Day 14 - Seville

Ola! It's great to be back in Spain. Loved Morocco but the heat was getting a bit much - 38 degrees when we left. High 20s here in Seville - much more comfortable. Seville is one of the most beautiful cities I've visited. And crossing it's streets is considerably safer than those of Marrakech - we have stories about that.

This morning we visited The Alcazar, a palace still used by the royal family which was originally built by the Moorish Muslim kings in the 11th century. It's been expanded and reconstructed by Christian monarchs over the past 900 years. The result is a sublime blend of Islamic and European architecture. Carl and I were stunned by the beauty of this place, especially the gardens. It was from a room in this palace that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella granted Christopher Columbus permission (and money) to begin his voyage to America. Some photos below.


























Then on to the Seville Cathedral, 3rd largest church in the world. The church was built in the 14th century on the site of a mosque.






Below is the tomb of Christopher Columbus.





We also climbed 100m to the top of the Giralda tower attached to the cathedral - over 300 feet high. This tower was the original tower/minaret for the mosque. When Christians demolished the mosque to build the cathedral, they left the minaret in place because they were so impressed with its architectural skill and beauty. Here's the answer to yesterday's test: the Giralda was modelled from the Koutoubia of Marrakech.









A photo of our hotel - the King Alfonso XIII - one of those great historic European hotels. We're here for 4 nights.






Like Madrid, the streets of Seville are packed with people in the evening- women performing Flamenco dancing and people playing music on many of the streets. It's such a vibrant city.

I've now finished my glass of sangria. Time to sign off and head out to dinner.

Location:Seville, Spain