A day in Sevilla

 

Córdoba to Sevilla was an easy drive of less than 2 hours. We had a full day to explore this lovely city - and compared to Córdoba it is definitely a city in scale and size, with visible prosperity in the wide avenues, parks, shops and good restaurants ...

Parque de Maria Luisa

Walking the pedestrianised streets of Santa Cruz, the historic centre, we were spoiled for choice when it came to lunch ...

but eventually settled on El Pintón, tapas bar with fabulous tiled interiors ...

                   

                             for traditional huevos and pan tostado

before making our way past the Casa Rosa and horse-drawn carriages on the Avenida de la Guardia Civil ...

to the entrance of the massive Catedral de Sevilla

The enormous size was a surprise (to me, at least). Some sources claim it is the largest gothic cathedral in the world and the third largest cathedral in the world after St Peter's in Rome and St Paul's in London.

(Poor ravaged London: on this same morning we'd heard the news of the Grenfell tower fire, coming soon after two major terrorist attacks on London)

It may be considered gothic, but like the Mezquita of Córdoba, it started off as a mosque in the 12th century, and according to the cathedral's own information, its design is around five precincts 'distributed with perfect Muslim orientation, looking towards East' 

La Giralda, the bell tower, was previously the minaret of the Almohad mosque, to which a belfry was added on top. At 105 metres, it's Seville's most visible landmark and icon.

There's a huge inner courtyard, in traditional Muslim design, planted with orange trees for shade and a large fountain for the faithful to cleanse and perform ritual ablutions before entering. 

The interior, however, has been thoroughly and coherently christian-ised since its functional conversion ...

... and Columbus lies here in this tomb just inside the main door. He may just have one of the world's most beautiful cathedrals as his final resting place.

From the cathedral we walked across to the city's other landmark building  - the Real Alcázar de Sevilla ...

which started off in the Islamic era (in the 10th century) as a citadel or fortress to protect the city, and later became a royal palace for successive rulers 

It is stunningly beautiful, from the gardens and courtyards ...

to the archways and tiles of the interiors ... 

all in classical Arabic style, the original design perfectly preserved and coherent

After the Alcázar, we stopped for a life-saving ice-cream in an air-conditioned bar before heading back to our hotel for a cold shower. In the Hotel Meliá, this was the decoration on our room door ...

... which opened, in total contrast, into a room of chic, minimalist modern design. Whatever the aesthetic - and they have a rich and mixed heritage to choose from - Spain just seems to do it so well.

Sevilla, Spain

Iberian road trip, Day 6, June 2017