2006 retirement tripSpain March 22 to April 7

Sevilla

Thursday 23 March, 2006 Today we catch the AVE high speed train from Madrid, down through the centre of Spain, to Sevilla, the capital of Andalusia.
1
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 We're at Atocha station to catch our AVE train to Sevilla. We left the hotel at 08:00 to catch the 09:00 service.
2
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Price to Sevilla was about €70 each. The journey is 290 miles and takes 2 1/2 hours - averaging well over 100 mph.
3
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 We travelled first class in extreme comfort.
4
Thursday 23 March, 2006 Renfe trains are for the suburban services. The trains are of a very high standard.
5
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The landscape between Madrid and Sevilla is mostly flat and boring.
6
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 A castle appears on the hill outside our window - we're in La Mancha territory
7
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 We arrived at Sevilla Santa Justa station and caught a cab to our hotel. The hotel was suffocatingly small and still cost $188 per night. This map shows most of the places we visited over the next few days.
8
Thursday 23 March, 2006 This is the church tower in Calle San Vicente, the street in which our hotel was located.
9
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 This is our hotel: the Hotel Regina in Calle San Vicente, Sevilla. Sevilla is Spain's fourth largest city and has a population of 710,000.
10
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Walking down Calle San Vicente. We're on our way to the bus terminus to find out about transport to the MotoGP in Jerez de la Frontera this coming Saturday and Sunday.
11
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 We never see these in Australia: a BMW motor scooter with a roof.
12
Thursday 23 March, 2006 The Expiration Christ Bridge over the Rio Guadalquivir. This is the only navigable river in Spain and ships can reach Sevilla from the Atlantic Ocean. On the other side is the Isla Mágica Theme Park. It was closed for the winter.
13
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 These old original buildings are on the western side of the Guadalquivir in an area called the Triana district.
14
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Looking down the Gudalquivir at the Torre del Oro (Spanish for Gold Tower).
15
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Waterfront public areas along the Guadalquivir. The road behind is the Paseo de Cristobal Colon - Spanish for Christopher Columbus.
16
Thursday 23 March, 2006 On our walk through old Seville, we discover the plaza de toros de sevilla - the bull ring.
17
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla is the oldest bullring in Spain
18
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The access gate through which successful bullfighters exit. The odds are heavily weighted against the bull so most are successful.
19
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The theatre box reserved for the exclusive use of Spanish Royalty.
20
Thursday 23 March, 2006 Construction began in 1749 of a circular ring to take the place of the rectangular bullring previously located here. Later, in 1761, the construction began to incorporate ochavas (each ochava being equivalent to four arches).
21
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The construction of the ring was completed in 1881; two thirds was constructed in stone, the rest in wood.
22
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Our tourist guide , who spoke English, took us inside the building to . . .
23
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 . . . the infermary. Careless bullfighters (six in each bout with a bull) are sometimes injured. The brave Matador doesn't attempt to kill the bull until the three horse-mounted picadores have severely injured it. How brave. How noble. How Spanish.
24
Thursday 23 March, 2006 The picadors stab the bull's neck muscles which leads to the animal's first loss of blood. The bull then cannot use these muscles during the following stages of the fight. Thus crippled, the matador dispatches it with his sword.
25
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Our tour guide explaining the herosim, boldness and daring of the team sent to torment the bull.
26
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 We head for the museum.
27
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Posters like this glamourise a cruel and pointless sport. In the past 100 years, only three matadors have been killed.
28
Thursday 23 March, 2006 See the lances stuck into the bulls neck so that the poor beast cannot lift his head to fight back?
29
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 These are the heads of the "bravest" bulls - however that may be defined.
30
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 When a bull kills a matador, they slay not only the bull, but the bull's mother as well. This was such a mother.
31
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Matadores are easily distinguished by their spectacular "suit of lights" (traje de luces).
32
Thursday 23 March, 2006 Suit of lights.
33
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 I Have to admit, they're very attractive in a pansy sort of way.
34
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Back into the plaza.
35
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The sand in the arena is to absorb the blood of the slaughtered bull. The carcase is dragged from the plaza by a tractor. The meat is donated to charity (so they claim).
36
Thursday 23 March, 2006 A 2002 Gallup poll found that nearly 70% of Spaniards express "no interest" in bullfighting while the remaining 30% express "some" or "a lot" of interest.
37
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The poll also found significant generational variety, with over 50% of those 65 and older expressing interest, compared with less than a quarter of those between 25–34 years of age.
38
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The ultimate hypocrisy - praying for God's help to slay one of God's lesser creatures for the amusement of the crowd.
