Tag Archives: travel photography

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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December 25, 2013 · 5:35 am

Seville, Spain — Know a Good Barber There?

Plaza de España

Cadiz was our next port of call, but as we had been here before Ursula and I had other plans. We immediately departed for Seville — the fourth largest city in Spain and an absolutely incredible destination. By now we were well into our third week on this trip, and I was in desperate need of a haircut. Alas, I could not find the barber for whom I was searching.

Jewish Quarter

Fortunately, what we did find were some fantastic sights. Near the top of the list would have to be the Plaza de España, the epicenter of the epic Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.

Plaza de España

This location has been used in several films, including the epic Lawrence of Arabia and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Does the following bridge look familiar to you Star Wars fans, for instance?

Plaza de España

Another wonderful photographic opportunity is the Seville Cathedral, officially the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See.

Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See — Seville Cathedral

This enormous structure is the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world, and the third largest church. It was built on the site of a former Mosque, with construction spanning 104 years starting in A.D. 1402. Alas, the mosque is not completely forgotten, as the Seville Cathedral’s bell tower — called Giralda — is actually a minaret re-purposed from the previous structure.

Giralda — The Former Minaret

The Royal Alcázars of Seville is another blog in and of itself. That will come next week. This week’s Fun Photo Friday I’ll present some of my favorite Seville photos. Until then enjoy today’s photo gallery:

Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See — Seville Cathedral

Giralda

Seville, Spain

A Great Place for Tapas

Plaza de España

Jewish Quarter Street

Jewish Quarter

In the Jewish Quarter

Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See — Seville Cathedral

Seville Hotel

Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See — Seville Cathedral

Plaza de España

Where José Zorilla wrote Don Juan Tenorio

Plaza de España

Giralda

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Tagged as cruise ship, Holland America, MS Ryndam, photography, R. Doug Wicker, Seville, Spain, travel, travel photography

November 9, 2012 · 12:00 am

Cruising the West Coast — USS Midway

I love it when a great warship is preserved rather than scrapped, used for target practice, or sunk as an artificial reef. Such ships (and more importantly, their crew) should be honored, not discarded.

We arrived into San Diego on the Sapphire Princess the day after our Catalina Island excursion, and it was with great delight that I found we were within easy walking distance of the great USS Midway, which served in the United States Navy from just eight days after the formal surrender of Japan aboard the USS Missouri until its decommissioning nearly 47 years later, in April of 1992. During that time, USS Midway operated in the Korean and Vietnam theaters of conflict and participated in the First Gulf War. Indeed, it was the USS Midway that served as the backdrop for the now famous photos of Huey helicopters being shoved over the side of the ship to allow South Vietnamese Major Buang-Ly, his wife, and their five children to land in his two-seat Cessna O-1 Bird Dog during the final rout of South Vietnam.

USS Midway’s final major deployment was in support of Operation Fiery Vigil. Operation Fiery Vigil was 20,000 Americans evacuated from Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Station in the aftermath of the devastating eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines.

Now, about the ship itself. First of all, this thing is huge. And what’s really amazing is the realization — as you’re standing on the massive four-acre flight deck or wandering through the cavernous hangar deck below — that is ship is far smaller than the modern supercarrier, and was deemed too small a ship for F-14 Tomcat operations.

But, then, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here they are: