Seville is a stunningly beautiful city.  From the ground, especially in the Santa Cruz barrio, the tangle of streets and narrow lanes going in all directions makes for visual drama the likes of which I haven’t seen on my travels to date.  All those tight streets, though protection against the searing heat of southern Spanish summers, can leave you with a closed in perspective on the city.  To get above it, for a wider lens view of Seville, you have two primary choices – the Metropol Parasol, and for my money, the superior views from La Giralda, the bell tower of the Seville Cathedral.

After touring the cathedral on an on and off rainy afternoon, we scaled the tower just as some ominous clouds were approaching the city.  From about half way up the tower we could see there were only a few minutes until another downpour:

Continue reading →