Sevilla!

Orange and lemon.

Oh, the girl
unhappy in love!

Lemon and Orange.

Alas for the girl,
the pale girl!

Lemon.

(How the sun was glinting.)

Orange.

(Off the pebbles
in the water.) from Songs, Fedrico García Lorca

What to say about Sevilla? An absolutely beautiful city - orange trees everywhere, the gorgeous Gothic cathedral, the magical Alcázar (Royal Palace), flamenco, and more. The two days we spent here were truly wonderful. Sevilla is a city I could return to and live in for some time!

Orange trees are everywhere in Sevilla. Their evergreen shade cools this southern city in the summer and their blossoms must smell delightful in the spring, but in the winter they provide orange and green beauty for the eyes. Not the tongue, as their oranges are very bitter and are used for perfume, cat food, etc. and not for eating (although Maddy and Max ate a couple!).

Here we are enjoying some delicious tapas in Barrio Santa Cruz along with orange juice (Maddy), orange soda (Max, of course), and orange wine. Mmmmmmmm...

The Cathedral and Giralda bell tower - the third largest church in Europe and the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. Built in the 15th and 16th centuries, it is a marvel to behold. We climbed to the bell area of the tower and enjoyed marvelous views of Sevilla from 330 feet up. The bells chime every 15 minutes - that was a loud surprise from right underneath them!




Sevilla street at night.












La Giralda at night.

















A beautiful woman in a beautiful place - the Alcázar gardens. The Alcázar palace and gardens are the most breathtaking we have seen in Spain. The Moorish design was influenced by the Alhambra in Grenada (which we didn't get to see on this trip). Jen and I both are quite taken with the Moorish tilework, the gardens, the stones, etc. It is just amazing. Ahhh...to be royals!




The gardens.













We saw an amazing flamenco show at Casa de la Memoria in Sevilla. It is a beautiful patio setting; very magical! The performers were incredible. Casa de la Memoria is known for its more traditional flamenco shows, not as touristy as many of the tablaos (bars that have flamenco shows). It was an amazing show.

We crossed the Guadalquivir River to Triana, the historic Gypsy district of Sevilla.














Flamencos performing on the street.









From Sevilla, we head to Córdoba on the way home to Madrid.