ARCHITECTURE + AIRBORNE European Travels: SEVILLE [SEVILLA], SPAIN

October 10, 2015
Where we stayed: AirBnB. Nice. It had its quirks but it was good for what we needed [clean and central]

I title this…36 hours in Seville
So after a busy day and a half in Portugal, it was on to Spain! I have been to Barcelona and Valencia, but never Seville and this was PJ's first time in Spain all together. I think that it was everyone else's first time as well, but I could be mistaken. Legend has it that Seville was founded by Hercules and was called Hispalis when it was under the rule of the Romans and Isbiliya with the Moors.

Meandering the city in itself is an adventure and is a must-do while there. You never know what one might find. 36 hours is pretty much impossible to see all of the amazing sights, but we did as much as we could and hope to get back to see the rest!

There are several different neighborhoods in Seville. My personal favorite is the Barrio Santa Cruz area. It is full of courtyards with tiled fountains, art galleries, restaurants, cafes and winding alleyways. It is the former Ghetto [Jewish quarter] of Seville. This is also the area that our AirBnB was located in.

Other neighborhoods worth exploring are the Centro Historico [obviously] the La Macarena [which is near the Metropol Parasol], Triana and El Arenal [which are along the water].

We walked and walked and walked. The city is quite large when you go everywhere by foot, but it was worth it to be able to stumble on so many great finds.

View from the roof of our AirBnB

Iglesia de San José

Parroquia de San Nicolás de Bari
To the left is:Convento de Madre de Dios de la Piedad

Iglesia de San Ildefonso

Iglesia de San Pedro

Av de la Constitución

Ayuntamiento de Sevilla

Arzobispado de Sevilla

Plaza del Triunfo

Teatro Lope de Vega

Universidad de Sevilla

Palacio de San Telmo

Canal de Alfonso XIII

Hospital de La Caridad

Arco Del Póstigo

Plaza del Triunfo

Plaza el Cabildo

Espacio Metropol Parasol
One of the more controversial projects in the city was the Espacio Metropol Parasol. It was built to be a landmark, similar to the likes of the Giggenhein, etc, and consists of six large interconnected parasols made of criss-crossed wooden beams. It is known locally as Las Setas, the mushroom, and is said to be the largest timber-framed structure in the world. It took six years to build and cost around 123 million euros. The structure is composed of concrete, steel and timber, all held together with glue that was tested to withstand the high summer temperatures.

In the basement there is a museum, filled with archaeological ruins. In other areas there are food markets, restaurants, concert space and a large viewing area along the roof. It was designed by German architect Jurgen Mayer H, who beat out 65 participants in a competition. Not only does it draw a large crowd, but it also provides shade for the many active areas below it, including a small craft market.

Puente del Alamillo in the background
by Santiago Calatrava

Catedral de Sevilla
The cathedral was built between 1401 and 1506 on what was the site of the great Aljama mosque. The patio de Naranjas, the Puerta del Perdon and the Giralda [now the bell tower] are the only remaining parts from the mosque.

The Moorish, Gothic and Renaissance cathedral's nave is 42 meters tall and has four side aisles and 80 side chapels. According to some newer calculations, the Catedral de Sevilla may have pushed in front of St. Peter's and Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida as the largest church in the world [debatable]. If not the first, it is the third larger in the world! The interior is covered in gold and very lavishly decorated

The Capilla Mayor [Great Chapel] is known for its beautiful Gothic retablo [alter piece]. The retablo is comprised of 45 carved scenes from the life or Christ as well as scenes from the cathedral's patron saint, Santa Maris de la Sede. It was crafted by Fleming Pieter Dancart and is considered the largest and richest altarpiece in the world as well as one of the most exquisite examples of Gothic woodcarving anywhere. The wood is covered with a "staggering amount of gold".

Also within the cathedral is the tomb of Christopher Columbus, although other cities claim to also hold his remains [apparently there are currently DNA tests being conducted to see if the remains are really of Columbus…another website said that tests concluded that they are of Columbus]. The story is that Columbus was originally buried in the cathedral of Havana but his remains were transferred to Seville during the Cuban revolution in 1902. A large tomb was created by Arturo Melida in the Late Romantic style. The tomb is held by four large allegorical figures representing the kingdom of Leon, Castile, Aragon and Navarra.

The Giralda is one of the few remaining pieces of the original mosque that stood on this site. It was constructed in 1184 and was modeled after the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakesh [also worth a visit!!]. The minaret was originally topped with four copper spheres and was used to call the faithful to prayer and as an observatory. The minaret stood as the tallest building in the city for over 800 years, standing at 103 meters tall. In 1568 an earthquake damaged the upper area of the minaret and it was replaced with a Spanish Renaissance style bell tower.

Now the bell tower can be climbed by visitors. There are a series of 35 ramps, wide enough to allow two guards on horseback to pass. The climb takes some time but the view from the top is amazing!

