Flashback: Sizzling Seville

Catching up is tough on the road... as depicted in this self-portrait in Nerja.

With all the preparations for the Eurobowl Semi-Final and having my wife's mother in town, I didn't have a chance to post about our quick visit to Seville before departing from Spain.  This was a big oversight on my part - as the city is full of history, interesting architecture, and flavorful food.  As the financial and cultural center of southern Spain, Seville's 1.5 million people give it a vibrant feel, with buzzwords like flamenco, tapas, and sangria filling the air.  It was the perfect place to end our visit to the region.  Here's a quick rundown of our twelve hours in the city:

The cathedral in Seville is home to the final resting place of Spanish hero Christopher Columbus.  I guess its not bad for the man who discovered the "New World."

Seville sits on a golden plain and boasts over 2,000 years of history.  Each conquering party left its influence, most notably the early Roman conquerers (5th and 6th centuries) and 500 years of Moorish influence.  This Islamic period is responsible for much of the old town's feel, with narrow lines reminiscent of Africa.  It was taken back by the Christians in 1248, and following this "reconquest" the cities centerpiece -- the Cathedral of Seville -- was built.  It rose on the former site of the city's mosque, and after one hundred years of construction (1401-1519) it emerged amongst the largest of all medieval & gothic cathedrals.  The interior is absolutely cavernous, with huge gold adornments and in one corner, Christopher Columbus' tomb.  While St. Peter's at the Vatican felt a little bigger, there is a certificate from the Guinness Book of World Records on hand crediting this as the biggest church "by volume" in Europe.  This is good to know if we ever need to drain the Mediterranean somewhere...  

The Bell Tower, known as 'Giralda,' is a perfect example of Spanish Baroque style.  It actually incorporated the former Muslim minaret (it has "sister" towers in Morocco) and currently stands at 320 feet tall.

A beautiful dark corner in the Cathedral.

After taking in the Cathedral, we spent the rest of our time wandering around & taking pictures of the colorful buildings.  We stopped for tapas (small finger foods) and drank sweet sangria (a sort of juice mixed with wine.)  It was all very... Spanish.

Pink is the right color for this one...

A quote from Don Quixote, roughly saying, "one day I was old to challenge the famour river of Sevilla, named La Giralda, which is so violent and strong as if it was made out of bronze. And while only staying in one place it is the most mobile and active woman on earth."

Interesting door.

After dinner, we were doing our best to follow the local custom of paseo (evening stroll), when all of a sudden the streets began to fill with people.  I'm talking MAJOR amounts of people - more than a typical sunday evening should contain.  We followed the stream of bodies until we found ourselves trapped shoulder to shoulder on a side street.  After inquiring with a local, I gathered that we had somehow found ourselves in the middle of a religious procession.  What a surprise!

The people gather...

Nothing left to do but wait for it to get dark and take pictures...

Finally the main processional float arrived in front of us, sparking a flurry of camera flashes and ovations from the crowd.  It was adorned with hundreds of candles and carried by a group of local men.  The festival itself was in conjunction with Easter & Ascension day, one of 132.3* holidays per year in the country.  It was very reminiscent of the Santa Agatha celebration in Catania, and was definitely a unique local event to take part in.  It's funny how just a few short hours can give you such a great feeling of a city.  We will definitely return to Seville and southern Spain when we have more time!  

After dark, the streets reflect lantern light off the cobblestones and the warm air makes aimless strolling a perfect option. 

~ J. Twice

* Exaggerated and completely unofficial number.  What do you think, I have all day to check my facts?  I have a game to play!!!