A Jewel

One of the stunning jewels of Seville is the Parque de María Luísa. When I was living in this city as a student (I just counted - 14 years ago. Wow.) and a teacher (8 years ago), I often came here by myself just for a moment of solace. It has lovely palm and orange trees, elms and Mediterranean pines and lots of ponds, pavilions, statues, everything you would want in a romantic European stroll. It was created for the 1929 Iberoamerican Exposition, which was a world fair. It was designed with elements of Art Deco of the 1920s and Mudejar architecture, the result of the Muslim and Christian cultures that emerged in the Iberian peninsula in the 12th century.

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I'd never see white pigeons before. You can come here to feed them and get attacked too.

Said pigeons around a fountain.

A pavilion.

Pabellon Real - it was designed to hold the art collection of the royal family.

Not sure which pavilion this one is.

At the top is Monte Gurugú, which represents a mountain that exists in Melilla's African city.

A nice pond to admire.
Statuesque.

Decorative tiled benches are scattered throughout the park.

Moorish-inspired tiles with geometric patterns.
Nestled in the park, the Plaza de España is a half-circle lined with buildings, which are now used as government offices.

The plaza was also the filming site of "Star Wars: Episode II".The central building.

Freedom! Paloma wanted to run around the whole plaza like a maniac.Taking a peek at the central fountain.

As a student (remember, 14 years ago?), I'd come here with friends to row boats around the plaza. Well they took it out for a few years and just recently renovated it, open for rowboating again. Yay!

Paloma admires the rowboaters from the outside.

More tiling that embellish the plaza in bold colors.

A bridge.

Fernando's cousin, Felix, poses with Papaloma (Papa + Paloma).

Pretty, huh?

More beauty.Paloma does some squats for fun.The walls are aligned with tiled images of different cities in Spain.

Another point of view.

Palomama (Paloma + Mama) in front of "Salamanca", my first introductory city to Spain. I spent my first semester here, but then transferred to Seville after I was enraptured by its beauty :-)

The buildings behind us.

The chivalrous Don Quixote and Sancho are the motif of Cuidad Real.

Guipuzcoa is the name of our street in Barcelona, but more importantly, it's a city in the Basque region.

Paloma pays homage to her paternal roots by showcasing a map of the province of Andalucia.

Our Barcelonesa represents her natal city.
I love this face.

Tourists can admire the park in horse-driven carriage. One last round at sunset.

Fans decorate the steps hoping to entice tourists to take one home as a souvenir.

Time to go home. The downside to having elegant horses line the city? The horse poop!

Hope you enjoyed!