Travel Adventure Series 1:3 Spain –Magnificent Spain – The City of SEVILLE
Unlike Queen Isabella 1st of Spain, I didn’t have an entourage at my disposal to get me from one place to another in Spain. I certainly was not going to arrive in Seville by horse followed by servants. I had to choose a much more modern and realistic approach for my travels from city to city. I was just in Santiago de Compostela which is quite a distance from Seville, especially if you travel via Madrid. (875 Km = 545 miles). I decided to take a very inexpensive one-way flight to Seville via Madrid! It was faster than the train and almost the same price. Travel within Spain is very economical and there are always options!
SEVILLE: The Location, The Moors, The Historical/Cultural Facts, and Hikingdan’s Adventures in Seville!
Location: Map of Spain and My Location Within the City
If you look on the map above, you will see that I travelled quite a distance. I left Santiago which is in Northwestern Spain (in the Region of Galicia). I flew to Madrid (in the region of Castile) in the center of the country. I then caught a connecting flight to Seville in the southwest of Spain (in the region of Andalusia).
Andalusia is an autonomous community that is officially recognized as having an “historical nationality”. It is VERY rich in history which I discovered daily. Andalusia can also be VERY hot as it is in the south of Spain.
The region of Andalusia is divided into eight provinces: Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Seville. The capital of this region is the City of Seville.
Seville is the capital of Southern Spain’s Andalusia region. In my next travel series, I will be taking you through the cities of Cádiz, Córdoba, and finally Granada.
Historical/Cultural Facts – The Monarchs, The Moors and Their Rule Over Seville
There is no doubt that beauty, magnificence, and architecture of Seville is breathtaking. It is also a very historic city and I encourage you to read about this city. The history of Seville spans more than 15 centuries which is far too much for me to research in extreme depth and write about here!
Before I discuss more about Seville and the Catholic Monarchs, I think it’s critically important that any visitor to Spain to have a basic understanding of some key historical facts about the invasion of The Moors from North Africa, their contribution to Spain, and who ultimately ended their rule in Spain. This is a very brief synopsis but this history is very worth exploring on your own for more in depth knowledge!
The Moors were the nomadic Berber inhabitants of North Africa. The Moors were not an ethnic group on their own. The term “Moor” came to really mean anyone who was Muslim and had dark skin. Over time, the term Moors, was given to most Muslims living in Europe.
In the year 711, the Moors came to Spain across the narrow Straight of Gibraltar from Africa and conquered Spain (the Iberian Peninsula). It was not terribly difficult for them to reach Spain as the distance across the Straight of Gibraltar from Africa is only 14 Km (8.7 miles).
The Moors ruled Spain for centuries. Their rule stretched as far as France. But bit by bit the Moors were pushed back — expelled from Seville in 1248 (by King Alfonso 3rd). Their rule in Seville lasted 5 centuries! It was Queen Isabella 1st and Ferdinand 2nd who finally drove the Moors entirely out of Spain in 1492.
The Arabic impact on the culture of Andalusia can’t be overlooked or ignored. The Moors left a definite impact after 7 centuries in Spain. They built fortresses, cities, multiple Mosques and elaborate palaces (Alcázars) in Spain. When the Moors were in Seville, they ruled from the Alcázar. One of the greatest contributions the Moors made (aside from architecture) was the perfection of the Roman aqueducts. They had a very sophisticated way of using water for more than just survival. The Moors used their expertise to expand what they considered basic functioning Roman aqueducts to allow for pools, baths, fountains, irrigation and more.
The Flamenco and Seville
Seville is famous for Flamenco and it all began here. It is said that Seville is the best place in all of Spain to see Flamenco. The history says that Flamenco derived from a fusion of many dances and folk songs. This blending of folk art styles was due to the many communities of Jews, Arabs, Africans, and Gypsies who were inhabitants of Seville. Because the Gypsies are nomadic, they are credited with the spread of this art form.
The City of Seville
Some major landmarks include the ornate Alcázar castle complex, the Cathedral, and Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza (bullring). The Gothic Seville Cathedral is the site of Christopher Columbus’ tomb (the debate rages on as to whether or not the bones there are really his), and a former Mosque minaret turned into a bell tower, the Giralda. I needed six days to much of it. I could have stayed longer if I wanted more in depth tours of them.
This building below is called El Archivo de Indias (Archives of the Indies). It truly is magnificent and I enjoyed sitting in a small café drinking many café con leches and admiring the scenery.
This construction of this building began in 1572. It, (General Archive of the Indies) houses in the expansive and extremely valuable archival documents illustrating the history of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and Asia. I can only imagine what one could discover in these archives! This building and its contents were registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site!
My Accommodations and in Seville
I had no idea where to stay upon my first visit to Seville. I am sure that is something Queen Isabella did not worry about. I knew that I was most likely not going to book a room at the Alcázar of Seville where Queen Isabella resided. The Alcázar of Seville is where current Royalty stays when in Seville!
