Real Alcazar with our guide Ivan

The Cathedral and orange trees

Read Ivan's take on the day, he provides much more history and fact than I do at

http://www.globallanguagetraining.com/reales-alcazares-in-spring-oasis-in-the-city-of-seville/

I will continue to do this because it gives you a deeper picture of the day we spent together and more specifically interesting detail. I consider my version to be the "light" version, you will learn more from Ivan's but not boring in the least. Double click on his pictures to enlarge and enjoy!

We chose carefully not to take one of the regularly guided tours of the palace and were so glad we had made the choice to have Ivan as our guide. You see the regular guides have a patterned oration that includes all the dates and times of rulers and guide very large groups of people around, and that’s okay. But what Ivan gave us was legend and stories of the palace and Sevilla that he knows by having lived here. To us, more interesting and fun to know about. It makes history come alive instead of dusty dates and names that we’ll forget likely soon after we’ve heard them.

Courtyard of the Palace, see left, water pool

An example: The originator of tapa: (tapa means in Spanish “to cover”) A king, Charles III, was riding through the countryside with his entourage and stopped at an inn. It was windy that day and dust kept getting in his wine, can't have that!  The owner of the inn gave him a slice of jamon, ham, to put over the top of his glass to keep the dust out. He drank, ate the ham and wanted more. That is (at least one legend about) the origin of the tapa my friends, small bits of tasty food to nibble on while enjoying the company of others.

The Alcazar is a place of utmost beauty, detail and wonderment! For a virtual tour see this website http://www.alcazarsevilla.org/website/?p=129

Bruce had no expectation of it at all, I had read about it some, not enough, so going was an absolute treat!

Walking there Ivan explained about the special sand that is used in bull fight rings around the world and on park trails in Sevilla. It is a yellow colour called Amarillo, referring to the colour of a special clay. It hardens into a surface that is good for running on, humans, horses or bulls. It is sourced from a mountainous town north of Sevilla. Many of the buildings are painted Amarillo. In a previous post I said Amarillo Albero meant the golden haired girl. To correct, the bar is painted yellow and refers to that. 

Going to Alcazar we encountered a square with large, corregated iron fencing around the middle. Ivan jumped up to see what they were doing and they were digging deep, probably had found artifacts. 

The Alcazar has been inhabited by many generations of different cultures it has many versions and styles of architecture but is mainly Moorish. Pedro the Cruel spent much time there and while stories of what he did to people earned him the name, he did spend much time and money on and in the Palace. The carvings on the walls, doors and everywhere it seemed, are greatly detailed and ornate.

Courtyard of the Children I think, look at that wee face.

We have been to the Alhambra in Granada, almost the same time period but it was left as it was, while Alcazar has been a palace used and updated over many years. So while the Alhambra is larger, more ruins, the Alcazar is a jewel of a palace within Sevilla .  It was used as a residence until about 150 years ago, now owned by the City of Sevilla. Understand 150 years is not a lot of time in Europe, while it is a long time in Canada.

Example of incredible detailed tile work, carving in the background

There are very large baths on the bottom floor which are fed with rain water.

Baths are now closed but still look wonderful

Gardens are home to very old and varied trees and plants and are worth a day exploring on their own and peacocks! They even seem to pose for a camera when they heard the click. Had a drink at the café on site and they just casually strolled through the tables.

Both Ivan and I were snapping pictures like crazy trying to capture the allure and romance of the palace.

There was a room with floor to ceiling tapestries along all four walls which depicted battles and life in Sevilla, beautiful and my friend in Madeira Park who does weaving would be amazed at the skillful way they have been created.  There was a map of the Mediterranian as they saw it from Granada, upside down, North pointing south, they knew it was, but it was easier to plan trips to the Americas that way.

Detail of one of the murals

I think what is most amazing about everything there is the fact it’s all been created by hand tools and hours turning into years of labour.

Detail of tile, I liked the "silly" looking birds to me, although they may have real significance.

Ceilings, windows and doors are extremely high giving a lot of light into the rooms. We have seen this in churches, the large doors, with cut outs for small doors in them. Ivan said that was to keep the heat in on cold days but allow access. Only on celebratory occasions are the large doors opened completely.

