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| Patio de las Doncellas or Courtyard of the Maidens |
Seville felt like home. It was a picture-perfect city with Moorish-themed architecture, magnificent tapas (small plates of food) and warm people. And the vibe at night was lively, to say the least.We were lucky enough to stay there for 5 nights, which gave us enough time to truly see most of what this city has to offer. Note: one side effect of staying in a city that long actually makes you believe you kind of live there.
My “Traveling Like a Boss (on a Budget)” series for Seville is broken into 4 different parts. Since we were there longer than any other city, this seemed like the best way to present it. Plus, editing the 600 pictures I took into 100 pictures, and then putting all of that into one blog post is pretty impossible. This is Part I and what I consider to be my favorite pics. I know you’ll enjoy them!
Seville, Spain Part I: Royal Alcazar
Alcazar – Originally built in the 10th century as a Moorish fort, it’s now a royal palace located in the heart of Seville. And because there were many hands in the pot making this better than the century before, please note it’s actually a series of palaces and gardens. We literally set aside a full day to take in all of its visually glory! Read more here or here. This was my favorite place we went all summer!
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| Patio de la Montería near the entrance |
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| Patio del Yeso – all engravings were done via plaster |
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| Sala de la Justicia |
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| I love the color and texture of this courtyard |
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| Virgen de los Mareantes alterpiece in the Chapel of the Casa de la Contratación |
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| Stairs to my future home |
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| The Royal Alcove |
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| Look at all of the details! You can’t buy this stuff at Pottery Barn… |
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| The Courtyard of the Maidens alt view |
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| Do you know how long it’d take me to paint something like this little doorway? |
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| Patio de las Muñecas or Courtyard of the Dolls |
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| Patio de las Muñecas alt view |
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| This part of the palace is pretty representative of the rest of the rooms. All have different tiling and colors and were allotted for different guests. |
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| Ceiling of Salón de Embajadores or Ambassador’s Hall |
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| The detail in this room was unreal. We sat/stood here for about 15 minutes just taking it all in. |
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| Patio de las Doncellas shown here again with a view of the 2nd floor. |
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| Moving onto the Salas de las Fiestas (or Halls of Celebrations), this was built in the 13th century and has more Gothic architecture. |
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| The Sala Grande |
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| Peeking into Salas de las Fiestas |
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| I’ll say it again, the detail in this building is unreal |
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| Clockwise from top: Me finished with the inside tour and ready for the outside portion; a peacock hangin at the cafe; it’s beer thirty |
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| Entrance to the Jardín del Retiro del Marqués |
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| There were multiple areas like this but with different tiling and color schemes. |
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| The Puerta Alcoba entrance |
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| This building is a lookout for the Laberinto – a maze of tall hedges. We weren’t about to go through a maze in 90 degree weather… |
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| Pabellón de Carlos V |
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| Pabellón de Carlos V: an inside view |
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| Galería del Grutesco |
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| Jardín Inglés |
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| Part of the Galería del Grutesco |
Bar Antiguedades – After Alcazar, we wandered up a nearby street looking for a quick bite to eat and found this restaurant by chance. We were pleasantly surprised by the deliciousness of these tapas!
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| Calle Argote de Molina |
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| Clockwise from top: The patio and menu; the other side of the patio looking down Calle Argote de Molina; my fish balls in yellow sauce (like meatballs but with white fish) |
That’s my Spain trip in a nutshell. I was very impressed by the architecture in all cities that we visited and can’t wait to go back!
Best.
Paula
