April 4 - Seville

The guidebooks told me that the Seville Cathedral and La Giralda (bell tower) is a must-see in Seville. So off I went.

The Cathedral is very Gothic. It occupies the site of a great mosque built in the late 12th century by the Almohads. La Giralda (the bell tower) was originally a minaret. In fact, it is one of the 3 remaining Almohad minarets in the world. Over time (as in a few hundred years), Christian symbols on top of the tower replaced the Islamic ones (bronze spheres) and further modifications were also made.

I get very excited when I see stained glass. I don't know why. I love the vibrant colors projected as natural light streams through the windows, and how this brilliance contrasts the (usually) dim interiors of the churches.

Look at the ornate ceiling and the arches ...

This is one of the very big bells at the top of La Giralda. Going up the tower was interesting. There were no stairs. So we just went on and on and on, not quite knowing when we'd reach the top. The views along the way were spectacular though. There were closeups of the cathedral's gargoyles, buttresses and of course, views of the city.

Just to show you how Gothic the architectural style was. I also liked the photos of swimming pools on top of surrounding buildings that I'd taken (see album).