Alcazar (sounds like Alcatha, similar to alpaca)

We signed up for a tour with Concepcion to see the Alcazar. It looks very Moorish, but it was built by a Christian king. He used lots of the Moors as craftsman in building the castle. The royal family still uses the Alcazar when they are staying in Sevilla. Luckily, the royal family was out of town or else the whole tour would have been closed down. The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous since we got here. It is so funny because everyone is walking around in their winter coats. I admit in the shade and at night it can get chilly, so it is nice to have a jacket, but a winter coat in 70 degree weather??...crazy. Our tour guide was worried we would be too cold during our tour, but it was fine and it was actually perfect when we were outside touring the beautiful gardens around the palace. The kids got a little bit bored by the tour so I let them take some pictures. It was still an easy distraction for them and I like to see the things that they thought were interesting. I was amazed by all the mosaic tiles and the intricate sculpting. Different parts of the palace were built in different centuries so it was fun to learn about history and architecture along the way. My favorite room was the throne room and it had a dome shaped ceiling with inticate carvings and lots of stars. Apparently the walls in the castle had frescoes where there wasn't tile (which wasn't much), but during the civil war they converted the palace into a hospital and painted all the walls white to help ward off germs. The frescoes were lost forever. Some of the architectural aspects used in the building of the palace were recycled from roman ruins that were found in the area. I am still trying to remember who was king when, it is so confusing!