A Weekend in Seville

We started our weekend with a walking tour - a great way to see Seville. The charming young man named Valentine, who led our group, was not only born here, but is studying for a doctorate on the city’s art and architectural history....the tour was free - with tips happily received at the end! For almost 2 1/2 hours he gave us an interesting history and insight into his city - all done with humour and enthusiasm - he obviously loves Seville and his country. With a choice of 2 or 3 free tours, in English, we decided on the one that featured “historical monuments.”
City Hall, in Plaza Nuevo, was our meeting place and with a group of about a dozen others, Valentine gave us a brief history of Spain - from the Phoenicians to present day - followed up with some observations on the City Hall which was built in 1526 in front of an old convent. With a Renaissance style facade it has some intricate decorations - including Hercules, considered the founder of Seville. The east side of the building was updated in Neoclassical style in 1891 and it bears the symbol no8do above its doorway. This symbol of Seville can be seen throughout the city - its logo is on signs, taxis and buses and even on sewer covers - “no-madeja-do” in Seville’s dialect means “it (the city) has not abandoned me.” Intertwined with no and do is 8 - a sign of infinity - it was bestowed in the 13th century by King Alfonso X in gratitude for Seville’s support when his son tried to usurp him.....hence “Seville has not, and will never, abandon me.”
Continuing through the city we stopped outside many places - including the Cathedral and Giralda Tower, The Royal Alcázar, the Archive of The Indies, The University of Seville, a Bronze Tower and a Golden one. Along the way Valentine taught us some history - pointing out Roman burial stones at the bottom of the Giralda Tower, the floor of a Roman road, and an original bronze door at the entrance of the Cathedral. We heard anecdotes about Seville oranges and his negative opinions on a Taco Bell that was built into the Bronze Tower. He took pride in showing us his university and explained how it was converted from an old cigar making factory.....and....he became excited when pointing out the beautiful and expensive Alfonso XIII hotel, where some of his favourite actors had stayed while filming in the city (especially the actors from Star Wars & Game of Thrones!)
We ended our tour at the Plaza de España where Expo 29 was held.....we thanked Valentine and tipped him (hopefully) generously for the entertaining and informative tour.....we then started our own exploration of this beautiful area.
Originally planned to take place in 1914, the expo was almost 20 years in the making before it opened in 1929. The site is part of the Parque Maria Luisa - a 100 acre area which was donated to the city by Maria Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Montpensier. The expo focused on Ibero-Americano and Latin-American countries - each had its own pavilion - 23 in total - many of them now used as consulates. The main pavilion was, of course, Spain. Spreading over a huge half-circle, this stunning Spanish Plaza, has ceramic alcoves all around it, representing Spain’s provinces. There’s a central fountain and a canal that winds its way through the area - row boats can be rented by the 1/2 hour. Nothing can be seen of the interior - it’s now a government building, but there’s plenty of space to wander around the outside, where vendors are happy to sell you a variety of locally made souvenirs.....and then there’s the park itself. We didn’t see it all, of course, but we did see many of its plants - both native and exotic. There are monuments and fountains galore - some along the main paths and some tucked away in “hidden areas.” One of our favourite monuments was that of a romantic poet, Gustav Adolfo Bécquer, whose statue stands alongside Cupid, who can be seen shooting arrows at three women of different ages......it was apparently inspired by Bécquer’s poetry!
The remainder of our first weekend here, we walked many of the varied and distinct areas of Seville, starting with a day in Triana - a vibrant old quarter situated on the other side of the Guadalquivir River. From the bottom of the old city, we crossed over the Isabell II bridge, known locally as the Puente de Triana - stopping frequently to admire the lovely views over the river and back towards the city.
Our first stop was the famed market - open 7 days a week - selling what is reputed to be some of the freshest and best fish, meats, produce and cheeses available. The owner of our rented apartment in Seville runs a cooking-school that is based here. Some vendors have little tables where visitors can sit and enjoy a selection of tapas - accompanied with a glass of wine or beer, if desired! Triana, a former gypsy neighbourhood, is packed with charming streets full of churches, bars and shops. Of special interest to us were the shops that manufacture and sell pottery and ceramics - an industry that dates back to Roman times. The San Jorge Castle, which shares some of its old walls with the market, houses a free museum - on this day we decided to skip the museum and enjoy all the sights and sounds of the area. We spent some time browsing the shops, before sitting outside at a tiny bar to rest up for the walk home......and enjoy a couple of cold beers that cost us only €3....hard to say no to that when the temperature was climbing higher every day!
