The end of our vacay................

The rest of our time in Seville was spent

1. Walking around more parks and plazas





2. Visiting the Cathedral (ehhhhh..... I apparently am not a true fan of Gothic architecture as I thought it was way overdone, too ornate, very dark, and not "churchy" enough for me. Can churches feel more or less "churchy" than others? Maybe because the worship area was so small and everything seemed devoted to the shrines all over rather than the point of worship- Jesu! I don't know.....it just didn't have the same life and devotion that I felt from La Sagrada Familia.)
From the outside
It was amazingly tall- this pic doesn't do it justice. I totally felt like a tiny mouse in there!

Christopher Columbus's tomb


3. Watching the UAFE championship game Manchester United vs. Barcelona. This was BY FAR one of the best experiences we had. I loved watching the locals get so hyped about their teams. Soccer is amazing, and I wish we Americans appreciated it more. Lots of good looking, sweaty men running around and you can actually see their faces (unlike football and hockey)??? Yes please!!
Can you see how sweaty we were? The bar was seriously wall to wall people and SO hot. Apparently there are no fire marshalls in Spain! There were even people sitting in the windowsills and on top of all the tables.



4. Walking across the river, having a drink at a cafe, and picking up gorgeous pottery pieces! B's parents gave us money for graduation, so we bought four round, blue and white serving pieces as a part of their gift. They're all different patterns but they're similar enough that they go well together!
The view from our riverfront bar.

A beautiful building on the river.

On Friday we took the train up to Madrid from Seville and took a taxi to our hotel. We stayed out at the Hilton which is by the airport. Our original plan was to take their shuttle into town, see the major plaza in Madrid, perhaps go to the Prado, etc. Instead we got to our hotel (it was incredibly modern, swank Hilton for sure. Much nicer than the one in BCN), worked out in the gym for an hour, layed by their super cool pool and just chilled. Since we were in a suite, we had access to the lounge on the 4th floor which had free internet access, heavy snacks out at all time, free drinks from 4-10 (wine, beer, cava, liquors), etc. We ended up playing cards up there for awhile while snacking and even ate dinner at the hotel. While I feel slightly bad that we didn't see Madrid at all, it was wonderful to just hang out and rest on our last vacation day. I think it made the long travel day flying back to the States the next day SO much better!

So, that was our honeymoon in a nutshell! We had a great time and would love to help anyone else who is interested in going to Spain. We definitely feel like we have great recommendations and also things to skip. Thanks to all of those who have read these long posts!! Mwah!

The Alcazar

Once we left Moraira, we headed to Seville for the end of our trip. The drive across southern Spain was one of the most gorgeous things we have ever seen. Lush farms with olive and orange trees everywhere, snowcapped mountains in the distance (yes, snow in Spain- who knew?), tons of countryside fields full of sunflowers, all just incredible. We were jaw dropped the whole trip!!

Our first morning in Spain, we did as our guidebook suggested and went to the Alcazar. I'm going to show you lots of pictures below, none of which do this palace any justice at all. It is a truly gorgeous, enormously expansive buidling which is still used by the King and Queen of Spain when they are visiting the area. There is no separation of indoor and outdoor spaces here. The light is incredible and there are gardens everywhere. There could easily be a semester long class on the architectural elements in the building with a strong focus on the ceilings. I've never seen more incredible work anywhere! Truly, the Alcazar and La Sagrada Familia are why everyone should visit Spain. Add on an amazing dinner in Barcelona and a fantastic lunch in Seville, and you are truly set for a great vacation!

The tile work in Seville is astounding. The yellow and blue combinations were my favorite.


Isn't the light here pretty? It shows off all the details that the Moors created before the Christians took over the building in one of the crusades.


There is no glass in the scrollwork below, so you can see how the indoors and outdoors flow so seemlessly into one another.


Yellow is one of the more dominant colors throughout the Alcazar, including most of the outer walls of the building.


Ceilings are below. The yellow one with the crest is my favorite, but all are so impeccably done that it's amazing!!





Blair in an alcove off one of the bedrooms. The planter pictured here is used throughout the building, and, not only are they huge, they are gorgeous! We wanted to steal one to bring home, but weren't sure how we would have fit it inside a suitcase!


Me inside the Alcazar


The lushness of the gardens.


The top of one of the sides of the building. I can't even begin to describe the layout to you because we got lost a few times throughout our tour!!


I'll end with a shot of our bed in our hotel in Seville. Do you know how excited I was to walk into the hotel and have this adorable pink and green toiled bedding just waiting for me? It couldn't have been more perfect!!