Sevilla Día 2: La Catedral, El Alcazar, La Plaza de España, y mas, en mi viaje por esta ciudad.
Hello, it’s 9:50 AM, here in Seville… Im on my way to Sevilla’s Cathedral… …along Cale Puerta de la Carne (Meat Gate Street XD…) This is Moya, the vegan restaurant…that pink facade… Had lunch there yesterday. It was very good. They took a while to serve me, but it was crowded. Here we go along one of Sevilla’s narrow streets… Google Maps is very good for walking routes here… I think I walked this street yesterday, ohh, there’s La Giralda…See you there. There are bunch of carriages with bulls, here today… Maybe because it is San Isidro Labrador Day?? Very colorful carriages pulled by bulls… There’s a school day trip group… That wall and towers is Sevilla’s Real Alcazar Palace. I’ll visit it today at 3:PM. That’s the General Archive of the Indies, which I visited yesterday. I keep going to the cathedra’s guided tour entrance….Well, here Im at the Door of Baptism, in the Cathedral… Waiting for my turn, here it says ‘meeting point for guided tours’… Christopher Columbus remains are here. There’s also one of the most impressive altarpieces of the times. There are people dresses in traditional attire…like this lady…in pink and green. Two more, here… Some men are wearing traditional hats… I called it, the ‘Zorro’s hat’… maybe because of the festival? (San Isidro Day). Christopher Columbus tomb… And we are on the cathedra’s roof!! Impressive…I’ll record the whole thing XD Up there it reads: ‘Proverbs 18′. This mushroom-shaped thing is a vent lid used in the Middle Ages. You can remove and look into the cathedral. That’s the Triana neighborhood, I think…the river is that way… That’s the Orange Tree Courtyard, where the old mosque stood once. What a view! La Giralda is called that because of the wind vane on top. Its an angel, I think… The vane turns, or "gira" in Spanish, because of the wind, and that’s why is called Giralda, because it "gira" (turns). This is the central nave… Through the vents, they dropped flower petals during Holy Week celebrations, and manipulated lamps. Over there is Sevilla’s Tower… I was there yesterday… That’s the Triana neighborhood, at the other side of the river. The biggest altarpiece in Christianity. Im going to climb La Giralda tower… it quite comfortable; ramps instead of steps. Wonder if there will be steps farther up.. Se we climbed La Giralda, there are the bells. If you visited the cathedral’s roofs, I’d say is not that worth climbing here… I thought you could climb higher, but no; its just to here. This is Patio de los Naranjos. This was the space of the former mosque. Ablutions fountain? Supposedly, the orange trees represent the mosque’s columns… …and the Moors brought irrigation to this region so maybe they planted them? IDK. So the trees represent the arches and columns of the mosque, which you entered from that side… And there’s La Giralda. Its a very quick and easy climb; there are ramps instead of stone stairs… …but if you climbed to the cathedral’s roof…climbing La Giralda is not worth it…I thought you could climb all the way to the thinner portion up there… …but its only to the bells; the last part of the thicker tower. And the elevation of the bells is not that much higher than the cathedral’s roof. Now Im at Calle Alemanes (Germans Street), one of the cathedra’s exits. Those red graffitis (that’s animal’s blood)… …they are from the 1700s… …made by students, celebrating that they graduated from Sevilla’s University. The graffitis were re-discovered during a wall cleaning project. They have lasted this long because the wall’s rocks are very porous and absorbed the blood. Germans Street is called that way because in ancient times, german merchants set here. Well, now Im at Mercado del Arenal (Sandpit Market). It sells groceries and you can also eat here. Im going to try a place called Veganitessen… My order arrived in less that 5 minutes…because there are not many people here at this time. Here we have a vegan kebab with nachos… And its very good, people. Now we are entering Sevilla’s Alcazar Palace… This wall is supposedly from moorish times, maybe close to 1000 years… That wall and entrance is from the 12th century, made by the Spanish… The palace’s styles is Mudejar; moorish architecture made by the Christians, or with Christian elements. This is the entrance courtyard, and that is the main building. Supposedly, Columbus came here to tell the monarchs about his first journey… Vespuccio and Magallanes also came here, supposedly, to plan their journey around the world. Also, Juan de la Cosa created the first mapamundi, here in the Admiralty House. In this