Королевский Алькасар, Севилья, Испания

Seville is only a two-and-a-half-hour flight from London, but it touches on the exotic, most particularly and spectacularly in the Alcázar, a Moorish fort-turned-royal palace that combines Muslim, Gothic, Mudéjar, Renaissance, Baroque and Romantic elements, which lies in the city’s centre, close to the similarly astounding cathedral. The Alcázar is jaw-dropping from beginning to end: perfectly proportioned courtyards that open into gardens, which lead to walkways and arcaded galleries, close to shaded patios, palm tree-lined gardens, and walls decorated by incredible geometric ceramic tiles.

Every view is inspiring: but this, I find, doesn’t always make for good drawings. There is almost too much to see, and trying to capture it in a grubby sketchbook with a chunky pen suddenly seems like trying to play a Mozart piano concerto with a claw hammer. But I don’t let that put me off.