Tim Lynette Wilkins

Tim Lynette Wilkins

traveled in 11 countries Read more

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Brief return to Florence Traveler
Egyptian museum
September 24, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
The last time we were in Turin, the new Egyptian museum was only half finished, even so it still took us 3 hours to get round it. Now it's complete and twice the size, no surprise it took us just under 6 hours, but it's wonderful!Read more
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Brief return to Florence Traveler
Arrived in Turin
September 23, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
We caught the high-speed train from Florence to Turin, this starts in Naples and travels across Italy to Florence, Bologna, Milan and finally Turin. It is very comfortable and goes at 300 km /hr. Great, except it left Florence 75 mins late! Turin feels very different to Florence. The centre of Florence was all about tourists, the streets were packed with people speaking everything but italian, whereas Turin just feels Italian. We went out to a restaurant round the corner, had the best food in the trip, and were the only non-italians there. And the food was wonderful!

Tomorrow the Egyptian museum. Could be a long day!Read more
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Brief return to Florence Traveler
More art!
September 22, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
In the morning we went to the Pitti Palace, the home of the medici family. They were bankers to the pope and the vatican , were unbelievably rich, built much of florence, and were patrons of the best artists of their time, as well as many lesser ones! The art was hung on the walls of the Palace and is now available to the public. Sadly there is no system to the way the paintings are hung, they are mostly three or even four deep up the walls, very few have any description, other the name of the artist, so its impossible to really find your way through them all, and very frustrating!

Afterwards we walked across the city to the Dominican church and monastery of Santa Maria Novella. They were also incredibly rich and decorated the church and monastery walls with spectacular frescos and paintings, dating from the 1200's to the 1500's.

Although the weather forecast was for periods of rain all day, we didn't get any until we were back the apartment in the late afternoon.

On to Turin next.Read more
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Brief return to Florence Traveler
Around the city
September 22, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Just some pics around Florence. You can why the painters were so good at painting the sky.
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Brief return to Florence Traveler
Other than the Uffizzi
September 21, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
I saw the highlights of the Uffizzi a few years ago when we came with Janet and Davina and don't share Tim's interest in Renaissance art, so wandered round Florence and went to the Archaeological Museum. It has some splendid stuff from the Etruscan period which we know little about. There are some lovely artifacts which show heavy Greek influence, but also some distinctive Etruscan styles. Surprisingly little Roman influence. They also have some nice Egyptian stuff but as we are spending all Sunday in the wonderful Museo Egizio in Turin, I didn't spend so much time here.Read more
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Brief return to Florence Traveler
The Uffizi
September 21, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Breakfast in the sun on our terrace, lovely - so it was difficult to drag ourselves up and out, but I'd planned to spend all day in the Uffizi gallery and lynette was going to the archaeological museum. I think my mother would be amazed, and I hope delighted, to find my interest in art late in life!

I was expecting the Uffizi to be packed- the whole city is tourist central, but in fact it was OK, only the huge groups of Chinese got in the way, but they just looked at the highlights, looked at what they were told to look at, and took their selfies, then went on their way!

I managed to get round in about 5 hours, and saw all the works I wanted to see, and many more , learning about lots of painters that I didn't know before. Then home for a couple of hours outside again.Read more
You’ll be exhausted with all this artistic culture when you get home, Tim. [Eve]
9/21/23Reply
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Brief return to Florence Traveler
Weather
September 21, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
Before we came the weather forecast was for thunderstorms every day. So far we have been lucky and had none. Both yesterday evening and today, a few isolated drops of rain sent us indoors from the terrace and after a few minutes stopped. So we have been able to have evening drinks, breakfast and lunch outdoors. At lunchtime it was even too hot to stay outdoors! Mostly it has been sunny and hot, so we are not complaining.Read more
Whoops apart from the buildings, that could be Wendover. Goodness, it has certainly rained. Those artefacts are fantastic Lynette. I hope the rest of your visit is equally enjoyable. [Eve]
9/21/23Reply
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Brief return to Florence Traveler
Arrived ok
September 20, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
In Florence after a long and very tedious journey. We flew from London city airport and thought it would be easy - its on the tube. But when we got on the train at wendover it was completely rammed so we had to stand, with our bags of course, and then the tube was the same. We didn't get seats for over an hour - not a good start! At least the flight was on time, and the apartment is OK, if a bit basic , kettle and mugs for tea, no glasses (even plastic ones) for water or wine. We'll live!

