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This post is kind of a hodgepodge of photos Cyn and I took during our week in Spain. These pics didn't manage to make it into other posts, so here they all are. Thirty-two pictures, from the whole week. Some pics of important events, some just for fun.


This was the first photo I took on the ground in Seville.


On Monday morning, we went out for a walk around downtown Seville. The first place we stopped was the Royal Tobacco Factory, which is now part of the University of Seville.

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There will be one more post about Seville - the Cemetery.

On friday, after a visit to the Seville Cemetery (pictures to come), we went outside of town to see the Roman Ruins at Italica. This city was first settled in 206 BC, and began to fade in the second century CE.


The coliseum could seat an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 people. There were three levels of seating. The third level has largely collapsed.

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Here are Manolo, Cyn and Donna standing two thousand year old pavement.

Italica rocked!

On thursday, we got up early and Manolo drove us down to The Alhambra. I was very interested in seeing Moorish Architecture, and this was the one place I had chosen in advance of the trip, as someplace I must see.


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This is la Giralda. It was originally a minaret, built in the 1100's. At some point, the mosque was abandoned, and eventually razed. Seville's cathedral was built on the site. The minaret was incorporated, and a belltower was added to the top. If you look closely, you can see the dividing line between the Moorish construction, and the later Christian addition.

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( gold and silver )

This is one of the chapels. It is dedicated to the patron (matron?) saint of travelers. Christopher Columbus is said to have prayed here, before and after his voyage.

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Around the perimeter of the church, there were many chapels.

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Through the back gate.

On Monday, when the weather was warm and sunny, we toured the Cathedral of Seville. It's the third-largest cathedral in the world, and the largest Gothic-styled building in the world.


This is looking over the Cathedral, at the top of the bell tower. The tower is called La Giralda. Before there was a church here, there was a mosque. This tower was originally the minaret, from which the imams called the worshippers to prayer. After the mosque was abandoned, they knocked it down to build this church. The minaret, however was retained (presumably because it was too well-built to be knocked down!), and they added the belltower part to the top.

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It look me several hours last night to fix up these pictures, and nearly an hour tonight to upload them and make this post. Next, I'll do the inside of the cathedral, and after that, I'll do a set of pictures of la Giralda itself.