39
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Where the bulls are kept prior to the bout. The red door to the left opens so that they can enter the arena.
40
Thursday 23 March, 2006 The bull pens. Funny that baseball uses this expression for its players.
41
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The outside of the stadium.
42
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Old Sevilla also has its traditional balconies.
43
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Seville’s flagship opera house Teatro de la Maestranza was built for Expo ’92 and incorporates the original façade of Maestranza de Artilleria.
44
Thursday 23 March, 2006 Our first exposure to Andalusian architecture. You can see the remains of a muslim wall behind the structure.
45
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The wall - possibly 800-900 years old.
46
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 It was then a short walk to the Cathedral which is also known as Catedral de Santa María de la Sede (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Sea). It is the largest Gothic cathedral and the fourth largest Christian church in the world.
47
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Construction of the cathedral began in 1402 (90 years before Columbus sailed for the new world) and continued into the 16th century.
48
Thursday 23 March, 2006 It is the largest of all Roman Catholic cathedrals (Saint Peter's Basilica not being a cathedral) and also the largest Medieval Gothic religious building, in terms of both area and volume.
49
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 It is 76 by 115 meters, and was built to cover the land previously occupied by the Almohad Mosque.
50
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Its central nave, with the domelike structure, rises to a height of 42 metres.
51
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 This cathedral was built to demonstrate Seville's wealth as it had become a major trading centre in the years after the Reconquista (when the Catholic monarchs defeated the Muslims).
52
Thursday 23 March, 2006 Intricate gothic architecture.
53
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 It's interesting from every angle in an ugly sort of way.
54
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Front door in Calle Fray Ceferino González not really used now. The main entrance is through a Muslim doorway which remains from the mosque that previously stood on these grounds.
55
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The intricacy of the stone work is amazing. That's the Giralda in the centre background. This also remains from the original muslim structure although it was later added to.
56
Thursday 23 March, 2006 Next to the cathedral is the Alcazar . It was built after Sevilla fell to the Christians during the reconquista (1248) and was built in Islamic style by muslim labour. We visit the Alcazar (Spanish for royal palace) properly in a couple of days time.
57
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Entrance to the Alcazar, once known as the Gate of the Hunt. It takes its name from the ceramic tile panel above the portal with a heraldic lion holding a cross. The Latin inscription reads Ad Utrumque (Prepared for All).
58
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The site was initially a Roman settlement that was later used by the Visigoths (Germanic tribes). In 712 Seville was conquered by the Arabs, who transformed the building into a palace-fortress.
59
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 When Ferdinand III of Castile regained the city in 1248, the Alcazar became the Royal Palace. His son, Alfonso X, initiated the first works and ordered the construction of the Gothic Palace. Later, in 1364, Peter I of Castile, decided to build the Mudejar Palace.
60
Thursday 23 March, 2006 Some attractive local lasses.
61
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 Plaza Del Triunfo occupies the space between the cathedral and the Alcazar.
62
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 My wonderful woman wandering the plaza.
63
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The Giralda. We climb this in a couple of days time. Note the distinctly different structure at the top compared with the original muslim construction of the base.
64
Thursday 23 March, 2006 We wandered through the Santa Cruz district of Sevilla through narrow winding streets.
65
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 No trip to Spain could be complete without visiting a Lladro shop.
66
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 This is in an interesting jumble of buildings in the Santa Cruz district.
67
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 The district has narrow streets full of colour.
68
Thursday 23 March, 2006 We've exited the Santa Cruz area and entered the Jardines de las Reales Alcazares, Gardens of the Royal Palaces.
69
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 In the Jardines de las Reales Alcazares. We found it extremely difficult to communicate with the natives but there was at least some English spoken in the hotels. No wonder Koreans and Japanese have to travel in groups.
70
 Thursday 23 March, 2006 We found our way to the bus station but they spoke no English so we figured we'd take the train on Saturday to Jerez and the GP. Starting in Madrid this morning, this had been a big day.
71
 Friday 24 March, 2006 We slept until 9:15. We decide to head for the train station to get our tickets to Jerez and have breakfast along the way. This is a monument to Christopher Columbus' ship the Isabel.
72
Friday 24 March, 2006 Cristobal Colon is the Spanish version of the name of the explorer Christopher Columbus. He was born in Genoa which later became part of Italy.
73
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Another worker protest.
74
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Salario probably means something to do with wages.
75
 Friday 24 March, 2006 These are the Pillars of Hercules. The park and gardens are being reconstructed.
76
Friday 24 March, 2006 This is one of the best breakfast places we've ever been. Freshly squeezed orange juice (as usual in Spain) ham, cheese and tomato tostada and excellent coffee, all for €9.80. We never had a bad meal in Spain.
