SEVILLA CATHEDRAL

It's the largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest church in the world, after St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London, and yes, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.  I think I spent more time here than I have in any other church, mostly because of the excellent audio program that provided much more detail than is ordinarily available on the self-guided tours.

The immensity of this cathedral, outside and inside, is breathtaking.  Here's an aerial view to give you a sense of this.  You can see how easy it would be to spend three or four hours touring it.

It was over 100 years in construction, from 1402 to 1506 and it was meant to communicate the wealth of Sevilla to the rest of the world.  This was when Sevilla was a major trading center in the years after the Reconquest.

You feel immediately dwarfed when you enter this massive structure.

This church has 80 chapels!  Here are peeks at just a few.....because they were gated, I could only capture little sections through the bars.

The stained glass windows vibrate with brilliant colors.

There was a tomb of some bishop in almost every chapel.

But the real surprise for me was discovering the tomb of Christopher Columbus.

I had no idea that he was buried here in Sevilla.

This silver altarpiece was pretty impressive.

But this small Madonna and Child was a piece that was heart touching.

Another surprise was a Goya painting.

This is a section of the exquisite altarpiece in one of the larger chapels.  

The detail work on carved moldings was just amazing.

Giralda Tower is the bell tower of the cathedral, and you can climb to the top, if you are so inclined, to enjoy spectacular views of the city.  Did I or didn't I?

I guess I could have snitched the picture above from the Internet, but I didn't!  What convinced me to give the climb a shot was the fact that there were 34 ramps and only one flight of stairs to climb.  I'm now an avid advocate for ramps.  The climb was much easier.  And the views were definitely worth it.

After my lofty view, I relaxed for a bit in the lovely courtyard beside the church, which was graced by orange trees.

I keep thinking that i've seen enough chruches and cathedrals, but they are really works of art and I'm never disappointed afterward.

WHAT I LIKE MOST ABOUT SPAIN

1.  The very friendly and helpful people.  For example, I sat next to two gentlemen on the train from Granada to Sevilla, and this very friendly and kind man insisted that I eat one of his ham sandwiches for lunch.  He's a train conductor, and he and the other gentleman were very patient with my attempts to communicate in Spanish.

2.  The public transportation system.  The train service in particular is wonderful.  The trains are clean and modern, AND I don't have to bother anyone to schlep my heavy bag down and then back up a flight of steps to get to or from the tracks.  Instead of steps, there are moving walkways that angle down to and up from the tracks.  You have to make sure your luggage on 4 wheels doesn't roll away, but that's something I can manage on my own.  The bus service in and between towns is also very good and economical.

3.  Tapas.  I love these small portions that allow you to eat to fit your appetite and try any number different dishes without breaking the bank.  There are some standard tapas that you can find just about anywhere and then there are gourmet creations.  I had this delicious beef cheek that leaned toward the gourmet end at a tapas bar here in Sevilla today.  YUM!  (Sorry about the iPad shadow.)

4.  Flamenco.....what a passionate dance form it is.  You couldn't take photos of the performance but let me just say that beads of sweat from the male dancer hit people sitting in the front row.  This was so ironic because the lead female dancer did six routines to only two from the lead male dancer and she stayed dry.

5.  Gaudi...his imaginative designs are a feast for my eyes.

6.  The Andalusian history, with its mix of the Islamic and Christian architecture, art, and traditions.  It's a shame that the Moors and Spaniards were at war for centuries, battling over what is proably the poorest region of Spain.

7.  The white towns of Andalucia.  If I ever return to Spain, I want to spend time exploring more of these stunning mountain villages that served as defense points during the centuries of war between the Muslims and Christians.  Why are all the buildings white?  Very simply, to keep them as cool as possible in the hot summers when temperatures can climb to 120 degees.  (I won't be here that month!)

8.  The goat cheese.  I like goat cheese and use it sometimes at home in salads, but I can't say I love goat cheese.  I don't know what these Spanish goats eat, but the cheese they produce is very mild and creamy, and now I love Spanish goat cheese.  I've had it with a number of tapas--sometimes it's the star, like baked goat cheese with marmalade served with crisp little toasts, yum.  Or "the tower", a favorite tapa at my favorite restaurant in Sevilla, Vineria San Telmo.  Its layers include eggplant, tomato, smoked salmon and creamy, delicious goat cheese.

