I blame our daughter....
...When Katie said she was going to Seville with some girlfriends, it triggered memories of our last visit to this wonderful Andalusian city in 1997 and a yearning to return and see how its changed since then...
So, 18 years almost to the day since our last visit, we gave into the temptation and went back to Seville for a short break....
Before you look further, here is a note for our photography friends....apologies for the quality of the images...most are basic jpegs, straight from the camera unprocessed, so no adjustments, cropping or correcting verticals/horizontals etc etc...I am working my way through them...slowly!
We were based in the Santa Cruz area in the historic heart of the city, within easy walking distance of the main historic sights and more recent developments, as well as near a good choice of places to eat out and stock up on food and drink for breakfasts and evenings at home.
Our apartment had a wonderful roof terrace with views over the rooftops to a nearby church and swifts darting overhead (a careful choice so we had somewhere nice to sit outside in case Steve felt too tired to go sight-seeing). It also had air conditioning, which was very welcome as it was unseasonably hot for the time of year....not that we are complaining....
On our first full day we spent the morning in the Alcazar - a royal palace with amazing architecture and wonderful Moorish gardens where we had lunch.
After a siesta, in the early evening we explored the relatively new Metropol Parasols - said to be the largest timber structure in the world - a multi level construction with Roman remains in the basement, shops, cafes and a market hall at ground level, a well used raised piazza at first floor level and a high level walkway with "miradors" (look out places) above.
The next day, we were back with historic Seville in the morning, visiting the cathedral and going up the Giralda bell tower for fantastic views over the Seville skyline. It's a long climb up: 35 ramps with a 17% incline to a height of 47m then another 17 steps to the miradors on the same level as the bells. I was concerned that Steve might find it hard going, but he managed without breathing problems (although his knees complained!)
After another siesta, we revisited the Parasols (or mushrooms as they are known locally) to climb over the roof level this time for more spectacular views.
The following day, we caught a bus to the Island of Cartuja, where we spent the morning in what was originally a monastery, then converted into a ceramics factory and now a centre for contemporary art with some interesting exhibitions.
After lunch, we explored the area to the north of the monastery which had been the site of Expo 92.
A number of the international pavilions are still there, some converted to new uses, some decaying gently, others gone completely It brings home to you the importance of "legacy" when so much public money is invested....
The Plaza de Espania was our destination the next day - a legacy from the 1929 American-Hispanic Exhibition - which is well used and still looking good today...a showcase for the ceramic tiles which (amongst other things!) make Seville famous.
On the way there, we called in at the former tobacco factory (now part of the University) which is where the opera "Carmen" is set. No ladies rolling cigars on their thighs....
Our route home took us along the river for lunch in Triana - spiritual home of gypsies and flamenco in Seville
....which got us in the mood for the evening's entertainment - a show in the Flamenco Museum, just around the corner from our apartment. Thank goodness..I don't think either of us could have walked much further! The show was terrific - guitarist, male singer and male and female dancers - and the performers gave it their all...
Exhausting but exciting to watch, and a great way to spend our last evening in Seville.
On our last morning, we walked to Santa Justa railway station to leave our bags in the left luggage...
... before catching a bus back to Triana for a quick glimpse of the Ceramics Museum ...
....before a leisurely lunch and glass of "tinto de verano" (red wine with lemonade and lots of ice - very refreshing when the temperature is in the 30s). Then a walk back over the river to catch the bus to Santa Justa to collect our bags from left luggage and take the express bus back to the airport and home.
A packed five nights/six days but very enjoyable! The doctor who predicted last December that Steve only had a small number of months to live would have been most surprised to see how far Steve walked (and climbed) in Seville. We enjoyed ourselves so much, we've booked a return trip to another part of Andalusia in the near future. I don't know how long this "good" spell of Steve's health will last, we we are determined to make the most of it.
¡Hasta la vista! .... as they say in Spain :)
P.S. A big thank you to everyone who has sponsored our son Jack for his Dragon Ride over the Welsh mountains - much appreciated ....it looks like he will be doing it in a heatwave...gulp!
