Green oasis, Seville, Spain. Known as "one of the loveliest parks in Europe," the Maria Luisa Park in Seville is a half-mile of plants and architecture at the southern end of the city.

It was landscaped by Jean-Claude Forestier, director of the Bois de Bologne in Paris, for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition.

I enjoyed the park in the perfect fashion: from the back of a horse-drawn carriage. The rates for these rides are strictly regulated, but I was able to negotiate a short Spanish serenade from the somewhat embarrassed driver -- in trade for a song from me.