Spain: Sevilla

Sevilla really wasn’t that much to look out, but there were many treasures to be found if you looked hard enough—probably between every other street where a Starbucks wasn’t… For the most part, Spain was void of commercial franchises, Sevilla and certain parts of Madrid were the exceptions. However the culture stills survives amidst this debauchery of independent entrepreneurial establishments. Carrie and I got to attend a Flamenco performance, for example, and a bullfight in Madrid (I’ll save that story for later).

The Flamenco performance was a great experience, never have I seen performance art fueled with such energy, passion, cooperation, and (believe it or not) anger. The dancers performed mainly solo pieces, protecting us from the cliché bombardment of partner skits that were growing ever popular in flamenco tourist traps. They stomped their feet, sending heart pounding energy into the audience as the musicians stomped and clapped in unison. The music and dancers complemented each other and made it obvious the one could not live without the other. No performer left the act sweat free. It was a very powerful performance.

Another charm of the city was the Barrows, the old Jewish corridor that consisted of tightly packed buildings leaving only enough room for tiny lanes know as kissing lanes (probably got the name because it looked like the buildings were close enough to kiss, but I like to think it is because if you and a certain friend stand with your backs to opposite walls you would be close enough to reach out and kiss them, at least, that’s what I did). These little streets were fun to navigate and get lost in—with their tiny plazas, shops and tapas bars.

The most impressive piece of architecture had to be the Plaza de España. The enormous half-circle plaza is a fine example of Moorish revival. The building has many archways and two tall symmetrically placed towers with traditional dome crowns. Most of the plaza was accessible for free and it was enjoyable walking between its dwarfing pillars and walkways.

Another monument in Sevilla, similarly built in the Moorish design was Alcázar. This was built over Moorish ruins for King Pedro of Castile. Pedro used Moorish workers to build his palace giving it a distinctly Islamic design. The palace is one of the best remaining examples of mudéjar architecture, a style under Christian rule in Spain but using Islamic architectural influence. One of the most obvious ways of telling that this monument was indeed an imitation of Moorish architecture was by looking at the great tile and ceiling work and seeing depictions and images of faces, animals, and other objects. Most Muslims would shy away from displaying images in their artwork because it goes against their religion. But for the most part, the Alcázar was just a smaller and less impressive Alhambra.

Carrie and I mainly went on long walks to pass the time. Walking in the Parque Maria Luisa and along the River Guadalquivir were definitely the most scenic routes. The park was also the best park we would see, in my opinion. But, we did find ourselves a little bored and it was sort of a relief to finally be heading towards Tarifa.