77
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Parking here is inconsiderate.
78
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Entrance to the Basilica de la Macarena, a catholic church. It contains a wooden statue of "The Virgin of Hope" (Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza) which locals call La Macarena. La Macarena is the patron saint of matadors.
79
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The largest surviving portion of the medieval city walls, built largely by the ruling Arabs prior to the city's reconquest in the 13th Century. It spans from the Basilica (Puerta de la Macarena) to the Puerta de Cordoba.
80
Friday 24 March, 2006 900 years old and still in remarkable condition.
81
 Friday 24 March, 2006 We're heading for Sevilla rail station but right now my tummy's giving me grief. 22°C is wonderful.
82
 Friday 24 March, 2006 This wall also divides the ancient zone of La Macarena from the modern zone, which forms part of the District by the same name.
83
 Friday 24 March, 2006 This is a view of the Arco (Arch) de la Macarena which is from early Roman times but is now 19th centrury in appearance. To its right, is the Basilica with the statue of La Macarina. Roman Seville was originally called Hispalis.
84
Friday 24 March, 2006 These Almohad city walls were used to defend the city against invasions and to separate the urban area from the surrounding farms. The walls were built in the 12th century over the remains of Roman walls.
85
 Friday 24 March, 2006 After being expanded by the Almohads, the Christians added to them. The Almohad Dynasty was a Muslim dynasty founded in the 12th century that conquered Northern Africa & Al-Andalus (Moorish Iberia).
86
 Friday 24 March, 2006 An interesting mixture of Christian and Arab construction
87
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The walls had a perimeter of 6 km and there were 166 towers, 12 gates and 3 smaller gates. This is one of the remaining towers, of which only half a dozen remain.
88
Friday 24 March, 2006 This appears to be centuries of construction over the top of early Roman walls
89
 Friday 24 March, 2006 An arch of the city wall nearest the Guadalquivir river. Centuries ago, the wall continued to the Gold Tower on the river's edge.
90
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Through that arch is modern Spain.
91
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Inside the city wall.
92
Friday 24 March, 2006 The wars are still being fought apparently - even though Sevilla fell to the Christians in 1248 and became part of Spain. That's a long time to hold a grudge.
93
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Down one of the side streets behind the wall is highly artistic graffiti.
94
 Friday 24 March, 2006 It seems irreverant to me to use a construction with such historical importance for such a purpose - not withstanding that the art is well crafted.
95
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Eucalypts grow very well in Andalusia.
96
Friday 24 March, 2006 My tummy nearly exploded but luckily I found a bar and went into the ladies toilet - there was only a urinal in the mens. Crisis past, we continued on to the Santa Justa rail station where we had arrived only yesterday.
97
 Friday 24 March, 2006 This is one thing that Europe has got right. Compared with the crap at airports, this is a very relaxed way to travel.
98
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Jenni then spent 2 hours in queues before finally getting our tickets to Jerez tomorrow. This sort of disorganisation is very Spanish.
99
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Jenni's problem was compounded by the ticket seller refusing to speak English even though she heard him speaking English to a previous customer. My dislike of Spaniards (but not Spain) is starting to grow.
100
Friday 24 March, 2006 The result was that the ticket was wrong - luckily as it turned out. We wanted a same-day return ticket for Saturday and same again for Sunday. Instead, we got travel Saturday, return Sunday.
101
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Look how civilised the security check is. No inflated egos rushing around with guns yelling at everybody.
102
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Parking here really astounds me. This seems to be a Spanish thing as it was not like this in Austria or Germany.
103
 Friday 24 March, 2006 A Roman aqueduct in the Nervión district. It was possibly built in the time the town got its walls, between 68 and 65 BCE, when Julius Caesar conquered Iberia.
104
Friday 24 March, 2006 The aqueduct was still in use in the 19th century and was mostly demolished in 1912.
105
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Incredible to think that parts of this are nearly two millenia old.
106
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Gross I know. While in Tucson I had mangled my finger in a propeller. Today the healing was such that I was able to remove the stiches myself.
107
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The Fabrica Artilleria has been handed over to the city for the storage of archives. It was once an ordinance factory and its construction was ordered by Carlos III in 1782
108
Friday 24 March, 2006 We're walking through parts of the old town back to the tourist areas.
109
 Friday 24 March, 2006 After a long walk to and from the train station, we arrived at the Jardines del Prado de San Sebastian.
110
 Friday 24 March, 2006 It was an improvised cemetery in 1649, when the plague swept the city, and fairgrounds later in 1846.
