When we called out for another drink, the waiter brought a tray

You don’t have to be in Spain very long to see that they take every opportunity to use tiles; there are tiled floors, tiles on the sides of buildings, on balconies and on benches. The tiles are often colourful, beautiful and decorative and they are certainly very practical in this climate.

In Sevilla the tiling has been taken to new extremes; the Plaza de Espana, built in 1929, is an artistic celebration of the different cities and regions of Spain in brightly coloured tiles along a crescent (see photograph). In Sevilla we also found signs for shops and bars and advertising in tiling; the photograph of the charming black cat was in the doorway of a lottery shop.

The Alcazar combines Moorish and Spanish styles and plenty of colourful tiles are in evidence in this pleasing palace and its adjoining gardens. Our English neighbours on the campsite said they were disappointed with Sevilla, but then their expectations had been very high. We enjoyed its relaxed environment on a fine Sunday; noted the new trams and cycle routes, treated ourselves to a glass of sherry or two before lunch and dawdled in a vast cafe with smart, bustling waiters serving hordes of groups of middle-aged Spaniards, eating cake and drinking coffee with brandy chasers; we ate cakes with a high calorific content and had another glass of sherry.