Seville (Sevilla)

Evora to Seville - we're gone from warm to a bit warmer - now mid- to high-30s.

Fabio had dropped us off at the station in Evora for our 5pm train to Lisbon Oriente station, where we caught a taxi to Lisbon airport, followed by a 10.30pm fifty-minute flight to Seville, and a taxi from the airport, and we finally arrived at our apartment in Seville at 2.00 am having been overcharged by the taxi driver. Ivor was not prepared to hassle at that hour of the morning.

The apartment is on the ground floor and we were kindly met by elderly Gustamo who showed us how things worked - very good at that hour of the morning. Our host, Ricardo, had left us a bottle of chilled white wine in the fridge and, as tired as we were, we decided to put our feet up and wind down with a most welcome relaxing glass!

The apartment building was built some time ago....

Seville is the capital of the Andalusia – which covers the south of Spain - and many cultural phenomena that are seen internationally as distinctively Spanish are largely or entirely Andalusian in origin, including flamenco and, to a lesser extent, bullfighting and Hispano-Moorish architectural styles, both of which are also prevalent in some other regions of Spain.

After a good sleep and a rather late start to the day, we set out to follow our audio guide. It was a lovely introduction to Seville and its history as the tour took us through various districts including the old Jewish quarter and the rather up market Santa Cruz area lined with cafes, Michelin restaurants, bars and small shops, and along narrow lanes which twisted and turned. One lane is so narrow it is referred to as the kissing lane as the story goes that as the lane is so narrow neighbours could stand on their balconies and greet each other with the traditional European double cheek kiss.

Moorish style home - built around a central cool garden - view through the gate.

Plenty of Flamenco-themed artefacts.

Narrow streets that don't run straight for too long.

The big advantage of these narrow streets and lanes is that for most of the day they have shade. By 4 pm (temperature 32-degrees) we were in need of some refreshment and found a fabulous bar serving great tapas and cold sangria.

Plenty of little (orange) tree-shaded plazas to relax and cool down.

A 'kissing lane'.

Restaurants provide a fine mist to keep outside tables cool.

The closest Ivor got to a game of golf on the trip - taking a pic of a mini-golf venue offering "18 Hoyas" of mini golf.

This ironwork cross in the Plaza Santa Cruz marks the spot where a Jewish synagogue once stood, dating back to Moorish occupation. But in the 14th Century, Christians began to view the Jews with suspicion, accusing them of all sorts of things from poisoning wells to ritually sacrificing Christian babies. In 1391 the anti-Jewish feeling flared and Christian mobs killed some four thousand Jews and another five thousand were driven from their homes and possessions were confiscated. The synagogue was demolished and a Christian church built on the spot, and the area became known as Santa Cruz (Holy Cross).

We arrived back at our apartment early evening to freshen up and relax before going out for dinner. We went to a restaurant recommended by Ricardo and decided to order a paella (when in Spain....) - it was a disappointing choice unfortunately!

Our planned activity for the next day was a three-hour tour to the Royal Alcazar de Sevilla and the Seville Cathedral starting at 12.30pm. Again, a very hot day.

The Royal Alcazar of Seville is a beautiful palace. It was built many centuries ago and has a mix of Moorish, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The palace was originally a Muslim fortress but later became a palace for Moorish rulers and later for the Spanish Kings. The current King stays here when in Seville.

Intricate Moorish plaster work abounds. Beautiful.

And cool verandahs shaded by vines.

Our time at the palace ended by us taking a walk through the gardens surrounded by orange trees, and we ducked under arches and around ponds to view the lap pool and then down to the indoor pool (not sure anyone actually swims there).

Our next stop was the Cathedral of Seville and the 104-metre high Giralda Tower. The Cathedral of Seville is the largest church in the world after St Peter’s Basilica in Rome and St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Like many Cathedrals in Spain, the Seville Cathedral was built following the ‘Reconquista’ on the site where a Moorish Mosque once stood. The Giralda Tower was originally the minaret of the mosque, repurposed as a bell tower with a rotating sculpture known as the Giraldillo (weather vane), from which the name "Giralda" is derived; it takes the form of a woman carrying a flag pole, and is 4 metres tall and approximately 4 metres wide, weighing 1,500 kilograms.

