Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Seville

On the Avenue El Cid; sure enough, looks just like Charleton Heston







On the Avenue Constitucion (or close) is a humongous,
stately building that used to be a cigar factory, employing
some 10,000 persons...where Carmen worked...
(Nietzsche's favorite opera)








The convent bakery outlet, where we purchased some fine
muffins














The Barrio Santa Cruz features very narrow
alleys, called "kissing lanes"--I stretched
out my arms and could easily touch both
sides; anyhow, they contribute to keeping
the neighborhood cool during the hot season,
as much as 3 degrees cooler; anyhow, further,
this one leads to the square with the statue
of Seville's other most famous character...

















Don Juan; interesting that the city's two
most famous personages are fictional...and
the subjects of opera...













The old town is a city of plazas and patios,
this one beautiful and relatively typical













Where Murillo lived

The Bodega de San Something or Otre; very popular 
despite smallish drinks










The bar where, for 2 euros, I had a beer and
a plate of very decent paella marisco; the
bartender was a big Obama fan (as are nearly
all foreigners)

The main landmark, the Giralda, the now
Christianized Moorish minaret, outside the
cathedral














River front







In 1929, Seville hosted a world fair; many of the national
pavillions remain, now restaurants, museums, galleries;
this one Peru







Of course, once you get out of the old city, it's apartment-
world, and supporting infrastructure, mile after mile, sort of
a mini-China











































We spent a beautiful long day in Seville, seeing mostly the cathedral, the Alacazar, and the Barrio Santa Cruz. Above are some shots along the way. Someone once wrote that other cities have ambience, but Seville is ambiance. On a Saturday afternoon, you could sense the ease, the ambience, the grace, all around. But then you can sense it all over Spain.

Did I mention the oranges? There will be pix, I am sure, but we are here in high ripe orange season. Imagine a fairly green city, the old town, where every tree--thousands of them, in squares, tree-lined avenues, boulevards--is an orange tree and every one of them is straining to hold on to hundreds of plump ripe oranges. It is an incredible sight. Alas, the oranges are not for eating...very bitter, used mostly for vitamins and perfumes. But it is something to behold. Our campsite, out in the burb of Dos Hermanos, is in what was an orange grove.

No comments: