Before my trip to Cuba, I decided to take a break (yes, before not after!) in Spain and Portugal. I’ve been to Madrid and Barcelona (I liked the former more than the latter, contrary to conventional wisdom), and have seen no other part of Spain. So I decided to spend about a week in Andalucia.
A long day – overnight flight from Delhi to Paris, six hours wait at Paris airports, and a short flight from Paris – bought me to the Andalucian capital Sevilla (that’s what the Spaniards call it). I am a bit apprehensive about reaching a new city after dark (this one landed after 20:00). It was only when I landed in Sevilla that I remembered that the European summer means long days. There was bright sunlight, even though it was around 20:30, and I took the airport bus instead of the taxi (which I would have done if it were dark). Whilst I was waiting for the bus I got chatting with this rather roguish looking local and a helpful English student who made sure I reached my hotel.
I was staying right next to the Cathedral in Santa Cruz barrio (quarter) which was the Judeira (Jewish quarter) in medieval times - this area has picturesque narrow streets and rather touristy (and un-touristy) bars. It would take me quite a while to get from one end of a street to the other as I would spot yet another bar and would head in for a quick, and cheap, beer. The atmosphere in the local bars was very different from the touristy ones. In the latter you would see tourists, sitting at the tables, talking softly with cameras, guide- and phrase-books on their tables, looking at the menu and wondering what to order. In the local bars, everyone would be standing – as if in a hurry to down the beer and move to the next bar – talking loudly, gesticulating, and enjoying the free tapas (in Andalucia, a drink entitles you to some free tapas!).
The Sevilla Cathedral is an impressive structure bang in the middle of old town - after Seville was 'reconquered' by the Christians in 1248, the main mosque continued to be used as a Church till the early 15th century, when the mosque was broken down to build a church (one of the largest cathedrals in the world - the architects apparently said "we're going to construct a church so large that future generations will think we were mad"). However, the 90m minaret 'la Giralda' was not broken down and still stands as one of Spain's best preserved Islamic structures. Inside the Cathedral there are numerous Chapels - the cathedral also houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus – which have some lovely paintings by Goya (including the famous 'Santa Justas y Rufina') and Murillo.
Close to the cathedral is the Alcazar, which was the royal palace of past kings and caliphs. The sumptuous palace has a large halls, patios, beautiful gardens and fountains. Here I saw a peacock strutting it's feathers (yes, I've never seen one in 'full bloom' before).
Christopher Columbus sailed for the Americas from Spain and claimed the territory and trade of Americas for Spain. Sevilla was the only port which was awarded a monopoly for trade with the Americas - consequently, all goods, and more importantly, gold, that was brought from the Americas passed through Sevilla. This continued till the 16th century when this monopoly was dismantled and the port of Cadiz was also authorised to trade with the ‘new world’. All the gold that came from Americas was, apparently, stored in the Torre Del Oro (‘Gold Tower’). It is believed that there was ‘silver tower’ too (which no longer exists). The ‘Archivo General de Indias’ contains more than 80 million documents relating to the discovery of and maintenance of trade in the Americas.
The two things which I really wanted to do in Sevilla were to go for a Flamenco show (I ended up going for three!) and for a bullfight (I ended up going for two! – one in Sevilla and one in Madrid). Many restaurants have nightly flamenco shows and it is a matter of choosing the right one, though it honestly doesn’t make a difference which show you go for, if you are totally ignorant about the dance form, as I am.
Basically, for the Flamenco there are three essentials – a guitarist, a singer, and a dancer. What I loved about the dance was the energy behind it – I found it extremely violent (in a good way), intense, and passionate. One of the most famous Flamenco dancers from Sevilla was Cristina Hoyos, who was instrumental in setting up the 'Museo del Baile Flamenco' which I found very informative and interesting, especially after having seen a couple of Flamenco performances and getting some understanding of the dance form.
The Plaza de Toros (bullfighting ring) is amongst the oldest in Spain (dating back to 1758). Now bullfighting (corrida) is a cruel sport no doubt, but I thought it would be interesting to see a bullfight to experience first-hand what the fuss was about. A bullfight is all about spectacle – the setting is very atmospheric, scenic, and colourful. Usually in an evening there are 6 bullfights – two each by different matadors. And sadly, the outcome of each of these ‘fights’ is that the bull is killed cruelly after being taunted for the better part of half an hour by capes, swords, and banderillas (pointed sticks).
