It's Monday... but Sunday Photos...

Monday already... time to head back to classes.
It's raining again today, but I took enough photos yesterday to fill at least one more blog....

Here's the place Bill & I stopped for lunch...

You can barely see him, but Bill's just below the "R" in the plate glass window.

We had some beggars approach us...

This little guy is an English sparrow, or as we more commonly call them in the US...  a House sparrow.

Sort of the bane of all bird houses we put out to attract bluebirds.  Here the little guys are so tame they hop around on your table... and will even light on your hand if you hold out a morsel for them.  It was hard to hold a grudge towards this fellow despite his bad reputation in the States.

After lunch we headed back to the park and came across this tiny automobile...

It truly seats only 1 person...  and quite honestly, I know some folks who would NOT fit in it at all!  It's totally electric...

Sevilla is right on top of things...  they actually have "electric kiosks" where you can plug in your car so it can recharge while you're out and about...

Here's Bill...  pointing at the "outlet" for another brand of electric car.  In the left of the photo is the little kiosk where you can plug in.  We checked one out today that had a car actually plugged in...  looks like you might have a card (like a credit card) that you use to pay for your time.  Much like an ATM, except here you get electric, not cash.

We pass this building as we're entering the Parque Maria Luisa.  It's known as "The Queens Sewing Box"

Looks like it's straight out of a fairy tale, doesn't it?  Now a tourist office, Princess Maria Luisa liked to visit here.

More of the park...

There are numerous fountains, pools, and other water features.
I am always delighted to come across yet another one.

The statue of Gustavo Becquer (1836-1870)
Born in Sevilla, he was a poet...  his works were not well received during his lifetime, and he became more famous after his death.  He wrote romantic poetry... but apparently the love of his life did not appreciate this... thought he was too bohemian... (poor) to marry.

At the side of his statue are these ladies...

(Someone has placed a fresh bouquet of flowers in the arms of one)
There was no plaque narrating what exactly is going on here, but having read of his unrequited love, I wonder if his lady-love had second thoughts after he died of TB?

This is the main reason we headed back to the park today..

The Plaza de Espana
Built for the 1929 World's Fair, it's opulence is overwhelming!
Somewhat horseshoe shaped, the huge building has towers at each end.  In the huge courtyard there are fountains, and gardens.

This is a very popular spot for tourists and locals alike...

Especially on Sundays you'll see many people just relaxing on the benches.
Behind each of these benches is a tile mural depicting a region of Spain.

The rains began again...  people scattered!  Bill & I headed up onto the 2nd floor of one of the buildings where we could look over the plaza...

We waited out the rain...
(You can see the south tower in the background)

Sure enough, the sun came back out after about 20 minutes...

But most of the Sunday strollers were gone...  look...  not a person left on any of those benches lining the walls on the right.
(Now.. the north tower is in the background)


We continued looking at all the tile murals...  at the incredible architecture...

The rain-washed walks are deserted...  the rain has driven the Sunday people inside or home...

By this time, we, too, are ready to head home.  I never tire of our visits to this park.  Soon the trees will be in bloom and there will be flowers everywhere....

We have 3 more weeks here...  we're hoping to see what Spring is like in Sevilla!

That's All For Today!