Day 10: Fri 23 Sep - Sevilla

19-35 deg C
Walk: 9.9km

A later than usual breakfast due to a little sleep in. Chloe and I made our way into the city, via taxi, to a company that conducts guided tours. Our first tour was of Cathedral de Sevilla, a large Gothic cathedral, featuring Columbus' Tomb and La Giralda, a Spanish Renaissance-style minaret topped by a Gothic and baroque bell tower that was built centuries later. The only reason I agreed to do a guided tour, was that we by-passed the queue to get in. There was a lot of fascinating information, and not a lot of time for photographing (although you can remain in the Cathedral and wander as you please for as long as you please). I don't recall any of what she told us, however, if you are interested in reading about it, visit: https://www.catedraldesevilla.es/la-catedral/catedral-de-sevilla-su-historia/. The lower part of the tower corresponds to the minaret of the old city mosque, from the end of the 12th century, in the Almohad era, while the upper part is a superimposed construction in the 16th century, in the Christian era, to house the bells. At its peak is the bronze statue that represents the Triumph of Faith and has the function of a weathervane, the Giraldillo, the popular name given to the female sculpture. We got to walk up the tower to the bell level, which was great, except for the number of other climbers. They restricted the numbers at all times, supposedly for COVID reasons, however, I'm not certain that was the reason as it was a very enclosed space and there were a lot of people going up and coming down.

It was then time for lunch so we found a Maccas as we knew what we would be getting. We took a slow wander back to the tour office for our second tour of Real Alcázar, a walled palatial complex built in different historical stages. The original palace was built in the High Middle Ages. Some vestiges of Islamic art are preserved and, from the period after the Castilian conquest, a Mudejar palatial space and another in the Gothic style. In later reforms, Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque elements were added. It is the residence of members of the Spanish royal family when they visit Seville. This makes it the oldest royal palace in use in Europe. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site , together with the Cathedral of Seville, in 1987.

I had had enough by than and as it was after 4:30pm, I decided to go back to the hotel. Chloe stayed in and met up with Sylvain to attend a bull fight (not my thing). After resting in my room for a bit, I walked to the supermarket for another chicken Caesar salad and a few beers. 

LOTS AND LOTS OF PHOTOS

 Cathedral de Sevilla





















Views from the Tower





Plaque says "W.A. Mozart, 1791-1991"

A nice looking building

Fuente de los Poetas, a drinking water fountain

Fuenta de Sevilla (Seville Fountain)






The Real Alcazar























Not sure what this is about

A real whole ham!









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