Water is extremely important here in Spain and Sevilla, it cools, reflects architecture and generally calms the soul, as it does every where. In Spain they make it an integral part of the architecture. There are many fountains and pools around the palace. Almost always a courtyard has a water feature in it, as we’ve seen.

We had a lovely day again, sunny and not too hot, walked a lot, slowly because we took time to soak in the beauty inside and out. That reminds me I have a lemon in my purse, not every day a woman gets to say that! Ivan used Bruce’s crutch to free one from a tree in the garden. There is nothing better than the smell of a sun warmed lemon fresh off the tree! The taste is sweeter and fresher than lemons from a store of course, it just came off the tree and hasn’t waited for months in storage before shipping. 

Lemons and oranges and palm trees

After we went to a tapa bar, a favourite of Ivan’s, and he has many, and this one was open and packed with people. http://www.yebrarestauracion.com Wonderful, tasty food, three kinds of fish and beef at the end. All cooked exquisitely! Ivan does like good quality food, cooked properly and has shown us delightful “finds” that the ordinary tourist wouldn’t. This was in a neighbourhood for locals, a few blocks from the centre or old town but one would not look for it unless you had a guide. Then the best ever coffee, another smallish place, also not “on the map” for a tourist and back to the flat.

Mornings are a bit cool but get warm by noon, Ivan calls it lunchtime summertime.  People eat lunch later here than in Canada, between 13:00 and 14:30. Kitchens often close at 16:30 for siesta and re-open sometime around 20:00 for dinner.

What a stellar day and experiences that will weave into the framework of memories of our lovely time in Sevilla.

Andalusia Day and new trick from Lexi Cat

First off, a couple of links: here is Ivan's writing of our tour of Santa Cruz barrio.

http://www.globallanguagetraining.com/learn-spanish-in-seville-being-a-spaniard/

"Postcard from Seville" a link to an article that describes Sevilla well, I think, from an outsider's point of view.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/746fe10c-89b5-11e3-abc4-00144feab7de.html#axzz2uysHgKKH

Friday, February 28 is Andalusia Day, when cities in Southern Spain celebrate the making of the state. It is a holiday so stores are closed, even the tourist ones. Restaurants open and do a thriving business with all the people flooding the downtown core. There was some sort of rally, people coming by with flags on staffs and singing. Ivan said it was geared more to a political slant and I don’t especially appreciate crowds so we stayed on the edge and tried to figure out where we had ended up. We were looking for the place we had the orange elixir we had with Ivan. Got lost again, knowing we’d been in that part of the city before but “where’s home from here?”

Luckily there is always a bodega to sit at and rest tired feet before continuing. Bruce had the map out at the bodega, asked where we were on it and smart-ass waiter says you’re in Sevilla. Guess he’s been asked too many times before, possibly because they have recently changed the street name it is on, not on maps yet.

I have never seen the younger women here more dressed up with mini-skirts and very high heels for Andalusia Day. Okay I talk too much about food and fashion, but they are both parts of the aura of Sevilla and will continue to do so.

Here is a shop chic-o-block full of flamenco dresses I mentioned before. Since most businesses close for siesta when we visited before it was closed. Second visit and it's open so I asked if I could photograph, only good manners in my mind. Bruce mentioned that in Canada if a non-resident just clicked away they could be thrown out of the shop, it happens, but always better to ask first.

The colours and the flounces, how do you get from one end to another?

There are many men's clothing stores here as well. They showcase what look to me like well made clothing, shirts, ties, cufflinks of every type, many beautiful and even bow ties, which I don't think I've ever seen before. Wonderful colours and textures. Many older men here wear corduroy pants, now I haven't seen corduroy on many people in Canada for a long time but do remember owning some and they were very comfortable.  

I'm adding some pictures in to show you a very small amount of architecture. Daily we look around and find something new. There are many, many churches in this city with bell towers.

Just one of many but looks Moorish to me, I am learning....

Doors, doors, doors, mostly very, very large and ornate. Some have smaller cut-outs in them to allow easier access for example in churches. We have seen one that is magnificently carved and plan to photograph it, will send, a work of art! This one is just one of many and I could do an entire post on doors, as I could on many things here, but the goal is to let you know at home what we are experiencing, not to go on about one subject to bore you but to give you some nice pictures of the area.

