Sevilla is probably at the top of my “been once, want to see again” list. Despite its magnificence, for me, it is not as impressive as Granada or Cordoba, which contributed to the fact that we only managed to visit it one single time.
The World Heritage site, comprised of an Almohad palace, a Gothic cathedral, and the Spanish Renaissance archives building in the center of the city, is a can’t-miss attraction (ok, you may want to admire the Archivo de Indias from outside without stepping in, depending on your interest in documented history of the New World discovery and settlement).
The Alcázar is well-preserved and hugely impressive. The cathedral is cavernous and slightly oppressive. The bell tower, Giralda, formerly a minaret, is a delicate mix of architectural styles of East and West. The way up in the tower is via ramps that allowed horseback riders to ascend all the way to the top. No one is going to offer you a horse today, but walking up for views over city is highly recommended and is considerably easier than at other towers where you have to navigate staircases.
(On a side note, at the height of the “Da Vinci Code” popularity years ago, I read all of Dan Brown’s books, one of which, “Digital Fortress”, has a major Seville component. Any argument of literary value of his books aside, Brown diminished all of his books for me by making Giralda’s steps a key instrument in the hero’s victory over the villain. What steps?)
As on several other trips, we did not come back from Sevilla with a lot of good photographic evidence. So here are a couple of photos of us in Alcázar’s interiors.
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