La Rambla

A Barcelona pedestrian walkway (well, it has single lane traffic down either side...) that has everything - food, paintings, caged birds, flowers, a multitude of 'living statues', con-artists (three cups & the pea tricks) , beggars and lots and lots of tourists.
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Erotica Museum

Barcelona has an erotica museum. Sort of a collection of postcards, prints, the Karma Sutra and a seedy little room showing some 1920's porn flicks. Oddly the men stay partially dressed.


The Japanese section was bizarre.
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The Irish connection

After passing countless Irish pubs in Spain, I weakened and had a Guinness.
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Alicante

Alicante, a seaside town.


From the castle.


One of the hazards of a sidewalk cafe.
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Communications - now and then.

Being on the highest point around, the castle has communications equipment on it.


The old way of communicating.
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Bullring, as seen from the Castillo.

Castillo - Alicante

High above the town is a castle. You can get to it by lift - a tunnel goes into the mountain and then lift to the main courtyard. What happened tot eh good old days of laying siege? Is there a service lift for Moors and Visigoths?

Alhambra

It is hard to know where to begin with Alhambra. These are just a selection of photos. This is a skylight above some baths.


The Courtyard of the Myrtles, with reflective pool a la the Taj Mahal.


Another courtyard.


The (unfinished) palace of Carlos V (Charles V).


Some of the extensive gardens.
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Granada

The view from our hotel balcony.

Granada Cathedral

Getting a bit of cathedral fatigue but this one was unusual in that it was white.


And it had some very large books. Don't know what this says about the eyesight of the clergy. ("Stop that! You'll go blind!")
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Dinner in Granada.

Order a beer in Granada and you get free food! Not always great food, but every drink comes with a tapas. Sometimes chips (fries), sometimes olives, sometimes meatballs, all sorts of stuff.
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Seville Cathedral

The bell tower - a minaret in Moorish days - it was built by Moors up to the bell level and then the bells were added to it by the Christians. Inside it is easy climbing as it is all ramps, not stairs. That was so the Moors could ride their horses up it.



An orange tree courtyard in the cathedral.


Sunrise.


And a crocodile. Don't ask, I don't know.
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Fiscal problems

What the Seville Town Hall looks like when the builders had money.


Looking the other way we see what it looked like when finished on the cheap.
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Pillars of Hercules.

Hercules is credited with founding many cities in Spain and Portugal (eg Seville & Lisbon).

The symbol most associated with him is two pillars, a ribbon and the words PLVS VLTRA, meaning further beyond, reflecting the exploits of the early Spanish explorers in sailing beyond the edge of the earth, as it was known.

The two pillars and the ribbon became the $ sign as it was on early Spanish currency.
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Alcazar, Seville.

Outer wall.


Christian style window


Part of a tapestry of the then known world.


Part of a sunken garden - bottom half of the building is Moorish, top half Christian.


Moorish doorway


Wall decorations.


Garden - lots of orange trees. Well, it is Seville...


The local art school.
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