I knew nothing of the city and its neighbourhoods. I did do some research. I needed a hotel in a place central to the city and with easy access to many historical and cultural sites. I hit the Jackpot when I chose to stay six nights in the Hercules de Alameda neighbourhood. In fact my taxi driver gave me a bit of history enroute from the airport. My driver said that legend has it that Hercules founded Seville! Apparently, the legend is that the God Hercules founded the city of Seville himself. He came chasing the Phoenician goddess Astarte along the Guadalquivir River. I laughed when the taxi driver said, all good things discovered, involve women! I hope I understood her Spanish because that was my translation of our chat!
No matter what the true story is, I felt that I was in the right neighbourhood.
My Neighbourhood – La Alameda de Hercules. It’s up and coming but very close to the old city.
Hotels can be very expensive, particularly if you want to stay in a decent neighbourhood close to the old city. Someone suggested that I look at renting an apartment here instead of a hotel room. Generally, the cost is cheaper and there are laundry facilities and a full kitchen. It allows one to be able to save money on food and other things.
When I showed up at the apartment and checked in, I discovered it was sub ground level with no windows. It was dark and dreary. It was also located next door (with an adjoining wall) to a very popular gay bar. I just told the proprietor that I wasn’t staying there despite the fact that I had already pre-paid for six nights. I told them that if their description of my apartment including no windows, I never would have taken it and refused to stay there.
The company graciously asked if I would move to another apartment a few blocks away. I said yes, and below are photos of the apartment that I rented. This apartment was huge, magnificent, quiet, and more than half the price of a decent hotel. There was a great gym just 1 block away. I joined for a week as I wanted to work out and feel like I was at home. Seville is one city I would consider spending a few months living in and taking more language lessons.
Outside of the Building
Adventures Whilst Exploring Seville
One thing I read in advance of this visit to Seville was the need to pre-book specific tours. Tours of the Cathedral, the Alcazar, are almost always full. I did that but had a few days to explore the city before I go could go on those private tours.
On my first day, I was walking and exploring when I decided to stop and look for a place to get a haircut and freshen up my look. Where does one go to get a haircut in a foreign city? I wondered if I would ever find a place in Seville? Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew exactly where to go and get the best cut ever! The Barber of Seville of course!
Wow! A Gigantic Mushroom In the Middle of the City!
I stumbled upon an amazing structure on my first day! Las Setas – The Mushroom! This building truly looks like a massive wooden mushroom that is a few stories above ground and covers several city blocks!
The Metropol Parasol, also known as the Mushrooms of the Incarnation, is a wooden structure with 2 concrete columns that hold the access elevators to the rooftop lookout. It is located in the central Plaza de la Encarnación in the city of Seville.
It measures 150 x 70 meters and is approximately 26 meters high. It was the winning project in the competition opened by the Seville City Council to carry out the renovation of the square in which it is located.
It has five levels. The upper level contains a lookout point and a panoramic route that covers most of the area.
Some fun video links when I visited Las Setas
Video 1 – View From the Ground
For the Following Videos (2 thru 5), please click the line in red in order for the video to download.
Video 2 and Video 3 – Exploring From the Upper Deck
Intro to The Upper Deck
Las Setas from Above 2
Video 4 and Video 5 – Hikingdan takes a Tumble
Ooops…The Wipeout
After The Wipeout
City Tour of Seville and the Plaza Nueva
I discovered that I could book a very small private walking tour of Seville. This tour was easily booked and I was given a meeting location – Plaza Nueva! This was the perfect place to meet my tour guide and fellow tourists. Plaza Nueva is a centrally located square between the shopping area, Arenal and the river. Plaza Nueva is home to the Ayuntamiento, the Town Hall. This shady palm and orange tree-lined square is the heart of Seville. With its shady palm and orange trees, and plenty of benches, Plaza Nueva is a very popular meeting place for all.
In the center of the square is a statue of King Fernando III, also known as San Fernando, who reconquered the city from The Moors in 1248.
My tour was 3 hours long. It was a walking tour with 6 people including our magnificent guide, Juana. She was in her mid 60’s and Juana was born and raised in Seville. She told us that she was a Flamenco dancer in her youth. This was a magnificent tour. I was sure glad the Barber of Seville cut my hair for this tour! I recall laughing at one poster in one of the shops. It was telling the meaning behind each way a woman holds her fan in her hands. It was funny…take a look for yourself!
We spent some time walking in the Jewish Quarter (Barrio de Santa Cruz). It was truly lovely. We sat and had some of the best tapas in Seville! I did notice as we were walking that the sand along the paths was a unique yellowish colour. Juana said it was fine, yellow, sand of Seville. The exact same sand is in the bullring. This fine dust gets everywhere!
As we were walking that area, we came across a woman dressed in her Flamenco wedding gown. She had just been married and was posing for photos. The front of her dress was Flamenco style but that yellow dust of Seville certainly made her dress look dirty!
