Andalucía and Seville Blog Entry 6

Andalucía, España

Hola a todos!! 😊

What’s all the “Buzz” about Seville?

Just passing Malaga, on our way to Seville

Like Ann of Green Gables and Mike Duffy are make-believe residents of PEI, they say that “Don Juan” and a barber named “Figaro”, might be fictional characters who called Seville home. 

Feeling the need to check it out, Linda and I threw caution to the wind, and headed up to Seville. 

Seville, the “city of charm and joy”.

Sure, the Moors ruled Seville for over 800 years but they weren’t the first to settle this rich and productive river plain.  Indeed, the Carthaginians and the Romans occupied the whole Guadalquivir River Valley right down to the Atlantic Ocean, well before them. 

Look really close below the clock in the tower of Palace of San Telmo!

In fact, Seville today carries the DNA of many a conqueror. Why two Roman emperors, Trajan and Hadrian, were even born here!  

This is a 6 P.M. Shot of "San Telmo". See the moon.

And of course, much later, even the French … well, of course the French, ..... gave it a shot.  Remember that guy, Napoleon?

Surprising?  Maybe! 

But what shocked me a little about beautiful Seville was this:   

a) Seville has the unenviable burden of being the city where the Spanish Inquisition … often said to be a war against the Jews... began.  In fact, much of the financing for Christopher Columbus’ voyages had been borrowed from Spanish Jews, making the Christian Spanish monarchs beholding to them. 

Was the Inquisition just an instrument to “restore the balance”; (money and possessions in one stroke)? 

If so:  How convenient! 

The headquarters for the Inquisition was …. our dear Seville.

b) After Columbus' discovery of the Americas, it was little Seville,....

.. a port situated 80 kilometers inland and upriver,...

... that got the nod to monopolise the whole trans-oceanic trade with the Americas (think gold, silver, spices, and slaves),... and at the same time,..

 ... become the economic powerhouse of the Spanish Empire and even the world. 

And why did this happen?

Even the walls speak of Seville and their pride.

Any true Sevillano would tell you that his city, was simply the best choice.  Then a walled and an inland port, it, and only it, was best suited to defend and protect Spain’s new found interests and treasures from its jealous neighbours.   And for a while, this was true…until the river silted in!

Today, of course, Seville has lost much of it’s prestige and power,...

.... yet all the markers of that golden period still stand, proud and tall, in that 4 km² patch of sacred ground on the Guadalquivir...

….where, oh yes, even today, it’s abundantly clear that some very serious history took place here.   

But let’s start at the beginning of our day:

It was, it seemed, the break of dawn….O.K., early!... and the sun’s rays were only reaching the distant corners of the La Plaza del Triumfo.

In fact, the only signs of life, outside of the  scruffy yet seemingly good-natured cats, warming up wherever the sun took them ... were the early-risers huddled in their favourite cafes.  But still, there we were,….

… like perfect little pupils, prompt to a fault, and standing at the foot of the Monumento a la Inmaculada Concepción, as assigned, waiting for our Viator group.... 

... enjoying just one of the benefits of scouting everything out the night before. 

I was thinking about heading over to start up a conversation with the carriage driver about tapas joints...

....when, suddenly there were footsteps.  Looking over towards the cathedral, I could see shapes making their way to morning prayer.
 
Impatience got the better of me and, with Linda’s permission of course, I set off across La Plaza … removed my cap and slipped into the cathedral.

It was staggering!  The afternoon tour there was going to be amazing!

 

Coming out, I noticed Linda speaking with a couple.

They, too, were waiting at the base of the statue. 

Beverly and Chuck, it turns out, were also from Ottawa…

... just here in Seville for a few days….and then off to Benalmádena (just 5 minutes from our place in Fuengirola), to meet two friends…. also from Ottawa. 1 + 1 make 2, don’t they! 

Impossible! Could they be...?

You see, Fran Connelly, a friend from Ottawa had emailed earlier saying that Bob and Joce Laliberté were renting a place with close friends, in….. Benalmádena.   

Were Chuck and Beverly those very friends?  Well, of course, they were! 

We had a great day touring and then feasting on tapas.... but OH!  THE TEMPERATURES!!!

This was taken at 5:58 that afternoon!!!

