When I visited Sevilla two years ago, I did nothing but shop. For some reason, I was under the impression that the city had little to offer from a tourist standpoint, especially compared to, say, Granada. I could not have been more wrong, and I cannot believe what I missed out on!
1. The Cathedral/The Giralda: This is one of my favorite parts of Sevilla. The Cathedral is the largest in the world (according to the Guinness Book of World Records), and the Giralda, once the minaret of Sevilla’s mosque, is still the tallest tower in the city. I am so fascinated by the mixture of Islamic and Christian architecture in Sevilla, and this is a prime example. If you’re interested in learning more about the Cathedral/Giralda, I suggest reading the post on my other blog! It’s mostly anecdotes, not too much history! (http://adrianatravels.tumblr.com/post/10181618554/la-catedral-de-sevilla)
View of the Cathedral from the exit:
2. The Alcázar: This was once the fortress of the city, and the defensive city walls extended around it. The king has occupied the Alcázar ever since Sevilla fell to the Christians during the Reconquista. It has been expanded since then and is now comprised of several different architectural styles from many different eras. It is absolutely humongous and rivals La Alhambra (Granada’s palace) in its beauty. Quick anecdote: One of the princes born in the Alcázar is considered the “muerto de amor” (this roughly means he died of love). It is a bit of a play on words. As they say, he was actually the “muerto de hacer amor” (which roughly means he died making love).
The summer baths at the palace:
The ceiling of the room where the prince "muerto de amor" was born:
3. La Plaza de España (see post below): Sevilla hosted a year-long world exposition in 1929, which served to make the city more global and also to bring in a lot of tourism. The Plaza de España was built for this exposition, and it’s hard to believe that it was built so recently!
Mini Haverford Reunion at Plaza de España--Granada people in Sevilla! (photo courtesy of Alex Tonsing):
4. El Museo de Bellas Artes: I’m not a huge fan of art, but this museum houses the works of many famous Spanish (Sevillan) artists. On Sundays, contemporary artists sell their work outside the museum!
5. Archivo de Indias: As Sevilla was once the main port between Spain and the Americas (both Columbus and Magellan left from Sevilla), it is now home to all the original documents regarding trade with the Americas. I haven’t been able to fully explore this building, but what I’ve seen is amazing.
6. La Maestranza (Plaza de Toros): This is the sight of Sevilla’s bullfights. Sevilla’s Plaza de Toros is one of the most important ones in Spain, and was the first to be constructed in the shape of an oval. (No, I’m not planning on going to a bullfight.)
La Maestranza (photo courtesy of Adriana):
7. Metropol Parasol: This is a very recent addition to the city, but is supposedly the largest wooden structure in the world.
Photo Courtesy of Adriana (it's the two of us below Metropol Parasol):
Conclusion: Sevilla is an incredible place for history and tourism. Little 18-year-old me was crazy to think otherwise.
Spanish word of the day: ositos de oro = gummy bears (I am in love—I think they’re better here than in the States! They have more flavors, and the flavors taste way more like fruit than gummy bears at home.)
un abrazo (a hug),
elizabeth
That wooden structure was under construction when I was there, so cool that it's finished!
ReplyDeleteI have two pieces of advice: first, keep in mind that you can get into the Alcazar for free as a student. I loved to go there and read in the gardens. Second, ALDI supermercados are the best place to buy Haribo Ositos de Oro, you can get almost a pound of them for less than 2 euro. There's one around the corner from your house, if you haven't discovered it yet! ALDI is awesome.
I LOVE ALDI :) :) :)
ReplyDeleteBut thanks for the tip on the Alcázar--I didn't know how much it was for students!