¡Hola! and welcome to Spain!
I was just in Spain on business so decided to extend my stay a few days and really explore the fascinating city of Seville (Sevilla in Spanish). I had been before but always in a rush, so I relished the ability to slow down, take my time, and just wander.
Seville has an ancient past but rose to prominence in the 16th century as center for the exploration of the Americas. It controlled trade with the New World and was the richest city in Spain at the time, so there are a lot of beautiful buildings in the Baroque style. I loved this little bull-ring shaped courtyard. Too bad it rained so much while I was there!
There's also plenty of fun street art:
And some lovely architectural details:
And some cool old tile signs. The first is a not-so-politically-correct depiction of plantation workers happily harvesting coffee (hmm...), and the second is a shop that specializes in cloaks and hoods "for all your brotherhood needs." 😄
Spain has traditionally been a very Catholic country and they take their processions and ceremonies very seriously (more than we do here in Italy). Indeed, I was there just before Easter month so saw a group of men practicing for a holy procession.
The guys are all blindfolded (!) and they shuffle together in unison along the streets bearing a religious icon on their shoulders. Here, the guy on the right was yelling directions ("more to the left!"). And to help them keep time there was dramatic music blaring from speakers on the platform.
Here's a pic of how it will look on the big day: they'll be covered with a drapery and have very little air-flow underneath. That's devotion!
And speaking of Christianity, the Cathedral of Seville is one of the largest and grandest in the world. The bell tower (previously a minaret) is all that remains of a previously standing mosque complex from the 12th century, built by the ruling Islamic Caliphate.
The central aisle is so high (42 m [138 ft]) it's almost dizzying to look up!
You could get lost in the ceiling alone!
Legend has it that the city's rulers said: "Hagamos una Iglesia tan hermosa y tan grandiosa que los que la vieren labrada nos tengan por locos" ("Let us build a church so beautiful and so grand that those who see it finished will take us for mad") 😎
It also houses the very elaborate tomb of Christopher Columbus, which is an interesting story on its own. Columbus died in Valladolid (Spain) in 1506 and was initially buried there, but his body was moved to Seville in 1542, then to the Dominican Republic for a few centuries, then to Cuba as Spain started losing her colonies, then eventually he moved back to Seville and this tomb was erected in 1899. More on that here.
You can also climb to the top of the bell-tower, called the Giralda. In its day it was one of the tallest towers in the world (almost 100 m high), and instead of steps it has ramps so the Sultan could ascend on horseback to admire the view:
It allows great views over the elaborate architecture of the church, as well as fun views out over the city. You can look down into the courtyard full of orange trees and over into the palace complex known as the Alcazar:
Built in the 10th century as government buildings for the Caliphate, the Alcazar was gradually transformed into a luxury palace and was further expanded with the Spanish reconquest in the 13th century. It continued to be used as a palace through the Renaissance and up until the Bourbon kings of the 19th century. There were quite a number of tourists there that day, which kinda threw me for a loop as I'm not used to crowds anymore! 😮
The Islamic architectural touches are amazing:
Every inch is covered in ornate design:
These are just the ceilings (if you're viewing on a computer you can click on each one to see it in bigger format):
There's also a vast and lush garden:
It has everything a prince needs to be comfortable, from exotic flora to a fountain that plays organ through the flow of its water.
And an underground hammam (thermal bath) area that looks like it's ready for a re-birthing ceremony 😉
The last room we went into held massive tapestries depicting everything from rural life to complex naval battles, all in perfect Renaissance perspective:
The detail is spectacular!
