Dear Family and Friends,
This morning we started out by having breakfast together in the tourist plaza. After breakfast Clarke and Brenda went back to the hotel to retrieve a camera. Chuck and I went to Real Alcazar (Royal Mansion) and we visited the Cathedral.
Real Alcazar
The Alcazar is huge. It was originally a Moorish fort. The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence.
This palace was the birthplace of Maria Antonietta of Spain.
Chuck and I rented the English audio tour and enjoyed a couple of hours of roaming the palace.
Here are some pictures...
This is the entrance for tourists.
Outer garden.
This is the Courtyard of the Maidens
Baths of Lady María de Padilla
From inside the palace you could see the beautiful garden out back.
We roamed around outside and enjoyed the shade and the beauty.
As we left the Real Alcazar we had a grand view of the cathedral which we visited next.
Cathedral of St.Mary
Similar to the cathedral in Cordoba, the Spaniards built this cathedral over a mosque. The difference is that in Cordoba, much of the mosque still exists. In Seville, the mosque was completely destroyed and the cathedral was built over it. The only things that remains from the original mosque is the orange tree garden where the Arabs washed up before worship and the minaret which the Spaniards converted into a bell tower.
This is where we waited in line to get inside. There are thousands of tourist daily.
It is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest church in the world.
I was most interested in the tomb of Christopher Columbus. He is supported on the shoulders of four kings.
Chuck climbed the bell tower and took some fabulous pictures looking down on the street below. Wonderful roof tops.
Tonight we went to dinner with Clarke and Brenda. We went to a neighborhood just on the other side of the river that was recommended in Rick Steve's guide book.
Tomorrow we are off to Granada!
Love,
Nancy
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