The Alcazar Real - Royal Palace 

Our first stop that day, was the "Alcazar" or royal fortified-palace, developed by Moorish Muslim kings over the years.  Fires and earth tremors did call for numerous restorations over the centuries but those repairs and additions were always made in the style of the time, transforming the Alcazar into the architectural gem it is today. 

An so, a tour here is really like walking through an historical digest of architecture.  In this one building, there is evidence of:

- Moorish (11th-12th century),

- Gothic (13th century),

- Mudejar (14th century), and

- Renaissance (15th-16th century) architecture. 

Historically the “Alcazar” also surprises,....

.... for it was here that Christopher Columbus signed his contract with Queen Isabella, giving him permission and financing to sail his new route to “India”, in the name of Spain, ….

....and setting into motion a whole series of colossal changes that would rock the western world.

In fact, a stroll through the Alcazar has a bit of a fairy tale feeling to it. 

The horseshoe arches…. the sunken pool of the mesmerising Patio de las Doncellas,

…and the gold dome of Ambassadors' Hall, and....

.... the overwhelmingly beautiful “Patio del Yeso” or Plaster Patio Gardens….

… And naturally, everything reeked of wealth and regality… and like a well-aged wine, it had rich undertones…of intrigue, conquest, disaster, and betrayal. 

Oh, yeah, the palace was the place!

“And, would you do it again, Charles?”  - “In a heart beat!”

The Seville Cathedral

While most people in Seville were taking a siesta, we all motored on, thanks to a cup of expresso.  To the cathedral, it was.

Our guide began by saying that it was the show piece of the city's new found wealth and station in the world.  So mighty a cathedral was it to be, one old priest reportedly put it this way:  

"Let us build such a church, that those who come after us, shall take us for madmen."  Kind of a "mission statement", don't you think?... the ultimate symbol of the Christian conquest over the Moors and notification to the world, that Seville was a city to be reckoned with.

So inspired were they by their goal, the religious orders of Seville renounced all but subsistence level incomes in order to speed up the construction, ….

…. leaving a plethora of skinny priests scurrying about over the city’s cobbled streets for the next 100 years. But indeed, the cathedral was finished… on time, taking just over a century (1402-1506) …. and on budget.

Quite an achievement given its gargantuan size and architectural details!

Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this,...

.... the largest Gothic cathedral and overall third largest church in the world, ...

.... followed the usual Spanish custom of building over the mosques that…

... previously had occupied the area.  You save a lot of money that way. 

Could it be the biggest in the world? 

Any good citizen of Seville would say:
"That's a big yes!".  He would then add: "measured by volume!"  Jeez!  Stats!  You can do anything with them. 

But, sore feet and information overload, had us concurring, that as gorgeous as it was, it was more mind-numbingly-gigantic.

Just one example: there are 80 different “chapels”, all seemingly large enough to contain an ordinary Ottawa church.  In fact, this colossal 12,000 m² structure, once held 500 masses…daily.   I’m told the Spanish aren’t quite so religious today.

In hindsight, two other qualities stand out. 

First, the cathedral didn’t resemble a gawky teenager. 

There was a balance between all the parts,...

,… and secondly, there seemed to be overall, simplicity and restraint in the decoration….. with one exception, that is: 

"The Great Altar Piece" .... 

.....Nothing quite prepares you for this, the sight of the largest and richest altarpiece in the world...

.... a Gothic woodcarving and one of the best examples of this in the world.  Interestingly,.... 

.... it was designed to keep the interest of Seville’s rich and famous in the Catholic religion… there was no high tech back then.

......20-meters tall, altarpiece, was gilded with tons of the finest gold, all brought back from the New World!!!!

In fact, at the height of the Spanish Empire in the 16th and 17th centuries, the epic kings of Spain channeled huge parts of their new-found riches from the Americas into art,.... 

... leaving the Seville Cathedral, after “Le Prada” in Madrid, with the most “objets d’art” of any collection in Spain.

Oh, C.C., where art thou?

One last spectacular find in the cathedral was the Tomb of Christopher Columbus.  The locals joke that the man travelled more dead than alive. 

Used for diplomatic favors to keep rebellious colonies placid, the bones of this most famous of explorers crossed the ocean a number of times.  

