It's now Tuesday (19th March) and we're still TRYING to get started on this record, having failed to do anything since we left Brisbane on the 11th. But June has been keeping her diary, so hopefully we can go back and fill in the gaps.
Seville started with a 2-hour delay on the BA flight from London Gatwick on Sunday the 17th. Barbara dropped us at Clapham Junction station, and we got the train from there (pre-booked tickets in the wallet on the mobile – just have to get used to believing this technology works; it's so convenient), arriving right at the airport terminal. There we found the already 30-min delay had gone to an hour, eventually two. The flight, almost totally full, was fine; no need for business class!
Progress through Seville's airport formalities was efficient and before we knew it, we'd met our driver, Alejandro Cerrato Fabrega, and were whizzing down the highway at 135 kph, with Alejandro paying attention to only 1 of his 2 mobile phones. Squeezing around tight corners on very narrow streets, we got to our apartment house, Palacete Molina (3, Calle Argote de Molina) around 6:45 pm, being met by a young man, Alfredo, who works for the company that owns this apartment block (and probably many others). He recommended the nearby Bar Estrella, where we went for beers and tapas. Alfredo also suggested looking at preparations for Holy Week, but his church was closed. Nearby San Isodoro contained two huge, ornately decorated floats being prepared for the Holy Week (one of the Virgin Mary, the other Jesus, which seems to be standard for most churches we've since visited).
We awoke early the next day (Monday 18/03), while it was dark, jet lag still haunting us a bit, and went for a walk. We knew we were close to Seville Cathedral and the Real Alacazar (former royal palace), in fact less than 500 m away. Getting there at 7:15, still a bit dark, there were hardly any local people around, and seemingly no other tourists.
We then walked around the walls of the Alcazar gardens to Murillo Gardens, named after the painter who had lived nearby. Then to the University, in the building that was the former cigarette factory, as featured in Carmen. They must have made a lot of cigs if they needed a building of this scale. (Mind you, smoking is still big in Spain; it seems like 50% of adults do so.) From there it was down to the river and the Torre del Oro, part of the city defences in the times of the Moors (Almohads). Apparently a huge chain was strung across the river to a twin tower on the other side, to prevent ships sailing upstream. From there we headed back to the apartment via a nearby (MAS) supermarket to buy provisions for a late breakfast.
After breakfast, we decided to do the Barrio Santa Cruz audio-walk from our Rick Steves "Spain" book. We started walking around the cathedral, but were side-tracked by an enormous chapel whose door was open (and we took a few photos until we were asked to leave). After that, the audio refused to work, so we continued under our own steam around Santa Cruz, which had been the Jewish quarter under the Moors, later a ghetto under the Christian rulers. Plaza Santa Cruz had been a synagogue, which was demolished and replaced by a church. It's an open square now, with the site of the church shown by a 17th century iron cross, whose style is symbolic of Seville.
Tuesday morning was another early start, north to the district La Macarena. After several churches we came across Palacio de las Dueñas, but decided to keep walking and visit later in the day. Then it was the long pedestrianised Alameda de Hercules, with 2 huge Roman pillars (with Hercules and Julius Caesar on top). Halfway along the avenue we found a French-style marble palace, Casa de las Sirenas (mermaids), now a free art and cultural centre run by the Ayuntamiento (local council).
Heading to the far north of Macarena and a 1885 shot tower (closed), we reached the Basilica de la Macarena, featuring the famous Virgen de la Macarena, which will be one of the top attractions on Good Friday (but we'll be gone before then). Just outside the crowded church were the remains, 700 m long, of the 12th century city walls, which at one stage had over 100 towers.
On the way back to our place for a cuppa we visited San Luis de los Franceses, an incredibly ornate baroque church, built around 1700 for the Jesuits, until they were expelled from Spain in 1835. Totally over the top.
After some lunch we went to the Dueñas palace, not knowing anything about it. Turns out it's the residence of the 19th Duke of Alba (Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, if you can believe the name, although he did go to Eton), whose mother might be recalled from social pages: a close friend of all sorts of British royalty over the decades. Certainly a wonderful place, a 15th century palace with beautiful courtyards and gardens, hidden away behind its walls in La Macarena.
On Alfredo's recommendation we went for tapas (with sangría and beer) at the nearby small cafe, En la Espero te Esquina, apparently referring to waiting for you at the corner. Excellent food and very pleasant.
It was again an early-start walk on Wednesday, firstly to the Palacio de San Telmo at the edge of the Maria Luisa gardens. Then across the river, walking north through Triana, buying bread from a big food market that was only just opening at 8:30 am. After breakfast we went to the Archive of the Indies (next to the cathedral, a free visit), full of records, including the agreement that Columbus made with the Spanish monarchs (Ferdinand and Isabella) before he set off in 1492.
We got to the cathedral with our timed tickets for 12:20 and spent at least 3 hours there. We were almost taken aback by its vast scale in all respects, including the largest floor area of any cathedral in Europe – as featured across 11 pages in our "Spain" guide book. Nor can we do justice to it with photos, but a significant amount of gold and silver appropriated from the Americas seems to have ended up there. The visit also included a trudge up the ramp of La Giralda bell tower. (The muezzin used to ride up there on a donkey, 5 times a day, when it was a minaret.)
Thursday (today) was a bit overcast, so no early long walk. A few hundred metres took us to Iglesia del Salvador, the biggest church in town after the cathedral, but a much more harmoniously designed building. Inside were 4 huge religious floats, getting their final spit and polish for Easter, and people fixing the gold leaf with syringes. At the front door a huge ramp awaits the floats to take them to the processions (we assume). The church design is quite refined in the first half, but at the front it's all full-bore baroque: carved wood, statues, gold and silver everywhere.
After the church we visited the Flamenco Museum, right next door to our place. Tomorrow evening we'll be going to a live performance there. The basement was interesting: possibly dating back as far as the Romans.
After a quick lunch we walked past 3 Roman pillars (2 of which, from the same site originally, we had earlier seen at Alameda de Hercules), made of Egyptian granite. The base of these was over 4 metres below street level, giving some idea of how much flooding must have occurred over the centuries.
We were on our way to Parque Maria Luisa, when June found a mobile phone on a park bench, belonging to a Swiss woman, the same age as us. There was a number inside that I tried to call (a friend of this person?) but without success, and eventually after a few more tries we found a couple of policemen and passed it on to them. By this time we had reached Plaza de España, a vast building constructed for the 1929 Expo. Down to the river and then lots more walking home.
nicoll
2024-03-21
Wonderful! Glad you got the hang of the blog - it’s lovely to hear about your travels and to see the lovely photos. Keep them coming!
Mike
2024-03-21
Amazing - I can't believe all the things you do before breakfast :)
Helen
2024-03-22
Glad you’re enjoying Spain!
Garth
2024-03-22
Thanks Lance and June. Terrific stuff - I Hope I’ve got that much energy when I’m your age. 😁 BTW you’ve mastered the blog, Lance!
Phaedra
2024-03-23
Great to hear all your news and see some photos ! Glad Alejandro only kept an eye on one mobile phone at a time and you made it safely to Seville. What an amazing trip so far !
Gail
2024-03-25
Great stuff! Do you know what dates you will be in Granada?