
Seville
Posted 2020-03-30 14:35:55
The musician sits hunched, concentrating, fine tuning his guitar. With
a final flourish of fingers, an arpeggio of thrumming sound signals his
readiness.
Rhythmically clicking thumb and finger, a diva dressed in black, scarf
of scarlet silk, leads into the first song. Now she claps her hands above her
head. Her tapping feet add a back beat that builds into fierce drumming. At
intervals she hollers, or praises particularly pleasing guitar accompaniment.
From a dark doorway, a dancer, varnished black hair, pink dress with
flounces, steps dramatically into the circle of light illuminating the small
performance area. High-heeled boots become percussive instruments as she
batters the boards in an ecstatic, passionate dance. This is Flamenco-the
sensual dance form that originated here in Spain’s south west corner, in the
gypsy communities of Andalucia.
The mesmerising performance took place in an inner courtyard of
Seville’s Cultural Centre. Overhead, a ceiling of wispy clouds drifted below
stars that glistened in an inky black sky.
Similar open
roofed patios usually serve as family living rooms in the heat of Seville’s
sultry summers and can be glimpsed through wrought iron doors. The walls are
often richly coloured ‘azulejos,’ Moorish inspired, patterned ceramic tiles.
Floors are of pale marble. Huge potted palms add greenery and shade.
The flamenco
performance ended around 11.00 o’clock and the audience wandered away, some in
search of sustenance. Eating out at this time of night is usual in Seville and
there is a good choice of restaurants - particularly in the maze of narrow
streets of the old town, the Barrio Santa Cruz, and the adjoining, medieval
Jewish quarter.
Tapas bars
offering selections of small separate dishes, including fish, quiche, bull
tail, potatoes with various spicy sauces and mixed salads are also popular. It’s
an added bonus finding a pavement table where you can eat, drink and watch
people stroll by the floodlit Cathedral of Seville.
This immense
confection in stone was first build as a mosque in the late 12th
century by conquering Moors and later demolished before being rebuild as a
Christian cathedral, ‘on so big a scale that posterity will think we were mad,’
mused the architects. An in-depth tour, as you might imagine, takes some time.
Should numerous side altars, rooms full of religious treasures, the largest and
richest altar piece in the world and the sepulchre of Christopher Columbus
leave you less than three steps to heaven, consider a walk to the top of the
ornate bell tower.
The Giralda(bell
tower) was twelve years in the making (1184-96). Once it was a minaret from
where the faithful were called to prayer. Inside, instead of the expected
flights of stairs, a series of 35 gently inclined ramps built wide enough for
two guards on horseback to pass each other lead to the top. As you walk further
up the ramp, open windows give close-ups of cathedral buttresses and statuary. At the top, beneath enormous bells,
far-reaching views across city roofs justify the effort.
Nearby, the
Reales Alcazares, encapsulates the complex history of Seville. The fortified
palace gives an insight into the lifestyle and opulence demanded by succeeding
rulers including the Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Christians - though once it
was even more fantastic. Supposedly, one sultan suitably extended the
accommodation for a harem of 800 women. What remains of the exquisitely
decorated Moorish architecture, luxuriant gardens and sumptuously tiled rooms
with intricate wood panelled ceilings, gives some idea of past amassed wealth.
In contrast,
the Museo de Bella Artes, a jewel amongst art galleries, was converted from a
convent that lay empty for years. Many of the paintings are on religious themes
by Spanish artists including Alonso Vasquez, Murillo, Ribera and Goya. While
galleries elsewhere are often so large that even great masterpieces eventually
cause your eyes to glaze over, here roomfuls of artworks are impressive without
being overwhelming. A painted baroque ceiling crowns a room that was once the
main chapel. Doors open on to restful courtyard gardens of sculpted myrtle
bushes.
In the more
lush gardens of Casa de Pilatos, an early 16th century mansion
inspired by Pontius Pilate’s house in Jerusalem, you can wander past cascades
of purple bougainvillea and trickling fountains that vie for attention with
Moorish arches, Roman statuary, and rooms decorated with brilliant coloured
tiles.
Showiness of a
different kind is found near the River Guadalquivir at the opera house and the
bullring, Plaza de Toros. Should the attraction in bulls being goaded and
killed be beyond understanding, missing the small museum of bull fighting
within the building won’t be a hardship.
Directly across
the road is a statue of Carmen, cigar factory worker, feisty femme fatale and
inspiration for the opera of the same name by Georges Bizet. In the novel
penned in 1845 by French author Prosper Merrimee this was where Carmen died,
stabbed, in a crime of passion.
Lower down, a landscaped walkway follows the
riverside to Torre del Oro, a twelve-sided, 13th century fort from
where a great chain once stretched across the river in defence of the city. The
stronghold was also a store for gold brought back from the Americas. It now
houses a small museum of naval curiosities.
From nearby,
you can take a guided tour of the city in an open-topped bus or take to the
water. Cruise boats head down river a short way, before turning to sail
upstream past yellow, blue and white painted house fronts of Triana, a
down-to-earth district off the tourist trail.
The trip goes
as far as Puente de la Barqueta, one of the futuristic bridges built for the
World Fair, Expo ’92. A reproduction of Victoria, the ship that first
circumnavigated the world, is passed almost unnoticed, dwarfed by the
exhibition features in the background.
Seville is very
Spanish with a hint of North Africa, modern yet faintly decadent, where the
present and historical merge. The real factory where the imaginary Carmen
rolled cigars is now part of Seville’s University. Broad avenues lined with
orange trees buzz with traffic yet there’s a place for horse-drawn carriages
that clip-clop visitors round the sights or through the cool greenery of a city
centre park.
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