My birthday began with cafe con leche and pan de chocolate at a cute cafe where we sat in our first courtyard of the day, open to the sky above, but fortunately with a heater as it was only 5° at 10.00am!
We spent the morning at Casa de Pilatos, probably the finest of the mansions in the city, built in 1519 by the Marqués de Tarifa.
The main courtyard or patio has it all – Muslim elements like the irregular arches covered in intricate plasterwork and beautiful glazed tiles, delicate Gothic tracery on the balustrades and slender Italian Renaissance columns and central fountain.
We were taken on a tour round the upstairs rooms, still partly occupied by the family …
… then wandered round the rest of the ground floor, a maze of interlinked courtyards and gardens, admiring the azulejos tiles, intricate woodwork, statuary and fountains!
The Main Street in Santa Cruz is called Mateos Gagio and the tapas bars were already filling up by the time we arrived and we wandered along in search of a free table in the sun for lunch. Bar Pantanchon was the winner, where we munched on olives, artichokes, spinach and chickpeas and delicious baked goats cheese with bitter orange.
We had booked tickets for the Alcázar in the afternoon, the highlight of the trip. We entered through the Puerto del Léon complete with glazed lion panel above the door …
… and through patios …
… to the main facade, a confection of lacy plasterwork arches, slim columns, tiling and stalactite frieze.
There was a fort here in Roman times, which was expanded in stages by the Abbadids and the Almohads until it became a huge palace complex. At its peak, the ruthless Al Mu’tamid kept a harem of 800 women and decorated the gardens with flowers planted in the skulls of his enemies! When the Spanish conquered Seville in the C13th, King Pedro I completely rebuilt the palace using fragments from Moorish buildings all over Andalucia and today the Real Alcazar provides an excellent example of Mudéjar architecture.
The central courtyard, Patio de Los Doncellas, or Patio of the Maidens recalls the tribute of virgins made annually to Moorish kings and is so tranquil, even with all the visitors, with its lacy arches and reflecting pool.
The Salón de Embajadores, or Salon of Ambassadors is a show stopper, with its intricate decoration …
… and magnificent ceiling …
… and the Patio de las Muñecas courtyard, with its fascinating collection of capitols.
Beyond there was a maze of linked side rooms, patios and gardens …
We came out into the extensive gardens but chose to just walk along the raised Galeria del Grutesco so we could get a good view …
… before leaving through the Patio de las Banderas.
Now, while we didn’t actually visit Casa Salinas on the same day, it just suits the narrative to tell you about it here.
This beautiful C16th palace is privately owned by the Salinas family, who still live there. In the entrance is a tiled panel showing Seville, with the original Arabic floating bridge to Triana.
The house displays all the architectural features we had come to expect – courtyards, arches, columns, plasterwork, tiling and carved wooden ceilings.
The second interior patio contains a beautiful mosaic dedicated to Bacchus and other souvenirs taken from the nearby Roman city of Italica.
So it can’t be a birthday without afternoon coffee and cake followed …
… and later dinner at San Marcos …
… where we chose to sit in an area of vaults and arches for a delicious dinner confit of duck for me and pasta for Chris …
… followed by cheesecake with a berry sauce!
It was a lovely birthday, made even more special by all the cards I received, that Chris had tucked away secretly in the suitcase as well as messages and texts from family and friends.
Off Travelling Together 