Spain 2023 Sevilla to Córdoba

So many friends had said "Oh, you have to see Córdoba!" - we decided early on that we we would! 

Yesterday, we left Sevilla* and stopped for lunch here!

This is the Castle at Almodovar del Rio, built in 790 AD. We didn't go in, but you can read more about it, and see a few pictures here.

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* Leaving Sevilla was... difficult. And not just because we didn't *want* to leave! Our apartment was in the middle of Old Town, with its narrow one-way, no-parking streets; we kept the car in a garage on the edge of town. When we arrived, we toted our two heavy suitcases, an ice chest, and a couple of bags - yeah, we were loaded! We walked 10 minutes, then took the tram. Three weeks later, we tried something different - the idea was to pack up, then go to pick up the car, double-park at the apartment, and load the car. Easy, right? Hah! We got to the car alright, and most of the way to the apartment, but then missed a turn... 🙄 We spent the next 45 minutes driving down one-way streets until we finally caught a break! What should have taken half an hour took over an hour...

I had had vague thoughts the night before of seeing some of Córdoba in the afternoon, but it turned out that we arrived right at check-in time. 

We're here now!

Spain 2023 Sevilla

Ahhh, the weekend! For the sevillanas, it's a time to go out, party, stroll around the streets till 3am, laughing and talking about life. For us, it's a time to relax and enjoy the quiet in our apartment! 

During the week, *this* has been going on: from 8am to 4pm, we've had various construction noises, including jackhammers, going on just across the street - forget the notion that Spaniards take a long lunch; these guys worked straight through! The worst is that their garbage chute is right there, and all that concrete tumbles down 8 flights, rattling the whole way. All day. Every day.

Construction site across the street from us

I paint a gruesome picture, but this really was the only drawback - without this construction, our stay in Sevilla would have been just about perfect!

As it is, it added some incentive to get out and see things 😒😉😜

Spain 2023 Sevilla Casa de Pilatos

The Casa de Pilatos in Sevilla is considered the prototype of the Andalusian palace. Begun in 1483, it is in the Italian Renaissance style, with Mudéjar elements, and is the residence of the Duke of Medinaceli. It is known for having one of the largest collection of azulejos (Spanish glazed tiles) in the world, and for its stucco carving, known as yesería. 

The central courtyard is surrounded by arches, azulejos, and sculptures 

Roman Dancing Muse

Roman Minerva

Roman Ceres (Greek Demeter)

Greek Athena (5th century BC)

Athena

Carved stucco 

Azulejos 

Carved stucco, azulejos, and metal grill with cupids

Cupid grill from the other side

Marble

Musicians 

View to one of the gardens, with a fountain, orange trees, sculptures, and a 100 year old bougainvillea.

Another garden

Eros

Bacchus playing

Courtyard through the arches

Azulejos up the staircase

Heavily carved and decorated ceilings

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You can hear the English audio guides here (unfortunately, written commentaries are going the way of the dodo bird...)

To note: we had heard that entry was free to EU citizens on Mondays at 3pm, so we tried it 🙄. The people right in front of us made the 100-person cutoff... Instead of waiting around for the next hour (when they would let in another 100 people), we decided to come back another time and pay our 10€ each 😉. We didn't go upstairs (guide required) to see the paintings and furniture.