I had been told many times that I needed to visit the Alcazar. I assumed it would be nice. Here is a description from Wikipedia: The Alcázar of Seville, is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally a Moorish fort. The palace is renowned as one of the most beautiful in Spain, being the most outstanding example of mudéjar architecture found on the Iberian Peninsula.[1]
The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as
the official Seville residence and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site,
Let me just say now that it is one of the most beautiful palaces/castles in Spain - the gardens, courtyards, tile work, buildings, artwork and more, just go on and on. Even though we spent many hours there, I know we did not see it all. It was an easy 20 minute walk from our hotel.
We went to the cafe of the Alcazar twice, once for coffee in the morning, then for a beer and open faced sandwich for lunch.
There are still some of the protection slots built for defenders to be able to shoot out with minimal risk to themselves.
After about five hours at the Alcazar, we then went to the Sevilla Cathedral. Here again is what is on Wikipedia: The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, better known as Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Seville (Andalusia, Spain). It is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church in the world. It is also the largest cathedral in the world, as the two larger churches, the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida and St Peter's Basilica, are not the seats of bishops. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the Alcázar palace complex and the General Archive of the Indies. After its completion in the early 16th century, the Seville Cathedral supplanted Hagia Sophia as the largest cathedral in the world, a title the Byzantine church had held for nearly a thousand years. The cathedral is also the burial site of Christopher Columbus. The Archbishop's Palace is located on the northeastern side of the cathedral.
It is a stupendous cathedral, to say the least.
Included in the entrance fee (reduced for pensioners) was access to the Giralda. Again borrowing from Wikipedia: The Giralda is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville. Its height is 343 feet (105 m), and its square base is 23 feet (7.0 m) above sea level and 44 feet (13 m) long per side. The Giralda is the former minaret of the mosque that stood on the site under Muslim rule, and was built to resemble the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, Morocco. It was converted into a bell tower for the cathedral after the Reconquista,[7] although the topmost section dates from the Renaissance. It was registered in 1987 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The tower is 104.1 m in height and was one of the most important symbols in the medieval city. Construction began in 1184 under the direction of architect Ben Ahmad Baso. According to the chronicler Ibn Sahib al-Salah, the works were completed on March 10 of 1198, with the placement of four gilt bronze balls in the top section of the tower. After a strong earthquake in 1365, the spheres were missing. In the 16th century the belfry was added by the architect Hernán Ruiz the Younger; the statue on its top, called "El Giraldillo", was installed in 1568 to represent the triumph of the Christian faith.
Rather than stairs, there are ramps along each side that you walk up, with each corner being a flat landing, just as if there had been stairs. There are 35 ramps. At the top of the ramps, there are 17 stairs.
It was very easy to climb, as the ramps were not that steep and were easier on your joints than stairs. Along the way, there were both windows to look out on the city and displays in the central core of the tower.
As we looked around at the top, we saw many large bells with chains and motors attached. And just a few minutes after getting there, the bells rang. The views of the city were great.
After we climbed back down, I took a photo of where we had been. Then it was back to hotel for a rest and later out to dinner - we went out looking for someplace to eat, but ended up back at the hotel restaurant for dinner. Then back to our rooms to pack for our departure on Tuesday.
Let me just say now that it is one of the most beautiful palaces/castles in Spain - the gardens, courtyards, tile work, buildings, artwork and more, just go on and on. Even though we spent many hours there, I know we did not see it all. It was an easy 20 minute walk from our hotel.
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| The ceiling was amazing. |
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| The tile work in the stairwell was gorgeous. |
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| That is the back side of the spread feathers of a peacock in the garden. |
There are still some of the protection slots built for defenders to be able to shoot out with minimal risk to themselves.
After about five hours at the Alcazar, we then went to the Sevilla Cathedral. Here again is what is on Wikipedia: The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, better known as Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Seville (Andalusia, Spain). It is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church in the world. It is also the largest cathedral in the world, as the two larger churches, the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida and St Peter's Basilica, are not the seats of bishops. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the Alcázar palace complex and the General Archive of the Indies. After its completion in the early 16th century, the Seville Cathedral supplanted Hagia Sophia as the largest cathedral in the world, a title the Byzantine church had held for nearly a thousand years. The cathedral is also the burial site of Christopher Columbus. The Archbishop's Palace is located on the northeastern side of the cathedral.
It is a stupendous cathedral, to say the least.
Included in the entrance fee (reduced for pensioners) was access to the Giralda. Again borrowing from Wikipedia: The Giralda is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville. Its height is 343 feet (105 m), and its square base is 23 feet (7.0 m) above sea level and 44 feet (13 m) long per side. The Giralda is the former minaret of the mosque that stood on the site under Muslim rule, and was built to resemble the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, Morocco. It was converted into a bell tower for the cathedral after the Reconquista,[7] although the topmost section dates from the Renaissance. It was registered in 1987 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The tower is 104.1 m in height and was one of the most important symbols in the medieval city. Construction began in 1184 under the direction of architect Ben Ahmad Baso. According to the chronicler Ibn Sahib al-Salah, the works were completed on March 10 of 1198, with the placement of four gilt bronze balls in the top section of the tower. After a strong earthquake in 1365, the spheres were missing. In the 16th century the belfry was added by the architect Hernán Ruiz the Younger; the statue on its top, called "El Giraldillo", was installed in 1568 to represent the triumph of the Christian faith.
Rather than stairs, there are ramps along each side that you walk up, with each corner being a flat landing, just as if there had been stairs. There are 35 ramps. At the top of the ramps, there are 17 stairs.
It was very easy to climb, as the ramps were not that steep and were easier on your joints than stairs. Along the way, there were both windows to look out on the city and displays in the central core of the tower.
As we looked around at the top, we saw many large bells with chains and motors attached. And just a few minutes after getting there, the bells rang. The views of the city were great.
After we climbed back down, I took a photo of where we had been. Then it was back to hotel for a rest and later out to dinner - we went out looking for someplace to eat, but ended up back at the hotel restaurant for dinner. Then back to our rooms to pack for our departure on Tuesday.
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