A Week in Sevilla

When we visited Spain for the first time in 2007, Sevilla was our favorite city. After returning there for vacation last week, we think it is our second favorite city in Spain (after San Sebastian, obviously). We are not even sure exactly why we like it so much. Mostly it is just a feeling that Sevilla is a great place to have a glass of wine and watch the world go by.

As with much of southern Spain, we think Sevilla's history is fascinating because of its pre-Christian rule by various Moorish (Muslim) dynasties from around 700 until around 1250. Although there are few actual buildings remaining from the Moorish period, the influence is obvious in the Mudejar style of architecture and decoration.

Of course, after the Moors were driven from Spain (along with the Jews), the Catholics made their contribution to the city. The Cathedral of Sevilla is the third-largest in the world:

The Giralda bell tower is a perfect representation of Sevilla's history: at its base are stones from the Roman period, on some of which you can still see Latin writing. Above that are the remains of the Moorish minaret, and at the top, the bell tower that was added by the Catholics.

 Of course, we visited the Cathedral (again), including a climb up the bell tower's 35 ramps. The reason for ramps (instead of stairs) is that during the Moorish period, the Muezzin would ride a donkey up those ramps five times a day to issue the Muslim call to prayer. The views of the city from the bell tower are fantastic:

The stadium in the foreground is the bullring. Bullfighting is still a very big event (we refuse to call it a sport) in Sevilla and much of the South of Spain, but less so in the north. And, no, we have never attended a bullfight and have no intention of doing so, even if they did make it a fair fight for the bull.

In addition to bullfighting, Sevilla is known for flamenco dancing. Although we did not attend a show on this trip, we did see a brief flamenco street performance:

Another great site in Sevilla is the Plaza de Espana, which is part of the fantastic Parque de Maria Luisa with its many fountains, flowers, trees and birds. The Plaza was built for the 1929 Ibero-American exposition, which was basically a World's Fair for the world's Spanish speaking countries:

Among the coolest parts of the Plaza de Espana is a series of alcoves with artistic tile designs representing each of Spain's regions. Of course, we had to get a picture of the alcove for Gizpuzkoa, the region where we live:

We certainly enjoyed the warm weather in Sevilla, although we could never live there, especially after a waiter told us that last August the temperature hit 54 degrees Celsius (129 degrees Fahrenheit (!!!)) one day. And, of course, we ate well and took advantage of the greater variety of food in Sevilla compared to San Sebastian by eating good Italian and Middle-Eastern food, as well as more traditional Spanish dishes. All-in-all, it was a great week.

More to come about our week in Sevilla.

Hasta luego,

Jeff and Shana