Who: Sam, Wes, John, Jackie Feely and Raquel Van Leer, from Castle Rock
Where: Real Alcazar (Royal Palace) in Seville, Spain
Out and about: We took a three-week trip this June to Portugal and southern Spain (Andalucia). The earliest remnants of this palace originate from the Moorish occupation. The city was recaptured by Castilians in 1248. By 1360 King Pedro rebuilt the palace in the Mudejar style by using Moorish artisans from Granada. The palace eventually became the center for all Spanish treasure brought back from the New World. Columbus, Cortez, Pizarro, Amerigo Vespucci all came here, and most had their adventures originate from this place. The palace was recently used in the film “Kingdom of Heaven” to portray a palace in Jerusalem.
Travel tip: If you travel to Seville in the summer, afternoon temperatures easily top 110 Fahrenheit, so do your sightseeing before noon or after the sun goes down. Many establishments still observe the “siesta” break from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The locals say the best time to visit is in the spring before and after Holy Week, for the fabulous fiestas and the best bullfighting in all of Spain. Don’t miss the “Church of the Macarena,” named after the neighborhood, not the dance.
