Seville's Cathedral

Seville's Cathedral is massive. At 124,000 square feet, it is the largest cathedral in the world. There are two larger churches (including St Peter's basilica in Rome) but neither are cathedrals. It is a really amazing structure, and dwarfs the other cathedrals I have been to.

The Cathedral is also home to the largest altar piece in the world. It stands some 65 feet tall.

It is also home to tomb of Christopher Columbus. Columbus has four pall bearers, representing the four kingdoms of Spain that sent him off- Castille, Aragon, Navarre, and Leon. A spear sticks into a pomegranate (Granada in Spanish), representing the kingdom of Granada that was taken in 1492 as the last stage of the Reconquest.

The most impressive, though, in my opinion, is the most expensive crown in Spain. On the crown you can see the world's second largest pearl.
The one in the middle on the top looks kind of dinky right? There's no way that could be the one.
Look again. The cherub on the front of the crown has his entire body carved from one single pearl! There's no telling how large it was before it was carved.

Seville Alcazar

On our second day in Seville, we went to the breathtaking Alcazar. It was originally a Moorish palace, and has just the most beautiful grounds and architecture.

During my time in Spain, I've really fallen in love with the Arabic architecture. It's so beautiful and I love that it is a part of Spanish identity.

Seville Day One

Our first stop in Seville were the iconic giant mushrooms. They afforded a beautiful view of the city. I'm not sure if they were originally designed with any purpose other than as a huge work of art, but it was really fun to get a great view and run around on the massive metal mushrooms.

We also saw the last remaining "Gold Tower". During Spanish colonial times, the ships that were laden with gold from the new world would come up the river to Seville, since it has the furthest inland port, thanks to its deep river. This was to keep the gold from being accessible to coastal raids. The gold would then be stored in large towers as a defense against pirates and invading forces, particularly the French.

We went to another flamenco show that night. It was so great! While the other show was obviously a little bit improvised, this one was highly choreographed and it was just amazing. The guitarist was incredible, and is apparently well known within flamenco music. I really love the quick spins and furious feet of flamenco.

Córdoba

Córdoba is in Andalusia, and is primarily known for its mosque. The site was originally home to a visigothic church, but after the Arab conquest of the peninsula, it was turned into a mosque. The mosque went under several expansions to become one of the world's largest mosques. In the 13th century, the Christian kings conquered Córdoba and turned the mosque into a cathedral. 

Also in Córdoba is a castle with beautiful ancient Roman tile work (2nd century AD) and picturesque gardens. 

A wise philosopher was from Córdoba. The saying "Give a man a fish for a day..." has been attributed to him. To receive some of his wisdom, you can rub the feet of his statue. I was sure not to pass that up!