...When Katie said she was going to Seville with some girlfriends, it triggered memories of our last visit to this wonderful Andalusian city in 1997 and a yearning to return and see how its changed since then...
So, 18 years almost to the day since our last visit, we gave into the temptation and went back to Seville for a short break....
Before you look further, here is a note for our photography friends....apologies for the quality of the images...most are basic jpegs, straight from the camera unprocessed, so no adjustments, cropping or correcting verticals/horizontals etc etc...I am working my way through them...slowly!
We were based in the Santa Cruz area in the historic heart of the city, within easy walking distance of the main historic sights and more recent developments, as well as near a good choice of places to eat out and stock up on food and drink for breakfasts and evenings at home.
Our apartment had a wonderful roof terrace with views over the rooftops to a nearby church and swifts darting overhead (a careful choice so we had somewhere nice to sit outside in case Steve felt too tired to go sight-seeing). It also had air conditioning, which was very welcome as it was unseasonably hot for the time of year....not that we are complaining....
On our first full day we spent the morning in the Alcazar - a royal palace with amazing architecture and wonderful Moorish gardens where we had lunch.
After a siesta, in the early evening we explored the relatively new Metropol Parasols - said to be the largest timber structure in the world - a multi level construction with Roman remains in the basement, shops, cafes and a market hall at ground level, a well used raised piazza at first floor level and a high level walkway with "miradors" (look out places) above.
The next day, we were back with historic Seville in the morning, visiting the cathedral and going up the Giralda bell tower for fantastic views over the Seville skyline. It's a long climb up: 35 ramps with a 17% incline to a height of 47m then another 17 steps to the miradors on the same level as the bells. I was concerned that Steve might find it hard going, but he managed without breathing problems (although his knees complained!)
After another siesta, we revisited the Parasols (or mushrooms as they are known locally) to climb over the roof level this time for more spectacular views.
The following day, we caught a bus to the Island of Cartuja, where we spent the morning in what was originally a monastery, then converted into a ceramics factory and now a centre for contemporary art with some interesting exhibitions.
After lunch, we explored the area to the north of the monastery which had been the site of Expo 92.
A number of the international pavilions are still there, some converted to new uses, some decaying gently, others gone completely It brings home to you the importance of "legacy" when so much public money is invested....
The Plaza de Espania was our destination the next day - a legacy from the 1929 American-Hispanic Exhibition - which is well used and still looking good today...a showcase for the ceramic tiles which (amongst other things!) make Seville famous.
On the way there, we called in at the former tobacco factory (now part of the University) which is where the opera "Carmen" is set. No ladies rolling cigars on their thighs....
Our route home took us along the river for lunch in Triana - spiritual home of gypsies and flamenco in Seville
....which got us in the mood for the evening's entertainment - a show in the Flamenco Museum, just around the corner from our apartment. Thank goodness..I don't think either of us could have walked much further! The show was terrific - guitarist, male singer and male and female dancers - and the performers gave it their all...
Exhausting but exciting to watch, and a great way to spend our last evening in Seville.
On our last morning, we walked to Santa Justa railway station to leave our bags in the left luggage...
... before catching a bus back to Triana for a quick glimpse of the Ceramics Museum ...
....before a leisurely lunch and glass of "tinto de verano" (red wine with lemonade and lots of ice - very refreshing when the temperature is in the 30s). Then a walk back over the river to catch the bus to Santa Justa to collect our bags from left luggage and take the express bus back to the airport and home.
A packed five nights/six days but very enjoyable! The doctor who predicted last December that Steve only had a small number of months to live would have been most surprised to see how far Steve walked (and climbed) in Seville. We enjoyed ourselves so much, we've booked a return trip to another part of Andalusia in the near future. I don't know how long this "good" spell of Steve's health will last, we we are determined to make the most of it.
¡Hasta la vista! .... as they say in Spain :)
P.S. A big thank you to everyone who has sponsored our son Jack for his Dragon Ride over the Welsh mountains - much appreciated ....it looks like he will be doing it in a heatwave...gulp!
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