R. Doug Wicker — Author | Stories of Mystery and Adventure

December 30, 2013 · 5:35 am

Alcázar of Seville — Part 1

Reales Alcázares de Sevilla — “Royal Alcázars of Seville”

Last week I left you with a taste of Seville, Spain, both on Wednesday and again with some of my favorite Seville photographs on Fun Photo Friday. There is however a very special location within Seville that deserves its own special focus, and we’ll be looking at this royal palace during this week’s three blogs culminating in some favorite shots of it on Fun Photo Friday. That very special place is the Alcázar of Seville.

Alcázar Gardens

Alcázar began it’s existence as a Moorish fort, and many of the Moorish influences remain throughout the myriad onsite buildings as a result. It’s also a royal residence whenever King Juan Carlos I is in town. That makes Alcázar the oldest such palace in Europe still used for that purpose.

Remnants of the Original Moorish Fortification

Seville, by the way, is the city from which Christopher Columbus began his voyage in 1492, departing from the port serving Seville (Palos de Frontera) on August 3rd of that year. This is depicted in the oldest painting known to commemorate the event — The Madonna of the Seafarers. In that painting you will see on the right side not only Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II, but also Columbus in a kneeling position in front of them.

Madonna of the Seafarers

The main palace surrounds the open-air Patio de las Doncellas — Courtyard of the Maidens — which legend holds was named for the myth that the Moors required an annual tribute from Iberian Christians of 100 virgins. This myth was used to rally the troops during the Reconquista (Reconquest) of the Iberian Peninsula.

Courtyard of the Maidens

The Moorish influences are not just on the outside. They are in evidence throughout.

More Moor

Much of the interior deserves to be photographed.

Alcázar Palace

However one of the most stunning interior views is the great dome and balconies that tower over the Hall of the Ambassadors.

Balcony inside the Hall of the Ambassadors

Meanwhile, don’t forget to stroll the royal gardens for some very interesting flora.

Alcázar Gardens

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Filed under Photography, travel

December 28, 2013 · 4:41 pm

Latest Acquisition — An Interarms Walther PPK in .380 ACP

Stainless Interarms Walther PPK in .380 ACP (9mm Kurz)

I had hoped to show you my new stainless Interarms Walther .32 ACP (7.65mm) PPK by now, but it’s currently being held by a sheriff department in another state pending a defensive shooting. Until that investigation is completed and the deal closed between the seller and me, that particular blog will have to wait. Shame, too, because there were only 5,000 samples of that particular weapon made in that exact caliber before Interarms shut down operations back in the late 1990s. In other words, it’s a rare beauty.

However, as luck would have it, I found today a close cousin — another stainless Interarms Walther PPK, but this one chambered for the much more popular and vastly more prevalent .380 ACP round (9mm Kurz). After disassembly, a thorough cleaning, lubrication, and reassembly, here’s what followed me home today:

Disassembled view — the two right-most magazines are actually for the .380 version of the PPK/S rather than the PPK

Stainless steel frame and slide — this particular material was only used in PPK and PPK/S pistols made in Smith & Wesson’s current version and the previous Interarms version manufactured by Ranger Manufacturing; No European Walthers were made in stainless steel.

Close-up of PPK frame and underneath view of the PPK slide; firing pin channel and safety block located on the left-hand side.

Original case with Owner’s Manual and Test Target

Following the conclusion of my series on our recent transatlantic cruise you may expect to see a series of reviews on several firearms — Beretta 84FS Cheetah, Beretta CX4 9mm Carbine with EOTech Holographic Sight, Colt M1991A1, FNH FNX-45, SIG P229 Enhanced Elite, SIG P220 Compact SAS Gen 2, and the SIG P220 Equinox.

But if you’re not into guns, don’t worry. No more than one such review shall occur in any one week. We’ll still have plenty of travels to enjoy as well as Fun Photo Friday.