I loved this tour and was so impressed by this area that I decided to go back several hours later. I turned a corner and saw the same bride from earlier in the day. She was heading into a restaurant and I got a glimpse of her gown from behind! It was BEAUTIFUL!
The Alcázar Palace of Seville
The Alcázar of Seville is said to be the oldest Royal Palace in use in Europe. The name ‘Alcázar’ means castle in Spanish and is derived from the Arabic word al-qasr.
The Alcázar was originally built as a fortress to protect the Muslim authorities. It is protected by a wall. The Alcázar site is made up of diverse palaces and gardens designed during different historical periods. This original Moorish fort was built in the 10th century by the first Caliph of Andalucía. The construction of the current Royal Alcázar began in the 14th century. It is now known as The Real Alcázar de Sevilla and is the Official Royal Palace of Seville.
One interesting thing to note when visiting the Alcázar of Seville (and the Alcázar Palace of Cordoba) is seeing how Christian Royalty constructed their churches etc. in and around the Muslim structures present. An example is the original Islamic minaret in the Cathedral of Seville (La Giralda). It was transformed into a Bell tower for the Catholic Cathedral instead of being destroyed and rebuilt.
The Alcázar of Seville was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site along with the Cathedral of Seville in 1987. It is still used by the Spanish royal family as their official Seville residence.
It is worth noting that this is the very building where Queen Isabella 1st signed all documents giving the go ahead for the voyage of Christopher Columbus.
The queen also built an entirely new wing of the palace from which to administer the new colonies in the Americas.
The Cathedral of Seville
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See better known as Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic Cathedral. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site as was the adjoining Alcazar Palace complex. As a symbol of the Christian triumph over the Moors. The cathedral was constructed between 1401 and 1506 on the site of the town’s 12th-century Great Mosque. It is a magnificent structure spanning multiple city blocks. This Cathedral has seen a great deal of history;
- the baptism of Juan of Aragon in 1478, only son of the Queen Isabella 1st and King Ferdinand 2nd.
- Its royal chapel holds the remains of the city’s conqueror, Ferdinand 3rd of Castile
- Ferdinand 3rd of Castile’s son, Alfonso
- Christopher Columbus and his son Diego have their remains buried there.
La Giralda
La Giralda was Formerly an Islamic minaret, this Moorish tower is one of the few remaining elements of the original Great Mosque that was replaced by the cathedral. The tower was built in the 12th century by Islamic rulers.
At the time it was built, the 97-meter-high tower was the tallest monument in the world. Today, the tower stands as an emblem of the city’s multicultural heritage.
La Giralda functions as the cathedral’s bell tower. At the top is the 16th-century weather vane, an enormous (four meters high) bronze statue of a female figure bearing a cross to symbolize Faith.
Tourists may climb to the top of the tower to admire sensational city views.
Christopher Columbus and His Tomb Inside the Cathedral of Seville.
Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 and died in Valladolid, Spain on 20 May 1506.
Columbus was knowledgeable in geography, astronomy, and history. He developed a plan to seek a western sea passage to the East Indies. It is said that he was searching to profit from the extreme wealth of spice trade.
Columbus attempted to convince Queen Isabella to fund his voyages but that timing was not good. She was embroiled in the Battle of Granada and the Alhambra. After that battle, The Catholic Monarchs agreed to sponsor a journey west. Columbus left Castile in August 1492 with three ships and made landfall in the Americas on 12 October.
He landed in the Bahamas and explored Hispaniola and Cuba. Columbus returned to Castile in early 1493, bringing a number of captured natives with him. His voyages became extremely popular throughout Europe.
Columbus made three further voyages to the Americas, 1493, the south coast of South America in 1498, and the eastern coast of Central America in 1502.
The history of Christopher is a very interesting and controversial study. It is noted with discoveries, a willingness to return, troubles, crimes, and the historical issues of colonization. His voyages led to enslavement of many native populations.
Columbus’s expeditions began a period of exploration, conquest, and colonization that lasted for centuries. His discovery of the New World which changed the lives of Indigenous people which are evident in 2022.
The Tomb of Columbus is located inside the Cathedral of Seville. The story told over centuries raises concerns as to whose bone fragments are buried in that tomb!
Columbus’s bones were exhumed and re-buried several times and on both sides of the Atlantic! He was first buried in Seville, Spain in the early 1500’s. It was in 1537, when his daughter-in-law moved his remains (along with those of her dead husband) to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic where she resided and is “said” where Columbus wanted to be buried. The bones believed to belong to Columbus were dug up and moved so they would not fall into the hands of foreigners. The remains finally arrived in Seville, via Cuba, in 1898. They are resting beside those of his son.
Christopher Columbus’s burial place is still a mystery. Both Spain and the Dominican Republic claim to have his bones in their tombs. Spain did do DNA testing on the bones and have proven they have the bones of Columbus. The Dominican Republic refused DNA testing and thus the mystery of his remains, remains!
Stay tuned for the Travel Series of Spain as I head to Cadiz!
KEEP WALKING!
