Seville!

Seville!   Over 2200 years old, the mytholigical founder of this vibrant city of 710,000 was none other than Hercules.   Important as a trading center during the Roman times, the city remains the capital of Andalucia.  It has 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites; we visited 2: the Alcazar and the cathedral.

The Alcazar was built by the Moors in approximately 1181.  Here's an old guy about to enter the Alcazar and suddenly wondering if he should have gone to the bathroom at the last coffee-and-pastry stop!

And here we are at the entrance, then one of the many courtyards and heading up to one of the outdoor pools.   Truly a very gorgeous and nature-focused Moorish palace.

The palace and grounds were awesome and huge!   All that walking?   Yes!  We had to stop at a cafe within the grounds for coffee ... and yet another pastry!  Oh, no, Joe, no!!!

Okay.  Damage done.  Time to waddle on over to the cathedral.

Seville's cathedral was built under the direction of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in gratitude for their conquest and expulsion of the Moors from Spain.  It's said to be the 3rd largest in Europe and it holds the remains of Christopher Columbus. I'm sorry that my photos of the interior didn't come out well, but these may show you the incredible beauty of the interior.

 I'm really sorry about the poor quality of the photo, but the light coming in was - as you can see - magnificent...and naturally I jiggled the camera.  :<(((    Too much coffee this morning?

Approaching the main alter, I was struck again by the play of light.

Unfortunately, the light coming in washed out my photo of the gold upon gold upon gold that comprised the main alter.  So much gold; so many people in need and hungry.   Hmm...

Following is a photo of Christopher Columbus's coffin.   Regrettably it was very, very dark in this section of the cathedral, but you can see the pomp and reverence with which his coffin is treated.

And after a day of sightseeing and walking, it's time for dinner.   Yahoo!  Eats!!  Can we start with dessert, do ya think? 

Next up?   Granada!  

Toledo 2

Here are some additional photos of Toledo and its magnificant cathedral:

Okay, enough of the cathedrals and (that last pic) the alcazar.   Let's see some real street scenes, from winding, medieval streets bustling with people, to those hosting cutsey-lovers!

Toledo, Spain

Toledo was built at the top of a mountain for security reasons during the Bronze Age.   For centuries, it's been a haven of peaceful coexistence for Christians, Muslims and Jews.   A UNESCO World Heritage site, the town is a beautiful mosaic of narrow, cobble-stoned medieval streets, friendly natives and impressive architecture.

 

Monday

Third day in Madrid.   Perfect weather: in the 60's during the day and lower at night.   Sunny during the day.   Yesterday I visited the cathedral next to the royal palace.    If you look very carefully about 40% of the way up from the bottom you'll see a small figure with his back to the audience.  That's the organist.   I was impressed by the massive organ pipes that look very art deco to me.   They were brilliant in the sunshine that poured through the window.

Afterwards I went to a huge glass enclosed tapas bar where folks were REALLY rocking out and having a great time.   All age groups and nationalities.   The booze was flowing freely, and so I schmoozed with lots of friendly and happy people.   Then it was on to a light dinner at an outside cafe.

Today I met up with Nat and his husband, Gene, from Boston.   I was an usher at their wedding 4 years ago at the chapel on Harvard campus, with rehersal dinner and reception both at the Harvard Faculty Club.   Today we toured the royal palace, then to Reina Sofia to see Picasso's "Guernica" and other tromping around town.

The boys are looking a little stiff and formal there on the entrance steps to the interior palace, aren't they?   Loosen up, dudes; we're not actually going to shake hands with Juan Carlos, you know.   Tonight as the guys were resting up for tomorrow's adventures, I roam around town and got caught up in a huge protest in Puerto Del Sol.  It was to protest the continuing austerity measures here in Spain.