Like most new mothers, I am writing this in a few precious snatched moments of liberty. In my case, they are afforded by Baby Einstein DVDs, themed confections of classical music, glove puppets and plastic toys. My baby is entranced by them, gurgling and chuckling with delight at the little red cars and yellow birds.
Sevilla Fútbol Club was started first out of the city's two football clubs - officially in 1905, but the earliest football match took place in the city earlier, in 1890, against the newly-founded Huelva Club Deportivo. This club was started by British Rio Tinto mineworkers who brought the game to Spain, along with British sailorsn and Spanish students returning from Britain, where the first clubs had been established in the 1850s. Its name, Sevilla FC (Fútbol Club, rather than CF - Club de Futbol) reflects its British origins.
Francisco de Zurbarán was born in Extremadura but settled in Seville in 1629 where he had a very successful career accepting large commissions for the wealthy religious order. He was in Madrid from 1634 - 6 in the service of King Philip IV and on his return to Seville he began painting commissions for Spanish American clients.
Spring in Seville has a special atmosphere, garlanded with the sweet scent of orange blossom and jasmine, and a frisson of excited anticipation, as the city's two most important events take place - first Semana Santa and then the Spring Fair, the Feria de Abril.
Ten rides, including Fast River, black hole and foam slides; little kids’ pool. Jacuzzi and lake with waterfall will appeal to parents, as will VIP area: shady pergola on lawn with table, chairs, sunloungers, and some drinks, for a steep 35 euros. Three restaurants offering standard fare - pizza, burger and ice-cream – plus barbeque.
As experienced by Tom Cruise´s daughter Suri, when he hired it exclusively for the day for her, while filming Knight and Day in Seville in 2009. Isla Mágica amusement park is located in the original '92 Expo site, on the Isla Cartuja – north-west of the city centre, across the Puente Barqueta.
Together these three buildings form a remarkable monumental complex in the heart of Seville. The cathedral and the Alcázar - dating from the Reconquest of 1248 to the 16th century and imbued with Moorish influences - are an exceptional testimony to the civilization of the Almohads as well as that of Christian Andalusia.
Back in the 1990s, Seville's more louche inhabitants, along with certain controlled substances, populated the Alameda, which lies to the north of the centre. Now it's home to trendy bars, vegetarian restaurants, and those all-in-one bar-gallery-stores that were first hip in Soho, New York, about 40 years ago. You'll find sushi and Asian-fusion restaurants here, while yoga and pilates studios abound. It's also hugely popular with families, and the playgrounds are heaving in the afternoons and evenings, and late into the night in the steaming-hot summer.
This impressive riverside building was originally designed for Expo 92, when it had replicas of Columbus' three ships moored outside (now at the Muelle de las Carabelas in La Rabida). Today the Pabellon houses an excellent interactive museum about maritime navigation.
One of Seville’s most amazing attractions can be enjoyed free of charge as you walk the streets: more than 14,000 bitter orange trees that decorate the “calles” and infuse this charming city with the heavenly scent of their blossoms every spring. In fact, these ornamental, bitter orange trees outnumber every other species of tree in the city of Seville.
Seville Airport dates from 1914 when a permanent aerodrome was established on land used for an air show and for the first flight between Europe and Africa. The present terminal was opened in 1989. The architect Rafael Moneo designed the with three traditional components of Seville culture in mind
There are two bus stations in Seville, both located in the city centre: the Prado de San Sebastian bus station which serves the rest of the Andalucia region and the Plaza de Armas bus station which links Seville to Huelva, other regions of Spain and even to Portugal
Seville has hosted two Exposiciones Universales (known as Expos for short), where countries from around the world built pavilions to show the best of their industry, tecnnology and culture: the first in 1929 - Expo 29; and the second in 1992 - Expo 92. 1992 was a big year for Spain, as Barcelona hosted the Olympics, and Madrid was European Cultural Capital.
The Archivo General de Indias is situated next to the Cathedral, on Avenida de la Constitucion. This 16th-century building houses 80 million pages of documents and maps about the Indies (9km of shelving), Spain’s mighty empire from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, providing the most complete and documented historical view.
Seville City offers a variety of different language schools, catering for all levels from beginners to advanced. There are a number of larger chains of schools which you will see across Spain such as UniSpain, Clic, and Linc, and some smaller private run schools which offer a more local and relaxed learning atmosphere, such as Oneway (which offers its English as a foreign language courses).
Icon of Seville, the magnificent Giralda was the tallest building in the city for over 800 years, dominating the skyline at 103m. Originally built in 1195 as the minaret of the Aljama mosque, it is now the belltower of the cathedral, and is recognised as World Heritage by UNESCO.
The Torre del Oro (Golden Tower), which dominates the banks of the river Guadalquivir next to the Puente San Telmo, is a remnant of the Moorish fortified walls which originally enclosed the city, with 166 towers and 15 gates. A watchtower designed to protect the docks, its iconic shape makes it one of Seville's best-known monuments, after the Giralda which was built just a few years earlier.
