After a guided walking tour we broke away from the group and had brief bite to eat and decided that we'd visit the Real Alcázar of Seville, the royal palace built for the Christian king Peter of Castile. It was built on the site of an Abbadid Muslim fortress when the Christians reconquest of Seville in during the period 1364-1366.
The Alcázar was spectacular. If I had any assumptions about the differences between the people and the royalty, they were blown away.
Upon passing through the large doors of the Alcázar, ambassadors, royal advisors and the king's family arrived in a tranquil courtyard.