The old from the new

A full day in Seville ending here as the sun goes down on the Setas da Sevilla, the fairly new construction of the Metropol Parasol in the Plaza de la Encarnacion, locally known as ‘ The Mushroom‘. We had a look this morning around the market housed underneath but access to the roof wasn’t open. After dinner we joined the queue to go up to the Mirador.

You can see the Cathedral in the distance. The tower (Giralda) is Moorish and with the orange tree courtyard remains from the original mosque that stood here in the 12th century. It is now the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. It is said to house the remains of Christopher Columbus who has reputedly travelled further since his death than he did before!

Nearby is the Real Alcazar. The oldest Royal Palace still in use in Europe. We visited on a timed ticket and stayed for a good part of the afternoon having lunch in the lovely gardens surrounded by peacocks. The Alcazar is built on what was a Moorish site from the 11th century and Charles V had the place built in Mudejar style, Islamic Art and architecture embellished with Christian and royal insignia, in particular his emblems of a castle and a lion.

It was most enjoyable and we got into both buildings by pre booking our tickets and thereby jumping the queues!

Just a word about last night’s Flamenco. It greatly exceeded our expectations. One and a half hours of spellbinding dance and music. Intense and impassioned, much more than just a style of dance. Highly recommended if anyone gets a chance to see the real thing - a mix of Asian gypsy, Arab and Jewish influences.

Off again tomorrow sadly. Tonight was a great way to end our stay and a bit earlier than last night!
Out of the frying pan - that is Seville....


(Sorry it’s late again so probably no comments.)