The day’s final game throws up a ‘Catholic derby’ is played in the wonderful city of Seville.

Spain

The Moorish city of Córdoba in Andalusia is an absolute gem.

It’s undoubted star is the Mezquita, constructed around 785AD at the behest of Abd ar-Rahman I.

Córdoba was the capital of the Muslim-controlled region of Al-Andalus. It was expanded multiple times afterwards under Abd ar-Rahman’s successors up to the late 10th century.

Among the most notable additions, Abd ar-Rahman III added a minaret and his son Al-Hakam II added a richly-decorated new mihrab and maqsura section.

In what I consider an act of sacrilege, the mosque was converted to a cathedral in 1236 when Córdoba was captured by the Christian forces of Castile during the Reconquista.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption is a perfectly nice church, but to me from a purely aesthetic point of view it is like an ugly cuckoo in a nest of robins.

Córdoba also has many other fine attributes such as beautiful gardens, colourful narrow streets, fountain filled piazzas and a great Spanish Riding School where you can see masterly horse men & women with their highly-trained steeds.

Poland

I have visited the glorious city of Krakow three times now, the latest being for Christmas 2019.

It was fabulous during the festive season with Yuletide markets, Christmas services & concerts (we attended midnight mass in St Mary’s Basilica and a carol concert in another church), and a generally cracking atmosphere.

As it was Mrs Wilbur’s first visit, a ride on one of the touristic horse & carts was obligatory! Think it was about €45 for 30-minutes. When in Rome……

Score prediction – Spain 2 Poland 0