Spain - Seville

We completed European vacation number three for the year during the last two weeks of May (yes, I realize it’s almost July – I’m slow). We traveled to Seville, Granada, Cordoba, Madrid and Toledo, Spain and Peniche, Portugal. The week in Peniche was spent learning how to surf and was my Christmas gift to Chris this year (poor baby had to wait 5 months to cash in!). I had been to many of the cities we visited when I traveled to Spain and Portugal in high school. I was a little worried that I would be bored with repeating the sights, but it turns out my 17-year-old brain wasn’t really paying that much attention. There were certainly places that I remembered, but as is not normally the case, I was much more impressed this time around. Maybe all the European history I’ve been absorbing is finally starting to give these places some significance! I had a good time looking through my old pictures when we got home (I even included some of the real “repeats” in the pictures for you all to see). Alright, enough of my rambling; let’s get this tour started with Seville… enjoy!!

Spain - Seville

Our trip actually started with a quick overnight in our favorite airline hub – Lisbon. This was the first time we weren’t able to get a connecting flight out the same day. We checked into the Holiday Inn Express near the airport, attempted to find a restaurant, gave up, and ordered sauce-less Pizza Hut Pizza. The next morning, we boarded a tiny little commuter jet (at least it was a jet and not a prop), and took a 30 min flight to Seville, Spain. For those of you thinking of traveling between Spain and Portugal – take a plane not the train. Plane tickets are cheaper and don’t take 12 hours.

In Seville, we were greeted by sweltering heat – the first either of us had felt in nearly 9 months! By the time we had taken a bus into town from the airport and walked the half-mile to our hotel, we were both roasting! I immediately understood the wisdom behind the Spaniards’ religious adherence to the siesta. Chris and I got checked into our hotel, changed clothes, and took a little snooze ourselves before venturing out into the heat again.

The first, and really only, thing on Chris’ agenda for Spain was to see a bull fight (oh goodie). We walked to the bull ring to try to buy tickets to the weekly Sunday night fight. While we were there, we were able to join in on a tour of the bull ring. It was interesting to learn about the history of the sport and to learn a little about what to expect that night. The most interesting part of the tour was the small museum under the stands. It was home to the taxidermied heads of the most famous bulls as well as a large collection of outfits from famous matadors. We had several hours between the time the tour ended at the start of the bull fight, so we followed another of Rick Steves’ city walks around the historic portion of the city. We enjoyed a refreshing pitcher of Sangria near the city’s Cathedral and bell tower, got lost in a maze of old, winding streets, found a statue of Don Juan, and strolled along the riverfront.

Finally, much to my dismay, it was time for the bull fight to start. Every Sunday three matadors and their teams enter the ring and each take on two bulls (yes, you did the math correctly, that’s six bulls). The fight started with the presentation of the matadors and their teams. This was my favorite part, as you could see all the beautiful costumes and horses and listen to the traditional music without all the ‘yuck’ that came later. A typical bull fight is divided several sections. During the first part, the matador and his assistants wave a pink (not red) cape to attract the bull’s attention. The matador allows the bull to pass as close to him as dares. I actually enjoyed this part of the fight as well. It was amazing to see the matadors just stand there as the bull came charging at them. Some of the guys we saw were pretty impressive in how close they got to the bull.

Here’s where I got off the fan wagon… the next person into the ring is the horse-mounted picadore. His job is to stab the bull between the shoulder blades with a really long stick. The horses are heavily padded (as are the picadores) and blindfolded so they don’t freak out when the bull charges at them. The picadores are followed by the banderilleros who leap in front of the bull to stick two brightly colored spears into the bull. These guys are crazy… C.R.A.Z.Y. During the final act of the fight, the matador uses a red cape to lure the bull into charging close enough to be killed with a long sword. If the matador is good, the bull is killed in one shot…some aren’t so good. The matador’s abilities are judged by the president of the fight, and good matadors are awarded ears (and in a very few cases a tail) for their bravery and showmanship. One of the matadors we saw was awarded an ear, and it was obvious even to us that he was much better than the others participating that day.

I could have just walked through the museum and skipped the in-person experience. At the very least, I was culturally educated enough after the first two bulls, but we stayed for all six. The things I do for my husband. We finished up the night at a tapas bar and a nighttime walk through the historic town center before calling it a very late night.

