We started at the Alcázar. The Alcázar was built by King Pedro I of Castille in the 14th Century. Even though the palace looks Moorish, it was actually built after the Christian reconquering of Sevilla. A good way to tell that the Alcázar wasn't built by Muslims is that there are pictures of people and animals. Islam only allows for geometric decorations. This blending of Christan and Moorish style is called Mudéjar.
And this style is truly beautiful. Domes, arches, tiles... and then there are the gardens which literally just keep going. Oh, and did I mention that we found peacocks strolling the gardens. Yeah.
After the Alcázar, we went for a stroll on the other side of the river, an area called Triana. Triana is famous for its flamenco dancers, sailors, and bullfighters. It was quite pretty and we got to see an awesome view of Sevilla from across the river.That night, after dinner, we went to a flamenco performance. Unlike the one in Barcelona, there were dancers and it made all the difference in the world. Ellie and I agreed that the musicians were better in Barcelona, but I never realized how important the dancers would be. They were just as much as a part of the band as they were dancers! I especially noticed that they set the rhythm (much like a drummer) and gave much needed punctuation to the singing and playing that could seem a little bland.
I also had a bit of a thought: I noticed at the first performance that I heard a lot of middle eastern sounds, especially in the singing (which was often one, long, nasal-y note). But this make sense since flamenco came from Sevilla, which was once populated by Muslims.
Click on the peacock for more pics from Day 5:
The next day, we hit up the other major site - the Santa Iglesia Catedral. The Catedral is the third largest in the world after St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London. It also has the world's largest altarpiece, which illustrates the life of Jesus in gold, the remains of Christopher Columbus, and a huge treasury (with, you guessed it, more gold).
It was also here that we learned (from Rick) about Justa and Rufina, Martyrs of Sevilla. These women are always depicted holding rosemary (like the women who still accost tourists trying to force a palm reading... more about that next) and ceramic. Also, they're always in front of the Giralda, the Catedral tower, which we got to climb to see an awesome view of Sevilla.
The place was certainly spectacular, but I felt kind of queasy with all the gold. I much preffered our next site, the Plaza de España. Created in 1929 for the Ibero-American exposition, the Plaza de España is decorated in beautiful painted tiles, with a sort of "cubby" for each region of Spain.
I was like a kid at Disney here, basking in the sun and taking tons of pictures!
Next, we strolled through the Parque de Maria Luisa. It was really nice and quiet and had TONS of birds. First, there was a black bird with a little bit of red on her head swimming in the water with her chicks walking on the bank of the pond. The chicks were these fluff balls with giant feet, and when the mom got out, she kind of looked like a chicken when she walked. There were also HUGE ducks. I mean duck that were bigger than some of the roaming cats. The funniest part was when we saw a stand off between a cat and a peacock.
Then we met up with Ellie's friend Laura. She took us to walk around some of the parts we hadn't seen yet and to Casa de Pilatos (just an old house with some cool tiles). We ate dinner near the University (which was SO gorgeous) with some of her friends before going back to the hostel for the night. Ellie was tired, but I had a chance to meet some of the people at the hostel--a dutch girl and an italian girl. Both very friendly and fun to talk to.
Click on the Nun Cookies for more pictures from day 6:
Stay tuned for... cor-DO-ba... no, you mean, COR-do-ba and some unfinished business in Barcelona
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