Seville

Although we weren't quite ready to leave Huelva, we left mid-morning on Tuesday to make our way across southern Spain.  Olivia had planned a FULL week, and we didn't want to start by getting off track.  First stop--Seville!  We arrived in Seville without incident, found the parking deck (Olivia had planned every detail) and parked without incident (the incident occurred when we were trying to get OUT of the parking deck--more about that later).   We walked across the street into beautiful gardens.  We knew immediately that we were going to LOVE Seville.  Because we had left Huelva later than we had intended, it was time for lunch, so we settled on a bench in the garden and enjoyed our strawberries, bread, and goat cheese.

After our snack, we headed through the park for our first glimpse of the Plaza de Espana.  The Plaza is built in a semi-circle, and houses Seville's government offices and different museums. 

 
After exploring the Plaza, we headed into the city center.  We had planned to go into the cathedral, but the city was SO crowded because of Semana Santa that we weren't able to do that.  It was amazing from the outside, and I can only imagine what the inside is like!  We must go back some day.

The Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

When we realized we weren't going to be able to go in the cathedral, we headed to the Real (Royal) Alcazar.  It's a royal palace that was originally a Moorish fort. It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and I kept looking up to see if any of the royal family were looking out at us from the second story windows.  I thought maybe they were in town for the Holy Week processionals!  ( :  (The cathedral is another UNESCO World Heritage Site!)

 So much beautiful detail and color EVERYwhere.

A peacock strutted around in the gardens, and a girl chased it until it became scared
(or angry) enough to show us his plumage.  Very royal looking bird for this royal palace!

When we left the Real Alcazar, we fought the Semana Santa crowds and headed towards the river and the parking deck.  We passed the Torre del Oro, or Tower of Gold.  It is a military watchtower in Seville.  It was built in the 13th century, and was a prison during the Middle Ages.  It gets its name from the way it shines on the river, and it shines because it's constructed of mortar, lime, and hay.

We continued along the river, wishing that we had hours more to stay.  We finally made it back to the parking garage, where we had a little bit of trouble getting the car out.  But that's a story for another day!

We hated to leave this beautiful city!