The Alcazar in Seville

I missed the 10:15 bus to Cordoba and the next one was at 16:30, so I decided to go to Seville first.

The bus made several stops but I figured Seville would have a bigger station, not just a bus stop. It was easy to tell when we were close anyway because there were so many people on the street, probably mostly groups of tourists following their guide.

I followed along as they headed toward some park and found a sidewalk vendor selling tickets for the hop-on-hop-off bus! I thought that Seville was too small for something like that!

Anyway, I got a ticket and walked over to the bus stop and another guy tried to sell me a dinner with flamenco entertainment. Unfortunately, I had a late start so I said I'll think about it.

He pointed me to the Alcazar when I decided to take the bus later. The buses would run until 22:00 anyway. He said there was a garden on the other side of the university, which was kitty corner from the bus stop. I could enter through the gardens.

Closed garden

But I guess he didn't know about the filming of Game of Thrones. The entire garden was closed. Thinking the Alcazar was also closed, I figured I'd just go to the cathedral. A narrow street next to the garden was open and I followed some tourists in. There was a guarded gate on the left leading into the garden and a group of groupies hanging out just outside. The guards wore black Game of Thrones t-shirts.

After a few shots of the garden through the bars, I kept walking. The alleys were narrow but full of life. People outside cafes drinking and talking, little stores selling souvenirs and flamenco-inspired clothes, and more tourists taking pictures as they walked along. I did too. Pictures of Seville's alleys and plazas in Smugmug.

Sevilla Cathedral

More Sevilla Cathedral pictures in Smugmug.

I had to ask a shop clerk where the Cathedral was because the alleys went off at angles and I was very lost. She told me what direction it was at and have me two options to get there.

I found the cathedral from behind. There was a monument fountain at the center of the plaza. And lots and lots of calesas. I skirted the side, looking for the entrance and taking pictures. The short street led to another plaza and I took more pictures.

The Alcazar

More Alcazar pictures in Smugmug.

I was only a few yards from the entrance when I noticed a long line of people waiting to get through a medieval gate on the other side of the plaza. I got in line although I wasn't sure what it was for. I figured it was the entrance to the Alcazar, because I read that you can exit the cathedral and the Alcazar would be right there. Luckily, I figured right.

There are parts of the Alcazar that were romantic and beautiful. There were delightful nooks and crannies to sit in, fountains, tiles, sculptures, flowers. There was a large pool where water feel into from a pipe from the roof. On one side was an intricately decorated façade that looked almost like a cathedral and ran down the length of the garden. This was the garden that was closed because of the filming. More guards with the black t-shirts guarding the entrance.

I found another door around the side that most people missed. It led to a large room with very large rugs hanging from the walls. It probably served as a ballroom or a place where the royalty have an audience to whoever visited them. Smaller sitting rooms had large windows that overlooked the forbidden garden. At the far end, there was a chapel. Then another large hall. I was taking more pictures of that second hall when a guard of the castle strode toward me with his forearms gesturing. He said, "Cerrado, cerrado." It was already 17:30.

As they smilingly directed me toward the exit, I realized I was the last one out.

The tour bus

More Sevilla bus tour pictures in Smugmug.

I walked back to the bus stop and did the full tour of the city. Then back to the bus station to head back to Ecija. Since I had time, I had a couple of tapas at the cafeteria at the station -- pork with tomato sauce (which reminded me of a Filipino dish) and spinach with garbanzos (which reminded me of an East Indian dish). And the ubiquitous basket of bread and, of course, Nestea.