1. The Cathedral of Seville is the largest cathedral in the world. It was breathtaking. When you are standing inside of it staring up at the gothic arches of the ceiling that are so high your neck hurts, it's difficult to comprehend the sheer size of the space. Also it took over 100 years to build, but given the size, I find even that time span impressive.
2. The Alcazar of Seville served as inspiration for the design of the Alhambra. I'm not sure who wore it better. Both are fantastic.
3. Sometimes it's nice to take a break and just enjoy nature. It helps when there are beautiful parks to explore.
4. The Cathedral of Cordoba has seen it all. First on that site there was a Roman temple, then a
Christian church, then a Mosque, and finally a Cathedral. Today it is still a working Cathedral and
people were filing in for mass at the end of our tour. Another fun fact is that the materials used to build the structure changed depending on the time period of construction. When funds were tight, recycled marble beams were used and instead of using individual bricks, the stone of the arches was painted to mimic the appearance of the bricks used earlier in construction.
5. Even an adorable medieval town can be slightly spoiled by an abundance of tourists. Yes I know that we were part of those tourists, but because Cordoba is so small, the tourists seemed to be taking
over the city and I saw way more cheesy tourist shops than locals in the parts of the city that we visited. After an afternoon there I began to feel very annoyed by the huge groups of confused people following tour guides holding up flags. For this reason, I preferred my time in Seville just because its size allowed for a diffusion (of sorts) of the tourists and we got to be one of the only confused looking groups of people following a tour guide holding a flag.
6. Both Seville and Cordoba are beautiful cities with rich history and are well worth a visit.
Nice post, Monica.
ResponderEliminar