111
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The current gardens were opened in 1997 after a struggle between city authorities and real estate interests that had bid for decades to destroy the place.
112
Friday 24 March, 2006 We took a ferris wheel ride. Good value at €8 each.
113
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Great views of Sevilla. That's the Giralda spire in the distance.
114
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Our first glimpse of one of the most stunning buildings we've ever seen: the Plaza de Espana.
115
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The Universidad de Sevilla, is a public university established in 1551.The main part of this building was a tobacco factory and was the largest industrial building in Spain at the time.
116
Friday 24 March, 2006 The Teatro Lope de Vega is named after a famous Spanish playwright. The building was designed for the 1929 Iberico-American Expo as the Pavilion of Seville. It was later used as a casino and then converted into a theatre in 1980.
117
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The Cathedral and Giralda are stunning from up here. The gardens of the Alcazar are in the foreground.
118
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The main building of the University is called the "Old Tobacco Factory" because there was such a factory in the building up to the 1950s. The building was also the setting for Bizet's opera Carmen.
119
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The fountains and ponds in the Jardines del Prado de San Sebastian. The university/tobacco factory is visible behind the ponds.
120
Friday 24 March, 2006 Sevilla is mostly low rise.
121
 Friday 24 March, 2006 This is the bus terminus where we'd tried unsuccessfully to get a bus to Jerez de la Frontera.
122
 Friday 24 March, 2006 I took this photo to explain to Jenni how the little wheels turned the big wheel but she wasn't interested. Who can understand women?
123
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The Ferris wheel is a Sevilla landmark. A couple of days ago we had seen a reproduction of the original Ferris wheel on Navy Pier in Chicago.
124
Friday 24 March, 2006 Ornate columns of the Plaza de Espana
125
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The Plaza de España is one of Seville's most easily recognised buildings and the embodiment of the Moorish Revival in Spanish architecture
126
 Friday 24 March, 2006 A magnificent fountain occupies the courtyard.
127
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Girls playing in the fountain.
128
Friday 24 March, 2006 For €30 a driver will take you on a 30-45 minute tour of the city in a horse and buggy.
129
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Numerous buildings were constructed for the 1929 Spanish-American Exhibition in Maria Luisa Park . The Plaza de Espana is at the edge of the park.
130
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The courtyard is accessible by crossing bridges over a moat.
131
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Ornate bridge decoration done in Moorish revival style.
132
Friday 24 March, 2006 The moat is crossed by four bridges that represent the four original kingdoms of Spain: Castile, Aragon, Navarre and Galicia (Portugal).
133
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Navarre is interesting; it once occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean. The southern part went to Castile in 1513, and the northern part was independent until 1620 when it merged with France.
134
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Plaza de España was used as the "Cairo Great Britain Army Headquarters" for the movie Lawrence of Arabia.
135
 Friday 24 March, 2006 At one end of the semi circle looking towards the main entrance in the centre.
136
Friday 24 March, 2006 In Dan Brown's novel Digital Fortress, the first scene takes place in the Plaza.
137
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Ornate moorish-inspired ceiling tiles in the walkway.
138
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The Plaza is a huge half-circle with buildings at the perimiter.
139
 Friday 24 March, 2006 There is a tiled alcove named after each of the districts in Spain, 54 in all.
140
Friday 24 March, 2006 Patriots like to have their photo taken in front of their home province.
141
 Friday 24 March, 2006 There is a map showing the location of each province.
142
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Some of the 54 alcoves representing the districts of Spain.
143
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The art work could be described as moorish modern (although the Moors got tromped on in the 13th century)
144
Friday 24 March, 2006 Between each archway is the bust of a famous historical Spanish person. This particular one is Jusepe de Ribera (1591 - 1652) a Spanish Tenebrist painter and printmaker.
145
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Today the plaza mainly consists of Government offices.
146
 Friday 24 March, 2006 In Star Wars II, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala walk along here in the company of R2-D2. The final scenes were digitally messed with.
147
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Impressive wooden ceiling decoration.
148
Friday 24 March, 2006 The buildings form a complete semi-circle that are anchored at each end by impressive towers. These towers are visually balanced by an equally impressive main entrance in the centre of the semi-circle.
149
 Friday 24 March, 2006 We then crossed the road to visit the Maria Luisa Park itself.
150
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Architect Anibal Gonzalez designed the park as a a mix of 1920's Art Deco and mock Mudejar styles. The mudejar's were moors who remained in Spain after the reconquista in the 13th century. Pronounced moo de' har ( 'e' as in egg).
151
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The park was donated to the city by the Duchess of Montpensier, the Princess Maria Luisa Fernanda de Orleans in 1893.
