I love the genteel air of this stately 19th century mansion situated in the centre of the old town, a short walk from the cathedral.
You’re made to feel like a guest at your rich great aunt’s house.
Tuesday, 19.
I took my breakfast out on the patio off our room and managed to spill my coffee all over it, and the table, and the floor! Bummer!
The day’s zoom mass for Max Edralin was sponsored by the XCiti Lunch group. The family played a video of Max’s beloved granddaughter Alexis, an operatic soprano who died at a very young age.
Afternoon tea in the hotel.
Somebody brought us croissants and palmiers. Once again, there goes my no sugar, no carb on-off diet!
Wednesday, 20.
The magic that is flamenco at the equally magical Plaza de España.
Two years ago, I promised myself I would come back to Plaza España.
I did come back but my promise of bringing books for the cubbyholes remains unfulfilled.
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I’m up on the roof waiting for the rising of the full moon.
October’s full moon, the Hunter’s Moon.
We don’t always have lunch but when we do, it’s usually anchovies, maybe salmorejo, sangria, always after 3, at La Sacristia next door.
Nightlife begins as soon as you step out the door of Casa 1800.
Thursday, 21.
The Church of the Divine Saviour was built on a site where in Roman times, a basilica stood. Then a mosque in the time of the Moors. The mosque was demolished in 1671 and the current church was built soon after. It then collapsed and was later reinforced with solid piles.
This baroque church is the second most important and largest in Seville after the Cathedral. It’s famous for its ornate gilded woodwork and frescoes. A museum in back contains relics and intricately worked religious ornaments.
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In the Plaza Mayor stands the Metropol Parasol, a.k.a. Las Setas de Seville or Mushrooms of Seville.
This monumental wooden structure is undisputedly unique, is visually striking, provides slatted shade in the square, and most importantly, is a talking point. For a global city like Seville, any publicity is good publicity.
It is of course the €100million reported cost that has made it controversial.
There are Roman and Al-Andalus ruins housed in the museum underground. I didn’t go there. I guess I’ve seen enough ruins to last me a long time.
The star attraction for me was the Mercado de la Encarnación on the ground floor. Markets are a town or city’s heart and soul.
Friday, 22.
There are two ancient sights we’re seeing for the first time on this our third visit to Seville.
A natural aversion to crowds has kept us away before but one result of the pandemic, i.e., smaller crowds, has made it less difficult this time around.
The Cathedral of Seville.
It started life as a mosque in the 12th century, was Christianised into a cathedral after the reconquest in 1248, then replaced by the current cathedral in the 15th century.
Although built chiefly to demonstrate Spain’s phenomenal wealth, this lavish church ultimately demonstrates the creative power of religious zeal.
There are two things about this structure that blow my mind: its mastery of height and the splendour of its ceilings.
The Royal Alcázar of Seville.
Again, the ceilings!
But here, there are also the vistas, the celebration of water, the birdsong,the blended scents of old gardens.
I’m a fan of Moorish art. I don’t claim to understand it and I guesspart of the attraction for me is the mystery of it.
I see it as superior, on a higher level of sophistication compared to what is considered Western or European or Christian art. The abstraction, the going over and above the mere copying of what is obvious, as in painting or sculpture.
Moorish design derives from mathematics, their architecture, from geometry, whether studied or merely intuitive.
