George and Deborah's Great Adventures: 09/27/14

I am writing this post as we leave Seville by Fast Train on our way to Toledo via Madrid. As mentioned in a previous post, it has become increasingly difficult to come up with ways to describe the great European cities we have visited. Seville has: a river through the centre, beautiful buildings depicting the blend of Middle Eastern and European flavours, great food, and a historic core. In this post we are going to try to describe what we think we will remember most about our visit to Seville.

We will always remember the journey from Madrid, for both good and bad reasons. The good was the travel by Spain’s Fast train. We covered 465 kilometres in 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 10-minute stop in Cordoba. Each coach had a speedometer and we reached a top speed of 271 km/hr. The countryside reminded me of travelling in Alberta from north to south, flat/rolling flatland with the foothills on the horizon. Most of the crops were being harvested or the ground was already under plow for spring.

Madrid Train Station

Inside Madrid

Our Fast Train

Note the Speed - 271 km/Hr

The bad was finding our apartment hotel. Deborah received instructions from the owner indicating it was only one km from the station. Since we hadn’t any exercise, we decided to walk. The “bad” began as we left the station following the owner’s direction to turn left. As it turned out, he meant his other left and we were lost in a matter of minutes. After struggling for over an hour with maps and Spanish directions we surrendered and hailed a cab. He drove us to an intersection, took our money, and were still lost. It turned out the apartment was on a no-car road. After another 20 minutes of wandering we finally found our temporary home. It was on the first floor and only 100 meters from the Cathedral.

From Our Window

By Day

We will always remember the “vibe/feeling” of the city. Seville is near the southern coast and has a laid-back California-like feel to the place. People are not rushed, go to work after nine am, go out for dinner after 9 pm, and dress casually. The “bad” was the fact the whole “don’t smoke cigarettes” concept has not caught on there. It was only in the last few years that smoking in restaurants and bars was outlawed. As a result everyone smokes outside so prime seats for people watching are in a constant fog of smoke. That said, the inner old city is teaming with great street side cafes where the tapas and beer/wine are both tasty and relatively inexpensive. As well, our apartment overlooked a great little restaurant bar but when the windows were open we were treated to secondhand smoke.

Bull Fighting Arena

Old and New Co-Exist

Love Their Meat

River Walk - Moor Tower on Right

Opera House

Art - Made of Wood

We will always remember how nice it would have been to have bicycles in Seville. It is a city set up for bike riding. Dedicated bicycle paths criss-cross the city and vehicle drivers are very courteous to pedestrians and cyclists alike.

A Great Place to Have a Bike

We will always remember the Cathedral. I know, I know … you’ve seen one cathedral, you have seen them all. While we subscribe to this theory, Seville’s Cathedral deserves a close look. It was originally a Visigoth church in the 12 century, then the Moors converted it to a place to worship Allah by bricking over the previous owners idols, then the Christian church (Catholics) came and took it over and added their own embellishments. It has a tower with 35 ramps instead of stairs. Apparently the old time catholics like to ride horses inside and were into walking stairs. It is the largest Catholic Cathedral in the world according to our guide, Juan. An Aussie in our tour group called bullshit and he smiled and said, “the church in Rome is a Basilica, not a Cathedral, and the Cathedral in London’s is Anglican, not Catholic, therefore Seville’s is the number one Catholic Cathedral in the world. It is memorable for its glistening gold decorations but more importantly as the tomb of Christopher Columbus. One of the Cathedrals side chapels is called Antigua. It is said that Columbus prayed there before setting out on his voyage that led to the discovery of America. He named the present country of Antigua after the chapel when he found it. Some of his bones are buried here while others are in Dominican Republic, Cuba and Madrid. Columbus got around in life and in death.

Columbus' Tomb - Sculptures of Spain's Four Kings Carrying.

View From the Tower

We will always remember the fact that Seville has been host to two World Expositions in 1929 and 1992. The parks, buildings and bridges remain in full use, unlike many of the pavilions from Vancouver’s Expo 86. The highlight is the Plaza de Spain. It is a huge curved building with waterways, bridges, fountains, and gardens built to symbolize Spain’s love for its South and Central American neighbours. It is built in the shape of a large “hug”.

Expo 1929 - Plaza of Spain

Lastly, we will always remember our night at the Museo del Flamenco. While I admit Deborah had to drag me kicking and whining, she was right, it is a must see in Seville. We were treated to an hour of Flamenco guitar, singing and dancing. The hall only held around 60 people and you could feel and see the power of the dance and the expression of the story. I didn’t want it to end. We enjoyed a last series of tapas, wine and beer on a side street café before ending the night at our favourite gelato place just outside of the cathedral.