Tomorrow I intend to stay all day in the uffizi gallery looking at the paintings.Read more
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Archaeology in Bulgaria Traveler
More last day pics
August 21, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ 🌙 26 °C
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Archaeology in Bulgaria Traveler
Last day
August 21, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
Freedom!

Our flight wasn't until the evening so we had a day to ourselves to see things in Sofia. So what did we do? After a lie in, and a big breakfast, of course we went to see the archaeology, the frescos, the church, the mosque, the synagogue, the cathedral and ended up back in the archaeological museum! In case we hadn't see enough already!

Just outside our hotel was a tiny church with frescos. You can only get in by knocking on the door and a sour faced guardian with a huge bunch of keys let's you in and locks the door behind you. The church is then up a small spiral staircase, and then is maybe the size of our sitting room. Built in the 11th century, its frescos date from the 16th. Its remarkable, but the frescos really need a good clean as they now are so dark they are difficult to make out. No photography allowed- and the guardian stays close by to make sure you don't sneak some pics!

The modern city of Sofia is built over the roman city of Serdica. Everywhere around Sofia are the remains of the roman city, and every time they want to put up a modern building or extend the metro system, more appears. Bulgaria was part of the ottoman empire for centuries, and there are still many Muslims living there. Just along from our hotel was the main mosque. Built in 1576, it is pleasantly plain and peaceful in contrast to the orthodox churches.

And just along from that is the synagogue built in 1909 in a really nice moorish style. Most of Sofia's Jews left after the war, and went to the new state of Israel, so its now rather big for the size of the population, but still in regular use.

After the Muslim and Jewish centres we walked down to the Catholic cathedral. A very pleasant airy modern church, it was built in the 1960s (the previous one was accidentally bombed in the second world war) and is clean, neat and serene! Also full of wonderfully colourful 60s stained glass windows.

So after lunch back to the museum to catch up on things we missed first time round.

All in all a very interesting and rewarding trip. Exhausting though!Read more
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Archaeology in Bulgaria Traveler
Sunday in Sofia
August 20, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
The national history museum is located in a former communist party palace and residence of the president, on the outskirts of Sofia. It contains all kinds of stuff, including traditional dresses, cinema props and icons. We were there to see a wonderful collection of prehistory items and more thracian objects including a gold treasure dating from the 3rd and 4th centuries BC.

From there to a fabulous small church in the village of Boyana, surrounded by trees, with lovely 13th c frescos, they are now too fragile to allow much viewing, so each group of people must have booked in advance, and are allowed just a 10 minute time slot.

Then a long drive up into the mountains to see the Rila monastery. Dating to the 10th century, but extensively reworked in 1833 after a fire, it is one of the highlights of Sofia, and a very popular Sunday excursion. We found it really overdone. Although the architecture is interesting the frescos seemed dull and lifeless.Read more
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Archaeology in Bulgaria Traveler
Back to Sofia
August 19, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Today we made the long drive back to Sofia -- three and a half hours mostly on what passes for motorway. The roads in Bulgaria truly are appalling even the main motorway across the Balkans from Western Europe to Turkey. They are bumpy and full of potholes.
Our hotel is part of the complex that includes the presidential Palace complete with soldier guards. It is a grandiose Soviet building but the rooms are quite poky.
On the way to lunch we visited a 4c church of St George with frescoes from the 10 - 14c which is dwarfed by the hotel/Palace complex. Alongside it are some Roman remains of Serdika as Sofia was known then.
We spent most of the afternoon in the Archaeological Museum where Miglena our guide works. She wanted to show us everything but eventually we gave up and said we would come back on Monday in our free time.
Finally we visited the Alexander Nevsky Church built in 1878 to thank the Russians for liberating them (poor quality frescoes) and the St Sofia Church - successively built in 4- 6c with an enormous necropolis beneath it.Read more
TravelerWendover won’t have quite the same historical highlights for you when you get back apart from the excavations made by HS2.However, some of the local potholes have been filled in!!!Eve
8/21/23Reply
TravelerI suspect a recliner or two in the garden will be essential after your hectic schedule. You must be exhausted. Eve
8/21/23Reply
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Archaeology in Bulgaria Traveler
North to the Danube
August 18, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
We started with a long drive, as always, north to the roman city of nicopolis ad istrum, through vast fields of sunflowers and maize. The sunflower fields covered the hills as far as the eye could see. The plants were a shorter variety than ours, with smaller heads and grown for the oil. They were dry and mostly brown, ready to harvest. I think the maize was not sweet corn, but also grown for corn oil.

