On our full day in Seville we intended to see the big tourist sights, the Alcazar and the Cathedral, and set out for the Alcazar first. This is a palace and fortress built after the Christians had recaptured Seville, but in a Moorish style to mimic the Alhambra.
The gardens are huge and were probably our favorite part. It was a nice day and there weren't nearly as many people outdoors as inside.
The palace itself was beautiful, but having just seen the Alhambra, we probably weren't as impressed as we would have been otherwise.
It was also absolutely packed with people.
The tilework especially was very reminiscent of the Alhambra.
This is a ceiling.
This is the Giralda, the Cathedral's bell tower, taken from the Courtyard of the Banderos just inside the Alcazar grounds. The Giralda clearly used to be a mineret in the old Muslim days. The architecture in no way resembles the Gothic Cathedral attached to it.
After the Alcazar we attempted to do Rick Steves' walking tour of the Barrio Santa Cruz, but almost immediately got lost. We found our way to the Plaza Santa Cruz at the center of the neighborhood, where there was a quiet restaurant patio that seemed perfect for lunch.
This was my first course - reminiscent of the salads we ate in every restaurant in Tunisia!
Benjamin ordered gazpacho.
I got paella as my main course - I figured I had to order it at least once! There were a lot of weird seafood items in this.
For dessert we had the option of ice cream or tocino de cielo, which my Spanish app translated as "bacon of the sky." We had no idea what this could possibly be, but I ordered it just to see. It is egg yolk custard! And it was delicious.
After lunch we had intended to tour the Cathedral, which in addition to being one of the largest cathedrals in the world is also where Columbus is buried. However, we just couldn't do it. There was a long line in the hot sun and we were so tired of the crowds and ultimately decided to take a little break back in the hotel instead.
In the evening we walked through town down across the river to the Triana neighborhood.
And then we finished our time in Seville with yet more patio dining (and deep fried chorizo) along the Alameda de Hercules. Seville is beautiful and atmospheric, but there were just way too many people there for us to fully enjoy it as we had the other towns. If I ever go back it will be in the dead of winter.
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