The Bahblog

On Tuesday we were treated to our own private tour of the Alcazar from Nate's good friend, Chari. Nate met Chari when he was studying in Sevilla and they've kept in touch. I was delighted to finally meet her as well!

The Alcazar is directly across the street from the cathedral. We had to wait in line for about an hour to get in, but it was the best line-waiting view I've ever experienced.

The Alcazar was originally a 10th century palace built for Moorish governors. Although some pieces of the original palace still exist, the core was rebuilt in the 14th century for Pedro I. It still functions as a home for the royal family, though Chari told us that they don't visit too often.

Our tour was divided into sections and the first section was the oldest part of the palace. The entire palace is decorated in Mudejar style, a mix of Islamic and Christian elements. The courtyard where we started our tour had remnants from the original palace. We stepped into a structure that remains from the Moorish palace and has the typical fountain in the middle for washing feet.

Next we saw the Admiral's Hall. This hall was ordered to be built by Queen Isabel in 1503 to administer to Spain's New World ventures. The room where we focused most of our time was the Audience Chamber. The altarpiece painting, St. Mary of the Navigators (Alejo Fernandez, 1530s) depicts the Virgin Mary keeping watch on the ships with Christopher Columbus kneeling next to her and Native Americans in the dark background of her cloak. It is fitting to have this painting in the Audience Chamber as Christopher Columbus spent time in this exact room recounting his adventures to the Spanish royals.

The next area of focus was Pedro I's palace. The facade is truly amazing to study and we posed for some photos before going in.

King Pedro I was known as either the fair or the cruel, depending on your standing with him. The stories that Chari told about him as we made our way through the Alcazar validate those nicknames.

In the center of the palace is the Courtyard of the Maidens. In the center of the courtyard is a long rectangular pool. King Pedro was quite the womanizer and, after abandoning his wife and bringing his mistress to Sevilla, his mistress ordered this courtyard to be built.

Pedro I would receive guests in the Hall of Ambassadors. The room is topped with a half-dome, which Pedro apparently had built to symbolize that he controlled both heaven and earth. The perimeter of the ceiling is lined with a row of kings and above a handful of important women are depicted. The room is truly grand in every sense of the word and I'll let the pictures below try to do it justice.

We also saw the Courtyard of the Dolls, which was reserved for the king's private family. There are even two tiny doll faces hidden among the grand decorations.

Before walking around the gardens, which take up the majority of the Alcazar land, we viewed the Baths of Maria de Padilla. This long underground pool was quite frigid but I'm sure it's a welcome relief during the summer months. It was named for one of Pedro's mistresses.

The gardens are also remarkable. Water, including fountains and streams, is a large theme and the gardens are lined with orange trees like the rest of Sevilla. There's even a maze that royal children have used as a playground. The gardens provided a nice calm relief from the busyness of our days.

And after that, we went for tapas! We want to thank Chari for the wonderful tour. If any of you find yourselves in Sevilla and need a tour guide for the Alcazar, her information is photographed below!