We saved Sevilla's biggest tourist attraction for the last week of our trip and prepared for a full day of visiting. We had seen the long lineups for the Real Alcazar Palace, so arrived early with packed lunch. We arrived at 9am for the 9:30am opening and there was already a line-up 150 m long with two large tour groups milling about.
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| Entrance to Real Alcazar at 9 am, thirty minutes before opening. |
The palace did not disappoint. It was room after room of beautiful and intricate tile work, a blending of madejar (arabic) and christian architecture, and a study of design spanning from the 10th to the 19th century. It is the oldest palace in Europe that is still in use. The Spanish royal family still occupies the upper floors of the palace.
There is the room where Columbus was welcomed by the Queen of Spain after his second voyage to the Americas.
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| Room where Columbus was received by the Queen of Spain |
Under the palace sits the royal baths that provided welcome relief from the summer's heat. At the entrance to the baths restoration works was taking place to slowly reveal murals underneath the plaster.
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| Royal Baths under the Palace |
After hours of visiting rooms, courtyards and patios, we entered the royal gardens that seemed to go on forever. They were filled with fountains and beautifully sculptured vegetation, including a maze.
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| Ilya in Maze of Royal Garden |
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| Ilya falling into a 500 year old fountain. |
To close out another wonderful day in Seville we had late night tapas at the restaurant down the street.
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