The decoration behind the altar is quite stunning and the ceiling is magnificent.

This marble is not from Carrara, but an even more valuable variety we're told.

Magnificent huge tapestries on the walls.

The cathedral is truly impressive in its dimensions - according to local oral tradition, the members of the cathedral chapter said "Let us build a church so beautiful and so grand that those who see it finished will take us for mad".

This is a BIG door.

The remains of Christopher Columbus are housed in the cathedral; his tomb is held aloft by four figures representing the four kingdoms of Spain that existed during Columbus' life.

To ascend the tower, one walks up 34 ‘ramps’ rather than stairs – designed so that the muezzin could ride a donkey - 5 times a day - up to the top to give his call to prayer.

The Bullring is visible in this photo from the top of the Giralda.

Our last day in Seville we walked to the Triana district as recommended by our host. It was very different to Seville Old Town where we are staying and sightseeing. Being a Saturday, many locals were out going about their activities, rowing and kayaking on the Guadalquivir river, cycling on the river path, families walking babies in prams and having coffee, and stopping to listen to a busking guitar player (we joined the audience) – we thought he was playing a Dire Straits number at one point, but Shazam said “Cannot find a match” so perhaps it was his own composition – a really good number.

And while we were on our walk, we stopped in at a smallish church and found someone we thought we recognised. John Paul II in a very good likeness.

We had a fun time walking around the Mercado de Triana, a colourful indoor market with meat, fish, breads, fruit, vegetables and cheeses all beautifully displayed. Stalls selling tapas and Sangria – and yes, we found a table and shared a tapas and paella accompanied by cold sangria for lunch.

On leaving the market we discovered that it was built on top of the ruins of St George’s Castle so in we went. It is now a museum with few walls still standing, but the museum contains some magnificent artefacts, including a rather unusual figure of Barabbas (spelled Barrabas on the placard).

Beautiful filigree work on the robe in the photo above.

The castle also turned out to have been the centre of the Inquisition process for a very long time, and we listened to a harrowing audio account of one falsely-denounced young woman – an artist who was accused of conjuring spirits with her painting. Also very interesting was note on the wall describing the Inquisition procedure. Not much justice offered there!

Another beautiful building in Seville is the Plaza Torres de la Maestranza - the Bullring. We hadn’t booked tickets and the thought of standing in a line for who knows how long, in 35 degree heat with no shade, meant it was not going to happen, so were happy to see it at a distance from the bridge in the Triana district. Bullfights are held there regularly and are still popular with the locals and tourists (not these tourists!).

We read that Spain turns pedestrians into what are called “wall crawlers” - people walking right up against the walls, catching whatever shade they can. That’s us for sure! They also have a name for the Brits who tend to get sunburned – “shrimps”!

We have loved all the orange trees planted everywhere in Seville. They are perfect for this climate as they never lose their leaves and give shade all year round. When they start to blossom it is beautiful, and one enjoys a delightful citrus perfume – just not at this time of year. The Seville oranges are bitter and are exported to the UK for making marmalade or turned into marmalade which Spain exports to the UK. You can identify a Seville orange tree by the shape of the leaves - a small leaf at the base of a larger one.

We returned to our favourite tapas restaurant for our final dinner in Seville.🥲

Cheeky wine list from 'our' tapas restaurant.

What we have learned is that throughout Spain, and very evident in Seville, the Virgin Mary is hugely venerated, with colourful processions, masses and festivals throughout the year, and holds immense importance in Spanish culture and religious life as a symbol of purity and grace.

Walking back to our apartment at 9.00pm in 35 degree heat in broad daylight we found ourselves watching a religious parade led by youngsters we assume were altar-boys and accompanied by a brass band. A statue of Mary was being carried by a number of men inside the cloaked ‘pedestal’ and as they are unable to see where they are going the “foreman” on the outside talks to the men inside giving them orders to turn, lift or lower the statue. All this in 35-degree heat and they shuffle along at a very slow pace.

White shoes of the bearers showing under the drape.

Even though June is not the main tourist season, Seville was busy. However, we never found ourselves overwhelmed and we had time to explore and enjoy our time in Seville.

And we leave you with a little test - what's the number represented by these Roman numerals?

Tomorrow is Cordoba.