Spain Day 6

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Another beautiful day in Spain. Today we explored Seville. We did a quick bus tour of some of the buildings from the 1929 Expo which took place here in Seville. We then visited the bull ring, the Alcazar and the Cathedral. After all of that we had the rest of the day free. Some of the group decided to visit some Roman ruins outside the city. Kari, Tony, Ariel and I decided we wanted to explore Seville and shop. I got some fantastic shopping in. I am having the stuff shipped and they told me it will be there in two days. So Jerry expect a package soon!! Weather held for us today and we had lots of sunshine. We ended the day with a horse carriage ride to some of the main monuments.

I will try and describe the places we visited in order and then to download some pictures that show the places.

Seville is the capital of Andalusia and sits on the banks of the Guadalquivir river. It has a mild climate - Mediterranean type. It is the 4th largest city in Spain. Christopher Columbus set sail from Seville when he discovered America and he is buried here in the Cathedral. The Kingdom of Tartessus flourished in this area. The Phoenicians and Greeks opened up trade links with the Tartessians and it was their descendants who, towards the 8th century BC established what is now Seville. The Roman period of Seville was followed by a number of invasions of different groups. The Arab domination began in 712 and in 1248, after two years of siege, Fernando III conquered Seville and it once again became a Christian city.

First stop on the trip was the bullring. Bull fighting is still popular here in southern Spain although not in other areas. The bullring was built in the 18th century. It is well maintained and very beautiful. Bull fights start in April and go through October. There are a number of doors into the bull ring, one for the bulls to enter, one for the matadors, one to take an injured matador to the infirmary and one to remove the dead bull to butcher it. Although bulls can be spared, it is very rare to do so. In Spain, unlike in Mexico, the bull is almost always killed.

After the bullring we went to the Alcazar. This is one of the main places I had been waiting for! It did not disappoint. It was unbelievable. The Alcazar is the Royal Fortress and still used by royalty. It started as an Arab fortress. The bulk of the structure was built by King Don Pedro. Although used by Christians, the individuals who built the structure were the Moors who still lived in the area. There is a term for these individuals which spills over into the type of construction. It is called Mudajer. The carvings, the tiles and the garden are being maintained so well. The doors are made of wood and are original back to 16th century.

The Cathedral is the largest temple in Spain and 3rd largest in the Christian world. 1184-1198 Seville's main Mosque and minaret were built using bricks. In 1248 the Mosque was consecrated as a Cathedral. In 1434-1517 construction work began on the Gothic Cathedral. The Cathedral is 415 ft. by 270 ft and the nave rises to 147 ft. You can also climb to the top of the large tower. Ariel, Tony and Kari made the climb and I sat in the sun!! Christopher Columbus's tomb is on the main floor of the Cathedral. The main alter is a 15th century retablo which is the world's largest alterpiece. Composed of guilded carved wood, it has about 45 Biblical scenes employing over 1000 figures. Inside the cathedral the Gothic arches are so high that the building is said to have its own independent climate.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Granda with with stop in Cordoba. Enjoy the pictures.

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Comments

[Kathleen]

[e-mail]
It looks like you guys are having a wonderful time - love Arial's smile - although she MUST have a camera to take this mystery blogger's picture :-) It feels like spring here - can hardly wait to see all your worldly purchases! Am sure it is great to spend time with K/T and A - ENJOY!! K

[KellyMu]

Wow!!
Wow! Beautiful pictures. Looks like the weather is holding. Have fun!!

[Talen]

that looks like a really fun place....!