It had been over 15 years since I had last been in Seville with my English class after High School. I had very little memory of the city, but I know that we did visit the royal Alcázar of Seville. I’m glad that I was able to take Stéphane there. The morning was rainy, but not too cold. We had just come back from sunny and warm Tenerife to a storm in Seville. It had rained for the entire day (not exaggerating) the day before when we were working, thankfully. So this Friday was our first real venture out of our Airbnb.
One aspect of Seville that I had completely forgotten about was the orange trees – the scent filled the air in some parts of the city, and they added a vibrancy to the dull, gray-skied day. I took a lot of pictures of the orange trees. 🍊
The Alcázar was beautiful! I liked the central courtyard a lot, with its different architecture representing some of the different parts of its history. I’m not sure if it was the rain or the light crowds, but there were a number of nooks or areas that were not busy at all. Some of the smaller courtyards felt almost abandoned or overgrown.
The intricacies of the architecture was stunning, reminding me of our Morocco visit with its Islamic designs and ornamentations. The golden dome was just breathtaking.
Unfortunately, due to the inclement weather, the royal gardens were completely closed, so our tour was cut short. The gardens looked beautiful; I cannot remember visiting them before, but I am sure I did stroll through them as a teenager.
Much like my trips to Barcelona and Paris, it was so strange to be walking the same routes that I walked a decade plus before. I strongly remembered the bells of the main cathedral – just overwhelming! You could feel the rings in your bones.