There are three stages in a corrida – the first is when the matador along with his assistants judges the bull (his pace, preferred direction of charging etc.) Then picadors (atop padded and blindfolded horses) try to stab the bull’s neck which leads to its first loss of blood. In the second phase, assistants known as Banderillos place pointed sticks (‘banderillas’) in the bull’s shoulders. In the third, and final, phase the matador is alone with the bull and, using a cape and stick, makes passes on the bull before finally killing him with a thrust of the sword in his forehead. A clean swipe that leads to immediate death for the bull is considered to be the pinnacle of a matador’s skill and if he is able to do it, the matador is given the ear of the bull as a prize.
Bullfighting is all about technique and the regulars seem to be knowledgeable about how a banderillos must thrust the banderilla in the bull’s shoulder or how a matador must make a ‘pass’ with his cape. All was lost on me, naturally. And thankfully.
There are a lot of Opera connections with Sevilla - three famous Operas are set in this city – Don Juan, Barber of Sevilla, and Carmen. The Tobacco factory (which is now the University of Sevilla) is where much of the action in Carmen takes place. One of Sevilla’s most famous sons is Miguel de Manara from the 17th who set up a charity hospital, ‘Hospital de la Caridad’ - apparently the character of Don Juan was partially 'inspired' by him. Yes, he had other 'hobbies' before he took to charity full-time.
Sevilla’s most famous Hotel is the Alfonso XIII. Obviously I can't afford staying there but I did go inside to have a look at the lobby and lovely interiors. This hotel was constructed for the World Fair of 1929. Two famous ‘world fairs’ were held in Sevilla – one in 1929 and the other in 1992 (which was a reversal of 29 and also happened to be the 500th anniversay of Columbus' "discovery" of America). The world expo of ’92 put Sevilla back on the world map.
Apart from exploring Sevilla, I visited the close-by cities of Cordoba, Granada (Alhambra), Cadiz, and Ronda. More on those in a later post.
A long day – overnight flight from Delhi to Paris, six hours wait at Paris airports, and a short flight from Paris – bought me to the Andalucian capital Sevilla (that’s what the Spaniards call it). I am a bit apprehensive about reaching a new city after dark (this one landed after 20:00). It was only when I landed in Sevilla that I remembered that the European summer means long days. There was bright sunlight, even though it was around 20:30, and I took the airport bus instead of the taxi (which I would have done if it were dark). Whilst I was waiting for the bus I got chatting with this rather roguish looking local and a helpful English student who made sure I reached my hotel.
I was staying right next to the Cathedral in Santa Cruz barrio (quarter) which was the Judeira (Jewish quarter) in medieval times - this area has picturesque narrow streets and rather touristy (and un-touristy) bars. It would take me quite a while to get from one end of a street to the other as I would spot yet another bar and would head in for a quick, and cheap, beer. The atmosphere in the local bars was very different from the touristy ones. In the latter you would see tourists, sitting at the tables, talking softly with cameras, guide- and phrase-books on their tables, looking at the menu and wondering what to order. In the local bars, everyone would be standing – as if in a hurry to down the beer and move to the next bar – talking loudly, gesticulating, and enjoying the free tapas (in Andalucia, a drink entitles you to some free tapas!).
The Sevilla Cathedral is an impressive structure bang in the middle of old town - after Seville was 'reconquered' by the Christians in 1248, the main mosque continued to be used as a Church till the early 15th century, when the mosque was broken down to build a church (one of the largest cathedrals in the world - the architects apparently said "we're going to construct a church so large that future generations will think we were mad"). However, the 90m minaret 'la Giralda' was not broken down and still stands as one of Spain's best preserved Islamic structures. Inside the Cathedral there are numerous Chapels - the cathedral also houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus – which have some lovely paintings by Goya (including the famous 'Santa Justas y Rufina') and Murillo.
