Sevilla’s Cathedral and Royal Alcazar

Lonely Planet chose Sevilla as the #1 city to visit in 2018. The capital of Andalusia is on the same parallel as California city San Jose (or Turlock) and Seoul, Korea. It has very hot, dry summers and mild winters. After the city of Córdoba, Sevilla has the hottest summer in continental Europe, with average daily highs in July of 97 °F. It's only 90 °F today but when we leave on Friday it's jumping up to 107 °F. It's hot here - feels just like home!

The place to keep cool is the massive Sevilla Cathedral, intentionally designed darker (cooler) than a normal gothic church. In 1401 it was decided: "Let us build a church so beautiful and so great that those who see it built will think we were mad". Consequently it is the world's largest Gothic cathedral.

Seeing Sevilla's Cathedral, Kate commented that it looked just like the last cathedral we saw. (A fitting comment in reference to either Toledo or Segovia.)

Christopher Columbus is buried here (well at least 13% of him).  The amount of history in Sevilla tied to America is pretty cool!

We climbed up 121 feet for the Rooftop Tour. "I will see you up there, hopefully," said our guide, warning us of the cramped space and very narrow steps, and suggesting we use our hands to crawl up. I highly recommend the tour; the guide made it very interesting and time well spent.

Walking along the tippy top of the cathedral behind the staggering altarpiece decorated with gold from the New World

Our Seville Cathedral rooftop tour was fascinating

Entrance to the church includes access to the Tower, the Giralda.  Walking up the 35 levels is made easier by a series of ramps (for the muezzin's donkey) rather than stairs. 

For lunch we enjoyed sandwiches on our apartment's pool deck with a fantastic view of the cathedral's Giralda bell tower, the crowning glory of the Sevilla Cathedral.

After siesta we had a bit of a quandary. Last January I had scheduled a private tour with Rick Steves' recommended guide, Concepcion Delgado of Sevilla Walking Tours. I guess I have gotten lazy in my trip planning. Typically I confirm all reservations prior to leaving. I forward the reservation confirmation, asking to confirm my reservation, and they reply it is confirmed- rather redundantly. Assuming Rick Steves recommends professional, organized people, I chose not to go through this redundancy - my big mistake. Concepcion had failed to make note of our reservation, but quickly found a colleague to step in. Marina gave us a tour of the Royal Alcázar of Seville.

Located right next to Seville Cathedral, in the heart of the city, the Alcázar of Seville is a stunning example of the Mudèjar architectural style and the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe. For added fun for our Game of Thrones obsession, it is also GOT's Water Gardens of Dorne – the seat of House Martell.

Touring the Royal Alcazar of Sevilla

Despite being a Christian palace, the Alcazar's walls are molded with plants, geometrical shapes, and Arabic writing/Muslim sayings about Allah.  I'm obsessed with the intricate tilework.

Don't miss walking the Galería del Grutesco high wall that flanks the beautiful garden (aka Dorne) to look down on its maze of bushes and flowers.

In the evening we savored mas cervezas, vino, y tapas.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Surviving the World’s Deadliest Walkway - Caminito del Rey

Image
Although extremely scenic, the hike itself along the Caminito del Rey is a big challenge as large sections of the path are full of holes or missing completely, leaving nothing to hang on to. Every year, skilled rock climbers and thrill-seekers from around the world come to test their adrenaline rush limits along the notorious "world's most dangerous walkway". We were up for the challenge! Although still virtually hanging off the sheer, vertical rock face 300 feet above the Gaitanes Gorge, since its 2015 renovation, the Caminito is much safer but just as spectacular as before. To grab tickets before they sell out, you have to plan in advance, and be patient and diligent - checking the website several times a day 3 months in advance. The flat, one-way "hike" is about 5 miles total, and takes 2-3 hours. Although not comprehending or anticipating adjusting to Spain's late start to the day, thankfully I had the foresight(?) to book the early, cooler ti...
Read more

Nerja - and Nearby Frigiliana

Image
Greg wanted to record me saying no more traveling with kids - a joke I was making the other night at dinner. I couldn't remember exactly what he recorded - but now we won't forget it ... Mercedes automatically connects to his phone and repeats the voice recording. "I love you!" We hear over and over each time we start the car, lol! If you spend a week in Nerja, on the country's southern Mediterranean coast, and don't want to just sit on the beautiful beach and enjoy the plentiful town, there are many day-trips you can take. Within distance are Granada, Malaga, Ronda, Cordoba, and Sevilla. (My family are not day-trippers so we stayed in them instead.) Very close are the Nerja caves, Rio Chillar, and Frigiliana. Mi familia obliged me with a morning in Frigiliana. Frigiliana is yet another of Spain's picturesque whitewashed villages. Of the ones we have visited, this one is the quaintest - and I feel like we are treading on the local's doorsteps....
Read more

Peñiscola

Image
I was looking for a cool place near Barcelona to spend our last couple of nights and Peñiscola was a perfect match (at least if you have a sense of adventure above all else)! It is a typical Mediterranean coastal town that still holds its ancient charm. We realized it is a popular tourist destination, likely in part to its castle dating back to the 13th century. Peníscola, along Spain's Costa del Azahar, is about 100 miles south of Barcelona Peñiscola reminded Jeremy of France's Mont St. Michel; it reminded me of an empty Dubrovnik. Many movies and television shows have been filmed here, due to the authentic medieval style of the castle, including - to no surprise - Game of Thrones. Peñiscola  was a double for Meereen in Season 6 of Game of Thrones One of its main attractions is its old town with narrow streets, whitewashed houses and the impressive Castillo del Papa Luna The downside to staying on the rocky fortress is its lack of modern conveniences l...
Read more