The city of nicopolis was founded by trajan in 102 ad, and survived until it was sacked by the goths in 6th century. It was huge - the biggest city in the province, and thankfully still unprettyfied! Excavations continue and will do so for quite some time to come.

From there north again to a huge roman military camp and fortress at novae. Founded in the 1st century, it was there to protect the northern border of the empire from the dacians, who lived in modern Romania. The fortress itself was for military men only, but a huge civilian city built up around it. In the 6th century, after the empire had become Christian , a big bishops residence and basilica was built next to the Fort, but soon after it was overrun by the "barbarians" and abandoned. A great setting though, and we had lunch by the danube!

Inscription on a stone column at nicopolis:

"Drink and live without care, until you have the daylight and listen; once your soul departs , you will be deprived of these things".

The weather has been a bit disappointing. Though 30c every day and warm enough to eat out at night, it has been mostly cloudy each day with patches of sunshine. Yesterday was sunny all afternoon but today returned to cloud. This afternoon whilst we were out in a field looking round Novae we heard thunder and then it started to rain - hard. Luckily there was a plastic roof covering some of the ruins so we were able to shelter for a few minutes until it stopped. Sunny again by the time we got back to the hotel.Read more
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Archaeology in Bulgaria Traveler
Over the mountains to northern Bulgaria
August 17, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ 🌙 26 °C
This morning we left our hotel in Plovdiv, which has been very pleasant, to travel across the Balkan mountains which run west to east across the middle of Bulgaria, giving its name to the whole peninsula.
We stopped at Skipka pass, at 4800 feet high, where a couple of more agile members of our group climbed 675 steps up to the Skipka monument. It commemorates the defeat of the Ottomans by the Russian army in 1878 to liberate Bulgaria from Ottoman rule - which helps to explain the fondness of Bulgarians for Russia even today.
Our first visit was to Etur - a museum of life in 19c Bulgaria with craft demonstrations and souvenirs shops - which we didn't find very interesting. The Chiltern Open Air museum was more interesting and less twee. We also had the worst meal of the week here - with really tough loukanika sausages and crinkle oven chips.
The highlight was a visit in Arbanasi to a 17c church with incredible frescoes covering every surface. They depicted the major scenes from old and new testaments , saints and warnings about judgement day with horrid penalties for wrongdoing - such as mixing too much water into the wine!
Our last visit was not just a waste or time but was disturbing. After a climb up to the citadel in Veliko Turnovo in the heat of the afternoon, the objective was a 'church' built in the 1970s by the Russians with brutalised murals depicting religious icons under the thumb of Russian rule. Most unpleasant.
Our hotel here is very pleasant with a view of the citadel from our room. No suite this time but a large and comfortable room.Read more
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Archaeology in Bulgaria Traveler
Christian tomb, thracian gold treasure
August 16, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ 🌙 25 °C
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Archaeology in Bulgaria Traveler
Neolithic, roman and thracian day
August 16, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ 🌙 26 °C
We started the day with a long, long drive north of plovdiv to a huge site at cabyle, covering many hectares of hill side, one of the biggest sites in the region. But it was very disappointing, there wasn't much there and first thing we saw was a small roman bath, but it was heavily "restored". The only other building there was a roman barracks, with nice walls but nothing else. However the site did have great views across the thracian valley and it was nice walking around in the sunshine!

On to the small city of stara zagora, roman Augusta traiana, with a huge open roman forum and small theatre, but with a lovely small museum stuffed full of great copper-age and roman material. All the museums we found so far have been splendid, small, very local , but really well presented. A adjoint to the museum is an underground site of a 4th century private roman house, discovered while digging up some road works. It's not really open to the public without prior arrangement. It was just one room with a fountain on the middle, and covered in spectacular mosaics. Fish, animals, birds, gods and goddesses. It must have been its owners joy!

Then an amazing find - a pair of neolithic dwellings. They were made of clay walls and were two storeys high, but had burned and collapsed in 5800 BC, preserving the interiors, walls, entrances, ovens, and storage jars.

Finally back to plovdiv to go to the archaeological museum that was closed before- but wow - worth the wait! We only had 40 minutes before it closed for the day so we concentrated on the main things - a brilliant collection of neolithic artefacts, thracian tomb goods, a Christian tomb from the 4th century AD, so very very early Christian, with interior paintings showing christ as a young man, performing miracles , using a long stick like a wand ("like a wizard" the information boards say !). And a huge wonderful mosaic over a gallery wall.

