Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Sun, Splendor...Sevilla

Valentine's Day weekend I went to Sevilla on an excursion with my students. Before this weekend, I hadn't been to Sevilla since the spring of 2001 so, I was excited to go back but kind of forgot what it was like. We split up into two groups upon arrival. One group headed off to Córdoba, another amazing city in the south, and the other group headed to directly to Sevilla.

Córdoba




Well here we've got a carriage driver enjoying his siesta in the plaza

This neighborhood is called La Judería it was the Jewish quarter before they were expelled from Spain.




This is a street that is full of flowers which is why it's called Calle las flores it's a beautiful little side street that is full of flower pots, a well and the beauty of Andalucía (the southern region of Spain)



The Catedral de Córdoba
Here is the most amazing place in Córdoba...The Mezquita which means mosque in Spanish. This mosque was preserved only because a Catholic church was put smack dab in the middle of it. When the Moors were kicked out of Spain anything Islam or Arab was to be replaced by Catholic specific representation and this mosque is a prime example of that. What was preserved however was the amazing structure and design. There's no doubting the history, beauty and spiritual power this place holds.








Okay now this just seemed ridiculous to both myself and one of the guides. As we walked back to the bus she drew this to my attention...#1 Burger King is on this sign which is redonkulous but what is even more silly is that it's bigger than the Mezquita. I don't know what's going on with Burger King in Europe but it's definitely making way too much of an impact if it ends up on this sign.

We were walking on a tour and I looked over and randomly saw a guitar sitting on a ledge. The Spanish guitar is one sexy instrument and I've just added it to my 'Bucket list' of things I need to learn to do...play this beautiful instrument.

There's a mirror on the floor so that you can take a picture of the elaborate work done to the ceiling...and if you can see even a little of what I saw, you know how beautiful this ceiling is.

Okay so we were informed that Christopher Columbus' remains lie in this coffin. The Dominican Republic also claims to hold his remains but I guess unless we open it up we'll never know the truth.

Here's my view out of a small window on the walk up to The Giralda is a UNESCO site and it is one of the three remaining Almohad minarets left in the world. Giralda in English translates to weather vane (never knew that word before) It used to sit atop what was the mosque before the Muslims were kicked out of Spain during the Reconquista which is where prayer was called from. Now it is La Catedral de Sevilla.

Still looking out as I climbed for quite awhile to get to the top of the Giralda.

My super sweet co-worker + homie Misha.




This plaza is filled with fun art work made out of all different materials. I liked this one of the silly kissy faces so I figured I'd join in on the fun.


El Alcázar de Sevilla
The Alcázar is the royal palace of Sevilla. It used to be a fort used by and created by the Moors. Qasar means palace in Arabic. Over the year there have been new additions but the beauty is still like none other. It´s one of the most majestic places in Sevilla and is a must. It reminds me a lot of the architecture in Granada. This visit to Sevilla really made me feel close to the Spain I knew and loved when I visited Spain for the first time in 2001.

Patio de los naranjos
(this patio is filled with orange trees and it's beautiful.)

These baths are amazing. I really wanted to jump in. I tried to make an appt. at the local hamam/bath house in Sevilla while we were there but they were booked since it was Valentine's weekend.

This is called Los Baños de Doña María de Padilla and is named for María de Padilla who pursued by King Peter "the Cruel". He had her husband killed so that he could have her to himself and to stop his advances, she poured boiling oil over her face to stop his advances. She became a nun and moved into a convent and this bath is named for her because of her loyalty and purity.


I can´t tell you how amused I was by these fish + I don't even think you'd believe me if I told you how amazed by them I was. I know this is horrible but some of the students were feeding the fish Whoppers (malted milk balls) to get them to come up to the surface. They went crazy for the milk chocolate deliciousness and I took about 20 pictures of them. They were HUGE fish...


More of the palace gardens








For lunch I went out with the guides and my co-worker. Tapas in Sevilla are amazing. From the croquetas to the salmorejo to the new and very famous QUESADILLA...
is it not just any quesadilla. This is not Mexican, nor Tex-Mex related. This is official Goodness. This quesadilla is a tapa offered at Bar Europa in Sevilla. It is a decadent delight of thinly sliced granny apples that are caramelized and on top of the apples is a warm piece of goat cheese that has also been caramelized with strawberries as an extra treat on the side. If you ever go to Sevilla and don't find this wholesome amazingness...you have missed out my friends.



Don Juan and you know how that story goes...

Plaza España

The two cutest little kids out for a Sunday afternoon stroll

Misha, Ale, Alli

So as some of you know...I have a thing for kids rides and apparently kids toys. Maybe I'm just getting old but for some reason we were talking about big wheels and we stumbbled across one that someone had thrown away. As to relive my childhood I decided to climb on the wannabe big wheel...and although it wasn't an authentic ET big wheel like I once had...it definitely made me smile.

We were rewarding ourselves with a nice lunch before heading back to Barcelona.


This was our amazing guide Alejandro + his friend pita Bob. Figured these smiles would be a great way to end the blog...hope you enjoyed!








No comments: