Plaza de Espana.

The 32 degree heat of the afternoon sun made us want to find a spot where we could just relax and enjoy a chilled laze in Sevilla. And as if by magic, at that perfect time, we stumbled (literally) upon the stunning Plaza de Espana.

Breath-takingly beautiful and brilliantly quiet (definitely visit during siesta hours!), the Plaza de Espana is the ultimate place to hang out, explore, and just enjoy the beautiful colours and history of Sevilla.

Located within the Parque de Maria Luisa, the Plaza de Espana was built in 1928 and incorporates a wide variety of architectural styles, with a lot of traditional Sevillian influences.

Originally built in preparation for Sevilla hosting the 1929 Ibero-American World Fair, the Plaza is a complex semi-circular structure, lined with a tiled seating area representing all areas in Spain.

It is now mainly filled with Government offices (all of which were closed - mañana!) and people just enjoying the beautiful surroundings.

You can enjoy 'gondola' rides around the water filled moats that line the edges of the buildings, or you can simply wonder through the maze of pillars and stairs, exploring the balconies and taking in each of the hand-painted works of art depicting historical scenes and descriptions of Spain and the islands. 

We opted for the latter, dawdling our way round for a few hours, tucking in and out of the shade, and enjoying the tranquil peace the Plaza had to offer.

Eventually the locals and tourists awoke from their siesta slumbers, and the Plaza filled with tour groups and government workers - and with them a throng of people selling souvenirs. So we headed in the opposite direction, towards the beautiful lines of succulent orange trees that fill the surrounding park, and went off in search of everything we could find for our last evening in Sevilla.