Days 8-10 Seville

We found this striking couple in Seville and took a liking to them.  It’s not easy finding people wearing the traditional garb of Spain years ago.  The clothes probably make these people look four times as good as they would if they were wearing shorts and short-sleeved shirts!

Looks like there maybe a pick-pocket trying to find the wallet of the caballero.

There are Churches and Palaces (Cathedrals and Alcazars) in most every Spanish city we visit so it might seem a little repetitive.  So far, every one has been been more grand than that of the previous city. 

In Seville, there is the largest gothic cathedral in the whole world.  

More impressive is the interior.  There are dozens and dozens of side altars.  The main alters are enormous and often decorated with gold, silver, huge paintings, and sculptures, and even tombs!  There are even rooms where some of the gold and silver treasure is stored.  There is so much, one could think it decadent.  One very interesting thing found in the cathedral is the tomb of Christopher Columbus.

His tomb is carried by large sculpted kings who represent the four regions of Spain.  It is interesting to note that Columbus traveled a lot both before and after he died.  You probably know he sailed several times to the Americas.  His remains also traveled and were first placed in a northern Spain, then moved to Seville, then moved to the Dominican Republic in the West Indies, then Cuba, and then around 1900, back to Sevilla.

Another interesting note about Columbus is that we sailed for the new world from Seville.  This city is on a river, not an ocean.  It used to be a major port city and place for the Spanish Armadas to dock even though some distance from the sea.

Even more impressive for me is the alcazar (palace).  Seville is much closer to Moorish (Muslim) countries of North Africa, and the influence in this old city is more noticeable than Madrid and other cities in the center of Spain.

The outer walls occupy four city blocks. It is what’s inside that is most impressive.  One of the first things you see is this courtyard.

We used the audio guide to help understand the many many rooms and decorations.  Each of the rooms had a purpose many of which we would not consider needed today such as the Admirals’ apartments where debriefing of the explorers such as Columbus would occur or plans made for Magellan.

All room walls have artistic elements, and many of the doorways include marble pillars.

This sizable piece of land also had outdoor pools such as this one

and a huge garden that even had an observation walkway built into the boundary wall of the garden.

One of our nights in Seville, we took in our first live flamenco dance in a small theatre.  Flamenco has an interesting history, but we leave that for you to discover.  It was an amazing show by all three artists:  the guitar player, the dancer, and the singer.  This is a picture I took from our front row seat.

One last thing is the old world streets.  This is Shari just outside the front door of our hotel.  Cabs can’t take you to many of the hotels in the old quarter of the city, and that suited us just fine.