A Few Notes on Sevilla
Written: Dec 03 '02 (Updated Nov 05 '06)
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Pros: Great weather, good food, gorgeous faded grandeur
Cons: Expensive, not for the linguistically complacent
The Bottom Line: A city worth visiting, even if it wasn't one of the best vacations I've had.
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| lyagushka's Full Review: Sevilla |
My husband and I spent ten days in November in southern Spain, half of that time just outside of Sevilla. During our time there we made three day-trips to Sevilla. Normally, I wouldn't consider this enough time to write up a review on the city, but I do have some general observations and comments about the things I saw and did there. So this is not intended as comprehensive review of the city and I'll understand completely if anyone finds this review less than helpful.
The Cathedral
I was a bit perplexed about the name of this cathedral. In my previous experience all Catholic churches and cathedrals are named after saints or some religious event or relic. But not this cathedral. It's called simply The Cathedral of Seville. Truly, this edifice is beyond the beyond. Legend has it that when plans were drawn up in the 13th century to convert the Moorish mosque into a Catholic church, the architects said something like "gentlemen, let us design a church of such grandiosity that future generations will take us for madmen." After seeing this unsung wonder of the world, I'd say they succeeded. The only thing I've seen that remotely compares to the sheer size (23,500 square meters) and ambition of the Cathedral is Notre Dame in Paris. But Notre Dame's beauty is positively austere compared to the rococo behemoth that is the Cathedral of Seville. At times the wealth of detail here hints at the inspired madness of Hearst Castle in California.
A combination of Moorish, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles, this functioning place of worship also houses displays of holy objects, musical instruments and manuscripts that would not be out of place in a world-class museum. Everything inside the cathedral is elaborately decorated, from the floor to the walls to the distant ceilings. Massive pillars soar upward to support the arched roof. The polychrome marble base of the organ looks like something Liberace would have designed if he'd had a lot more taste and a bit more money. The tomb of Columbus (maybe -- there's some grumbling over the authenticity of the remains) occupies its own niche with all the modesty of a great operatic diva. Outside, yet still within the Cathedral compound is the Patio de Los Naranjos, an orderly orange grove dating from Islamic times that was spared by the Christian redecorators. All told, the contents of the Cathedral merit a couple of hours of exploration.
It took us three attempts to get inside the Cathedral. The visitation schedule is a bit erratic, with many dates each month closed for special events and frequent masses. However our frustrations were forgotten and forgiven when we finally got in. And even on the occasions when we didn't get in, there was plenty to see from the outside. In fact, hearing the bells of the Cathedral ring just after sunset was one of the highlights of the whole trip. I don't know how many bells there are, but there must be several dozen at least, each with its own pitch. Looking straight up at the spotlighted bell tower against a midnight blue sky dotted with the first stars of the evening, as white pigeons fluttered about was an unforgettable multi-sensory experience. I highly recommend at least one visit to this gem. Even my husband, who normally hates visiting churches, was pleased we managed to get in.
The entry point to the Cathedral apparently changes frequently. Admission prices are about €5 or €1.50 for students. On the few Sundays that the Cathedral is open, admission is free from 2-7pm.
The Plaza de España
Another of the main tourist draws in Sevilla is the Plaza de España. Built for the World's Fair hosted by Sevilla in 1929, the plaza is a gorgeous example of Spanish style architecture. It was one of the only 'sights' to catch my eye during the Sevilla Tour Bus tour I took. (More on that later.)
We made our way back to the Plaza one evening before dinner. It was nearly deserted, but for a horse and carriage with paying tourists taking a romantic turn through the plaza, as well as an exasperatingly dogged busker who followed first the carriage and then my husband and myself with horrid guitar tunes, hoping for a handout. Despite this annoyance, I was glad we returned to this gorgeous location, which I found more beautiful even than the Palace at Versailles. We were glad to have timed our visit for a cool evening, since the brick architecture and open plan would surely have made this place hot in the strong Spanish sun.
The plaza has a huge semi-circular shape, the large but non-imposing palace wrapping its curving arms around the circumference of the plaza. My understanding is that the Spanish military academy now has possession of this palace and uses it as classroom space for its students. In the center of the plaza is a huge white marble fountain that was truly beautiful at night. A water canal separates the plaza itself from this building, and numerous low-arched bridges span the water to join the palace to the plaza. Unfortunately, this canal is absolutely filthy, with all manner of garbage floating on top of the water. I pitied the poor koi that swam in the water and the ducks who paddled by. The lack of upkeep for the canal seemed a contrast to the rest of the plaza that was free of garbage. Perhaps the cleaners simply sweep everything into the canal?
In any case, I was glad to have visited this romantic spot in the evening. It made a nice pre-dinner walk from the historic center where we dined.
