A later start this morning. The heat is wearing us down a bit. Took the bus into town around noon to visit the Alcazar, the 10th century palace built for the governors of the local Morrish state. It saw a rebuild in the 15th century my Muslim workmen for the Christian king, Pedro I (?). Not as ostentatious as the home-grown Christian palaces, but a lot more functional.
Multiple outdoor courtyards.
A very intricate, very large inlayed .
The rooms with the most history are in the Admiral’s Hall. This is where Queen Isabel debriefed Columbus after he discovered the “New World”, where Ferdinand Magellan planned his around-the-world travels, AND where mapmaker, Amerigo Vespucci worked on naming Spanish explorer’s new land discoveries. I’m glad he didn’t decide on Vespucci-land.
This, actually, is what Christopher Columbus looked like. A close up from a painting in the Admiral’s Hall depicting him during his time of exploration. Historians think it is the most accurate depiction. He died within a few years after his 4th and last voyage to the New World still thinking he had discovered China. Although he became rich from plunder, on his last voyage he returned in chains. The colonists had enough of his attitude. We think he died of diabetes and/or syphilis at the age of 55.
Beyond the Alcazar are Moorish and Christian gardens, practically endless. Most of our 9 Euro entrance fee must go to the army of gardeners to maintain the gardens. Afterward we visited the site of the 1923 World’s Fair. The Plaza de Espana is still quite impressive.
Finally we visited the Metropol Parasol. This wins the worldwide “what were they thinking” award! They brag that this is the largest wooden structure in the world, designed by a German, made from Finnish birch wood and cost the city 100 million Euros. The contrast with the 10th to 16th century architecture is both stunning and depressing. What WERE they thinking?
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