Alcazar Palace and Gardens were beyond what I expected. They were begun in the 10th C and then redone in the 14th and afterwards. The palace has an Islamic feel because most of it was done by Islamic craftsmen, but it was built by Christians. I love the moorish architecture and arches and mosaics and lavishly painted tiles. It is a feast of colors and textures. There are countless porticos and courtyards that bring in natural sunlight, trees, plants and fountains.
The gardens adjacent and scattered within each have their own feel and design. The use of water is very important to the designs and so fountains and pools are everywhere. One could easily enjoy wandering through them for days. Peacocks walked around without showing any fear of people. There was even a maze garden which I should have known better than go into. I spent a bit of time in there... Even though I'm sure that a lot of visitors were there, the palace and gardens are so spacious it felt uncrowded. The king and queen of Spain still use the upper level chambers as one of their royal residences. I'm pretty sure they weren't there today.
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