Sevilla Tour Bus
Three words: Don't do it! Oh, you want details? Alright... We mistakenly thought that taking a bus tour of the city would provide us with a good overview of Sevilla and give us a sense of what we'd like to do with the little time we planned to spend there. For 11 euros each, we were crammed onto a bus full of astonishingly raucous Spanish retirees. The flimsy earphones that were distributed to us for one time use allowed us to listen to a fuzzy recording of information about the sights we drove by. Although we were able to choose an English recording out of a large selection of languages, most of the time the recording was so bad that I could not understand what the narrator said. But the aggravation didn't end there. By my estimate, about 40% of the places we were supposed to be viewing were completely obstructed by large, leafy trees as we passed by. We sat on the upper deck of the bus, so perhaps the view would have been better had we sat on the lower level, but somehow I doubt it. In the end, we felt it was a waste of time and money. We were also put off by the hard sell of this company that we encountered as we were approaching the beginning of the tour. We had already decided we were going to take the tour; that's why we were there. But a representative from this tour hustled up to us to sell his tickets, lest we decide to go with the less popular alternative tour bus company.
If you're still interested in taking this tour, the beginning of the tour is on the river, near the Torre del Oro. The tickets can be used for two days and you are allowed to get off and on at any bus stop. We didn't get off anywhere, partly because few places appealed to us, and partly because we saw other ticket holders trying to get on our bus at each stop who were unable to because there was no space on the bus. My recommendation is to avoid this one.
El Alcázar
The fortified palace known as the Alcázar dominates central Sevilla. Built over the course of several centuries, beginning in 913 ce, the Alcázar is still a royal residence. Taken over by Christians in the 13th century, the Alcázar now functions mostly as a museum that holds room after mosaic-tiled room of paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts such as painted Spanish fans. But the real attractions as I see them are the wealth of Islamic architecture and the beautiful ornamental gardens that surround the buildings. Most of the compound is open to the paying public, and during our Sunday visit it was, unsurprisingly, pretty well packed with visitors, undoubtedly the norm for this World Heritage Site. The only annoyance were the police helicopters that seemed to be practicing for Operation Enduring Irritation, by flying low circles over the compound for the hour that we tried to enjoy in the otherwise peaceful gardens.
My overall impression of this place was that it holds beautiful examples of Spanish and Moorish architecture through the ages, but it was all just a bit underwhelming for me after visiting so many exquisite mosques and bazaars in Iran. I don't mean to come off as a snob (even if I am); other visitors did seem quite impressed with the architecture and displays, and I'm glad I made the visit. I also found it interesting to observe the blending of Islamic and Christian European motifs. I just felt that the two and a half hours I spent there was more than enough and I feel no need to ever do it again. Other visitors with a larger appetite for museum displays and architecture may find it profitable to spend more time in the Alcázar. Admission was €5, with an additional charge of €3 for the audio tour guide, which they'd run out of in English when I entered. There was a discount for students available.
Restaurants
We only ate two meals in Sevilla: one lunch and one dinner. Both meals were at modest restaurants recommended by the Michelin guide, and both were very good. We enjoyed our lunch of tapas at the bustling Infanta restaurant, located in the center, just west of the Cathedral at Arfe 36. Here we enjoyed some unusual tapas, including a specialty of the house arroz infanta, a rice dish similar to paella, but without any seafood and just a few bits of Spanish ham for flavor. We also loved the deep fried bacalao, or salted cod. Service was a bit spotty, but considering how busy the place was, we excused it and just enjoyed the food.
We ate dinner at what turned out to be a chain restaurant, although we didn't know that at the time. Mesón Cinco Jotas specializes in pork products, and takes their name from the highest grade given to Spanish cured hams. We had an excellent appetizer of grilled vegetables here, something that was rarely an option on Spanish menus. We ordered some other tapas and a half ration of the best solomillo (pork filet) we had during our entire trip. A rich whisky sauce with stewed raisins accompanied this solomillo, as well a pile of deeply caramelized slices of onion. Mesón Cinco Jotas is also located west of the Cathedral, at Castelar 1, just a few minutes walk from the center. (See my link below for more on the cuisine of this region.)
General Comments
We enjoyed our brief visits to Sevilla and found the aura of faded grandeur that envelops the city to be often charming and certainly distinctive. Walking the tiny, narrow passageways that honeycomb the center, while breathing in the scent of the jasmine that grows rampant is one of my strongest memories of my trip. And the Mediterranean climate that blesses all of southern Spain was like a balm to us, living as we do in dreary Belgium. Still, we were glad we had chosen not to stay in Sevilla. By staying nearby we saved a good deal of money, since Sevilla was markedly more expensive than smaller nearby towns. We also had a more tranquil experience by visiting Sevilla, but sleeping elsewhere. We rarely encountered people in restaurants, museums or other tourist areas who were willing or able to speak to us in English. This didn't bother us, since we speak more than enough Spanish to be comfortable, but it may adversely effect the experience of those without Spanish language skills. I'm glad I went to Sevilla. I don't feel the need or strong desire to return there anytime in the next decade. But I certainly think it was worth the time and would not dissuade anyone who was interested in visiting.
Would you like to read about the wonderful town of Carmona we stayed in just outside of Sevilla?
El Triguero, is the wonderful (and very cheap) traditional hacienda we enjoyed staying at in Carmona.
And the Parador de Carmona is a bit more upscale hotel where we also stayed.
Are you interested in the cuisine of Andalucía?
Recommended:
Yes
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