Did a rather large shopping and bought a roller cart. We’re both tired of heaving heavy bags home. Will leave it here for the next people.

Went to the Alameda de Hercules after walking around some, investigating the neighbourhood, particularly listening for traffic noise. There is a flat in that area we are interested in for winter. This seems to be cafe/bodega central and more for locals than tourists. We tend to go there on Sundays and seems there is usually something happening. This time it was an open air market with artisans selling some really good looking jewellery and sewn articles like shawls and purses. Tempting but didn't buy.

End up at the local again, sorry if you’re bored about that but every time is a different experience. Alonso served us, a la casa, muy bueno, (very good) spinach with garbanzo beans that was lightly curried, absolutely muy bueno. Our vegetarian friends would really appreciate the flavourfulness of it. 

This next time, is special, a busy Saturday. Alonso has figured a table for us, people leaving soon. A group of about six people start to take over the table. Alonso shoos them off and motions us over. So now these people are standing on the sidewalk waiting for a table. We offer to share the table but they don’t do that here like they do in Freiburg.  They witness Alonso bringing us a drink and an appetizer we didn’t ask for.  I really wondered about his business decision on this one! Thirsty, hungry people in numbers and here we, only two of us seated, eating and drinking. A table came up for them inside and he motioned them in, must have been fine because we didn’t see them leave during our stay.

So the appetizer we think is beef Tartare is the best Bruce has ever eaten, he likes it better than I, can’t get around the idea of eating raw beef. It’s spiced so wonderfully, melt in your mouth. Bruce writes on a napkin to compliment the chef and ask what it is called in Spanish, from his dictionary.  Alonso comes back it’s actually tuna Tartare! He brings us Venezuala wrist bands for us to wear as amigos (friends) to him, they are striped in Venezuala flag colours. We put them on and wonder how to get him something Canadian to give back.  On-line I have ordered lapel pins which somehow will be turned into a wrist band for him. Hmm, lapel pins are rather conservative when everyone who wants to exhibit a cause now wears wrist bands.

On a completely separate note, and domestically, Lexi cat has found a new way to get what she wants. Her food bowl was empty in the middle of the night and she wanted to eat.  She closed the bedroom door and then scratched at it, woke me up. I opened it and went back to bed. She closed, I opened, she closed, now I’m getting seriously ticked off! Go to the kitchen to get a glass of water and she leads me to her empty dish. I fed her and she left the bedroom door alone. Darn smart cat, darn dumb Bev for not picking up on the obvious the first or at least the second time! Although next day while we were out she shut the door on herself and had to wait for our return. I think she's learned, Bruce calls it learning by approximation, meaning: try something out, go with it, but if it doesn't work the next time you modify. Both of us are amazed at the intelligence of this cat. Bruce has had about twenty cats and has never seen this behaviour.

Bruce has been without a keyboard for weeks now, frustrating for him. As ususal he probably spilled something on it and fried it. Computer still works. So today I had to print out our newly acquired air line tickets at a local computer shop. He looked at the Spanish keyboard and it isn’t all that different from the English one, easier to use than a German one which has switched keys i.e. the y and z. So now he’s completely functional again on his computer and much happier. I know, we should be out enjoying Sevilla, not on computers. But they are our way of connecting to the outside world, news and email. Ivan gave us a phone which is appreciated for calling taxis when needed but to really stay in touch with everything a person needs a computer and WiFi. 

Still waiting on the orange blossoms, getting closer, actually saw some flowers yesterday but mostly buds yet. The potted flowers in the courtyard here are also coming out. Will inundate you with pictures and wish there was a smell program I could send when they are at their peak.

Last few days we’ve walked our little legs off exploring another neighbourhood starting around the Parasol because it is fairly central.  Good walking days for us both and sunny, slightly cool so just perfect to get around in. That Parasol may be built in the wrong location but it continues to fascinate me. Such a magnificant sculpture! Read my previous posts about it if you haven’t and are wondering what I’m jabbering on about. So Sevilla is finally coming together for us, we turn a corner and recognise that we’ve been there before via a different route.

We look forward to tomorrow and a visit to the Alcazar, a palace still in use, with Ivan and a visit to his family's favourite bodega they go to for celebrations. 

