Happy Easter!

Apologies in advance, the blog is having problems posting pictures so you just get the text for now!

We had a very full day of sightseeing in Sevilla today.  We started out at the Alcazar, which was originally built by the Moors in the 10th century.  Eventually, Ferdinand and Isabella took over in the 1480's and used it as a headquarters while they conquered Granada.  You can see the influence of the Moors in the circular arches in a few of the pictures.  All of the sailors who went to the new world would pass through this palace and pray to be blessed in their voyage.  In fact, one of the paintings we saw depicted the first known figures of Native Americans.  Daddy was excited to see his ancestors!

I totally belong in tile for posterity :)

This is called the mounting room, surprise, surprise, this is where people would get on and off their horses when arriving or departing.

A very old fountain dating back to the 10th century!

Here we are in the gardens of El Alcazar.

The tapestry room, beautiful tiling and ceiling.

The room with the pool was actually a bathroom built for the mistress of the King.  Quite the beautiful bath!  The tiles around the pool were from the 15th century.

Bathroom with large tub.

The cathedral was very impressive.  In terms of square footage, it is the largest cathedral in the world.  It was originally built as a mosque during Moorish rule, however once the Christians reclaimed the area, they tore down a good section of it and built the Cathedral.  Check out the pictures below!

The tomb of Christopher Columbus!

The ceiling of the chapter house (whatever that means), the first oval room in Europe

One of TWO pipe organs surrounding the retrochoir.

Housed in a gorgeous and highly ornate silver reliquary, this is believed to be part of the crown of thorns.

From there we went to the river in search of a late lunch, stopping briefly at the tower of gold.  This is where the ships would dump their loads of gold and treasure brought back from the Americas soon after Columbus discovered the New World.  During that time, Sevilla rose to be the trading powerhouse of Europe.

Beth's tower of gold

After the brief stop we came across a small bar/restaurant named Triana, which was very entertaining.  There was one family in particular who were celebrating a birthday and were dancing and having a wonderful time.  We ate a variety of Tapas (our favorite was garbanzo beans with Bull Tail), and drank Sangria and a pitcher of agua de Sevilla, which ironically contained no water.

Tonight we went to a Flamenco show that we had reserved several weeks ago.  There were 4 women dancers, 2 men, and 4 musicians.  All were very impressive, and we enjoyed it very much.  Beth had an especially large smile while Matthew McConahae's identical twin danced.  The style really emphasized the feet, stamping and tapping to the rapid pace of the music.  It was amazing in every regard.  We stopped by a place on the way back to the hotel for Tapas and a bottle of Rioja.

Tomorrow we will pack up early and head to Madrid to hang out for the afternoon until our Train Hotel leaves in the evening for Paris.  Therefore, it is highly unlikely there will be a posting for you tomorrow evening.  We're having a great time, but really miss you all!