So, yes, I've enjoyed Spain mucho.

GRANADA--A FEW OTHER NOTES

I'm sure there are more sights to see in Granada than I was able to manage.  I was there for a week, but left my apartment only two days due to a miserable cold and that pounding headache that came with it.  I especially don't like to sightsee with a faucet nose!

On one of these two days, I headed for the downtown area where I visited the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel next door.  

The Cathedral is immense.  It's set back from a main street and surrounded by other buildings, so you can't get a good photo.  I snitched this aerial view from the Internet to give you an idea of its size.

Construction of the cathedral began in the early 1500's and it was finished 181 years later!

It is another architectural wonder.

The gilding of this side chapel is over the top.  It probably took 181 years to pay for all this opulence.

This Pieta in different shades of brown marble is beautiful and moving.

The dome is quite spectacular with its generous amount of gilding.

When my nomadic life is over and I'm having a boring day, I will have to count the number of cathedrals, churches, bapistries and temples I've visited.

Next door to the cathedral is Capilla Real, the Royal Chapel, where Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand are buried.  Pictures were not allowed inside, so again, I can only share what I saw courtesy of the Internet.  There were two marble tombs with carved images of this royal pair.  Here is one.

Behind the tombs is this altar, which I think I can safely say has regal bearing.

The royal pair's coffins rest pretty humbly in the crypt below the chapel.

There was a pretty plaza behind the cathedral.

I couldn't figure out what this building is.  It looks like a cathedral, but the signage on my city map says it's an educational institution.

This beautiful palace now houses government offices.

Oh, here's something I especially like about Granada.  You get a free tapa with every drink you order, even with water!  This is apparently a city-wide practice.  Imagine that..there is almost a free lunch.  Before I had this delicious dish of patatas con mojo, I was given a free piece of bruschetta (not sure of the Spanish equivalent) with a ratatouille like topping.  At another tapas bar, I was given a small serving of paella.

I swear I didn't eat all these potatoes.  

ALHAMBRA

Some say that Granada is a one note wonder, and that note is the Alhambra.  I would disagree, but not vigorously.  You might be able to fill up two or three days of sightseeing, depending on how much time you like to spend touring around each day.  My limit is about 6 hours.

If you have only one day in Granada, you could easily spend that time wandering around the palace and fortress complex of Alhambra, truly a wonderous place to see (chalk me up another UNESCO World Heritage Site).  This area of Spain is so very interesting with its Arabo-Islamic and European roots all tangled up together.  Just like the Mezquita in Cordoba, the Alhambra preserves both periods of this area's history.

Inside the walls of Alhambra is a complex of palaces that represent the Arabo-Islamic period, the Nasrid Palaces, and this was my first stop.  I had missed my first reservation because I was sick, so my only choice for another day was to begin my tour at 9 a,m. This is not the time I would have preferred, but entrance to this particular palace complex is controlled.  This palace is not heated, and it wasn't long before I had popsicle fingers and toes.

The facades inside the palace courtyards are representative of Islamic architecture with its geometric and plant shapes, and often there is a written message or poem incorporated in the design.

There were multiple courtyards inside.

There were no furnishings, but I was enchanted with the domes and ceilings.

And the arches were spectacular.

The last Sultan of Granada, Yusuf I, could scan the mountains and plains of the surrounding countryside from this lofty perch.

The views of the city from Alhambra are pretty spectacular even in these modern times.

And the Sierra Nevada mountain range with its snow capped peaks offers a beautiful perspective.

After the Reconquista, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, built a palace here in the early 1500’s.

The remains of the alcazar, or citadel, include the watchtowers and ruins of the dwellings inside its walls.

Another palace in the complex, Generalife, offered more beautiful courtyards and gardens.

There were also wonderful views of the alcazar and Granada from this palace.

One walkway in the complex was lined in sculpted evergreens with arched cutouts that provided some unique photo ops.

There was a small art museum and an archeological museum, both of which I visited, and this famous Alhambra vase.

I ran out of energy before seeing everything within the walls of this fascinating place.  It may be the one note that makes Granada a symphony not to be missed.