The final room contained a thracian gold treasure from about 1500 BC, heavy gold dishes, libation spoons, lids, drinking cups, all in spectacular condition and incredibly beautiful!Read more
TravelerGreen with envy. You are obviously experiencing some fantastic places and historical evidence. Hope the rest of your stay is equally as fascinating. Eve x
8/17/23Reply
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Archaeology in Bulgaria Traveler
Roman Hisarya
August 15, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
After another good 3 course lunch we went to Hisarya - a spa town from Roman times to present day due to 22 hot springs delivering water at up to 51c. People still collect the water and it is bottled for sale throughout Bulgaria.
We tried it and it was clean and pleasant.
The Romans fortified the town with walls still standing in places to 9 metres. We visited a small Roman tomb with a mosaic floor (nice but underwhelming after yesterday), large Roman baths and the museum. The baths still have the hot water from the springs, piped with Roman plumbing.Read more
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Archaeology in Bulgaria Traveler
Valley of the Thracian kings
August 15, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
We spent the whole morning visiting tombs of Thracian Kings and nobles. They all date from 5cBC to 3cBC. As the Thracians had no writing little is known about them except what the Greeks wrote about them. At this period they were heavily influenced by the Greeks but had their own customs, beliefs and grave goods. They think the tombs were originally used as temples for rituals and only later as tombs and then buried in a mound.

Sadly only one of the tombs was intact when excavated and this turned out to be of King Southes II and this was the first we visited. Its like a smaller version of the tombs at Mycenae with a dome formed of large granite blocks with a corridor (dromos) leading to it from a stone portal. The gold, silver and bronze grave goods are in the museum with replicas on site.
We then visited 3 others all different and for unknown people.
The final visit was to a replica of the most spectacular tomb - the original is now too damaged for visitors (but Bettany Hughes got in for a TV programme later this year). The murals show the tomb owner and wife, being blessed by the Great Mother goddess, with horses, chariot racing, drinking wine and other scenes of daily life. Really very fine!Read more
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Archaeology in Bulgaria Traveler
Walking day in Plovdiv
August 14, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Today we spent all day walking around Plovdiv, which turns out to be a pleasant little city with amazing history. The centre is quite modern but off the main streets it can be run down and threadbare, and it's surrounded by soviet era apartment blocks that look horrid, but our guide says they are much admired because they were so solidly built.

Just outside our hotel are the remains of the roman forum, and the main shopping street is several metres above bits of the roman stadium that would been the site of things like chariot races. Not much left but made with lovely marble. Overlooking the end corner of the stadium is the dzhumaya mosque, the main mosque from the ottoman period, dating from the 14th century and still in full use.

From there we walked to the bulgarian orthodox cathedral of Maria dormitian , and then up one of the three hills that give the city its ancient name - trimontium, three hills. At the top of the hill was one of the great sites of the city, an almost intact roman amphitheatre with spectacular views over the city- they certainly knew how to site them!

Then lunch in the old town ontop of the hill with houses of rich 19th century ottoman merchants, and then down again to a site only recently discovered, a 2nd century roman temple with a 4th to 6th century Christian basilica built ontop of it. The basilica floor was entirely covered with mosaics in geometric and animal bird patterns, and it was HUGE, maybe the size of a football pitch, and the mosaics are all still there!

