Reales de Alcazar Sevilla

Without much pre-planning we wandered into the Alcazar. I'd heard good things about the gardens, but for so long the Alhambra in Granada has been the main focus of my understanding of major gardens in Spain. Do you know that feeling when something far exceeds your expectations? This was certainly one of those times for me...wow!

The site dates back to the 11th Century and was originally a Moorish fort. Succeeding reigns have brought embellishments and change. The sum total is pretty astounding...a grand mix of Moorish and Spanish Colonial buildings and gardens unfolding as a vast series of rooms. Despite the crowds, the place is so monumental that there are places of respite to be found...enhanced by an array of fountains, rills, and basins. The plantings are exotic and in some ways quite wild in their combinations. Just about everything I saw grows well in Los Angeles...but who puts together combos like pine and yucca, Magnolia and Datura, or Dombeya and Myrtus? Hedges include myrtle and boxwood of course, but also include quite a bit of Arborvitae and a few outdoor rooms lined with 12' tall hedged Citrus...lemon hedges!! Palms, Pomegranate, Cypress, Bougainvillea, Clivia, Acanthus, and Agapanthus make up a short list of plants that punctuate the grounds. I'm guessing some of the plants used are native to the Spanish colonies and thus contribute to the overall sense of the exotic. Again, wow!

Water in the form of fountains, rills, and a few basins are around nearly every corner, yet the actual quantity of water is minimal. Colorful tile adds pattern and a rich visual layer. Flooring throughout is highly varied...terra cotta, pebble, slate, marble, ceramic...and all laid in a variety of embellished patterns. The Alcazar was meant to delight...and delight us it most certainly did!