More pictures from Seville

Here are more pictures from the Real Alcazar in Seville, and another residential palace, the Casa de Pilatos.   They are both examples of how the Moorish traditions were adapted by the Spanish after the expulsion in 1492.   Seeing the again excessive decoration, I am wondering how the residents lived amidst all this visual splendor.  In one of the rooms, there was a little sign indicating that a future Queen of Spain was born in that room. Hard to imagine.

Here are some examples:

The exterior:

Some ceilings (One can get a stiff neck looking at them!):

This ceiling is absolutely dazzling.  Click to enlarge:

More Pictures from the Alhambra

I have had more time to post some more pictures from the Alhambra and other places we saw in Spain.   When I look at these pictures, I am struck by the sheer excess of ornamentation and decoration; no wonder that the experience of seeing these places in person was overwhelming.  
In the meantime, I have read Robert Irwin's lively and informative book about the Alhambra, which discusses not only the history and construction of the Alhambra, but deconstructs its cultural history in subsequent European society and art.

The pictures below for the most part focus on details of the ornamentation.   It's almost impossible to render the sensation of actually being in the space, though, and feeling the proportions of the architecture.

A ceiling:

A ceiling:

A ceiling:

These ceilings seem very different; they were located in a transitional corridor: