On the first day of our week long excursion we visited Sevilla Cathedral, the largest Gothic church in the world and along with the adjoining Alcazar palace complex a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside the building the space is vast, the whole thing must have been overwhelming for people in the Middle Ages, of course it's most famous resident is the tomb of Christopher Columbus (see above) a rather grand and ostentatious statue celebrating the explorer whose discoveries in the America's and their exploitation made the city rich beyond people's wildest dreams (no wonder they gave him a fancy-pants send off, even though he was an Italian from Genoa)
Later in the afternoon we all retired to the roof-top bar of a restaurant near the river and attended a Sherry tasting (see picture above). I didn't really know much about Sherry before, only what most Brits probably know, i.e. that it's a sweet fortified wine much liked by our Nan's and usually consumed at Christmas along with trifle! However, as the lecturer explained there's a lot more to their local drink than Harveys! Sherry comes in a full spectrum of styles from bone dry (Fino) to excruciatingly sweet (Pedro-Ximenes) and all stops in between. It's flavour profiles range from tart green apples to figs through nuts and dried fruits, suffice to say it's a complex drink and there's a whole voyage of discovery to be had exploring the different styles and producers of the region. After the tasting we were all feeling a little "elevated" and so retired to our air conditioned apartment for a little siesta (i.e. sober up!) before heading out into the narrow cobbled streets again for dinner.
I snapped a picture of the end of the tasting (above), look at all the different colours of the various Sherry styles on offer, quite a range!
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