June 19: Sevilla

After classes, our penultimate trip took us to the beautiful city of Sevilla. We first toured the cathedral, the biggest Gothic church in the western world and the third biggest overall behind St. Paul’s in London and St. Peter’s in Rome. The tomb and the bones of Christopher Columbus reside inside the cathedral. There are numerous chapels around the outer walls, adorned with priceless works of art and treasures from the New World. Sevilla was the original storehouse for all commerce with the Americas (before silting in the river made navigation difficult and the honor was transferred to Cádiz!). Sevilla fun fact: the city is the setting for more operas (153) than any other city in Europe. The bell tower (“giralda”) was built on the minaret of the old mosque. The group made the trek to the top of the tower and was treated to a stunning birds-eye view of the city. Students then went to the Alcazar, the royal palace, the oldest in Europe. The King and Queen of Spain still sleep there when visiting Sevilla. The palace was originally an Arab structure, but after the city was taken back by the Christians in the mid-13th century, it was expanded and now stands as a great example of an architectural mix called Mudéjar.  And Game of Thrones fans: rooms from the palace are featured in the HBO series! 

Our final stop was the Plaza de España, built in 1929 for an Ibero-American exhibition. Multiple architectural styles combine to create a truly remarkable structure. All the provinces of Spain are represented, and scenes from Star Wars and Lawrence of Arabia were filmed there.