And yet, is he really back? 

Is this his final resting place?  DNA testing, currently underway, still leave some questions. 

The suspense is killing me!

La Giralda

Outside the cathedral, you can’t miss Seville’s renowned bell tower, La Giralda.

Originally built at the end of the 12^th century as a mosque minaret, it is still characterized today as one of the great ones in the world.

In fact, during the building of the cathedral, the Moorish, should have, by rights, been torn down. 

Exceptionally, it was preserved by the Catholics for one reason: its singular beauty. 

Inside, the 100-meter tower houses a 34-story ramp wide enough for a “muezzin” to  ride his horse up to the top five times a day, every day,...

.... to call out his reminder to the faithful that it was prayer time.

We went up by foot (no horses volunteered), and the views were spectacular.

Oh, a tip!  This is a bell tower, so strategically,...

.... it might be wise to avoid arriving on the hour.

Tapas: a way of life!

They were invented in Seville, so we undoubtedly had to go out for tapas. Beverly and Chuck have often been to Spain so these small, tasty dishes were their first choice as well. But which one of the hundreds of local tapas bars to choose from.  Thankfully, our guide gave us the name of her family’s favorite.  Typical local tapas in Seville include fish, spinach, chickpeas, egg plant, potatoes, chicken, and of course, the all-time favorite, Iberian ham.

A “hasta luego” to you both:

It was great meeting you Chuck and Beverly....

..... and we look forward to seeing you when you come to see us in Fuengirola with Robert and Joce.

La Plaza de España

After the Cathedral and the Alcazar, it’s the Plaza de España that most impresses.  This semi-circular building,.....

.... Renaissance/neo-Moorish in style, ornamented with towers and arches, ....

..... had me taking pictures from the moment we walked out of the leafy green wood surrounding it

I was smitten! 

Was it the curve of its façade?  

... Or the 500-metre canal in front, ....

...or  the four arched bridges with their rich blue ceramics. 

No, it was everything....

.... La Plaza de España, also known as "the Venice of Seville".  was, well...entirely captivating.

La Torre del Oro

One of the most famous monuments of Seville the beautiful Torre del Oro (Gold Tower) dates back to the 13^th century.

This, a 12-sided military watchtower, was built by the Moors to control access to Seville via the Guadalquivir River and...

.... may get its name from the golden shine projected on the river due to its building materials (a mixture of mortar, lime and pressed hay).

For me, the color comes from the sunset.

Today, others conjecture that it may have been the warehouse...

..... in which the gold,....

.....pilfered from the Incas and Aztecs in the New World, ....

..... was stored.

Just a “Hasta La Vista”!

Will we ever return?  Oh, yeah! 

We’ve only scratched the surface. 
O.K.  Scratch?  Never! 
But you know what I mean!  This city of charm, we hope, will have us back!

Thanks for reading along!  On our next adventure, we’ll be discovering Cordoba.  

Hasta la próxima!

Andalucía, Castles, and Parks Entry 5

Andalucía, España

Hola a todos!! 😊

Free and on the road

To really get to know Andalucía and...

....by that, I mean moving out beyond the normal touristy beach and urban areas,....


....you have to rent a car to truly understand..

....the scent of the orange blossom, ...
....or the glimpse of a white village perched spectacularly atop a crag,
or the freshness of the olive grove,
or the beauty of the snow capped mountains,
or the mysteries of the cork forests....

.....all memories of Andalucía that will stay with you like collected souvenirs.

Hidden Gems:

Such a day was ours, a couple of times over the past week, as we headed up to visit:

Jimena de la Frontera and....

Castellar de la Frontera....

.....two exceptional little spots, gems really, situated where the Ronda Mountain Range meets the Strait of Gibraltar.

Curiously, it all began, after noticing on a map, a whole string of towns whose names had the “suffix” “de la Frontera”. 

What did it all mean?   

The locals here said these towns were all once a line of fortified frontier settlements, some well over 1000 years old,...

.....all built by the Muslim Moors in an attempt to stave off the “infidel Spanish Christians”,...

A walk through stone and time!

....who for seven centuries, stubbornly tried and ultimately succeeded in regaining control of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain). 