painting of the Virgin of Seafarers you can see what could be Columbus’ first portrait? Its that guy in golden robes, kneeling close to the Virgin… He’s represented as having blond to white hair, as his son described him. His hair became white in his 30s. This is the coat of arms of Columbus descendants and it reads: "To Castilla and Leon, a new world gave them, Colón…" In times of Pedro The Cruel/Just, who ordered the Mudejar palace built, it only had one level. Isabel La Católica’s grandson, Carlos, had the second level built, during The Renaissance. Spain’s monarchs still use it. So the first floor is Mudejar style, with those interesting arches… The second floor has more basic arches and less mudejar ornamentation. All is designed to increment the sensation of coolness in quite a hot weather… the fountain, the sunken garden, the trees, the galleries… The Alcazar is the best example of Mudejar style; a mix of Islamic and Christian elements. The Spanish contracted moorish workers for this. This is The Prince’s room. Here was born the only son of Isabel and Fernando. Those little castles sculpted on the roof, represent the Kingdom of Castille. This is Carlos V’s room. He had this ceiling made in Renaissance style. Here he married his cousin, Isabella. Here we see the symbols of Castille and Leon… This is the Banquet Hall. Here, Carlos (son of Isabel) and his newly wed wife, Isabella, celebrated their marriage. The room is still used for special occasions. These tiles are from the 1500s… This is the Tapestries Room. These are 18th Century copies from 16th Century tapestries damaged because of the 1755 Lisboa earthquake. Now we are the gigantic Plaza de España. It was built wiht an arch shape. That’s the South tower, and that’s the North tower… There are lots of tiles in Sevilla because is a clay rich region, plus Moor influences. I wont be doing that, no sir. This is Portugal’s embassy. Here in Menendez Pelayo Avenue. Im looking for a bus stop. My hostel is farther up this avenue. Well, is now 7:PM in Sevilla, but as you can see, the sun is quite high in the sky still… I took a shower and had dinner, now Im going to the El Corte Inglés… I want to explore Sevilla’s Corte Inglés. Buses don’t cross Sevilla’s old quarter because as you can see, the street are quite narrow. When you walk you discover things: I just found a laundromat… …My Laundry Alfalfa… Its about 6-7 minutes from the hostel, IDK; something like that. And it takes credit cards… Many stores around here: Taco Bell, Calcedonia, Burger King, Aristocracy, a jewelry store… This up front I think is Plaza del Duque… …there’s a Diego Velazquez statue… That huge white building behind the square is El Corte Inglés. Is 8:45 PM and the city is super alive…European cities are quite pleasant… So much to do without driving. You can walk, take bus or the metro… Maybe he ran out of money for the hostel?? Awww, look at these two… Look, Zorro’s hat!… 75 euro…ouch… This is Plaza de la Encarnación (Incarnation Square). This square has been documented since the 1500, when there was a convent here. Interesting archeological finds have been discovered here. I think there’s a museum inside where you can see Roman ruins, and climb to the roof, as those people are doing over there. The structures look like mushrooms. This is El Salvador Square, and El Salvador Church. With the Cathedra’s ticket, you can visit this one up to 7 days from ticket’s date. Spaniards are experts at evening socializing. Sometimes is nice to come out at this time; around 9:PM… To experience this vibe Besides the sun is finally setting and the lighting for videos and photos is very nice. There have been people here since the 9th Century B.C.E. and it hasn’t stopped during those several thousands years, until the city we see today. Seville was the hub of commerce with the Spanish colonies. Over there we have La Giralda… From Seville: see you in Ronda!
Hoy visité los lugares mas icónicos de Sevilla: La Catedral gótica mas grande el mundo, en donde además está enterrado Cristobal Colón; El Real Alcazar de Sevilla, el mejor ejemplo de estilo Mudejar en el mundo; la hermosa Plaza de España, con sus majestuosos edificios en forma de media luna; la Plaza de la Encarnación, con sus “setas” gigantes; y sus callecitas acogedoras.
Today I visited the most iconic places in Seville: The largest Gothic Cathedral in the world, where Christopher Columbus is buried; The Real Alcazar of Seville, the best example of Mudejar style in the world; the beautiful Plaza de España, with its majestic crescent-shaped buildings; the Plaza de la Encarnación, with its giant “mushrooms”; and its cozy little streets.