As the capital of Andalucia, Seville does not disappoint; although I personally think that the number of sights isn't varied enough for a city with such an extensive history. Perhaps the reason is simply due to so much being built on to or buried under, following construction by the Moors, Visigoths and Christians, who all superseded the Romans. For example the Giralda tower which is attached to the cathedral has a Roman base and then is predominantly Moorish up to the level of the bell tower; but originally had a dome which as more recently been replaced, with the bells that now reside there.

 Weather: The climate in Seville now, isn't all that warm, but apparently in the summer the heat has reached temperatures of 55°C . This partly explains the reason why the city now consists of higgledy piggledy alleyways facing in all directions, built to vary the shade/sun ratio throughout the day.We took a walking tour on our first day with the same company that offers free walking tours in Lisbon (panchotours.com). Our guide, Marc, was very enthusiastic about the history of the whole country as well as being very informative on the key sights; he even acted out many of the scenes throughout the tour to bring them to life. By lunchtime we were craving tapas - it really is good here! So, were thankful to be escorted to a suitable restaurant, which despite our reservations (was he on commission?), turned out to be very good.
 
When you think of Seville, football or oranges perhaps, spring to mind first?

Spain winning the world cup in 2010 resulted in Seville hitting the headlines ...for the partying/riots that took place in Puerta de Jerez (Jerez Gate). Apparently this is also when the head was knocked off the statue in the fountain that is now where the Jerez Gate once stood? Today this is a good central meeting point between the old and the new areas of the city .

I'm told that the oranges here are renowned by the locals for being bitter. Despite this, those that grow at the cathedral are picked each year and sent to the queen of England to make her marmalade! Whether the latter is true or not, I refrained from tasting them...

Seville of course offers so much more, so as always I have a list of recommendations:

- Cathedral - the 3rd largest in Europe. St Peter and St Paul were incorporated into the walls on the East side, by the Pope, to remind the people of the Vatican in Rome (largest) and St Pauls cathedral in London (second largest). There are renovations taking place here now so I couldn't confirm this first hand. Also, I don't know if it's true (will have to Google it) but we were told that all churches in Latin America are linked to part of a brotherhood originating from Seville, and therefore they are controlled from here. It certainly seems viable?

- The Giralda - as already mentioned above, is situated within the cathedral . A tower of somewhere between 97 and 105 metres, depending on which guide or guidebook you refer to, you would anticipate a lot of steps to climb. Fortunately there is just a ramp, consisting of 35 corridors, which was designed to accommodate a mule or horse to transport the poor guy who had to call everyone to prayer 5 times a day. The views are of course worth it, and the ramp really does add to the experience ;).

- Plaza de Espana - a beautiful site and probably the highlight for me. The arches represent each province of Spain and the bridges represent the kingdoms. Nowadays this building houses the town hall/immigration office and has of course been the set for Star Wars Episode 2, city of Theed in Naboo (check out YouTube); the Arabian army's palace in Laurence of Arabia and more recently featured in The Dictator - the trailer apparently still has a Spanish flag in it which was overlooked during editing?

- University - its use for the last 80 years . However this was originally the royal tobacco factory. Carmen (from the opera) worked here?- Alcazar - you need a good couple of hours to take this all in, especially if you enjoy wandering around gardens. This has been the home of many Muslim and Christian kings. The decor inside is extensive and varies from the Moorish decorative arches to the more simple Christian coverings and is often a mishmash of both.

- Plaza de Toros - the bullring, which also houses a museum. I was disappointed that a large tent had been erected inside the ring whilst we were there and even more disappointed that the reviews of the tour in TripAdvisor were accurate; in that it is not very good! It was however reasonably interesting and just about worth the entrance fee, but it was definitely not a highlight!

- Plaza Mayor - also known as Plaza de la Encarnacion according to the map. Here is housed a wooden structure (Metropol Parasol). Created from 3,500 sections of wood, the viewpoint at sunset is lovely . Underground is a very interesting archaeological site, which shows life in both Roman and Moorish times, and shares a little of the life below the city...

If I had more time and the weather was warmer I would have liked to spend longer here. I could seriously consider taking a course at the Uni and brushing up on my Spanish as well as working in a tapas bar... All I need is for the economy and unemployment levels in Spain to improve and this really might be a possibility. For now though, its time to move on, next stop Jerez and some more wine (sherry) tasting ;).