Day in Sevilla – June 14, 2022

Now, ready to battle the heat, we are off to the 3 historical sites (well 2 historic sites and one modern site) that we did not get to yesterday! My body is a bit sore and tired from yesterday so we are taking a taxi to the first one and then we will see how it goes! They are all sort of lined up in a nice walkable area so it should be doable! First up – the Real Alcázar of Seville which is a walled palace that was first built in the Middle Ages.  There is Islamic art within the buildings which came to be after the Castilian conquest. There also is a Mudejar palatial space and another area that is in Gothic style .  One can also see other periods of influence such as Renaissance and Baroque updates to the palace. The Alcázar is currently the residence of members of the Spanish royal family when they visit Seville.  This makes it the oldest royal palace in use in Europe. It has been declared an Unesco World Heritage Site, along with the Cathedral of Seville (next to it), in 1987. Exploring it was both fun and not! To start there were ramps which was cool however the farther we got into the buildings the fewer ramps there were! So as it was dark in some places I had to be very careful not to take a spill with the 4-6 inch thresholds to the doorways. Andrew was able to go upstairs (we were admitted for free as I could not access the whole facility) in one building and saw a display of different tiles and plates through the years. The gardens were also beautiful – from a distance as they were down lots of stairs! That said, I think it was better being able to see them all from up high rather than up close, and see their magnitude. After sweating through that experience we were off! We walked past the Cathedral of Seville, which was closed for some reason so we could not go in. It is a magnificent building and HUGE! We then proceeded to the “Parasol” which is a nickname for a modern man-made exhibit, via the “shopping street” that the lady at the hotel said we should walk down. Well! Was she right! Why? They have “sails” above it shading you from the sun and they spray water on you cooling you down! What a blissful experience! Yes, I was able to keep my credit cards in their wallet too! We then arrived at the “Parasol” which sort of appear out of nowhere as you walk down the street. I had heard about them but really did not know what to expect! Actually, it was originally called the “Metropol Parasol” but now it is called the “Setas de Sevilla”(Mushrooms of Seville) or “Las Setas” (The Mushrooms). They are a wooden structure in old Seville, designed by a German architect Jürgen Mayer. They were completed April 2011 and they are 150 by 70 metres (490 by 230 ft) with an approximate height of 26 metres (85 ft) and it claims to be the largest wooden structure in the world. However the appearance, location, delays and cost overruns in construction resulted in much public controversy! They really do look different sticking out amid buildings centuries old! Again, as I could not visit the whole facility, we were given free admission. They had a great movie about Seville that we watched and then Andrew climbed up (as it had stairs) to the observation platform above. I was left down by the store/movie area where I took some pictures from that perspective! After we met up, we went back down to the street and hailed a cab to take us the 3km back to the hotel – we had a dinner reservation to get to and had to freshen up and get the car! So after our “freshening” we hopped back in our teal mobile and off we went to a really cool part of town – reminded us of what Granville Street (portion that is closed downtown) could have been if it had restaurants all down it with open air seating. People walking by, busses occasionally driving down the restricted lane (along with taxi’s) and lots of people having dinner out enjoying the fresh air with friends! We parked in a parking lot (those things here are tiny! and walked a couple of blocks to the restaurant called Al Solito Posto – they have both a regular and GF kitchen! I had made reservations (where they ask how many Celiacs are dining) but found out you did not really need them – oh well – better to be safe when sorry! The first question that they asked was “which one of you is Celiac?” I told them it was me and so I got a special placemat! Very cool – the waitress explained that was so that anyone serving the table knows where the gluten free items go and there are no mix ups! First, they brought me breadsticks – all my own! I ordered pizza (caprese) and Andrew spaghetti and meatballs – not GF. My pizza was delicious – just the way I like it – thin crispy crust! Then I had to save room for dessert! Tiramisu was on the GF menu! While I did let Andrew have the big cake part with expresso as I am not the biggest coffee fan, it was a delicious dessert! Great end to our two days in Sevilla! We walked back to the car in the twilight and parked at the hotel (parking at the hotel is VERY tight too – took us about 20 minutes to wedge the car into the last spot) and realized it was after midnight! I guess we are slowly changing into the Spanish lifestyle! Tomorrow – off to Algeciras!

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