152
Friday 24 March, 2006 A small circular pond that serves as a pedestrian roundabout. Remember to keep to the right.
153
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The horse and carriage provides a very pleasant way to visit this area.
154
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Many small statues dot the area.
155
 Friday 24 March, 2006 A view of the Teatro Lope de Vega from inside the park. Missing roof tiles are apparent from this direction. We're very close to the SE edge of the park.
156
Friday 24 March, 2006 I took the dressing off my injured thumb - half the nail was missing. It took about a year to grow back.
157
 Friday 24 March, 2006 We stopped for tapas in the park where Jenni did her usual wonderful job of ordering with merest few words of Spanish. Excellent quality and cheap at €5.25.
158
 Friday 24 March, 2006 A retired gentleman enjoying his tapas.
159
 Friday 24 March, 2006 There was no mistaking the gentlemen's toilet . . .
160
Friday 24 March, 2006 . . . nor the ladies'.
161
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The servicios.
162
 Friday 24 March, 2006 The style of the gardens is mock-Mudéjar.
163
 Friday 24 March, 2006 In the mid-16th century, the mudejar's were forced to convert to Christianity. From that time, because of suspicions that they were not truly converted, they were known as Moriscos (Spanish, from Moro = Moor) .
164
Friday 24 March, 2006 La Isleta de los Patos, (the Islet of the ducks) a pond surrounded by rustic stones with a central island and an exotic pavilion where King Alfonso XII declared his love for Maria de las Mercedes.
165
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Eucalypts are very common in Southern Spain.
166
 Friday 24 March, 2006 They grow to be quite huge.
167
 Friday 24 March, 2006 A mansion built in the park for the 1929 expo is now a museum.
168
Friday 24 March, 2006 Wandering through the park, the both of us are becoming increasingly foot sore.
169
 Friday 24 March, 2006 Another beautiful pond built for the 1929 exposition.
170
 Friday 24 March, 2006 And after all of this work, all this magnificent craftmanship and artistic creation, the exposition didn't go ahead because of the Wall Street crash.
171
 Friday 24 March, 2006 We were too weary to continue so we caught a cab back to the hotel. The next day, Saturday 25, we caught the train to Jerez de la Frontera for the MotoGP. It was a total disaster and we never got to see the main event on Sunday.
172
Sunday 26 March, 2006 It is now Sunday March 26 when we were supposed to be in Jerez watching the MotoGP. Instead we're back here in Sevilla doing tourist things. Take a look at the Circuito de Jerez folder to see what happened.
173
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 We're wandering down Calle Sierpes towards the Cathedral y Giralda.
174
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Calle Sierpes has lots of upmarket shops - closed at this time of day, 12:15 according to the clock in the picture. Could also be because it's Sunday.
175
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Mantillas. Queen Isabel II (1833-1868) actively encouraged their use. The practice diminished after her death and by 1900 their use became largely limited to special ceremonies, such as bullfights, Holy Week and weddings.
176
Sunday 26 March, 2006 At the end of many streets, there's a church. This is Calle Jovellanos.
177
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Easter was coming and all of this equipment is to prepare grandstands and barriers for the celebrations. The street is Plaza de San Francisco and it is the city's main public square.
178
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 This wierd, Moorish style arch is an entrance to the Cathedral. It is called the Puerta del Perdón y Patio de los Naranjos. The Patio of the Oranges is visible through the arch.
179
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The Puerta del Perdón y Patio de los Naranjos is part of the original Moorish archway that was retained when the cathedral was built over the top of the mosque.
180
Sunday 26 March, 2006 We don't go into the cathedral for the moment but continue on to the Alcazar.
181
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The Alcázar is a royal palace but it was originally a Moorish fort. This is the Patio del Léon, separated from the one behind it, the Patio de la Montería, by a large wall with three arches.
182
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Parts of the wall show centuries of deterioration.
183
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Most of the modern Alcázar was built over Moorish ruins for King Pedro of Castile (also known as Pedro the Cruel) with construction beginning in 1364. This is the Patio de la Montería (patio of the hunt) with King Don Pedro's Palace to the left.
184
Sunday 26 March, 2006 The arabesques inside the palace follow the Mudejar style of the time. The arabesque is an elaborative application of repeating geometric forms that often echo the forms of plants and animals.
185
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Pedro of Castile used Moorish workers, Mudejars, to build his palace which gives it a distinctly Islamic style.
186
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 El Patio del Yeso (The Plaster Patio).
187
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The palace is one of the best remaining examples of mudéjar architecture, a style under Christian rule in Spain but using Islamic architectural influence.
