Travel Tuesday - The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain

Mar 5

It's Tuesday so another travel day is in the cards.  Today's trip is to Sevilla (Seville).

Sevilla is the capital city of the Andalusian region.  Located about 80 km or 50 miles from the ocean, it is the only river port in Spain.  It has a documented history dating back about 2800 years, to the 8th century BC.  It was first established by the Phoenicians, Romans, Vandal, Visigoths and, then in the 700s it was conquered by the Muslim Moors who ruled under three different groups until about 1200, when it was conquered once again, this time by the Christians under King Ferdinand III.

After the discoveries of the Americas, Sevilla became one of the economic centers of the Spanish Empire as it's port monopolised the trans-oceanic trade.  In 1519 Ferdinand Magellan departed from Sevilla for the first circumnavigation of the Earth.  Sevilla continued to flower and flourish as both an economic and cultural center until about 1650, when  a plaque decimated about half the city's population, the port of Cadiz on the Atlantic Ocean received authorization as a port of trade and silting of the Guadalquivir river ultimately forced the relocation of the trade to the nearby ocean port of Cadiz.  There followed a period of decline for the city.

Starting in about 1843, under the rule of Queen Isabel II, with investments from the Sevillian bourgeoisie, a construction boom began that was unrivalled in the city's history.  A bridge was built across the river,  street lighting was expanded and most of the city streets were paved.  This was followed by railroad construction and the demolition of part of the ancient wall surrounding the city that allowed for growth in the urban space .  An electric company was created that provided electricity throughout  the city.  Museums and theaters were created.  Then in the early 20th century,   the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 was held, which showcased the city to the world once again.
In 1992, in conjunction with the 500th Anniversary of Christopher Columbus's discovery of the Americas, another Worlds Exposition was held.

The trip out was a treat for the eyes.  The weather was not looking very promising, with overcast skies.  Some of the sites along the way.

Some of today's scenery was absolutely stunning

 

Within five minutes of arrival, the view was dramatically changing

  

 

 We found our way to our hotel, without too much trouble, but, we drove past it, small one lane street, no stopping/parking, so we had to find our way back again.  Not such an easy thing to do in small narrow, one way streets.  But with the assist of the GPS we finally made it back, pulled up on the side walk, and got the hotel staff to walk Bill to the parking.  That was an adventure!! Down around the corner, maneuver the car into an elevator, dodging bollards and high sidewalks, down three floors to a parking space, then up another elevator to the hotel.  The car is NOT moving until we check out.

This is our accomodation for the night - turns out it is a little boutique hotel, only 7 rooms, created in what used to be a former residence.  It is ideally located within walking distance to most attractions I was looking to go to.  

Our room

Bathroom is behind the glass door

Lnding outside our room, all 7 rooms are on this level, center is open to the ground floor

Looking down the atrium to the ground floor - the floor below (with the glass windows and grill work) is the dinning room

Looking out our window, up the street

and down the street

Well we arrived at the Cathedral to see all the wonders inside, only to find that it was closed for a special service - not too happy a camper here!!

Just have to content ourselves with exterior views

Bell tower of the Cathedral - it started out life as a minaret for a mosque, but when the Christians took over in the 1200s they added to the top and turned it into the bell tower we see today

The exterior of the building is being cleaned and is looking very nice

Cyclamens as a bedding plant

You don't see this sign too often - ye olde carriage parking

We could here all kinds of noise and squawking but couldn't see who/what was making it.  Then we noticed this little fellow, fairly well camouflaged in the trees - there were dozens when you finally knew what to look for - a little parrot.

Waiting for customers, of which we became one - my hips were screaming from walking on uneven cobblestones.  We got about an hours tour, to many places we would have never gone otherwise and it gave us an idea where we would go for a follow up visit tomorrow.

Views along the way

Waiting for the traffic light to shange

Venturing onto the main drag, along with the cars, motorbikes, buses, etc - the Gold Tower ahead

Onto the Plaza Espana, the centerpiece of the 1929 Exposition - it is massive semi circular building, whose scale I could not give a good idea of, so I am attaching an internet picture to give an idea of its overall size -  I will return tomorrow to get a closer look 

The four bridges over the moat represent the four ancient kingdoms of Spain

The archways are individually tiled alcoves, each representing a different province of Spain.  There are 50 different provinces represented.. Attached ids a closer picture of them (not mine) 

 

Central fountain of the plaza

Photobomber makes another appearance

Tunnel and grotto in the garden

The flock of white doves that are a fixture at the Plaza de America

This was the site of a bit of carriage driver-on-biker road rage - the biker had cut in front of the horse and suddenly the carriage driver was standing up and yelling something about ....muerte.... (death) in Spanish - he was not happy!

Lovely metal work on window grills and railings

Decorative tile work on building

The cathedral as seen from the roof top patio of our buiding

Turn the other way on the rooftop and you see a very modern building