adventureswithsheila

Spain: Day 1 and 2 – Seville

I have been in Spain once before but it was only for a layover in Madrid. It was memorable though because I spent the entire time lying on the airport floor, sick as a dog, waiting for our flight home. This time, we hoped; would be different. Last fall, nephew Tom, friends Marylou and Jerry, and Ross decided we should take Vermont Bicycle Tours (VBT) easy/moderate trip to southern Spain. 
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Because of the climate, this trip was scheduled in early May before the temperature gets really hot. This cramps our training prep a bit because we have nothing but wind, rain, and cold weather – usually simultaneously  – at home in April. My preparation was even more nonexistent because I had a knee problem that kept me in couch potato mode for the previous three months. After an MRI showed a meniscus tear and some worn out cartilage, and after rehab and four shots, I packed up a knee brace and KT tape and off we went.
We arrived in Madrid, then took a flight to Jerez, and met our driver who drove us into Seville at 160 kph. We strapped in and enjoyed the ride. First impressions included REALLY rolling hills, wheat that was ready to be cut, and foot-tall corn. And, Oleanders all along the road in a variety of colors. It’s also arid here; irrigation equipment is in most of the fields.Our hotel was the Las Casas de la Juderia, centrally located and made up of a series of buildings connected by courtyards and walkways. You could get lost here.
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The comfortable lobby displayed the type of tile we saw throughout the trip. No pictures of people or animals – God alone was fit to make those images – but rather geometric shapes and designs.
The next morning the five of us convene and head out to the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, the third largest church in the world. Construction commenced in 1402 and concluded in 1506.

Walking to the church or anywhere was not an easy task. The streets are narrow – to keep the heat down – and multitudinous and branch off in all directions. You could get lost here too. I frequently turned around to take photos of landmarks to chart my way back. But we got there and the inside of the Cathredral was impressive.

The gold-leaf altar.

Another inside view.

Christopher Columbus is buried here, or so it’s claimed. DNA tests are pending. And throughout the whole trip we heard a lot about Queen Isabella. More on that later.

The Giralda Bell tower of the Cathredral was originally built as a minaret during the Moorish period. A Renaissance style top, the top one-third of the tower, was added by Spanish conquistadors after the expulsion of the Muslims.

If you build it, they will climb it. So our group did – sans me. A series of ramps, tall enough to allow a person to ride up on horseback, goes up the nearly 100-meter structure with a view of the city from the top.

Walking along the streets we saw evidence that Seville is the home of bullfighting and flamenco as we pass several shops with dress displays.

Then we went by the arena and a statute of a famous bullfighter.

Next stop was at the Alcázar, a royal palace originally developed by Moorish Muslim kings.

The upper levels are still used by King Juan Carlos when in Seville.

Part of the courtyard.

Ross was most impressed by the Plaza de España built for the 1929 World’s Fair to showcase Spanish culture. Individual alcoves along the curved wall represent each of the provinces in Spain.

It has also served as a location for films including Lawrence of Arabia and one of the Star Wars episodes.

Next stop was the 12-sided Torre del Oro, also known as the Tower of Gold, a former fortress on the Guadalquivir River. It was constructed around 1200 under Muslim rule as part of the defense against the Christian Castilians.

A beautiful sight in Seville were the Jackaranda trees. Their purple blooms were everywhere. Not indigenous here – they were introduced from Argentina.

Another ubiquitous sight in most restaurants was the display of hams.

After our stay in Seville we had a better appreciation for the history and cultural development of Andalusia. Initial occupation was frequently Roman, followed by the Visigoths (pagan Germanic tribes), followed by Arabs (Islam), followed by Spaniards (Catholic) and religious edifices as well as governance centers reflected the architectural history of each of these occupations. It’s a lot more complicated than this but we need to leave Seville for now and start the biking part of the trip.

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