Andalucia is the region in Spain that I have been most excited about visiting. This is the land which the Moors occupied for seven centuries, the home of the mosque that was once the seat of the Western Caliphate of Islam, the region where you can hear the Arabic influence in Spanish guitar music. It's also the birthplace of flamenco, and the second most important center for bullfighting. Everything quintessentially Spanish is here. Andalucia is the southernmost territory in Spain.
My friend, Sharon, and I made a quick weekend getaway to Andalucia last weekend. It was my first time in a Spanish region besides Catalunya. The flight from Barcelona to Seville only took 1 hour and 15 minutes. We stayed in a room we found on "Airbnb," a glorified version of couchsurfing where you sleep in a stranger's guest bedroom for less than a hotel costs, and then presumably s/he is a kind person and shows you around town. Her name was Sasha, and she was.
Mostly I want to share photos, to give you a feel of the spirit of this city which everyone loves. I'll throw in some history here and there, too.
On Friday night, after dropping our stuff off in the apartment, we walked the narrow streets of the neighborhood of Santa Cruz in search of a place to eat.
Found it! Fish stew!
Full moon...
On Sunday morning, I was curious if Seville would be as slow to awake as Barcelona. It was, except for this marathon:
We headed towards the Cathedral, through the Gardens of the Reales Alcazares.
And met this random old man who instantly became our tour guide. Unfortunately, he spoke way too fast, far too inarticulately, and much too loudly for a Sunday morning. Plus Andalucian Spanish is really difficult to understand! They drop so many consonants!
We dropped him fast when we saw this beauty through the archway.
This is The Catedral. Its construction began in 1402, but there was a mosque in this space which first had to be demolished. With the Spanish Inquisition, this cathedral was built with the vision of "a building on so magnificent a scale that posterity will believe we were mad." It took a century to complete (finished in 1506). It's the largest Gothic church in the world!
I am a sucker for flying buttresses. Who isn't?
La Giralda is named after the giraldillo (weather vane) on its summit. This was the minaret of the mosque that existed here before the cathedral was built. It served as a model for imperial capitals like nearby Rabat and Marrakesh. Unlike the cathedral, it only took 12 years to build (1184-96), and unlike the cathedral, it is not Gothic in style at all. You can clearly see the Arabic design in the trelliswork and arches.
More Arabic archways and trelliswork...
Inside the cathedral:
Next, we headed for a much more modern structure we'd read about in an airplane magazine, built in just a few years, and finished in 2011...
The Parasol, the world's largest wooden structure. Waffle-like, undulating wooden panels supporting a walkway that offers panoramas of the city.
Back down to street level, we wandered in search of the bullfighting arena, but got sidetracked by other beautiful things.
Like tilework...
Awesome name for a bookstore, and an awesome plaque.
Art shows in gardens...
Spanish guitar music...
The Guadalquiver River...
A friend recently requested that I take more pictures of Spanish people. So here a few that caught my eye...
Punky hipster enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon...
Young couple on a date...
Young mom and daughter...
Grandmas walking home from church....
A hot mom and her preppy boys doing the same...
Flamenco goddess...
This man, in preparation for Holy Week (the week leading up to Easter Sunday) has created a kind of diorama of an Easter scene. He parked his car on a busy pedestrian street, and charged people 1 Euro to look at his work.
Originally, I was going to visit Seville for Holy Week, but then learned that it is oober crowded, intense in a serious/sad way, and did I say, oober crowded? I am glad we visited Seville when we did, because we got to see some of the preparation for Easter, and get a taste of this major cultural event without the crowds.
Firstly, I noticed that there were posters everywhere advertising the festivities that would take place during the week leading up to Easter. I have never seen such grim posters advertising such a large gathering of people. Crucified Jesus was everywhere in this city.
"Good Death":
During Semana Santa, expect a procession of floats and penitents dressed in hooded, black cloaks:
We walked by this small church where people stood in a long line in order to get a turn to kiss the foot of the Jesus statue.
Outside the church, these women sold close-up photographs crucified Jesus' face with tears and blood flowing down.
Seville definitely is much more conservative than Barcelona. Granted, I only went to a Catalan church service once in Barcelona, but there were only six people in the congregation, and I was the only one under 80 years old. In Seville on this Sunday, it seemed like everyone was just getting out of church, and all were dressed much more formally than Barcelonans. And we certainly don't have crucifixion posters all over Barcelona right now.
This poster from 1919 advertises the celebration that occurs after Semana Santa (Holy Week), where everyone dances and is merry (Feria).
Back to the river...
This statue was dedicated to the poets of Seville.
"Sing we for love and idleness, Naught else is worth the having. " -Ezra Pound
Lord Byron, the well-traveled poet, wrote of Seville, "a pleasant city, famous for oranges and women." Stray, broken oranges certainly did litter the streets here. The women? Well, Sharon and I brought that part of the quote to Seville.
The only picture I took of our host, Sasha. Here, she is taking us through the streets of her neighborhood, Santa Cruz, to the Arab Baths for a cup of tea.
The Arab Baths...
One last cup of tea before heading off to the airport.
I only spent half of the weekend touring Seville. On Saturday, I woke up early and took the train to Cordoba for the day. That post is coming next...
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