The Patio de los Naranjos is one of the other relics still remaining from the Moorish times. Back then, worshipers would wash their hands and feet in the fountains before their five prayer sessions each day. The entrance to the Patio de los Naranjos is through the Puerta del Perdon, the gate of forgiveness. It too dates back to the original mosque.

Orange trees line the patio

Royal Alcázar of Seville
This Moorish style palace, built by Moorish workmen for the Christian King Pedro the Cruel of Castile, was built sometime in the 1360's. It was where Pedro lived, ruled and stored his mistress.

The Alcazar is divided into sections that show many different styles based on the times of construction; Moorish between the 11th and 12th century, Gothic in the 13th century, Mudejar in the 14th century and Renaissance between the 15th and 16th century. The oldest part is the Patio del Yeso [Moorish].

In my opinion, one of the nicer areas to visit is the Palace of King Don Pedro I. It is full of horseshoe arches, Arabic lettering mixed with Christian writing and beautiful details. Parts of it reminded me of Ben Youssef Madrasa in Marrakech, another building that I love. The Patio de las Doncellas can be found within the palace grounds. The area is full of sunken gardens, beautiful arches and a long pool. The Ambassadors' Hall is one of the most beautiful rooms in the palace, with a gold dome that is said to represent the heavens.

Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla
La Maestranza is considered "the mecca of bullfighting". It is steeped in history and tradition and is one of the most visited places in the city. While the concept of bullfighting can be controversial, one must remember that it is a tradition, one that countries such as Spain, Portugal, France and Latin America continue to enjoy. We were not able to see a bullfight in the ring, as our flight left the morning of the last fight of the season, but I did experience a smaller bull run while studying abroad.

The construction of the ring began in 1730, originally meant to be square until it was realized how dangerous that would be! It was originally built in stone and wood with additions made throughout the years. The Palco del Principe, or Prince's box, was completed in 1765 and built for Filipe de Borbon. The Puerta del Principe, or Prince's Gate, is considered the most important gate because it is where the bullfighters, or toreros, exit if they are successful in the fight.

Bullfighting was briefly forbidden by Carlos III in 1768, but eventually the construction continued and was completed in 1881, built all in stone with the wooden parts removed. Later, in 1914 the ring was once again changed, this time to brick, and the bullring itself was almost completely rebuilt.

Today it holds 14,000 people.

We did the tour, which included a walk through and information about the museum as well as a visit to the chapel, where the fighters pray before entering the ring.

Plaza de España
With limited time, we did not actually go inside of the building, but walking around it was absolutely gorgeous as well. The Plaza is located within Maria Luisa Park and was one of the main symbols of the Ibero-American Expo World's Fair of 1929. Anibal Gonzalez, the architect of the plaza, supervised the construction, which began in 1914. He was also the chief architect of the Mudejar Pavilion, the Fine Arts Pavilion and the Royal Pavilion, all within the Maria Luisa Park. Gonzalez resigned in 1926 and Vicente Taverner stepped in to complete the project, as well as add the central fountain.

The Plaza de Espana is approx. 200 meters in diameter with the building itself occupying 19000 square meters. The semi-circular shape signifies the embrace of Spain and its ancient colonies. It is built in the Renaissance/neo-Moorish styles with a tower at either end. There is a 500 meter canal that runs along the front of the building. This canal can be crossed by four bridges which represent Castile, Leon, Aragon and Navarra, the four kingdoms of Spain. Also, small boats can be rented to row along it.

Beautiful tile is everywhere!! Even the light posts are made of tile [20 period style ceramic street lamps were added during restoration]. The building and surrounding area are constructed using red bricks, ceramics/tiles, marble and forged iron. The intention was to mix Art Deco with the classic Mudejar style. The towers are more Baroque in design and are 74 meters tall.

The plaza was being restored for over two years and just reopened in 2010.

Torre Del Oro
This tower was the last major building that the Muslims constructed in Seville, built around 1220. The tower was designed as an outer defensive layer to protect the port to the south of the city. At one point there was another tower on the other side of the river. The Torre Del Oro is now a museum, but was once a chapel, prison, gunpowder warehouse and post office.

Food
The "must eat/do" while in Seville, and I suppose Spain in general, are the tapas which were supposedly invented in Seville [I read that this is also another controversial topic]. I have yet to meet a tapa that I did not like!

Flamenco
Obviously, when in Seville one must see some Flamenco. It is where it was invented after all. We were fortunate enough to go to two different shows, one more local seeming, although I read that it is mentioned in tourist books too, and one more touristy. The former was in a place called Carboneria. It is a flamenco bar that was recommended by one of the tapas restaurants that we had visited earlier in the day. The boys were a little upset about "being ignored at the bar," but I enjoyed the performance and the atmosphere.

The next night we visited the Museo del Baile Flamenco, where we caught our second flamenco experience. This was a professional show with great musicians and dancers. The female dancer was Cristina Hoyos and she was great!