Seville

Sevilla was founded by Hercules about 3000 years ago.  He did a fine job.  It is now one of the coolest places in the world.  (It seems we’re saying that quite often in Spain).  Sevilla is about 100 km up the Guadalquivir River from Cádiz, and it is a inland shipping port (container ships, etc.).  It was where most of the loot from the New World came until Cádiz took over.

We drove from Cadiz.  Coming into the town we went past an area with many futuristic buildings, many of which were overgrown with weeks.  It seems this is where Expo ’92 was held.  Seville also hosted the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, at which time the Plaza de España was built (in about 4 years).  This spot, by the way, was used in the filming of some scenes in Star Wars.

Our Airbnb was located in an up-and-coming hipster Alameda barrio.  It is a few blocks from the Alameda Hercules, a long park surrounded by cafes and bars.

Our hostess Megan and her friend did great jobs making recommendations on tapas restaurants, and we feasted on duck magret, pork cheeks, and various other tasty items.

We headed to the old town, decided to skip going into the Cathedral, largest in the world, and got in line for the Alcazar.  A couple of Segways came into view, and before long we were taking an hour long segway tour.

We did some sight-seeing –

Visited the Alcazar.  This is where the Spanish royal family stays when they are in town.  They close it to the public.  It is one of the best examples of the mudéjar style of architecture that demonstrates the Moorish influence.

We saw quite a few tiles (most in the Alcazar) –

Ceilings of the Alcazar –

And arches everywhere –