Being a Tourist: The Mushroom

The Metropol Parasol or, as the locals call it, The Mushroom, is one of the newer tourist attractions in Sevilla. Opened in 2011, this huge wooden structure (largest in the world apparently, aren't they great) provides an interesting distraction from the pretty yet run of the mill surrounding architecture of the Plaza de la Encarnación and earns its nickname from the fact that, well, it looks like a giant fungal growth.

That is the first time I have ever typed the words giant fungal growth in succession and I sincerely hope that it is the last.

seriously though imagine this growing on a tree

The Mushroom is open during the day and until late some nights, admission is €1.35 (free for citizens of Sevilla, but I doubt there are many of them here) and for that you can access the viewing platform on top of the structure, from which you get a view of Seville which rivals that of the Cathedral's Giralda. Also there's more space to walk around :) There's even a bar up there, they couldn't fit that at the top of the Cathedral.

you can run along the paths and everything.

Apparently its design wasn't very well received at first, and you can understand why. It's fun to have around but well... it's not exactly subtle is it? Less "misunderstood masterpiece like the Eiffel Tower", more "what the hell is that?". Underneath the Mushroom are shops and restaurants, as well as the Antiquarium of Sevilla, which I was going to talk about here but the post is too long already, so we'll get back to it. For some much better pictures of the Mushrooms which give you an idea of its scale, see this article. Everything about that article is better, forget everything you've read here and go read that. Until next time, besos x