Seville!!!
I hardly know where to start with Seville. It is beautiful and busy and pumping. It is the capital and largest city of Andalusia and sits on the banks of the River Guadalquivir. This city is chock full of UNESCO World Heritage Sites so you can imagine I was in heaven. Some of the amazing places to visit include the Alcazar Palace, the St Mary of the See Cathedral, Plaza de Espana, Torre del Oro, and remnants of the Roman aqueduct as well as the ruins of walls built during Julius Caesars rule.
Again, with so many places here in Andalusia, Seville has been governed by the Romans, Moors of the Umayyad, Almoravid and Almohad caliphates, and since about 1248, Spain. It has a long history of about 2,200 years leaving this city was a very distinct personality and I absolutely loved it. Everyone we met was super friendly and very keen to tell you about their city or welcome us in to try some odd delicacy.
The River Guadalquivir was once entirely navigable being 80kms from the Sea of Cortez. It’s still considered a port city today but with the bridges that now span the river, it is a little prohibitive for boats with height issues, such as us. However, because of its unique and very defensible location, it was the epicentre of trans-oceanic trade and it wielded that power. In essence, Seville once controlled all trade to and from the Americas in and out of Europe. So as you can imagine, its ‘Golden Age’ architecture tells a story of wealth and cultural magnificence. However, Mother Nature got the better of Seville and the river started silting up in the 17th century resulting in the trade centre moving to Cadiz. But it has managed, with the help of tourism and new industries to continue to grow and its economy is strong today. There is, unlike so many of these wonderful old cities I’ve visited, very little sense of decay or a crumbling elegance.
The senses get a workout that is for sure. Every corner has something incredible to see. And the oldest parts of the city, such as area around the Cathedral or the Jewish Quarter have tiny little winding alleys to explore and get lost in. Seville is considered to be the birthplace of Flamenco and every little street will have at least one Flamenco dress
maker present. There is a huge festival here to celebrate this important part of Seville life and it is considered to be a symbol of national heritage. The colours were amazing as well as the fans and head pieces!
A visit here is not complete without going to the Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Cabablleria de Sevilla. A mouthful I know but in essence, the bull ring. NO….I did not go to a fight and wouldn’t. Hideous sport in my opinion but the bullring itself is quite a site. Built in 1749 it’s a circular ring that seats 12,000 and is reminiscent of gladiatorial rings throughout the ancient world. It’s quite beautiful really and still, sadly, very much in use today.
Cuisine….well, Craig and I thought we were in heaven. Apart from some amazing free food markets which always draw us in to explore, Tapas is one of the main cultural staples with local specialties being grilled squid and octopus, iberico hams, gazpacho and of course cheese. And there is nowhere in Seville you can’t find a fabulous little taverna for a refreshing beverage and some tapas or apertivo.
Seville has been on my visit list of places to explore for a long time and although we only had a short couple of days stay, I loved it and it is definitely on my ‘must return’ list.
