Wonders of the Real Alcazar

Photo by Patrick Jones. Domed ceiling at the Real Alcazar, Sevilla.

Our visit to the Real Alcazar in Sevilla deserves its own post. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site, built on the site of an earlier basilica and a Moorish palace from the 12-13th centuries. The lush gardens and intricate architecture at the Alcazar are really beautiful. The palace was featured in Game of Thrones as the Gardens of Dorne.

Photo by Patrick Jones. 27 August 2019.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Cool door & tiles.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Gardens at Real Alcazar.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Carvings & arches.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Serious math in these cool tiles.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Gardens from a balcony.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Palm & fruit trees in the garden.

Exploring Sevilla

Photo by Patrick Jones. Sevilla, ES. 27 Aug 2019.

Sevilla was the next stop on our end of summer vacation, after a week in Portugal. We stayed near the historic center, about an eight minute walk to the Real Alcazar and Cathedral. Sevilla is part of the Andalucia region, an area where I may have ancestral family connections. My 7th-great-grandfather Francisco Ruiz Canete y Monterde was supposedly born in nearby Malaga, Spain in 1735. In any case, I felt very comfortable in Sevilla.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Tiles in Sevilla.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Setas de Sevilla. 27 Aug 2019.

We loved Plaza de España and the Real Alcazar, these were the highlights of our brief stay in the city. I really wanted to see the Roman ruins at Italica, but we ran out of time. We're going to have to go back.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Plaza de España, Sevilla.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Plaza de España, Sevilla.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Performers in Plaza de España.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Allison & the kids on a boat.

Happy Birthday Los Angeles

Source: LAAlmanac.com. Postcard from 1939.

Happy Birthday to my adopted West Coast home. I've previously done HBD LA posts, in 2017 and 2014. I'm looking forward to a return visit to LA later this month.

Trip to the Algarve

Photo by Patrick Jones. Armaçao de Pera, 25 Aug 2019.

After leaving behind Lisbon, we continued our vacation to the Algarve region on Portugal's southern coast. We stayed four days at Armaçao de Pera, in another Airbnb with a lovely view of the beach. This was relaxing, with most of our time spent at the beach, in a pool, or trying local seafood at the beach restaurants around town. On one of the days, I booked a two-hour surfing lesson with Surf Albufeira for Sophia and I. The instructor was great and we had a perfect day at Galé Beach for the surfing session.

Photo by A. Jones. Me surfing at Galé Beach.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Galé Beach, 24 Aug 2019.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Street art in Armaçao de Pera, 23 Aug 2019.

At the end of our four days, we took an ALSA bus from nearby Faro Airport for a two-hour ride to Sevilla, Spain. More photos to follow.

Lisbon 2019

Photo by Patrick Jones. Santa Justa Elevator, Lisbon. 19 Aug 2019.

We began on our vacation in Lisbon, where we stayed in a lovely Airbnb overlooking the Santa Justa Elevator. Our place was conveniently above a wine shop and we managed to find some great deals on Portuguese wine. This made for a perfect base to explore the city for three days. Central Lisbon has unique cobblestone streets and interesting tile patterns. Amazing tiles are everywhere in this city.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Lisbon, 19 Aug 2019.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Lisbon, 20 Aug 2019.

One of our favorite spots in Lisbon was the National Tile Museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo). I took a ton of photos there, so this is a small sampling from this beautiful place.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Lisbon, 20 Aug 2019.

Photo by Patrick Jones. National Tile Museum.

Photo by Patrick Jones. National Tile Museum.

We were able to see two pieces by artist Bordalo_ii, a fox and lynx. Both are made from repurposed materials.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Trash fox by Bordalo_ii. 20 Aug 2019.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Lince Ibérico by Bordalo_ii. 22 Aug 2019.

We took a day trip from Lisbon out to Sintra, where we hiked around Peña Palace and the Moorish Castle. We did about 30,000 steps that day, exploring the castles and gardens.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Peña Palace. 21 Aug 2019.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Ramparts at the Moorish Castle.

Photo by A. Jones. Moorish Castle. 21 Aug 2019.

On our last morning in Lisbon I had a chance to explore the nearby Alfama neighborhood and capture some cool street art. I'll have more photos from the trip in a future post.

Photo by Patrick Jones. One of Lisbon's iconic trams. 22 Aug 2019.