2nd day in
Sevilla June 14th
Sizzling, Flamboyance and Romance Continues in Sevilla
We wake up early and John announces it will be 104 to 109
degrees today. Since our hotel room has no nespresso machine ~ we cross the
street to Starbucks for coffee. I ask John why we are sitting in a Starbucks rather
than the elegant Alfonso hotel dining room. I wonder if we are trying to save
money now? John replies that it is because the service in Starbucks is fast and
it has good coffee. He goes on to say that if we were in the hotel dining room
we would still be waiting for service.
The night before he was not happy with the slow tapas service but I
think the waiters were likely too preoccupied and stressed about the soccer game than to worry about waiting on
us ~ different priorities.
Main Street ~ No Cars |
Magnificant Alcazar Palace ~ a wonderful integration of Islamic and Christian Gothic Styles
We start early to the Alcazar Palace which is the
oldest royal palace still in use by the Royals.
Originally this was a 10th century palace built for the heads
of the Moorish state. Then the Christian King Pedro had it rebuilt by
Islamic/Muslim workmen (1334-1369). We
end up staying here wandering the palace and lush, sprawling gardens for over 3
hours.
We stop for coffee in front of the garden to take in the beauty, but
largely to get out of the sun and heat for a while. The audio guide narration is
excellent.
I find I love this place especially because of the mish-mash of Islamic
and Christian styles and cultural traditions, a style called Mudijar. The palace is complex and was
built over many centuries by various rulers.
Again I am envious of the fountains and gardens that have orange trees
and eucalyptus (like my tree on Vashon which John wants to cut down). There are many aspects of this palace that are remarkedly similar to Alhambra. What about copyrights? ~ guess they were allowed to copy. I still would like a have a fountain in my Seattle garden.
John listening to audio guide
|
The palace was home to Ferdinand and Isabel and their grandson Charles V who married Isabel here. Currently the new king (to be coronated in 3 days) and family still use the palace’s upper floor as a royal residence. You can buy a special ticket to tour some of these rooms ~ so I guess they need the income. I have taken about 200 pictures here and won’t bore you with
details that can be found on-line but will put pictures of a few of my
favorites including:
Altarpiece painting St. Mary of Navigators
~ the virgin patron saint of sailors and favorite of Columbus.
St. Mary of Navigators |
See how her cape
seems to protect everyone – including Columbus beside the Virgin on right and
the Native Americans (first time painted in Europe).
Model of Columbus Santa Maria –only ship
not to survive.
Palace Façade with Islamic and Gothic
Christian elements
Very similar to rectangular pool, courtyard and scalloped arches in Alhambra |
Hall
of Ambassadors – room is a cube topped with half-dome, like many Islamic
buildings. The stucco walls are molded with plants, geometrical shapes, and
Arabic writings. (None but Allah conquers
and happiness and prosperity are the benefits of Allah who nourishes all
creatures.)
Dome |
Hall of Embassadors |
Courtyard
of Dolls – reserved for king’s private life and name comes from doll faces
at base of one of the arches
Banquet
Hall – where Charles and Isabel had their wedding reception. Belgian
tapestries.
Banquet Hall |
Charles V Ceiling Room – Charles married Isabel from Portugal here and later had ceiling replaced with less Islamic Renaissance wood.
Mercury
Pool and Gardens – incredible irrigation system; Islamic and Christian traditions
merge.
Just as we are leaving the Mercury Pool a couple just married here are coming down the walkway. What a magical place to be married! Perhaps John and I should renew our vows here.
I follow them taking pictures and end up in a beautiful indoor pool room which is very private. We leave because we feel we are intruding.
We lunch at 2 pm at Isla restaurant, recommended by the
hotel. John has fish soup and I have
tomato salad. Our eating habits with a
brunch at 2 pm and dinner at 9 pm are being established, as are our food
preferences. Today the outside tables
are not being used probably because of the heat and so we relax in air
conditioning.
I follow them taking pictures and end up in a beautiful indoor pool room which is very private. We leave because we feel we are intruding.
We walk back to the hotel and see a wedding couple being
filmed in the street ~ so of course I take pictures as it seems so fitting
for this city.
Weddings ~
Back at the hotel John naps while I watch and photograph an amazing wedding celebration. It turns out to be the first of three wedding receptions that will take place in the hotel. Earlier John had wondered where the beautiful Spanish ladies were and voila… thin, sexy, elegant Spanish women appear wearing amazing clothes and incredible hats. I seem to fall in love with the hats and want to wear one. This reminds me of the wedding party for Kate, the British duchess that I watched on TV. I hang out thinking I am taking pictures unobtrusively. However, when I get on the elevator to go up to tell John that he must come to see this, some people on the elevator ask if I am the photographer for the wedding! I think about taking up a 3rd profession.
