The ferry trip from Tangier to Tarifa was a bit of an adventure. We were at the dock in plenty of time and then waited for the ferry to arrive. The arriving passengers had to debark and then the mad scramble of the boarding passengers who wanted to get the prime seats. (There were PLENTY of seats and the trip is only about 30 minutes.) Of course our luggage had to be taken on and stashed with all the other passengers' luggage. When we arrived in Tarifa, once again a mad scramble. This time to get off. We had more luggage than we could handle without a cart, so I got off to search for one. Found it! Back to the ferry, load up the baggage and then off to customs and immigration. We made it through with no hassle or delay BUT we were the very last people through. Davey, our driver, almost thought we didn't make it. We had a very nice 3 hour drive from Tarifa to Seville with our driver - Davey Womack. Davey is a transplanted Englishman that does this driving as a part-time venture to make living money.
For our first day in Sevilla we were met by our guide, Paloma, for a tour of the old Jewish quarter, the Alcazar and the cathedral. We were staying in a very nice hotel - La Casa del Poeta - which is in the old city but it is not accessible by car. So it meant we walked.
<== Our driver, Davey Womack
The gardens at the Alcazar ==>
The Alcazar served as a royal palace and is still in use by the royal family. It is a magnificent structure with a lot of arabic influence.
One of the sights at the Alcazar is "The Baths of Maria de Padilla" - pictured below left. Actually they are not baths but rainwater tanks located below one of the patios. We also have the infamous world travelers and one of the beautiful patios.
Granny and our guide - Paloma.
The gardens at the Alcazar are really beautiful.
Another area of the Alcazar is called the Hall of Tapestries. Here the architecture is gothic and the large tapestries are amazing. I believe they were made in the 16th century.
A short walk from the Alcazar is the Sevillia Cathedral. Our introduction to the cathedral was the night we arrived. We decided to see the view from the rooftop of the hotel. I wasn't sure what the building was but it deserved a picture.
Unfortunately, my pictures of the cathedral weren't too good. However, I did get a few. On the left and right are pictures of the tomb of Christoper Columbus. Below are pictures of the carved wood altar piece of the main chapel. On the left is the full altar piece and center and right are close-ups of a couple of the panels. It is truly and amazing piece.
We finished the day with a flamenco show. Click
HERE to see a video of the dancers in action.
