Sevilla!

The visit to Sevilla was to see my sister and her family, who live in the heart of the old city's Barrio de Santa Cruz, only a minute's walk from the Cathedral and its iconic tower, La Giralda. We caught up on family stories, ate wonderful food, and loved every minute of our time there. And it was a treat that our daughter living in Geneva was able to join us for the trip.

And a famous pilgrimage began one of the days we were there, so we got to see the decorated wagons lining up in front of the Cathedral before they left for the multi-day trek to a local sanctuary. There was quite a festive air as they got ready to leave!

And while all of those activities were great, we always try to get in at least one nice long walk or hike everywhere we go. Because my sister lives in a zone that does not allow car traffic, we certainly used our legs to get around., But she also lives just a block from the fascinating Alcazar palace and its magnificent gardens. We took a day to explore those and give our family a break from entertaining us.

The architecture reflects the deep Arabic influence in Andalucia, and it is a joy to explore.

The gardens are every bit as amazing as the palace itself, and are full of fountains, flowers, and flowing water. We wandered for hours, finding new perspectives, new views, and hidden corners.

And to cap it all off, we had a typically late dinner up on the terrace of my sister's house, where we ate like kings and had the kind of view that you can't get anywhere else.

It was a wonderful few days, and we hope to get back there again soon.