Back at the hotel John naps while I watch and photograph an amazing wedding celebration. It turns out to be the first of three wedding receptions that will take place in the hotel. Earlier John had wondered where the beautiful Spanish ladies were and voila… thin, sexy, elegant Spanish women appear wearing amazing clothes and incredible hats. I seem to fall in love with the hats and want to wear one. This reminds me of the wedding party for Kate, the British duchess that I watched on TV. I hang out thinking I am taking pictures unobtrusively. However, when I get on the elevator to go up to tell John that he must come to see this, some people on the elevator ask if I am the photographer for the wedding! I think about taking up a 3rd profession.
Hotel Courtyard for Reception |
Bullfighting Museum ~
Some of Spain’s most intense bull fighting is done in Sevilla’s beautiful 14,000-seat
stadium. I have agreed to go to the museum with John but not to the cruel
spectacle on Sunday. Our 40-minute guided tour is interesting although the bullring
is ominously quiet and the chapel where the matadors pray before a fight is
empty. I sense bull ghosts. I learn that
bull fighting probably originated with the Romans in the Middle Ages and became
a sport for knights, both Christian and Moorish, who fought on horses with
lances. The guide tells us it began as a method to train soldiers to prepare
for war by practicing hitting men’s heads (carved in plaster) from a horse. Eventually
this became a sport and money making scheme where the matador comes out on
foot. She justifies this barbaric event
by telling us that the bull meat is sold out quickly after every fight (mad cow
meat?). On the other hand, the dead horsemeat is given as food for the poor. Does
this justify the morality of this gruesome event? Although there are of course plenty of dead
bulls with today’s bullfights, there has not been a death of a matador in
decades. What about serious injuries?
There are paintings of the famous 25-year-old matador (word means
killer) who was killed in 1947 by a bull. Even a bust head of the mother of
this bull is placed on the wall ~ how bizarre is that? Additionally we see this
famous matador’s elaborate bull fighting suit and are told he started his
training at the age of 8 years. However, the guide tells us today you cannot
fight until age 17 or 18 years. In the
museum there are examples of many of the matador’s suits that are still the
same elaborate, woven style as they were 100 years ago and now cost up to 20,000
dollars per suit.
I am surprised to learn that the bull is attracted by the
movement of the matador’s cape and not by the red color because bulls are color
blind!
Bull fighting has spread from Southern France to Latin America where it continues today. It has become increasingly unpopular and only 1/3 of Spaniards follow it, but Seville is a real bullfighting center. The government has banned live broadcasts on state operated TV. In 2010 a couple of brave matadors were gored attesting to the brutality of the sport. Novice matadors earn $10,000 and pros can earn $100,000 per fight. I am thinking of the sport of hockey and football… why do people like to watch young men being beaten up? While I refused, John was eager to see a bullfight and the next day he watched a bull fight up close from the first row. There were six bulls, one after another, in a highly choreographed sequence. Needless to say, the bulls did not leave the ring standing.
Bull fighting has spread from Southern France to Latin America where it continues today. It has become increasingly unpopular and only 1/3 of Spaniards follow it, but Seville is a real bullfighting center. The government has banned live broadcasts on state operated TV. In 2010 a couple of brave matadors were gored attesting to the brutality of the sport. Novice matadors earn $10,000 and pros can earn $100,000 per fight. I am thinking of the sport of hockey and football… why do people like to watch young men being beaten up? While I refused, John was eager to see a bullfight and the next day he watched a bull fight up close from the first row. There were six bulls, one after another, in a highly choreographed sequence. Needless to say, the bulls did not leave the ring standing.
Paella to die for ~
Back
at the hotel we sit in the lobby eating olives and having a drink. John has
definitely become an olive connoisseur and compares the size, color and taste
of these olives to others we have eaten.
We go for a late dinner at the same restaurant where we had lunch
because it is advertised as having the best paella in Spain. John confirms this is the best he has had so
far but still not as good as Zanny’s version. Walking back, the streets are alive with music
and teeming with people doing an evening paseo
(strolling around). The cooler weather brings people out for horse-drawn rides,
roller blading, and strolling. We even come across a rather bizarre fashion
show with punk music and apparel and crowds of people. We stop at Ben and Jerries’
for ice cream and to watch the paseo.
Back at the hotel two other wedding parties are still going
on with dancing and flamboyance.
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