Sevilla is in the south of Spain

Sevilla is famous for two buildings in particular: its cathedral and its Moorish alcázar. Below is the cathedral.

The Giralda Tower is the most famous section of the cathedral. You climb a series of ramps to get to the top. From there, you have a great view of the city.

Since Sevilla is in southern Spain, it has outstanding examples of Moorish architecture. Notice the shape of the arches in its famous alcázar.

These pictures were taken inside the alcázar.

Both the cathedral and the alcázar are located at the edge of the Barrio Santa Cruz, the old Jewish quarter. It’s an interesting maze of streets too narrow for cars, and you frequently see artesans making the tiles for which Sevilla is famous. Also, when you’re wandering through the neighborhood, you frequently glance to the side to see a courtyard like the one below.

Here you see an example of the tile work that’s done in Sevilla.

Flamenco dancing originated in Sevilla. Below you see some ladies and little girls in traditional costume doing the dance.

All of Spain celebrates Semana Santa, or “Holy Week,” the week before Easter, but Sevilla is the city that’s most famous for it and is the place to be that week. In the 16th century the Catholic church decided to present the passion of Christ (the events surrounding his crucifixion) to the people in a way that they could understand. They had huge wooden figures of saints made, and those figures were carried in processions. Such figures are still carried today. A group of nazarenos, men who are part of traditional groups called “brotherhoods,” lead the procession today. They wear long gowns with hoods. Behind them are the penitents with crosses on their shoulders. Finally come the figures of the saints. nazarenos penitents

Granada is in southern Spain and is about three hours from Sevilla.

What Granada is best known for is the Alhambra. The Moorish palace was the last stronghold when Fernando and Isabel expelled the Moors from Spain. Its last Moorish occupant left in 1492.

The Patio of the Lions is the most famous room of the Alhambra.

More pictures from the Alhambra.

The Generalife is a section of the Alhambra dedicated to beauty and relaxation. Its gardens are beautiful, full of flowers, plants, fountains, and arches.

The albaicín (sometimes spelled “albaycín”) is the old Arab quarter in Granada. It has narrow streets and is on a hill, so there’s lots of up-and-down walking. It also has a lookout point called El Mirador de San Nicolás, which has an amazing view of the Alhambra.

Alcaicería Here you see pictures of Granada’s Alcaicería, which literally means “house of Caesar.” The Roman emperor Justinian gave the Moors permission to sell silk here originally. Now instead of silk bazaars, you see shops of all kinds with goods made in Granada, Africa, and all over the world. This is a great place to shop for anything from jewelry to pottery to all sorts of crafts.

And the best thing is that if you go to Barcelona, you can fly to Sevilla or Granada for less than $100!