Our journey to Spain this time began with an industrious few days of sightseeing and Flamenco in Seville. The city is vibrant and young, while its history is old, gorgeous, heavy. The interior roads of Seville are forbidden to cars (though some parts were open to taxis or horse-drawn carriages) so arriving to our apartment was a bit arduous. We rented a cool flat in the heart of the town’s pedestrian district, which was close to absolutely everything we wanted to see. We arrived in the evening for a light, 15th anniversary dinner(!) followed by a little walking about town to get the lay of the land. Seville is a cool, happening city.
The central masterpiece of architecture is the Catedral de Seville which is located in the city center.
Inside there is a large and impressive tomb/monument of Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón). Columbus was originally buried in Havana, the island he discovered in 1492. But during the Cuban Revolution (1902), his remains were transferred to Seville. His tomb (see below) was quite grand!
The Cathedral, which is the 3rd largest in all of Europe, was built over the site of two former mosques and retained some of its parts — namely the minaret tower and some gates (doorways). We also took the time to visit the Iglesia del Salvador nearby which was quite stunning in its opulence (also built on top of a former mosque).
We strolled the Parque de Maria Luisa and found great little restaurants in the side streets and alleys. We tried to get the flavor of as many different neighborhoods in Seville as we could. Though the highlight for us was a Flamenco show that was as passionate and powerful as they come.
The tiny roads and walking paths of Seville wind ’round and ’round — and it is very easy to get lost. Though we never minded too much — losing our way always brought us to a new part of town we had not yet seen :-). Our last dinner out was the best we had in all of Seville and we loove (deep voice) Spanish cuisine. We look forward to returning to this colorful and artful city another time. Two days was not enough.
Next stop: Granada!
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