188
Sunday 26 March, 2006 It appears that little of the original Moorish wall remains; it is so distinctly different to the brick work around and on top of it.
189
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Recording for posterity in the Patio de la Monteria.
190
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 A glance up to the right shows "modern" additions over the old.
191
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Thumb and finger are repairing quite well. A rudimentary thumb nail is starting to appear.
192
Sunday 26 March, 2006 Exterior facade, Palacio del Rey Don Pedro (King Don Pedro's Palace).
193
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The Chapel of the Casa de la Contratación (house of trade). Isabella of Castille received Christopher Columbus after his second voyage to the Americas here. The ceiling has octagonal and star-shaped designs, influenced by Mudéjar art.
194
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The Madonna shelters a group of Native Americans under her cloak. In the right foreground is the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Ferdinand and Isabella (the Catholic Kings) and members of the Casa de la Contratación de las Indias.
195
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Under the Madonna's right hand are Christopher Columbus and others who accompanied him on his first voyage to the New World. Below them are the various types of vessel that made up the Spanish fleet in the early 16th century.
196
Sunday 26 March, 2006 Columbus' ship the Isabel - named after his benefactor.
197
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Morbid.
198
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Intricate tile work.
199
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 We leave the Chapel of the Casa de la Contratación and enter a small patio . . .
200
Sunday 26 March, 2006 . . . then through a gate . . .
201
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 . . . and into a small garden . . .
202
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 . . . and into the Salón de Embajadores (Ambassadors' Hall or Throne Room).
203
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Entering the main hall. The walls date from the eleventh century.
204
Sunday 26 March, 2006 This is the main room of a complex of rooms used for public events and affairs of state.
205
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 It was the setting for the marriage in 1526 of Carlos V and Isabel of Portugal. King Carlos V was responsible for building the Rennaisance monstrosity at the Alhambra.
206
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The room follows the architectural scheme of a qubba (Islamic mausoleum), and is one of the areas of the palace that remained from the time of Abbad al-Mutamid, when it was known as the al-Turayya (Pleiades) room
207
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The Patio de las Doncellas (Courtyard of the Maidens), an Italian Renaissance courtyard (1540-72) with arabesque plaster work.
208
Sunday 26 March, 2006 To the left and right of the pool are sunken gardens.
209
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The upper level was finished in 1572. The spandrels (the bits to the right and left of the arches) in the upper gallery have busts of ladies and knights, imperial heraldry, grotesques, and other design motifs associated with Italian Renaissance architecture.
210
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The pool and the sunken gardens of the Patio de los Doncellas.
211
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Through the arches is the Dormitorio de los Reyes Moros (Bedroom of the Moorish Kings); we never got to see it.
212
Sunday 26 March, 2006 Another view of the spandrels in the upper gallery with their busts of ladies, knights, etc.
213
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 From the Salón de Embajadores, we enter another small garden with a duck pond. We exit via the tiled stairs in the background . . .
214
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 . . . into the Alcazar's gardens.
215
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The gardens had an eerie, smoky look to them as the sunlight filtered through the trees.
216
Sunday 26 March, 2006 A gravel pathway leads to the back end of the gardens.
217
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Along the way we spotted this huge, gnarled tree - probably planted hundreds of years ago.
218
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The pathway eventually leads to the Jardín del Estanque (= pool or pond)
219
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Interesting to see orange trees as part of the gardens.
220
Sunday 26 March, 2006 This is the Galería del Grutesco (Gallery of the grotesque). It provides a backdrop for the Jardín del Estanque and is built into the ancient Almohad wall.
221
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The triumphal arch is executed in a rustic style with real and fake rocks. The niches on the lower level were once filled with mythological paintings which have since been retouched and repainted
222
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Milanese architect Vermondo Resta renovated and designed this part of the wall between 1612 and 1621
223
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 A view from the top of the Galería del Grutesco into the Jardín del Estanque.
224
Sunday 26 March, 2006 Also from the top, looking to the right is the entrance to the Jardin Inglés (English gardens). These gardens are modelled on those of the British Isles from the 18th Century.
225
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The garden was built in 1909 and the main gardener of the Real Casa de Campo, Juan Gras, was put in charge of planting the flowers.
226
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Jardín del Estanque was named after the large water reservoir which formed the basis for the pool, a cistern which once collected water for the palace and for irrigation.
227
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 At the far end of the wall. The yellow pavilion gives access to the Palacio Gótico also known as the Halls of Charles V.
228
Sunday 26 March, 2006 Filling the reservoir below. Through the archway below is the Palacio Gótico.
