George Seurat has nothing on us....

One of my favorite paintings is George Seurat's "Sunday Afternoon......(in the park)".  Yesterday, Bill & I walked up to the Parque Maria Luisa, which was formerly the gardens of the Palace of San Telmo.  Donated to the city of Sevilla in 1893 for use as a public park, in 1911, the gardens were  rearranged into the present shapes.  The 1929 World's Fair was partly in the park and many of the building in and around the park were built for that exposition.

One entry to the park has this lovely fountain...

 This is near the gate that Bill and I entered the park on yesterday..

Immediately, you feel the beauty and peacefulness there.

 We spent the whole afternoon in the park and I'm sure we saw only a fraction of the statues, fountains, secret little nooks and crannies...  It's such a delight to come across an unexpected plaque or statue or memorial.

This looks like a Quince bush to me...

 While I may not be sure what it is, I was thrilled to see something in flower in February!

Look at the design of this garden!

 Since this is a region famous for its tile, you see tile mosaics everywhere.  Some really intricate patterns, some as memorials, some portray people, animals and such.  

This plaque (tile, of course) is the entry to the Island of the Birds.

 This is where the duck ponds are, the swans swim...  and the peacocks strut...  it's where there's all varieties of doves.  The parrots are overhead, as well as various songbirds.

(the plaque says this is a protected area...  a sanctuary for wildlife)

There's just nothing quite as elegant and graceful 

 as a swan.  I've seen only 1 pair here, but they are quite magnificent.

This bird is a new "life bird" for me...

With the Latin name of "Turdo merula" (wouldn't you just love to be classified as a turdo?)   its common name is "Mirto". 

But if it looks familiar to you, you'd be correct in thinking it's in the same family as the Robin.  Except for its all-over black color, it looks and acts just like the American Robin.

This being a Sunday, the park is filled with people.

 Many, many, many people!  Walking, bicycling, pushing strollers, in horse-drawn carriages..... there are those pedaled bicycles (2 or 4 or even 6 people pedal at the same time) for rent....  go-cart looking vehicles that kids pedal around.  Lots of folks bring a picnic and sit on benches or the grass and have lunch.  

There are singles, couples, whole families...  all ages, all degrees of ability to walk around.

In the hours we were there we saw no rudeness - it seemed everyone was having a good time.

Again...  more people...  more statues...

 Do you recognize Bill in the lower left corner?

Here's a little boy being taken for a ride in a pony cart...

He seemed to be having a great time.

And not far away were these horse drawn carriages... 

They look as if they could be from a different era...

Days gone by....

There were several arbor-like promenades.. 

 I'm sure the foliage overhead will flower one of these days...  it looked kind of like wisteria...  

There were many buildings erected for the 1929 World's Fair..

  Many of these buildings are still being used. 

This one is now an art museum.  

Another museum...

 This is the Archeological Museum...

I'm not sure what this building is now used as

 But the architecture throughout the park is quite diverse.

Across the street some of the original pavilions are still in use.  You can see the Guatemalan, the Mexican and the Argentina buildings  nearby.

There is a tower you can climb...  from there you can look down upon areas of the park.

Look at the lush landscape design!

Another fountain from the 1929 exposition...

Just look at how intricate the tile work is here!

Another fountain...   

 See the oranges on the tree?  

There are many labyrinths of hedges throughout the park.

Intricate designs like knots, mazes, and geometric designs.

Everything is so well attended and cared for.

Another statue...

 

Here's Bill, standing beside a bust of Dante.

We love coming across the unexpected...  it's like getting a happy surprise.

Of course I couldn't resist taking some close-up pictures of these flowers...

Caught in the Act!

Taken by Bill as I'm scampering out of the flower bed...

It will take several more trips to see everything in the park, and really, I doubt if we ever see it all.

But this is one of those walks we really don't want to hurry through....  it's so nice to just take our time and wander...

stop and look....sit and watch....

Maybe take a picnic the next time...

No doubt I'll take a few dozen more photos of other statues, fountains and memorials....

But...

That's All For Today!