A fútbol lover's dream

Yesterday was the first Saturday I spent in Sevilla--the city is just so relaxed and people hit up cafes and sit by the river in the sunlight all day (well except for the siesta!). In the morning my program arranged for a group tour of el Alcazár which is an old royal palace that still hosts the king if he comes to visit Sevilla--definitely the most beautiful place I have seen since arriving--Scroll down for pictures!!!


After spending my siesta reading on a bench overlooking the river Quadalquivir I was excited to watch the fútbol game that was going on. In Sevilla there are 2 teams--Sevilla FC and Real Betis. They played each other for the first time in 2 years (I think) yesterday because Real Betis had been moved down a division but now they are a pretty strong team again. My señora is a Betis fan, and my señor is a Sevilla fan so they were both trying to convince me to support their team over dinner. Betis is more of a underdog team which I love, but Sevilla is red...how do I choose?? Mis amigas and I went to a bar in el centro to watch the game. It was so cool to see the culture that revolves around these two teams--we went into a couple bars on the street and people were so animated! Being a fútbol player I enjoyed the game---ended in a tie with both teams scoring pretty cool goals. I learned about where the fútbol field is in Triana and saw a little bit of a local game yesterday too! It is now my goal to make it to a game for one of the Sevilla teams and even go to Madrid and Barcelona to see two of the world's power houses. I will be accepting donations all semester for people who want to support this goal :)

And now for a foto tour of el Alcazár

This is the entrance we walked in 

All of the walls were done with so much detail! 

The ceilings were especially cool to look at

These windows are part of where the royal family spends
their time in the palace when they visit today

Our guide talked about how this ceiling was inspired by
an orange cut in half--one of my favorite rooms!

Here is a beautiful courtyard in the palace. One of the
Spanish kings got married just through the arch

Here is another view of the courtyard. The trees were planted down a level
so the people could see the artwork and architecture

Here is the first view of the serene gardens

I loved the little water spout! 

This is where the royal family enjoyed meals outside

Here is a view of the gardens from the balcony. There were a bunch of
peacocks roaming around!

The exit leads right up to the Cathedral

El Alcazár was first constructed when the Muslims lived in Sevilla, and later the Catholics added onto it--the Muslim influence was incredible! During the time of Columbus and other explorers, el Alcazár was used to plan voyages. Even Magellan spend some time there before he set out around the world. 

El Alcazár is smack dab in the middle of the city and surrounded by walls. I had no idea such a beautiful place existed and I had probably walked by it 20 times. It is about three steps from the University--no joke! I can imagine I will spend a lot of time studying in the gardens!

Last day with no class! The possibilities are endless, minus the fact that stores are closed on Sundays...I think I might check out a mass at the cathedral! Adiós