229
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 An impressive view of the Galería del Grutesco
230
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The Mercury Fountain designed by Diego de Pesquera and cast by Bartolomé Morel (1575)
231
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Taking photographs of a blind couple who, sadly, will never get to see them.
232
Sunday 26 March, 2006 A Spanish wedding in the Alcazar.
233
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The ceremony is probably complete. The groom looks Moorish. His lineage probably goes back to the early Arab conquerers of Spain.
234
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Los Baños de Doña María de Padilla, The "Baths of Lady María de Padilla" are rainwater tanks beneath the Patio del Crucero. The tanks are named after María de Padilla, the mistress of Pedro the Cruel.
235
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 María enchanted Pedro the Cruel so he her husband killed. María resisted him & poured boiling oil over her face to disfigure herself to stop his pursuit. She became a nun & moved to a convent. Or so legend says.
236
Sunday 26 March, 2006 Around about now, bells started to ring and guards started rushing around yelling at eveybody.
237
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Nothing serious, it was 2pm and time for siesta and they wanted to get rid of everybody. Siesta drives you nuts in Spain.
238
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 So we were herded through these doors and back onto the Street although we still had lots to see. The Alcazar is without doubt the top attraction in Sevilla.
239
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Back in the plaza outside the Alcazar, a mime was playing Don Quixote.
240
Sunday 26 March, 2006 The girl liked him.
241
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The whole crowd liked him.
242
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 We walked along the walkway beside the Guadalquivir.
243
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 With trusty Lonely Planet guide in hand.
244
Sunday 26 March, 2006 The Torre del Oro controlled city access from the Guadalquivir. From its base, a chain was stretched underwater across the river to a fort on the opposite shore which prevented enemy ships from travelling upriver.
245
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Today the tower is a naval museum, containing engravings, letters, models, instruments, and historic documents. The museum outlines the naval history of Seville and the importance of its river.
246
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The Triana's Bridge was built between 1847 and 1852 and it's the oldest of the bridges that cross the Guadalquivir. It took its name from the Triana area, one of the neighbourhoods of Seville.
247
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The Triana neighbourhood across the river is where the beautiful azulejos (ceramic tiles) which adorn many Sevillano bars, hotels, churches and private houses are made.
248
Sunday 26 March, 2006 The Triana neighborhood shares what is effectively an island (sitting between two arms of the Guadalquivir) except for a narrow strip to the north where it is an underground canal.
249
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 The Triana Bridge was built by the French engineers Steinacher and Bernadet with architectural similarities to the Carroussel Bridge in Paris.
250
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Parts of the bridge are in disrepair.
251
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 We continued our footsore walk along the Guadalquivir heading back to our hotel.
252
Sunday 26 March, 2006 It was a pleasant, relaxing walk back to the hotel.
253
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 We had a snooze for an hour or so and then went in search of dinner. We left at 7:30 PM but everything was shut so we wandered around for another hour until a few cafes opened.
254
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 This particular restaurant had menus in English - how wonderful to be able to understand what it was that we were ordering. We know pollo means chook but a readable menu made life much easier.
255
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 I remember this meal very well. I ordered Andalusian Eggs and, complemented by a glass of delicious Spanish beer, it was wonderful. We've tried to recreate the recipe back home without success.
256
Sunday 26 March, 2006 This was a lively, lovely part of town. The cafe opposite is where we stopped for lunch and got the results of the Jerez GP on Jenni's Blackberry.
257
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 After dinner and returning to our hotel, restaurants were open everywhere.
258
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Many of the streets have been converted to pedestrain malls. This makes driving very tricky in Sevilla. We're walking up Calle Tetuán and the streets are alive with people. One of the nice things about the city is the number of pedestrian only walk-ways.
259
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 Although the shops were shut, some of them had beautifully dressed windows.
260
Sunday 26 March, 2006 This residence had its balconies highlighted by very clever lighting.
261
 Sunday 26 March, 2006 El Corte Inglis is a major depart store chain in Spain. This is just down the street from our hotel.
262
 Monday 27 , 2006 It's Monday and our last day in Sevilla. We slept in to about 9:30 AM. I cancelled our car reservation in Jerez de la Frontera after deciding that driving in Spain was too dangerous.
263
 Monday 27 , 2006 We also cancelled our hotel reservation in Tarifa which meant no trip to Morocco which we also deemed to be too dangerous. We then added a day in Jerez, Granada and Madrid. We're now inside the Cathedral.
264
Monday 27 , 2006 After the delicacy of the Mudéjar styling of the Alcazar this was too Gothic for our tastes.
265
 Monday 27 , 2006 The cathedral was built over the old mosque which was already used as a Christian temple. It had been seriously damaged after the 1356 earthquake.