All the "Frontera" towns were strategically located

Known here in Spain as “La Reconquista”, this conflict which practically spanned the whole of the Middle Ages (from 718 to 1492), culminated in Spain’s victory which, ....

….along with Columbus’ voyage and subsequent momentous discovery of the Americas, constituted an incredible one-two punch…to the jaw of Western History, all the while, marking the beginning of Spain’s Golden Period. 

Eyes wide open: narrow roads and cyclists!

Oh, we needed to hear no more!  Smitten, we were soon in our rental….


.....with Google GPS barking out marching orders, as we happily made our way down the highway in the direction of Gibraltar.   

Castellar de la Frontera

Our favorite of the two sites was, without a doubt, Castellar de la Frontera.  

Standing on a rocky promontory with its magnificent castle overlooking the entire Bay of Algeciras and the Rock of Gibraltar, this fully intact little fortress was part of the Moorish 800-year defense against the Christians.

A rare gem, this almost perfect Medieval fortress with its thick stone walls and white-washed houses, is a true find. 

Even more curious, is the fact that this little marvel has yet to be discovered !!! 

No tour busses can physically reach the castle and cars were at a minimum on the narrow curvy climb.  In fact,.....

.....were it not for the cyclists challenged by the narrow 7-kilometer road upwards,...

.

....a few citizens of the fortress,....

.....and the occasional dog,

.....we most probably would have had the place to ourselves. 

El Parque Natural de los Alcornocales

Far more than just a watchtower for old borders, with their narrow-cobbled streets and white-washed Andalusian houses, these two treasures are surrounded by....

.....Los Alcornocales Nature Park… a wonderful green lung for the whole area and Andalucía’s 3^rd largest park with 1700 km² of forested mountain ranges,....

....standing second only to tropical rain forests for biodiversity.  

The term Alcornocales actually means "the cork oak groves"….

....and a walk through its hilly forests which even the Romans used, just seems to lead you to other latitudes and times. 

Sure, it is a hikers’ paradise with its songbirds, vultures, and eagles all making their home both here and in Africa. 

Most visible, in fact, are the colonies of storks;....

....oh, those beautiful, curious, and fabled storks, who sometimes seem to get along famously with their neighbors,....

.

...and at other times...

....well, just know how to stir up trouble!

All of them though,....

.....be the stork, or the  flocks of egrets, or the ever-present but more solitary heron, .....

.....all of them owe their presence to the ubiquitous oak cork tree,....

.....the tree that would be king.

Generally, the largest tree in the canopy, the oak cork's main feature is its trunk.... 

....standing out because it is stripped, or harvested.   

In fact, when freshly harvested, the trunks are blood red. 

Thanks to a perfect combination of soil, moisture and tradition here, Spain has one of the largest concentrations of productive oak cork trees, anywhere in the world today.  In fact, it is Portugal and Spain that produce most of the world's cork.

Cork is an insulating bark, which as it turns out, was nature’s evolutionary answer to forest fires and the result of a very happy symbiotic relationship between the tree and a fungus,...

.... providing the area’s inhabitants a centuries-long, traditionally rich, and ecologically sound way of life. 

That’s why these forests still stand.  Now, legally protected since the 1980’s, maybe they'll continue to stand forever. 

“Why Not Put a cork in it!”

However, under threat between 2008 to 2010, the cork industry had lost its buoyancy, so to speak.

Indeed, sales of Spanish cork plummeted as plastic wine stoppers or metal screw tops made headway globally alongside declining wine consumption leaving the industry looking like it’s cork had popped for the last time, hard work by cutting-edge Spanish agricultural researchers allowed cork to do something quite uncharacteristic for the material: it bounced….back!

....selling over 3 billion units in wine cork last year alone, a marker that showed a return to the level of its glory years.

But, it was perhaps knowing that they are not yet quite “out of the woods”, that we, while dining on a beautiful terrace in the park, were asked if we might not ask Canadians purchasing that next bottle of Rioja (or any wine for that matter), to think about the benefits of cork, the tradition it represents, and it’s role in the millennial-long practice of forest conservation.

There you go, Jorge!  Done!

Until next time when Linda and I will be making a trip to Seville. I can't wait. :)

Thanks for reading along.