Sevilla, Spain I had forgotten just how pretty you are! For some reason I cannot remember it at all even though I know we went there. Quite nice as I get to discover it all over again.

Our three-star boutique hotel is more like a five star hotel. It reminded us of a Morocco Riad. Not surprising with all the Moorish influence evident everywhere, including even a Medina. We stayed in the Jewish Quarter (judería) which is just near the Catedral & Giralda in the Plaza de Santa Cruz . The area is a tangle of atmospheric, winding streets and lovely plant-decked plazas with orange trees begging to be picked.

It was mild in Seville but nowhere near as cold as London, so it was great to remove some layers for a few days. We had a late lunch at the purported oldest taverna in Spain (1670), "El Rinconcillo". Tapas and red wine galore. We found a firm favourite tapa of pork cheeks in sevilla sauce. Devine. Then after too much food and wine, a lie down was needed before having a wander followed by the best sangria.

The next day we went on a three-hour walking tour, and got a feel for the beautiful city and an understanding of the Roman, Muslim, Moorish and Catholic influences. The guide was very enthusiastic and gave us a lot of information but not a whole lot of walking was involved. We went past the main sites including the Hospital de los Venerables Sacerdotes, the University which was a former tobacco factory (Universidad de Sevilla), various buildings from the great exhibition, and the Plaza de España, designed by Aníbal González, was a principal building built on the Maria Luisa Park's edge to showcase Spain's industry and technology exhibits. González combined a mix of 1920s Art Deco and "mock Mudejar", and Neo-Mudéjar styles. The Plaza de España complex is a huge half-circle with buildings continually running around the edge accessible over the moat by numerous bridges representing the four ancient kingdoms of Spain. In the centre is the Vicente Traver fountain. By the walls of the Plaza are many tiled alcoves, each representing a different province of Spain. It has been used as a filming location, including scenes for "Lawrence of Arabia", "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" and "The Dictator".

We then went and saw the Alcázar di Siviglia. Built primarily in the 1300s during the so-called 'dark ages' in Europe, the castle's intricate architecture is anything but dark. Unesco made it a World Heritage site in 1987. The Palace is actually a combination Palaces. The Royal Palace is the highest expression of Mudejar architecture, a mix between the western and the oriental. The structure was remodelled by the various governors who passed through the 11 centuries of its existence, it was expanded several times to make it what it is today which has distinctly Moorish and Catholic parts with a huge garden including a maze.

Connor and I then went and saw the Seville's immense cathedral, the third largest Christian church in the world, is awe-inspiring in its scale and sheer majesty. It stands on the site of the great 12th-century Almohad mosque, with the mosque's minaret (the Giralda) still towering beside it. We walked around the ornate and heavily decorated gothic interior and made our way up the circular ramp of 34 floors (a ramp and not stairs as the elderly gent that would make the climb five times a day for the call to prayers would use a donkey). The view of the city was lovely and we got to look down on Josh and Emma who were waiting for us after their visit to the opinion-dividing Metropol Parasol, which claims to be the largest wooden building in the world. Its undulating honeycombed roof is held up by five giant mushroom-like pillars, earning it the local nickname Las Setas (the mushrooms). Roman ruins discovered during the building's conception have been cleverly incorporated into a museum in the foundations, while upstairs on level 2 you can stroll along a surreal panoramic walkway with killer city views.

Meanwhile Josh and Emma went to the Metropol Parasol; a wooden structure located at La Encarnación square, in the old quarter of Seville, Spain. It was designed by the German architect Jürgen Mayer and completed in April 2011. It has dimensions of 150 by 70 metres (490 by 230 ft) and an approximate height of 26 metres (85 ft) and claims to be the largest wooden structure in the world. Its appearance, location, delays and cost overruns in construction resulted in much public controversy. The building is popularly known as Las Setas de la Encarnación (Incarnation's mushrooms).

The city as we discovered had many plazas, which at night would be lit up with Christmas decorations.

Josh was very keen to see some authentic flamenco so one evening we went to the Casa de la Memoria. It was an hour-long performance consisting of a flamenco guitarist, singer and two flamenco dancers. They were all certainly extremely passionate if nothing else.

On our last night we utilised the spa on top of the hotel which had a magnificent view of the Giralda.

We then had to leave at the horrendous hour of 4.30am to catch our TAP Portugal flight to Lisbon and then onto Venice.

Horrendous it was, but we made it to Venice on a flight that got delayed. It was mild and not too touristy which was a surprise. When we arrived, we went by Vaporetto to our hotel, Hotel Ala just near St Mark's Square and collapsed in a heap for a while.

The two days we stayed in Venice was mainly spent wandering and getting lost in the many tiny streets and bridges and admiring the beautiful Murano glass and the gorgeous displays in the shop windows of all things Italian. The restaurants we went to weren't fantastic but we made a special effort on the last night and went to quite a nice one. Each evening lots of red wine was had along with pasta or pizza and even Aperol, which is mixed with soda and prosecco.

We of course visited the Piazza San Marco, Basilica di San Marco, St Mark's Clock Tower, The Bridge of Sighs and Rialto Bridge. The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge's name, given by Lord Byron as a translation from the Italian "Ponte dei sospiri" in the 19th century, comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice through the window before being taken down to their cells. In reality, the days of inquisitions and summary executions were over by the time the bridge was built, and the cells under the palace roof were occupied mostly by small-time criminals. In addition, little could be seen from inside the bridge due to the stone grills covering the windows.

We talked about doing a gondola ride but at EURO80 each, we decided it wasn't worth it. It was still the same beautiful Venice, but it looked a little more ragged around the edges than I remembered. Next onto Prague for Christmas!