Welcome to Sevilla!
Well, we’re off to a slow start here,
since we’ve been in Seville for over a week already. We’re only now coming out
of mourning. First disaster: I dropped my wonderful and very compact (and
expensive!) camera on the all-too-solid marble floor. The lens made a
half-hearted attempt to extend, and only got part way out, over and over. I
took it in to a fellow here in Seville who had already repaired a minor
problem, but he could do nothing. Bit of depression on my part! Then, a couple
days later we got the election results. It’s been a tough time so far. While
the long-term consequences remain to be seen, in the short term I am reduced to
using my cell phone camera. (Please forgive the reduced quality!)
However, we are feeling a bit
recovered, and ready to tell the story of our trip (so far) in Spain. But,
where to begin?
Why, at the
beginning, of course.
“Begin
at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you
come to the end: then stop.”
-- Alice
in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
It began
when the taxi picked us up at the airport and dropped us off in front of an
amazing confection of a church. The rain had stopped, the night was clean and
warm, everything glistening under the light reflected from the brightly-lit
buildings. “It’s just down this way,” the driver told us in passable English,
indicating the location of our pension. So we took our two roller bags, our
bulging backpacks, our laptops, and assorted other items we seem to always
travel with, and headed down the street.
 |
| Our first view of our neighborhood in Seville; we eventually identified this as Iglesia de San Ildefonso |
We were
thrilled to be here! It was gorgeous, full of light and life, with people (many
towing luggage and consulting maps) coming, going, and staying – sitting in
cafes, or standing transfixed by the churches and other sights. The taxi drove
off, and we headed confidently down the street, to stop almost immediately
wondering if the driver meant continue down this
street, that curved slightly to the left, or that street, that turned slightly more sharply to the left?
In short, we
were immediately confused.
We made a
fundamental mistake here: since we were taking a taxi, a rare event for us, we
assumed the driver would know his way around, and so we did not need to know
exactly where we were going, the address would be sufficient. What we did not know
was that
a) this part of Seville is a warren of tiny
streets running every which way, impossible to negotiate without some knowledge
of the area (or at least, maybe some daylight?) and
b) the taxi driver had only a vague idea
where he was going.
Some time
later, sweat-soaked and exhausted, we arrived at the pension where we were to
spend the night. Whew! Lesson: ALWAYS know where you’re going, have it marked
on a map /mobile app /GPS waypoint. CHECK THE NEIGHBORHOOD on Google street
view, to get an overview, and to recognize where we’re going when we get there.
(And when taking a taxi, find a hotel near your destination and give THAT to
the driver!)
The next
morning, well rested and recovered, we moved a few blocks away into our
apartment where we’ll live for the next three months; unpacked our bags, and
started exploring the neighborhood.
 |
| We live down a street something like this! |
And WHAT a
neighborhood! We’re really stoked to be here! Incredible narrow streets and
old, towering buildings. Tapas bars on every corner. People filling the bars, eating,
drinking, talking, spilling out into the roadway, having a good time. Lively,
very lively!
 |
| Typical Sunday in Seville. Lively, very lively! |
And then, a ten-minute walk from the apartment, we came upon the cathedral. Technically, it’s the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See [not Sea!] (Catedral de Santa María de la Sede) but everyone knows it as the Seville Cathedral. It’s stunning. World’s third largest cathedral, largest cathedral in the Gothic style, started in 1402, finished in 1506, blah blah blah. An amazing sight!
The bell
tower was built by the Moors, who occupied this area for 500 years; it was
originally the minaret of the mosque that preceded the cathedral. The two
together are emblematic of the fascinating architecture of the Andalusian
region (the south of Spain), a complex and incredibly interesting blend of the Islamic
and the Christian.
 |
| The bell tower, AKA La Giralada |
 |
| One of the Cathedral doors. Fne, intricate work like this is EVERYWHERE |
We arrived
on Friday night; Sunday morning was sunny and beautiful, and the residents of
Seville were out in force, families strolling, and everyone everywhere eating,
drinking, and enjoying the weather and the relaxed way of life here. But I
shall save thousands of words here and defer to this very special video we put
together.
If the video doesn’t play, click on this, or go
directly to the URL:
https://youtu.be/DuTfdZUEj8Y
Clearly we’re
not at the end yet, but still we must stop, for the moment. More on the neighborhood,
and the architecture, and the tapas, later!
Very nice.
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