Spain 2016 - Seville, Iglesia Salvador and Giraldi Tower.

Up and out of the hotel for a breakfast of orange juice, coffee and a croissant at the same restaurant that I had tapas at last night. It's close, cheap and the food is good.

Casa Carlos

I then went back to the hotel to get my backpack and change out of my fleece for a lighter jacket. It's cool in the narrow streets that the sun hasn't reached yet but warm in the sun - coat on, coat off, all morning. I had read on the internet last night that if you go to Iglesia Salvador and buy the joint ticket for the Cathedral you can then skip the line at the Cathedral (which gets really long) so I set off through Barrio Santa Cruz looking for the church.

Iglesia Salvador

It didn't open until 11am so I wandered around the area, contemplating another cup of coffee.

Down a little side street off the Plaza I saw another church.

Capilla de San Jose; small, dark, very Baroque and in need of repair, but charming and obviously still a place of worship.

Standing next to me was a guide speaking in a hushed voice to his tourist couple. I overheard him say that the Christ statue has real hair and people leave their pictures and their hair on the board beside him and light a candle.

By the time I came out of the chapel a line had formed in front of Salvador church so I joined it, the doors opened and we slowly paid and went in. There were a US couple in front of me who advised me to go straight to the tower and then do the Cathedral after and a couple of Canadians in front of them who recommended the Museum of Flamenco show. I love getting travel advise from fellow travelers (that's the value of Tripadviser).
Seeing this church hadn't been on the list of things I wanted to do but as I was here, I had a look. 

Massive, carved columns

Some massive, ornate, gilt altar areas.

Very detailed and expressive.

A beautiful silver and gold Paso.

But what I really enjoyed were through a door next to the washrooms (I consider it a good policy to use them if you see them):

Old altar pews that had carvings of "the church fathers" on their backs and

bizarre carvings of heads on the arms and flip down seats.

When I went out there was still a lineup outside.

I walked back to the Cathedral and there was a huge lineup. The US couple had said that you just had to deal with the angry looks of everyone who has been standing in line for hours, so I walked by them, through the gate, wove my way through the people inside (waving my ticket and muttering "I already have a ticket" rather sheepishly), up to the turnstile and was admitted with no fuss (brilliant!). I took the "go straight to the tower" advise as well and there was no line up there.
The Giraldi tower is the church tower of the Cathedral but was the minaret when this was a Mosque, when the Moors ruled Seville. There are 35 ramps to climb to get to the top. I ran into the Canadian mother and daughter again as I was climbing. Their guide had told them that originally it had been stairs but that the Muezzin had to go up and down 5 times a day to do the "call to prayer" and the ramp was built so that a donkey could be ridden up. It is an easy climb with windows every so often with great views.

Looking down at the street behind the Cathedral from the first window.

The ramps take you up to where the bells are. There are additional stairs that you can't go up.

Looking towards the river and the hills beyond.

Looking over the Alcazar, its gardens and the public gardens beyond.

I think this post is getting rather long and I am getting tired so I will have to cover the rest of today, tomorrow, getting behind already.