Close to the cathedral is the Alcazar, which was the royal palace of past kings and caliphs. The sumptuous palace has a large halls, patios, beautiful gardens and fountains. Here I saw a peacock strutting it's feathers (yes, I've never seen one in 'full bloom' before).
Christopher Columbus sailed for the Americas from Spain and claimed the territory and trade of Americas for Spain. Sevilla was the only port which was awarded a monopoly for trade with the Americas - consequently, all goods, and more importantly, gold, that was brought from the Americas passed through Sevilla. This continued till the 16th century when this monopoly was dismantled and the port of Cadiz was also authorised to trade with the ‘new world’. All the gold that came from Americas was, apparently, stored in the Torre Del Oro (‘Gold Tower’). It is believed that there was ‘silver tower’ too (which no longer exists). The ‘Archivo General de Indias’ contains more than 80 million documents relating to the discovery of and maintenance of trade in the Americas.
The two things which I really wanted to do in Sevilla were to go for a Flamenco show (I ended up going for three!) and for a bullfight (I ended up going for two! – one in Sevilla and one in Madrid). Many restaurants have nightly flamenco shows and it is a matter of choosing the right one, though it honestly doesn’t make a difference which show you go for, if you are totally ignorant about the dance form, as I am.
Basically, for the Flamenco there are three essentials – a guitarist, a singer, and a dancer. What I loved about the dance was the energy behind it – I found it extremely violent (in a good way), intense, and passionate. One of the most famous Flamenco dancers from Sevilla was Cristina Hoyos, who was instrumental in setting up the 'Museo del Baile Flamenco' which I found very informative and interesting, especially after having seen a couple of Flamenco performances and getting some understanding of the dance form.
The Plaza de Toros (bullfighting ring) is amongst the oldest in Spain (dating back to 1758). Now bullfighting (corrida) is a cruel sport no doubt, but I thought it would be interesting to see a bullfight to experience first-hand what the fuss was about. A bullfight is all about spectacle – the setting is very atmospheric, scenic, and colourful. Usually in an evening there are 6 bullfights – two each by different matadors. And sadly, the outcome of each of these ‘fights’ is that the bull is killed cruelly after being taunted for the better part of half an hour by capes, swords, and banderillas (pointed sticks).
There are three stages in a corrida – the first is when the matador along with his assistants judges the bull (his pace, preferred direction of charging etc.) Then picadors (atop padded and blindfolded horses) try to stab the bull’s neck which leads to its first loss of blood. In the second phase, assistants known as Banderillos place pointed sticks (‘banderillas’) in the bull’s shoulders. In the third, and final, phase the matador is alone with the bull and, using a cape and stick, makes passes on the bull before finally killing him with a thrust of the sword in his forehead. A clean swipe that leads to immediate death for the bull is considered to be the pinnacle of a matador’s skill and if he is able to do it, the matador is given the ear of the bull as a prize.
Bullfighting is all about technique and the regulars seem to be knowledgeable about how a banderillos must thrust the banderilla in the bull’s shoulder or how a matador must make a ‘pass’ with his cape. All was lost on me, naturally. And thankfully.
There are a lot of Opera connections with Sevilla - three famous Operas are set in this city – Don Juan, Barber of Sevilla, and Carmen. The Tobacco factory (which is now the University of Sevilla) is where much of the action in Carmen takes place. One of Sevilla’s most famous sons is Miguel de Manara from the 17th who set up a charity hospital, ‘Hospital de la Caridad’ - apparently the character of Don Juan was partially 'inspired' by him. Yes, he had other 'hobbies' before he took to charity full-time.
Sevilla’s most famous Hotel is the Alfonso XIII. Obviously I can't afford staying there but I did go inside to have a look at the lobby and lovely interiors. This hotel was constructed for the World Fair of 1929. Two famous ‘world fairs’ were held in Sevilla – one in 1929 and the other in 1992 (which was a reversal of 29 and also happened to be the 500th anniversay of Columbus' "discovery" of America). The world expo of ’92 put Sevilla back on the world map.
Apart from exploring Sevilla, I visited the close-by cities of Cordoba, Granada (Alhambra), Cadiz, and Ronda. More on those in a later post.
