Showing posts with label Seville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seville. Show all posts

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Seville's Alcazar, 2017

My favorite Moorish place in Spain, apart from the Mesquita, is Seville's Alcazar, its castle/palace dating back centuries, to Moorish times, then Ferdinand and Isabella, and still now one of the royal residences. This was our third, and I hope not last, visit.
In the exhibit of 19th century fans

Famous old painting, Columbus depicted to Mary's left, blond
guy

Incredible tiles everywhere

In a tile special exhibit

But it's the Moorish architecture that captivates






Also the gardens


Castle and lion, again


Huge, gnarly old tree


Peacock in the restaurant

Tallest bougainvilla ever, so far




I can never get enough of this scene, the
princess' baths
























Conquerors get the last word, right?

Seville's April Feria, 2017

It's a huge week-long party, 24x7, most of Seville, much of Andalusia participating, held at the fairgrounds across the river from the old city. Part state fair, part celebration of heritage and culture, part networking and exhibition of status. We enjoyed it greatly--mere observers, of course--in 2013, and wanted to see it again. There were the same number of casitas, about a thousand, about the same rides in the amusement park, but there seemed many more people. Spain's economy has improved greatly from 2013, one surmises. In any case, we had a great time again, especially knowing what it was all about, where to go, what to see.
City traffic plan for Feria: four lanes in, one lane out: everybody
goes to the Feria

No need for directions: just follow the Flamencas

One of the hundreds of casitas--owned by families, dynasties,
businesses, corporations, trade groups, professional associations,
you name it; handed down from generation to generation...
there are also a few large public casitas, where peons like us
can go

One of the things you do, other than be seen, have fun, socialize,
drink, dance, is to do most of the foregoing while riding around,
preferably in costume



In costume means side-saddle for some genders

 
The rules differ somewhat for teeny-boppers



Starting very young

In the adjoining amusement park


It is some measure of the importance of the thing that 1) boys
this age will attend, 2) dress up in jackets and ties, and 3) behave
accordingly

The rides in the amusement part are...extreme

Fortunately, Vicki is now over doing these things


Other forms of excitement; manzanilla, a type of sherry I think,
the beverage of choice back in the casitas

One of two huge ferris wheels

Another of the casitas; generally speaking, red for ladies, blue
for gentlemen, will do, although the ladies have more freedom
of expression; business attire seems normal for the gents; just
FYI

Street cleaning, mainly gathering the tons of horse poop
deposited daily, and watering down the streets; give them
plenty of room

Gets better at night, too; we're so glad we did this again