We returned back through the city, tired but happy to spend the rest of the evening watching the local neighbourhood from our balcony - the bar across the street was particularly lively on this Friday night - celebrating the weekend, perhaps? We skipped the bar and ended our day by enjoying a stroll around the local streets.....while eating a huge gelato purchased from the shop next door to the bar.....happy weekend indeed!
Saturday we walked to the barrio of Macarena (barrio being the name for a district in a Spanish town). We entered the area through one of the four surviving gates, The Puerta de la Macarena. The ancient walls of Seville have surrounded the old town since Roman times - they were built between 68-65 BC, during the reign of Julius Caesar, and remained intact until they were partly demolished after the revolution of 1868. We passed through a mustard-yellow archway and immediately saw a church - the Iglesia de San Louis de los Frances. This church is the home of Seville’s most revered religious treasure, the Virgin de la Esperanza Macarena - popularly known as the Macarena. Our look around this church was a quick one as they were closing up for the afternoon siesta time - and with no photographs allowed, we had to make the most of the little time that we spent there.
Although there are lots of churches in Macarena - there’s so much more......known as a “dodgy” area 15 years ago, it’s now a mix of unique eateries, bars, cafés and independent shops - and is far less touristy than the more upscale “monument areas.” We strolled along the winding, narrow streets that we’re quickly becoming accustomed to - finding surprises around every corner. One of our favourites was a roof-top bar on the 4th floor of a small but lovely hotel......unfortunately it only opens much later in the evening - it doubles as a small sundeck, with hot-tub until the sun goes down (which is around 10pm in Spain).....we did however get to look at the great view from up there!
We ended the weekend with a lazy Sunday - catching up on laundry, as well as sleep....needing to rest a little after walking an average of about 12-15 km/day for the past week - our aging bodies were complaining! So with the luxury of another full week in Seville ahead of us we didn’t feel too guilty about staying “home” until the late afternoon. We left our apartment just as the city was starting to wake up from its Sunday siesta, and made our way to see what has become a new symbol of Seville - The Metropol de la Encarnación - or more popularly called “The Mushroom.”
With plans in place for a parking lot with a market above (it was the site of an earlier market), construction was halted in 2004 when ruins dating back to Roman times were found. Abandoning the plans cost the city 14 million euros, but after a few years and an international competition that was opened up for ideas, the construction of this very controversial structure began. The Metropol Parasol opened in 2011, along with many complaints about its non-traditional architecture and its cost of 86 million euros. Love it or hate it, the Parasol is now a popular spot for both tourists and locals. Similar to big-scale mushrooms, it consists of a group of 6 wooden structures which cover a huge square. In the basement is a Roman museum (Antiquarium) and the ground floor is a market. Above are viewing areas and two terraces with restaurants and bars, plus benches on which to just sit and admire the surrounding mushrooms - which we did - before continuing on to our last “new area” of the weekend - the barrio of Almeda.
It’s hard to know where Macarena ends and Almeda starts - unless you suddenly emerge from a narrow street onto the wide boulevard of Almeda de Hercules - which we did! This garden square, built in 1574, was originally a public garden named for the 8 rows of white poplar trees (álamos in Spanish) that fill its central area. A popular place in the 19th century for the upper-classes to meet, walk and live, it deteriorated in the 20th century - having a reported 35 brothels (in 1989) and major drug problems, it rapidly became one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Seville. Around 2006 restoration was started - the white poplar trees were replanted, road traffic was limited, benches and fountains were installed and the Almeda has now become recognized as the best district in the north of Seville for dining and nightlife. Food runs the gamut from vegetarian restaurants, sushi bars to Tapas bars and places serving traditional cuisine. It’s a popular spot for music - live jazz, open-mic and flamenco can be found here. It’s also known as the gay-friendly area of the city.
We’ll always have special memories of this evening in Almeda - as the night that the finals of the World Cup of soccer (known simply as football throughout Europe) was played! With everyone turned towards the TVs, it was difficult not to get drawn into the enthusiasm that Spain and its visitors had for the game and for France’s victory. We sat at an outside table - enjoying a couple of drinks and some tapas - while shouting, dancing and singing filled the streets. As we left Almeda and walked slowly home, the noise faded away. We finished our evening with our own celebration - another gelato from the shop across from our apartment - what a great weekend!