Finally we were supposed the spend time in the archaeological museum, which is said to be really good, but it was closed - a trip for another day.Read more
Beautiful mosaics! [Andy]
8/15/23Reply
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Archaeology in Bulgaria Traveler
Arrived
August 13, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
No travel problems. Early flight from Heathrow landed on time at 11.30 local time which is 2 hours ahead of UK. It seems there are only 5 of us on this tour - us and 3 Americans, two of which are older than us! Our archaeologist/ guide seems nice and speaks good English.
Of course it rained on the 2 hour coach journey from the airport to Plovdiv, just to make us feel at home, but now the sun is shining and it's 30c. Our hotel though a Ramada feels a bit Soviet grand and our room is a suite with 2 bathrooms.
First lecture at 6.00 this evening followed by dinner in a local restaurant.Read more
TravelerHave a great trip x sheila
8/14/23Reply
TravelerAn en-suite each, very impressive. So fortunate too to get a rainy, English welcome. You may want more drizzle if the 30 degrees continues. Have a fantastic, educational time. I look forward to hearing all about it. Eve x
8/14/23Reply
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Archaeology in Bulgaria Traveler
Why are we going here?
August 13, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Can't say Bulgaria was on our bucket list but an advert in 'World Archaeology' offering a trip to see 'The gold of Thrace and Rome' caught our interest. We had no idea where Thrace was and on investigating it turned out to be Bulgaria. The Thracians were a collection of tribes sharing an ethnic culture ,occupying lands from the Black Sea coast to Macedonia and much of northern Greece, from the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. Little is known about them but they built large, decorated stone tombs and produced beautiful gold objects - some of which was in the recent exhibition we went to at the British museum.
The area has been invaded by pretty much everyone from Philip and Alexander of Macedon, Romans, Visigoths, Huns, Slavs, Bulgars, Ottomans and Russians.
This is an organised archaeology trip concentrating on the Thrace and Roman remains with a bit of old frescoes in orthodox monasteries. We hope to learn a lot as we will be led by a Bulgarian archaeologist from Sofia University.Read more
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Finlay's 8th birthday Traveler
Birthday lunch and cakes
August 12, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
We all went to an Italian restaurant fir lunch, finlays choice. Then back to theirs for cakes
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Finlay's 8th birthday Traveler
Presents day
August 11, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌬 24 °C
As we are going away to Bulgaria first thing on sunday, we did finlays birthday presents today. Tomorrow we are all having a lunch together at a restaurant of finlays choice.

The alfa romeo is finlays main present that we made to replace one that we made maybe 7 years ago. He seemed happy with it!Read more
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Jerez 2023 Traveler
Last two days in Seville
March 5, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Yesterday morning was not so cold as the day before but mostly cloudy. We went first to see some Roman columns in situ from a temple but it turned into quite a hunt as they were not where marked on the map. In the end they were probably not worth the bother except to see that the current street level in Seville is 14 feet higher than in Roman times.

Next we went to the Hospital de Caridad to see some paintings but it was closed for a wedding until 2pm. Not the best start to the day. So we went across the river to Triana market which was good and we bought some ceps - oyster mushrooms - to saute for supper. We had lunch by the river which was still pleasant without the sun.

We returned to the Caridad and enjoyed seeing some Murillo paintings in the chapel for which they were created.

This morning we diligently went round all 14 rooms of the Museo de Belles Artes looking at Spanish paintings from the 15 century to current day. I don't want to see any more paintings of saints or fat cherubs for a very long time.

Just as we sat down to have lunch at a pavement cafe our luck ran out and it started to rain heavily. They had no tables free indoors so we left and took refuge in a restaurant we went to a few nights ago. We didn't regret it. It is the best cooking we have found in Seville and we had another good meal.

Now it's packing time as we leave for the airport at 9.00 tomorrow.Read more
Safe trip home [Natalie]
3/5/23Reply
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Jerez 2023 Traveler
Cold/hot day in Seville
March 4, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
When we set off sightseeing this morning it was bitter cold - reported 0c overnight. We wandered up through the northern part of Seville, la Macarena, a poorer area, to see the remains of the Roman walls and Arab gate. On the way we passed the hotel we stayed in the first time we came to Seville in 1999. It looked the same from the outside but completely redeveloped round the courtyard - lots of marble and glass. By the time we had done that the sun was out so we indulged in the Spanish habit of sitting in the sun drinking coffee/chocolate to warm up.

By the time we returned to our apartment for lunch on the terrace, the sun was quite hot and so for this first time this trip we needed to use sun cream!

Generally the food here is more touristy than Jerez but still ok. Last night we went to a restaurant where the cooking was really good and we had a lovely meal.Read more
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Jerez 2023 Traveler
Sightseeing in Seville
March 2, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
We have been to Seville a couple of times before but not for 10 years. In past visits we saw the main sights - cathedral, la giralda, alcazar, tobacco factory (setting for Carmen) so don't feel the need to go again. Today we explored mostly places we had not been before.

First was the Casa de Pilatos, built early 1500s by a marquis, mixing styles from genuine Greek and Roman sculptures, mudejar/Arabic, Renaissance and mad Spanish tiles. It was huge and interesting but strange.

Next we returned to the archaeological sites under the Plaza de Encarnation which was discovered in 2005 when they planned to build an underground car park. Instead they thankfully preserved it underneath the mercado. Its Roman from 1st to 6th century AD with some lovely mosaics. They are still working on it.

The plaza also houses the world's largest wooden structure known locally as the Setas- mushrooms - you can see why. This time we went up the walkway around the top from where you get great views all over Seville.Read more
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