Located in the heart of Seville is the Royal Alcázar. It sits directly next to the Cathedral. The Alcázar is the oldest Royal Palace still in use in Europe. The palace in use is just the upper floors, so all the lower floors and gardens are open to the public. The origins of the palace is from the XI century. With all the civilizations and cultures that have moved through Seville, this Royal Alcázar has been used as the capital. Being such a remarkable example of mudéjar architectural style, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The mudéjar architectural style is the mixture of Spanish and Moorish construction. The gardens are also very beautiful with fountains and a wonderful diversity of plants. Being around that much greenery is a welcome respite with a vast majority of the city being paved. There is a little cafe in the gardens and there are two peacocks that go around to the tables as if they were pigeons or squirrels. One wouldn't imagine a peacock as a scavenger type of animal. This past season of the HBO show Game of Thrones used the Alcázar as one of their set for the palace of Dorne, one of their main sets. The movie Kingdom of Heaven with Orlando Bloom also used the center courtyard as the Court of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1962, the Alcázar was used as a set for the movie Lawrence of Arabia.
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