The next morning, we hopped on the bus and headed across town to the Basilica de la Macarena (yes, the ridiculous dance originated in this neighborhood, but that’s not why we went). The Basilica is home to two “dolls”, one Mary and one Jesus, and two over-the-top floats that are used to carry the dolls during Holy Week celebrations. The dolls are dressed in ornately embroidered clothes and topped gold and crystal crowns. The floats are covered in gold leaf, more crystal, and hundreds of candles. Every year Jesus and Mary are removed from the church, loaded on the flat-bed sized floats, and carried by shifts of 48 men from midnight to 2pm on Good Friday. The streets of the parade route are packed with people all trying to catch a glimpse of La Macarena (Mary).

We decided to give the churches of Seville the one-two punch and continued our touring at the Seville’s Cathedral and Giralda Bell Tower. This is one of the sights I actually remembered from my trip here 10 years ago. The Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world (with the Guinness certificate to prove it). The crown-jewel of the Cathedral is the giant golden altar piece. At 65 feet tall and covered nearly completely in gold leaf (and now dust), it is truly something to behold. The Cathedral is also the final resting place of Christopher Columbus. His tomb is positioned in front of one of the Cathedral’s side doors and is carried toward the altar by statues of four Spanish kings – one from each of the four regions of Spain. After taking in the pipe organs and choir area near the altar, we continued through the Cathedral, eyes glued to the beautifully decorated ceiling, to the Giralda Bell Tower.

The bell tower was originally constructed as a Muslim minaret during Moorish rule of Seville. When the Moors were concurred, the mosque was torn down to make room for the Cathedral (this pattern was repeated many times throughout Spain: church, mosque, church all on the same site). The minaret was saved and converted into a bell tower. The views from the top of the bell tower are amazing. Streets in Seveille are constructed especially narrow so that the buildings provide shade for one another on hot summer days. The buildings are so close together, it’s hard to find streets amongst the mess of rooftops.

Our final tour stop for the day was the Alcazar. This palace was built in the 10th century and still serves as the oldest royal palace in Europe. After this trip, I am a big fan of Moorish architecture. The Moors used graceful arches, peaceful courtyards, intricate stone and tile work, and lots of fountains to create restful havens in the middle of scorching Spain. Sign me up to live in one of these palaces any day! A particularly inviting feature of many Moorish palaces was the royal gardens. The gardens at Seville’s Alcazar are a mix of formal hedges, open green spaces shaded by purple flowering trees, and more fountains (the Moors, coming from the deserts of the Middle East, were especially fond of all the water they found in Spain). I once again found myself repulsed by the giant, 3 ft carp that lived fat and happy in the fountains. I didn’t understand it 10 years ago and I don’t understand it now. If you’re going to have carp, at least get the pretty orange ones so I can pretend they aren’t ditch fish.

Chris and I enjoyed a long, leisurely walk in the shade of the gardens before heading to Seville’s shopping district. I decided to take advantage of having actual stores with real live clothes in them, and bought a new sun dress, a skirt, and a new pair of flip-flops. I’m good at online shopping at this point, but it’s still nice to be able to try things on before you buy them! Our own shopping needs met, we wondered past the over-priced shoe stores and past the shops selling traditional Flamenco costumes. Finally, we arrived back at our hotel to change for an evening of tapas and Flamenco dancing at a local bar recommended by our friend Jordan.

Our first attempt at tapas the night before had been more miss than hit, but tonight’s selections were excellent. It was probably because it was mostly fried meat with french fries, but it was still awesome!! Once we were stuffed, we wondered down a little back alley to La Carbonara. Jordan recommended we show up at about 10:15 to get a good seat for the 11:00 (yes, that’s pm) show. We ordered a pitcher of sangria and got comfy while we waited for the show to start. By 11, the bar was packed and we were very thankful for Jordan’s advice. The Flamenco dancer was accompanied by a guitar player and a singer. The dancer apparently forgot that she was performing in a BAR, and kept telling the crowd to “shush” when they got a little too excited. She’d never make a good rock star, but she was a good dancer. Chris enjoyed the dancing, but he was especially intrigued by the singer. Chris thought he sounded like he was about to pop a blood vessel in his head. Check out the video below.

 On our way back to the hotel, we found a small band playing outside a local restaurant. People had gathered around and were singing along and dancing in the square nearby. We had a great time listening to them and watching everyone dance. We finally dragged ourselves back into the hotel very late at night and collapsed into bed. Check out the video of the street band below.