Real Alcazar!

Real Alcazar

As I was waiting in line to get my free student ticket into the Moorish Palace, the Alcazar, I was thinking that this was going to be a short look around an old palace and then on to more shopping! From the exterior, the Alcazar looks a little run down, but this is only the tip of the iceberg, as I soon came to discover. After the first hour of wandering in and out of the most beautifully tiled rooms and halls I have ever seen, I still had only been to one side of the Palace. I didn’t even get to go upstairs because that was a special tour that cost more…so I continued to roam the vast halls, tripping often because I was always looking up and taking pictures of the beautifully ornate ceilings. Some ceilings were covered with the same beautiful geometric tile designs as the walls and floors, but other domed ceilings were wooden and the intricate designs were hand carved! Off of the major halls are gardens with pools of water or fountains, or both. The moors used water to make things appear bigger than they were, due to the use of reflections! Also, to keep out invaders, the moors made the entrance into their main halls very confusing by having lots of winding halls and rooms before you made your way into the heart of the palace. Around the second hour, I stepped out into what I thought was a small garden, but that garden lead into a bigger one, which lead into an even bigger one and I was left wandering this enormous garden for the rest of my trip! At every turn I found something unique and beautiful…I even saw a peacock roaming around the edge of the garden! Lets just say that 3 hours at the Alcazar was not enough to take in the mystical beauty of this palace…I think I have found my new Sunday ritual! Enjoy the pictures, there will be more to come as I continue to explore this lovely treasure I have found! I am sure once the spring flowers start to bloom the gardens will be absolutely stunning! I can’t wait!

***Oh and the wiener dog from the picture was not taken at the Alcazar…I saw it on one of my walks through the city and felt like a stalker…but had to get a picture for mom…so mom…this cute little wiener dog in a sweater is for you!