Day 11 - Seville - Italica

When I was in Spain in high school one of the things I remember very clearly is a big Roman stadium in ruins so when we were planning our trip I had to get my Google on to figure out where it was.  When I finally found that it corresponded with our trip, I knew Darren would really like this place.

Italica is a town considered now a suburb of Seville about 10 km away.  Italica was founded in 206 BC and was the home of the Roman ruler Hadrian and the birthplace to the Roman ruler Trajan. The stadium that I remembered had actually been an amphitheater that held 25,000 people.  The city was a major mecca through the 3rd century when the Guadalquivir river shifted away from the town.

Some of the buildings that had been excavated and partially rebuilt.

Aside from the amphitheater, on this trip the thing that struck me the most was all of the mosaic floors they have unearthed.  It amazes me that something so intricate can survive for 2,000 years untouched!

These are the newest ruins they have excavated, from the baths.

The enterence to the amphiteater.

The seats.

The halls beneath the seats that circles that amphitheater. 

The pits beneath the floor of the ampitheater.  This is typically where they kept the animals they were using in the show.

After leaving Italica we had HOURS before our overnight bus to Lisbon.  I told you about that debacle earlier... But we had seen most of Seville's attractions so we decided to take a tour of their bull ring.

This tour was very lacking but the bull ring was much fancier on the inside. They were preparing for some even while we were there.  The box above the walkway is the royal box.

Day 10 - Seville - La Carboneria

Before we left, a friend of mine suggested we go to La Carboneria to have sangria and watch some Flamenco dancing.  It definitely was as polished as what I saw in Seville in high school but probably more typical of the area and the type of bar we were at.  As I'd mention Seville was hot, but for 10 pm this bar was sweltering and so humid.  They had spritzers like you'd find in the vegetable section of the grocery store that went over ever 30 seconds or so.  Those along with fans was the only reason we could tolerate being in this bar!

But the show consisted of a singer, a guitar player and two dancers.  One of the dancers you'll notice was incredibly scary!

And a video of both women dancing.

Day 10 - Seville - Alcazar

After the Cathedral we cross the plaza to visit the other jewel of Seville, the Alcazar.  The Alcazar is the royal palace in Seville that used to be a Moorish fort.  The entrance.

Once inside this is the entrance to the inside of the palace.

And my camera battery chose that exact moment to die... But fortunately, my friend Bryan and his now fiance Carolyn were just in Seville and took a ton of pictures at the Alcazar!

This is The Courtyard of the Maidens.

The interior.

The courtyards were so pretty and peaceful!

I so wish I was able to take my own pictures but grateful for the ones I got secondhand!  After the Alcazar we took the red bus to the Plaza de Espana.  Obviously I still had no camera so these pictures aren't mine.  (They are from here and here)  Also that beautiful fountain and the whole center of this plaza is currently under construction so these pictures are better than any I could have taken that day.

 

From the Plaza we went to the Maria Luisa park.  (Picture from here)

And the inside the park is the Plaza of the Americas. (Picture from here)

Day 10 - Seville - Cathedral

One of the jewels of Seville is their Cathedral.  It is the world's largest Gothic Cathedral and the third largest church in the world. It is literally a masterpiece. The building was begun in 1402 and was finished in 1506.

 

The inside is really too beautiful for words.

The pipe organ.

Seville's Cathedral is also the home of the tomb of Christopher Columbus.

The Cathedrals' ornate alter.

The choir.

One of the Cathedral's most famous parts is the Giralda, or the bell tower that is 343 feet tall.

The views from the top are beautiful. Sorry I fell like I've been saying all the views have been great, but they really were, including this one of the bull ring.

Later that night we were back in the area of the Cathedral and took a few pictures of it at night since it was so stunning!