Cheers, Bev, Bruce and the door closing Lexi Cat.

Love Sevilla so much we are staying another month! Wait for it, other happenings first

NO8DO is a sign you see absolutely everywhere here and following is an explanation.

SEVILLE´S SIGN OF THE TIMES

Visitors to Seville will notice a symbol on many signs around the city, from taxis and buses to sewer covers, consisting of the letters ´NO8DO´. This is the city´s logo, and legend says that it originates from the 13th-century coat of arms awarded to Sevilla by King Alfonso X the Wise. He bestowed it in gratitude for Seville´s support in his battles against his son, Sancho IV of Castile, who wanted to usurp his father´s throne during the Reconquest. Between the ´NO and ´DO´ is an 8-shaped bundle of wool (madeja in Spanish). Add the three together, speaking in Seville´s fast, elliptical accent and you have ´no-madeja-do´, more correctly, ´no me ha dejado´ which means ´it (the city) has not abandoned me´. The motto was his reward to the people of Seville for their loyalty. From the website http://www.andalucia.com/cities/seville/fascinatingfacts-3.htm

  

Parade of a different sort. We walked to the Alameda da Hercules. Before getting there I could hear clapping, there was an ambulance at the end of the street and more people than other times we’ve been there. People were clapping to urge runners on, it was a marathon!  The racers kept coming and coming for an hour! We didn’t think there were that many runners in Sevilla, but also know there were people in it from Portugal and who knows where else. Googling it says there were 9000 runners registered. No wonder it took so long for them to come through!  It’s longest is 30 kilometers, but one can do smaller distances also. http://runinfinity.com/race/maraton-ciudad-de-sevilla

A few were dressed in costumes, some rode bikes or roller bladed. The route has been designed to avoid cobblestones and is flat, through the city. There were many support crews, ambulance and police along the route. It has been running, pun intended, since 1995. February here is a warm month but not hot like August so runners seemed relatively comfortable. Anyway it was fun to see and certainly no high heels or hats were visible.

Ivan said it is a fairly recent phenomenon, jogging in Sevilla he thinks brought on by American students who come to study here.

There is a 24 hour relay marathon in Central Park every year which I lived next to in Burnaby for many years. People pitch tents to sleep in, being a relay they run in teams with many corporate sponsors. There are volleyball games, food stands, vendor stands all matter of things to keep people interested while waiting their turn to run. It’s a 24 hour party basically but because people are running many, not all, are careful of alcohol consumption. I would freeze a bunch of wet face cloths and throw them at friends to cool them off. It was much appreciated!

Many bodegas bring out a free appetizer, usually olives and garbanzo beans. We had one today, totally different. Shredded white cabbage covered with olive oil and some sort of red spice, (we think it's dried red pepper) it was delicious! Another, same place, pickled beets with onion, yum! We just marvel over the food here, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, mentioned many times.

Big Decision

We’ve decided to stay in Sevilla another month! Both Ivan and Pepe said you’ll get to experience the orange blossoms!

Now we are spending a couple of days re-booking flights, hotels and accommodation for end of March.  Decision made Monday evening, wake Tuesday morning – yes, still serious about it. We are supposed to be leaving Saturday so you get the picture. Sort of feels like a Shirley Valentine moment.

The day included emailing our partners of the change and Pepe coming to visit to ensure we still had a home for the next month. He also gave us a new dining table and put light bulbs in a couple of places, much better. Sunlight comes in now around noon so really brightens up the place. He also re-booked our flights for us, beyond our Spanish speaking abilities. Thank you Pepe!

We both feel so happy about this decision! Miss on seeing our partners in the Freiburg flat and that is sad, but they are happy to stay for March as well! Bonus for us all! And isn’t it funny, a good reason we are staying is to experience the orange flower blossoms with incredible smells; they are staying to see the Rhododendrons. Flowers are a powerful motivation as my florist friend would attest.

Ivan's picture of a soon to come orange blossom

So that's our current news. What I appreciate most is Bruce and I just "feeling" it's not right to stay or go, we're in tune that way. Makes for an easy, fruitful and wonderful time together.

Cheers, Bev, Bruce and Lexi cat who, smart cat, she is was already figuring out something was up by our bringing boxes home to ship stuff to Freiburg but has settled back in again, as we have.