266
 Monday 27 , 2006 The glass work is exquisite.
267
 Monday 27 , 2006 The cathedral is also known as Catedral de Santa María de la Sede (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Sea). Notice the reconstruction of one of the columns taking place.
268
Monday 27 , 2006 Famous personages, i.e. wealthy, from long ago are buried here . . .
269
 Monday 27 , 2006 . . . but none are more famous than Christopher Columbus.
270
 Monday 27 , 2006 This is his sepulchre. It is held aloft by four huge allegorical figures representing the kingdoms of León, Castile, Aragón and Navarra.
271
 Monday 27 , 2006 Columbus was originally buried in the cathedral of Havana, on the island he had discovered on his first voyage in 1492. But during the upheavals surrounding the Cuban revolution in 1902, Spain transferred the remains to Seville.
272
Monday 27 , 2006 Monstrous gothic architecture. An engineering masterpiece and an aesthetic abomination
273
 Monday 27 , 2006 Pierre Dancart's masterpiece, the altarpiece. I hate it.
274
 Monday 27 , 2006 Many Christians consider it to be one of the finest altarpieces in the world.
275
 Monday 27 , 2006 One of the side altars.
276
Monday 27 , 2006 One of the organs. There is one each side of the central nave.
277
 Monday 27 , 2006 The cathedral was completed in just over a century (1402-1506), quite an achievement given its size and Gothic details. It was probably designed by the French master architect of the Rouen Cathedral.
278
 Monday 27 , 2006 The interior.
279
 Monday 27 , 2006 Pews for the choir.
280
Monday 27 , 2006 We enter the Giralda via a side door in the cathedral. The Giralda is one of two main parts of the original mosque that were preserved. The other is the Moorish entrance court (Patio de los Naranjos).
281
 Monday 27 , 2006 View showing the bull ring, the Guadalquivir and the Triana neighbourhood.
282
 Monday 27 , 2006 The tower's first two thirds is a former Almohad minaret which, when built, was the tallest tower in the world at 97.5 m (320 ft) in height
283
 Monday 27 , 2006 The Patio de los Naranjos (oranges) dates back to Moorish times when worshippers, before their daily prayers, would wash their hands and feet in the fountain under the orange trees.
284
Monday 27 , 2006 The Islamic body of the tower is the oldest part. It was built in 1184 under the orders of the Caliph Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur and finished in 1198
285
 Monday 27 , 2006 Looking into the Alcazar. The Palacio del Rey Don Pedro (King Don Pedro's Palace) can be seen in the top right quadrant.
286
 Monday 27 , 2006 The copper sphere that originally topped the tower fell in an earthquake in 1365. Christians replaced the sphere with a cross and bell.
287
 Monday 27 , 2006 In the 16th century, the architect Hernán Ruiz designed a belfry extension to convert the minaret to a bell tower. The electric motors seem to be out of place with the ancient architecture.
288
Monday 27 , 2006 The Giralda has no stairs. instead, 34 ramps are used to ascend the tower. The ramps were sufficiently wide for the muezzin to ride a horse to the top of the tower to recite the Adhan (call to prayer).
289
 Monday 27 , 2006 Back at ground level in the Patio de los Naranjos, the original Moorish entrance.
290
 Monday 27 , 2006 A 4m statue installed 1568 stands at the top of the tower. The statue was originally called the Giralda (Weathervane) since it twisted with the wind. The tower later became known as the Giralda while the statue became the Giraldillo.
291
 Monday 27 , 2006 The Palacio de San Telmo was built in 1682 as a marine university and is named after the patron saint of navigators. The grounds included the Parque Maria Luisa. It is now the presidential headquarters of the the regional government.
292
Monday 27 , 2006 Rowing on the Guadalquivir.
293
 Monday 27 , 2006 This really upset me in Spain: dog poop everywhere.
294
 Monday 27 , 2006 We wandered over to the Triana neighbourhood . . .
295
 Monday 27 , 2006 . . . famous for its ceramic tiles. It was closed for siesta.
296
Monday 27 , 2006 Footsore and weary, we returned to our hotel and had our own siesta. Thus ends our stay in Sevilla. There are many wonderful things to see and do here but unhelpful and inconsiderate people dampen the enthusiasm . . .
297
 Monday 27 , 2006 . . . along with bloody siestas. END OF THE SEVILLA STORY Circuito de Jerez follows.
298
   
Circuito de JerezNext: Circuito de Jerez Madrid first visitPrevious: Madrid first visit
Create online photo albums with jAlbum & TurtleSkin: Turtle Gold, 5.6.7 Download   ·   Help