Andalusia 3 -- Sevilla

Monday morning dawned bright and sunny so we were excited to start out the day with our usual chocolate and head out.  We had gotten thoroughly lost on entry so we didn't quite know whether we should take the car in or just leave it at the apartment.  It was a long walk to the subway and would cost quite a bit, or we could walk the whole way which would be around 30-40 minutes and wasn't a scenic walk, or we could take our chances and try to find parking.  We eventually chose the last option and then couldn't find parking anywhere near the cathedral and ended up parking equi-distantly (but on the other side of the city) as our lodgings, ha!  It was okay, though, because we all thoroughly enjoyed the long walk through the old part of Seville and managed to fit the "Setas" (a modern art monstrosity/beauty depending on who you ask -- we liked it!) in accidentally.

Playing under the canopy of the Setas -- no good picture so you'll have to google it

 Pics along the way

 Made it to the cathedral!

 We found out that it was winter break for Britain so there were English speaking crowds at every venue.  We met some very friendly people as we waited in the long, long lines.  We also had a chance to take some selfies!

The older kids didn't have student I.D. so they refused to give us a discount for them.  Oh well.  The Seville Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Spain and the largest Gothic cathedral in the world.  It was immense!  I wasn't that excited to see it since I knew I had found my one true cathedral love back in Cordoba, but it didn't disappoint.  As per usual, our older kids took off right away and we explored all of the nooks and crannies with the boys.  They even took some of the following pictures!

 Archie told me that he now always makes sure to look up upon entering any room just in case there is a fancy ceiling.  There almost always is around these parts!

 And make sure to look down, too.  The floors -- and sidewalks -- usually have some sort of great detail.

 We ran into the kids just in time to make sure they went up the bell tower -- another converted minaret -- to see the amazing views of the city.

 And good views of the rest of the cathedral, too.

 In the case of this cathedral, the mosque didn't survive the Christian victory, but the orange tree courtyard and the aforementioned bell tower were spared.

 Pretty, pretty minaret

 Oh, and the doors seem pretty Moorish as well

 It was time for lunch by the time we exited the cathedral so the boys swung on chains while dad and Charles got us some pizza.  No picture of that, but seriously the most amazing pesto pizza that ever was.

Next stop, the Alcazaba!  Another long line, more chatting with Brits and then we were in.  I wasn't expecting much.  I mean, after the Alhambra, how could it compare?  But it did -- it was very pretty!  Full of tiles, carvings, fountains, gardens...  So get ready for lots of pictures of it all -- sit back and enjoy!

Same old story, big kids skedaddled, so the boys were our companions and models

 They adore gardens!  Lots of running, hiding, chasing going on.

 All of these pictures with Archie were prompted by him loudly clearing his throat and indicating that he was ready for a great shot.  Phin would jump in sometimes, or not.

 We eventually ran into the rest of our crew and relaxed in the sunshine while the boys played an elaborate castle game involving wet sticks.

It was closing time so we sauntered back through the palace.  And took some more pictures, por supuesto.

 By this time, dinner was wanted -- they seriously are bottomless pits!  So we listened to some street musicians, idly looking for a cheap meal and eventually decided that that amazing pizza was the way to go.  Matthew and Charles once again went to hunt and gather our food.  I sat in a square with the girls whilst the boys chased pigeons

 Then a leisurely -- or just long -- walk back to the car with a little shopping and gawking on the way.  We didn't think that Granada and Cordoba could be matched, but Sevilla delivered!