Seville, Spain

On Sunday we took an early morning train to Seville. The weather had turned cloudy and rainy. The streets were lined with orange trees which really brightened up what could have seemed like a dismal day. We spent the first day walking around looking at the amazingly huge cathedral, taking in Seville and eating great food. James bought a flamenco guitar.


On Monday we visited the Seville Cathedral. The cathedral was build between 1300 and 1600 on the site of a former mosque. The builders said "we shall have a church of such a kind that those who see it built will think we were mad." It really is ginormous. It is one of the largest cathedrals in Europe.



Then we climbed to the top of the cathedral's bell tower, called La Giralda. The bell tower had formerly been the minaret for the mosque and you could still see the Moorish architecture. I find it so interesting how Spain's history is revealed in its great architecture.


We decided to stay another day to see the Alcazar of Seville which was closed on Monday. It was nice (and a first for me) to have such freedom to make choices like that. I really hope to do more of this kind of travel in the future - playing it day by day. It's so relaxing not to be on a strict schedule.


On one of the nights we were there James did the research and mapped out a great tapas crawl for us. It was so fun! We had a rule of one drink and one tapa at each bar. We ate some really yummy stuff and had fun exploring the Santa Cruz neighborhood with it's tiny winding streets and beautiful plazas.


On Tuesday we visited the Alacazar of Seville. It is a palace that incorporates both Moorish and Christian architecture, called Mudejar, and was built after the Reconquest (1492). I have to say it was just as beautiful as the Alhambra with the same intricately carved stone walls and ceilings. It was breathtaking.


There was also the most expansive and beautiful garden on the grounds, full of very tall palm trees and walled in with an ivy covered wall. They had a hedge maze and we had fun trying to figure that out. We spent a relaxing and peaceful afternoon in the garden.


You can see all of the trip pictures here.