmarks and bridges. On the way back through the university courtyard I missed my footing and banged my head on the kerb.

For dinner we went to a very nice but unpretentious tapas bar, Catalina.