This gothic cathedral is beautiful and old, but the piece de resistance is the "Giralda", a tall tower attached to the back of the structure that used to be part of a Mosque when the Muslims ruled the south of Spain. When the Christian kings won control of the region and kicked the Muslims out, some of the buildings and styles remained giving the South a beautiful blend of Mudejar. You have to pay a small price to climb the tower, but it's a fun climb and the view from the top is great. You can see almost all of Sevilla - to Triana and the bridges, the bull ring, etc etc. You'll note that there are no steps in the tower, it is all ramps. This was done in case of a battle and the need to expeditiously negotiate the tower on a horse. There are also little peep holes to enable one to see out but protect from arrows and other projectiles coming in. The area around the cathedral and La Giralda is great, albeit very touristy. There are a ton of souveneir shops to browse and if you get the chance, go to the restaurant called La Giralda. Go to the tapas bar and order a tortilla espanola (it's potato and egg fritatta, but they put this AMAZING gravy on it). The sit-down restaurant itself is a bit pricey, but they have a really good rabo de toro (bulltail, or oxtail). If you are sick of tapas, you can go to this cool italian restaurant called San Marco. Granted the food isn't the greatest, it's more the setting you'll be interested in. San Marco near la Giralda occupies a centuries-old Turkish bathhouse. The place is all carved into stone and plenty kitschy. Also, if you're lucky, they have artisan fairs at random times throughout the year with plenty of booths to browse through. Once you've had your fill of the cathedral, you can pop right next door and visit the palace Real Alcazar. For a price.

Forget religion this cathedral was built to impress and it does just that still after all those centuries. I read somewhere that one of the mecenasses or architects of the cathedral said that he wanted to built something so amazing that future generations thought they were crazy. Well he succeeded. The big mass of walls and pilares wil captivate you. Must say I loved the outside beter than the inside. The decoration inside is not excessive but still the gothic architecture shows itself the best from the outside. The Giralda is definitly worth the climb, there is a window every other ramp (no staircase here but used 34 ramps leading you up) and there are about 4 or 5 little rooms with some small exhibition on the tower and the cathedral. The top of the tower is added later in renaissance-style. I don't think it mixes very well with Moorish part but that probably is just me. The orange garden is on your way out and when it is not to hot it is a really nice place to just sit and rest for a little while before you go out in the crazy maze that is Sevilla again.

It took centuries and many different kings to make this palace what it is today. Each king added his own portion to the Mudejar masterpiece sitting in the heart of Sevilla. You'll pay a price for the general admission, but I recommed renting one of those audio tour earpiece things otherwise you'll miss out on the significance of each portion of the palace. The map is easy to follow and the stops on the map are numbered to correspond with the audio tour. Some of the explanations are lengthy, but overall it was pretty interesting. The stone carving is amazing. If you like Mudejar style, this is definitely for you. Once you're done touring the palace, you can pop right next door and check out the cathedral and la Giralda. Or, you can stay local and graba some tapas at the nearby La Giralda restaurant or drop some dough in any of the numerous souveneir shops. The Italian restaurant San Marco is also nearby. It's not great food, or cheap, but it is located inside a centuries-old Turkish bath house which makes for a cool story.

I Real Alcazares costituiscono un insieme architettonico che va dal primo Alcázar arabo (al-Qasr) ai successivi ampliamenti di cortili e palazzi, costruiti dai monarchi successivi. Dell'Alcazar restaurato dagli Almohadi nel XII secolo rimane solo una parte delle mura, il Patio del Yeso e quello de la Monteìra. La struttura che si può vedere adesso è in gran parte dovuta
alla ristrutturazione di Pietro I di Castiglia.
Oltre alle stupende sale, stanze e cortili dei palazzi ci sono anche dei magnifici giardini che sono un bell'esempio di un'arte in cui gli andalusi sono grandi maestri.

É fascinante o passado intercultural da cidade. Durante mais de 500 anos, Sevilha foi a capital da Espanha muçulmana, ou "Al-Andalus". Depois, após a reconquista católica em 1258, a cidade se tornou um dos lugares preferidos da realeza e, posteriormente, a cidade recebeu muitas das riquezas extraídas do Novo Mundo. ;)

Tanto a catedral como o Alcazar representam as influências destas duas culturas. A catedral foi construída sobre uma mesquita Almóada, no entanto, o minarete original, a Giralda" foi preservado.