Seville, Spain
Here we are in the Alcazar Palace, The Queen's Baths, a hidden chamber with Gothic arches
Seville is a stunningly beautiful and vibrant city, rich in culture, history and delicious food. This year, the annual Lonely Planet's "Top 10 cities in the world" ranked Seville as "the number 1 city to visit". They were right. Seville is a fabulous city to visit.
For 4 glorious days, we had crystal clear, vibrant blue skies.
Each day the temperature in the high 80's and the heavenly scent of jasmine perfumed the air.
We stayed at the lovely Hotel Alcantara.
It is located down a very narrow street
in Barrio de Santa Cruz's, Seville's famous historic Jewish Quarter.
Our experience in this part of Seville is that these narrow pedestrian "streets" are a seemingly endless labyrinth of tile and cobblestone walkways.
The Hotel Alcantara's location was ideal for easy access to the numerous historic and monument districts. As their brochure states: "this is where all of Seville's beauty and mystery comes to life". It was a great central base for easy access to Seville's best tapas bars and restaurants. Moreover, we were within walking distance of the stunning Sevillian sights.
Our hotel room was a lovely, spacious apartment which was very quiet except for 3 hours each evening.
This delightful family-owned hotel also runs the famous La Casa del Flamenco which is adjacent to the hotel's front door.
La Casa del Flamenco is famous for its three evening performances. Each is one-hour long. I mention this only because our hotel room was directly above the performance area!
The performances take place in the courtyard of this 15th century palace-house. Its marble arches and columns are beautiful. This is an authentic, traditional, Moorish-tiled patio of the Andaluz region.
The courtyard houses 50 seats which surround the wooden platformed stage on which sit 4 green chairs: one for the male and one for the female flamenco dancer, one for the singer and one for the flamenco guitarist. They are an exquisite ensemble.
We saw the performance on our second night and we were absolutely in awe!
There is no need for microphones nor amplifiers to enhance the sound of the performance. The outdoor acoustics create a natural cacophony which surrounds and envelops its audience. This is but one reason why the Casa del Flamenco is considered the best in Seville.
The dancers were up close and personal. We could feel the vibrations of their feet rhythmically pounding on the dance floor with astounding intensity. Moreover, we could see the full extension of their bodies and the exquisite expressions of emotions on their faces.
The acoustics, the atmosphere, the connection with the artists...we were totally immersed in the intensity and emotion of the dance. It was an absolutely amazing experience!
It's not just in the evening flamenco shows that one can see flamenco dancers. Everywhere one looks on the street,
flamenco outfits abound...be they the latest in Flamenco dresses for the young
or for the young at heart.
Female flamenco dancers do wear very high heels for certain dances and lower heels for others.
Regardless of their height, they are all color-coordinated flamenco shoes!
If you wanted a fan for a souvenir from Spain, you're in luck for in Seville for lovely fan shops are everywhere.
Sevillian spice shops were also a favorite shopping experience.
In addition to Flamenco dancing, we loved the Seville tapas and tapa bars! This was one of our favorites!
and more delicious tapas!
Nothing like topping off a great tapa than a good cold draft beer!
Seville is the capital of southern Spain's Andalusia region. While it is famous for its tapas and flamenco dancing, Seville is known for its rich history mirrored in its architecture. Many of Seville's archeological relics predate the Greek and Romans.
We walked by one jewelry shop which was situated over ancient Roman ruins. The jewelry is displayed on a marble Roman column!
The jeweler is seated on a plexiglass floor
and beneath his feet is a Roman ruin!
The rent of these stores is based on the number of Roman ruins it is "sitting on".
Everywhere we walked we could see remnants of the Roman columns, such as this column of antiquity which a car had run into! The streets are so narrow, it defied imagination to even consider even a small car making it thru the streets!
Seville's history is quite complex. It is safe to say that it is a city rich in Moorish heritage which is still visible in the colorful painted tiles which adorn the buildings,
and the lobed arches of the palaces.
The iconic Giralda tower stands tribute to the Moorish heritage once a minaret!
We were very taken by all the architecture.
Some of the many highlights included the breathtakingly beautiful Alcazar palace complex. We spent nearly the entire day exploring and enjoying the incredible palace and the gardens both of which are stunning!
Alcazar or "Reales Alcazares de Sevilla is one of the oldest palaces in the world that is still in use today. His Royal Majesty Juan Carlos stays there when he visits Seville. We can certainly understand why.
The gardens were rather magnificent and stretched for miles!
Many parts of the gardens had lovely water fountains and pools,
some with statues that gave tribute to the Greek and Roman gods of antiquity.
It's hard to believe, but each day we spent in Seville was more beautiful than the previous one. Each day we were greeted with beautiful blue skies and the fragrant aroma of jasmine and orange blossom on the breeze.
We enjoyed walking everywhere...
admiring Seville's stunning architecture:
Horse-drawn carriages are a whimsical alternative to walking or riding the tram.
Of course, a trip to Spain wouldn't be complete without one having her picture taken with the resident matador.
Each day we walked by this sign which summed up our experience in Seville!
We loved each and every happy moment we spent in sunny Seville!