ON TO SEVILLE

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It is now Friday, 6/17, and I’m back on the blog. Just going to hit the highlights and hope to remember all the wonderful sights we have seen.
Tuesday
Tuesday morning we left beautiful Granada for Seville with a stop in Cordoba to see the Mosque and the old Jewish Quarter. Our guide, Carmen, lives in Cordoba and loves the city with a passion that infected us all. Our first stop was the Jewish Quarter.
Prior to the reconquesta by the Catholics from the Moors, the culture lived peacefully together with three religions, Islam, the official religion, Christianity, and Judeism. Once the Catholics gained control the Jews were restricted to living in a particular area, basically a ghetto. During the Inquisition, the Jews either had to convert or were expelled. Those who converted were never really trusted and were prevented to fully integrate into the culture.
The Jewish population now is small and, of course they are not restricted to one area so the old quarter is basically an historical sight with cafes and shops lining the narrow twisting streets. The noonday sun was bright but the streets were cool due to the closeness of the buildings that provided shade, a natural air conditioning. From there we went to the Mosque.
Now a Cathedral, the Mosque one provided space for 20,000 Moslems to pray together. It is beyond huge, immense, really, really big! Hundreds or columns, many recycled from Roman times support arches of striped brick and limestone. It is extraordinary that the acoustics were so good that the Imam could preach the Koran in a niche with his back to the congregation and be heard by all.
The day the Catholics took control, Moslem services were held in the morning and Mass was said in the evening. The Christians build a church in the very center of the Mosque and the arches opening on the perimeter were plastered up to make room for chapels. We walked out into the old town and found ….. a Ben and Jerry’s. Cordoba, like Granada has a large population of Rom and their begging was really annoying. They really get in your face. We escaped the Rom and continued to the bridge that would take us to the van. The supports survive from Roman times. Fire engines and Emergency vehicles raced down the street to the stores where B&J was. Black smoke soared to the sky and a distressed storeowner was directing the firemen. We watched for a bit and then walked over the bridge where clever mimes worked the crowd. Near the end of the bridge was a table with bowls of flowers on top. When I walked past, the bowls rose from the table and shouted at me. For those who have been in San Francisco think, “bush man”. Very clever and effective.
Then we headed to Seville past endless olive groves and fields and fields of sunflowers. Whole hillsides were ablaze in vibrant yellow-orange. It was a beautiful vista.
Seville is a huge city of 700,000 inhabitants. At one time it was a major port city until the vessels became too large to sail up the river from the ocean. Because of this it has been inhabited since the days of the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths and Moors. As in most of southern Spain, churches sit on mosques that sit on temples and so on into the past.
Our hotel was modern and clean and after we unpacked we went exploring and then relaxed until dinner. Marylou and I found a small restaurant close to the hotel and ordered tapas and mojitos. Before long the rest of the group stopped by and joined us. The tapas were wonderful and the mojitos very good. We ordered eggplant stuffed with cheese on a bed of peppers, chicken breast and thinly sliced potatoes in a delicious sauce and grilled goat cheese with honey. Fran had beef in whisky sauce, Ken had anchovies and Rich had squid with roe. Everyone said their selection was very good.
Ken, Laura, Fran and Rich went off to explore further while Marylou and I lingered, visiting with a couple from the Netherlands that had popped down to Spain for a couple of days.
There are groups in The Netherlands, Belgium and probably France who have adopted the graves of US servicemen killed in WWII. This couple is one of those. Her grandfather was the original adopter and the tradition continues through the generations. Her soldier was from Pennsylvania and she and her husband have actually visited his brother. They visit the grave on Memorial Day and on the soldier’s birthday. I was so touched by this. What wonderful people.

Wednesday
Today we had a walking tour with Katie through the Jewish Quarter and the Cathedral. It was another clear and sunny day and the walk took us by the city hall and the Alcazar, originally a fortress and then a palace, now a museum. The quarter was very interesting much like Cordoba but with more tavernas and cafes. The remnants of a Roman aqueduct make up one of the quarters walls. The cathedral was huge and impressive. Chapels ranged from Gothic style through the Baroque and even Roman revival. Each chapel was built by a wealthy family for their private worship. The main alter was wood gilded in gold leaf. There are sixty-four panels that tell the story of Christ’s life from the nativity to the resurrection. The illiterate could contemplate the panels while listening to the mass. Again, the original building was a Mosque and the church was built in the middle.
The next stop was the Alcazar, which blended the Moorish architecture of the Alhambra with the Christian building style. The resulting palace is spectacular. You will just have to visit to find out for yourselves. After our visit was taxied back to the hotel for a dip in the pool. It was really refreshing after the long day touring in the heat.
After siesta we gathered at the tapa bar and then headed back to the Quarter for an evening of Flamenco. For two hours we enjoyed the songs and dancing of two guitarists, three soloists, two male and five female performers. The venue was small and we were in the fourth row so we had a great view. Leaving around 10:00 pm we walked into a magical scene. The lanes and squares that were empty during the day were studded with tables and chairs for dining. Wherever we looked there was another taverna or tapa bar or restaurant and they were all doing great business. Spain comes alive after 9:00 and a night owl would be in heaven here.

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Photos

CORDOBA AND SEVILLE
THE JEWISH QUARTER, CORDOBA

CORDOBA AND SEVILLE
IT JUST GETS BETTER

CORDOBA AND SEVILLE
DOVE OF PEACE?

CORDOBA AND SEVILLE
SEVILLE BULL RING

CORDOBA AND SEVILLE
ENJOYING THE AMBIANCE

CORDOBA AND SEVILLE
INSIDE THE MOSQUE