Spain: Seville Explorers, Part Two

Our final day in Seville was primarily spent exploring the Alcazar, or Royal Palace.

The palace that exists today dates to the 1300’s and 1400’s and it was the official residence of Ferdinand and Isabella during their powerful reign. Palace construction, however, began nearly 500 years before that, with archeological remnants dating back to around the year 800. The architectural styles show the influence of both Islam and Christianity in the region and the place is just plain beautiful.

I was drawn to all the beautiful ceramic tile throughout the palace. I couldn’t help but dream of DIY bathroom projects and backsplashes. Judging by the number of souvenir shops selling replicas of these tiles all over Seville, I am clearly not alone in this fascination.

The kids lost interest pretty quickly in the palace itself, but were revived by a bribe, a snack, and the chance to run around in the beautiful gardens. The sun came out and the temperature warmed up, and we all enjoyed what felt like the first not-damp, not-dark, not-Amsterdamy day we’ve had in a while.

Game of Thrones fans will recognize this place as the location shoot for all scenes taking place in Dorne. For example, here’s where the Sand Snakes killed Doran Martell:

Actual Alcazar garden gazebo.

Here is a still from Game of Thrones for reference:

And here is Norah and Ben attempting a (poor) reenactment of that scene:

We wrapped things up that evening with more Tapas, a Flamenco performance, and churros y chocolate, which – not surprisingly – Ben declared a new favorite dessert in his already extensive list of favorite desserts.