A Walk Through the Alcázar of Seville, Spain by Tommy Hibbs:
“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die,” rang Cersei Lannister’s words as I entered into the Alcázar of Seville. If you’re a big Game of Thrones fan like me, you’ll know House Martell in Dorne. It was filmed at the Alcázar, and so I was eager to visit it in person having seen it so many times on screen.
The palace, also known as Real Alcázar de Sevilla, is a royal castle in Seville, Spain that was built in the 10th Century. It’s the oldest royal palace in Europe still in use today. As I walked through the magnificent structure, I was blown away by the intricate and contrasting Christian-Mudéjar architecture. Each room filled with different designs on the walls. Each space captivating in its own unique way with distinct flavor, personality, and story.
The Jardin de Alcázar behind the palace is also a little slice of heaven. The palace might have been the reason we came; the gardens were the reason we stayed. Known as the Water Gardens in GoT, the grounds are expansive and stunning, full of peace and peacocks. Yes, peacocks casually roam the grounds which just adds to the charm of it all. The deeper my friend and I went into the garden, the less people we encountered and the more peace we found.
A good trip to me is characterized by a few things. Being able to read in peace is definitely one of them. My friend and I both brought books and, surrounded by the enchanting rainbow-colored garden, read for hours. No one around except for the occasional peacock. I remain so thankful to have had that moment on my trip. The gardens were full of life and yet still serene and peaceful — the opposite of how they appear in my beloved Game of Thrones. In what was more like a garden from a Tolkien novel, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming hush that calmed my spirit. It felt like my own secret garden.
THE FACTS
Tommy is my tennis partner-for-life. He’s a fellow teacher and also a former Terp, which is how we connected in the first place. In this story, Tommy was visiting his friend living in Spain. Check out the story “Brown-Bagging” for another one of Tommy’s (and my!) European adventures.
If you enjoyed reading about the Alcázar of Seville, Spain, you might also check out the following stories related to other European cities:
- “Brown-Bagging: Lunch and Tennis in Monte Carlo” by Tim Ghazzawi
- “The Broken Locker: A Night Out in Barcelona, Spain” by Aubrie Ford
- “Without a Tent: Camping at Wimbledon in London” by Tim Ghazzawi
