Plaza Espana and Maria Luisa Park

After dinner at home, we took lovely walk up our street to this large park where the Plaza de Espana is located....it is amazingly large as is the park. We barely touched the inviting pathways with the islands of green and flowering trees (many bluish/purple ones) and palms. It was turning dark so we had to leave but as we left, about 10 horses and carriages carrying tourists clip clopped by, a contrast to the busy road with its tapas bars in full swing that we walked by on the way home.

Plaza de España was built for the Ibero-American Exhibition of 1929
This is a larger than expected semi-circular brick building, Renaissance/neo-Moorish in style, with a tower at either end (tall enough to be visible around the city). In front of the building, following the curve of its façade, is a 500-metre canal crossed by four bridges, and in the centre of it all is the Plaza itself.

All along the wall by the canal are 48 alcoves with benches, one for each province of Spain, each with a relevant tableau and map, all designed on colourful azulejos (painted ceramic tiles). The four bridges represent the four ancient kingdoms of Spain: Castille, Aragon, Navarre and Leon.Read more