Learning to waltz, Wienerschnitzel-style!: Sevilla

So Gudrun, Ralf and I decided to visit...can you guess...

Here´s a hint: it´s NOT Montecorto nor is it Algo-whatever...

That´s right! SEVILLA!

Here is the countryside on our way...purdy...

We parked the car near some gardens and walked towards the Plaza de España. The Plaza de España that of Seville's most easily recognised buildings and the epitome of the Moorish Revival in Spanish architecture. In 1929 Seville hosted the Spanish-American Exhibition and numerous buildings were constructed for the exhibition in Maria Luisa Park.

I had hoped for better weather so my viewing audience wouldn´t think it so ´depressing´, but that´s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes...

Most impressive...in the end, this was my favorite place-building in Sevilla...

Along the ground you can see these ceramic tile works of different Spanish cities...truly beautiful...

Gudrun and I were impressed with the bridges...just imagine them in the sun...beautiful!

Lotsa gov´t offices are there now....

There is Don Quixote and his trusted ´squire´Sancho off to battle the Windmills of La Mancha :)

Cooooridooooorrr....

I love ´framed´photos....

I took a pic of the ´front´and Gudrun insisted that I get in there :)

Here is part of the University of Sevillea. It is housed in the original site of the first tobacco factory in Europe, La Antigua Fábrica de Tabacos, a vast 18th century building in Baroque style.

Tabaco back in the day in Spain was a monopoly business and hence LOT O MONEY involved...hence ´pretty´buildings (this is also the case in Malaga)...

Ralf was impressed by the door...

Goodbye you Tabaco University you...

Street in Sevilla. Seville is more than 2,000 years old. The passage of the various civilizations, instrumental in its growth, has left the city a distinct personality, and a large and well-preserved historical centre. Although with a strong medieval, renaissance and baroque heritage, the city received heavy influences from Arabic culture, which can be seen in the most famous monuments and places.

This is the outside of the Cathedral. The city was known from Roman times as Hispalis. After successive conquests of the Roman province of Hispania Baetica by the Vandals and the Visigoths during the 5th and 6th centuries, the city was taken by the Moors in 712 and renamed Išbīliya (إشبيلية), derived from Hispalis, from which the present name "Sevilla" is derived. It was an important centre in Muslim Andalusia and it remained under Muslim control until 1248.

but before we go to the Cathedral, we have to visit the Alcazar (fortress) of Sevilla. Here is the Lion Door with the walls of the Alcazar.

The Alcázar facing the cathedral has developed from the city's old Moorish Palace; construction was begun in 1181 and continued for over 500 years, mainly in Mudéjar style, but also in Renaissance. Its gardens are a blend of Moorish, Andalusian, and Christian traditions.

Gudrun and Ralf about to enter...what´s gonna happen?!...

The ´front door´if you will...LOVE the Muslim designs....

Again, me like ´framed´photos...let´s name this one...´The Heavens Are Open to ALL!´ :)

This is the ceiling of the Admiralty room...I liked it...

¨The Heavens Are Open to YOU!´ :)

Nice garden and pool....

Beautiful park to wander around if you´re royalty and you´ve got nothing else to do...

There´s ´that guy´again...blocking our view of ´Mercury´s Tank´.... :)

This was the ´gothic´part of the palace...

And then in the next hall hung these beautiful tapestries!!

They were ÚGE!

This was a chapel IN the palace...I liked this altar...

Loverly detail...and colours....

This was the ceiling of the ´Room of the Ambassadors´....SHAZAM! WOW, I just looked at it again...wow!

Walls of the Ámbassadors´Room´....

Wikipedia reports the following: The English name for this section is "The Courtyard of the Maidens." And there you have it...the best for the LADIEEZZ!

We leave the Alcazar for the Cathedral and to see....the tomb of.....CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS!!

The Cathedral of Seville in Seville, Andalucia is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church in the world (when it was built it was the largest in the world, taking over ´first place´from the Haggia Sophia which had held that position for 1,000 years).

WOWZUHS!

Construction began in 1402 on the site of a former mosque, following the capture of Seville from the Moors; it continued until 1506. Church workers gave half their salaries to pay for architects, builders and other expenses

The baptismal font....

This was the ´Silver Altar´(?)...looks ótherworldly´, i.e. UFO-ish, to me...

Classic organ and choir...

This will sound thoroughly stuck-up, but it´s not ALL the time that I am ´stunned´by something, but this, THE MAIN ALTAR, left me dumbfounded....

Beyond, beyond, beyond.....the effort and craftsmanship....holy cow!

(Of course probably half of Mexico and Peru (i.e. Aztec and Incan gold) is in there...)

Love the columns, area, light....serene...

THERE HE IS!! Chrissy baby! Columbus's remains were first interred at Valladolid, then at the monastery of La Cartuja in Sevilla (southern Spain) by the will of his son Diego, who had been governor of Hispaniola. In 1542 the remains were transferred to Santo Domingo, in eastern Hispaniola. In 1795 the French took over Hispaniola, and the remains were moved to Havana, Cuba. After Cuba became independent following the Spanish-American War in 1898, the remains were moved back to Spain, to the Cathedral of Sevillea, where they were placed on an elaborate catafalque.
However, a lead box bearing an inscription identifying "Don Christopher Columbus" and containing bone fragments and a bullet was discovered at Santo Domingo in 1877.
To lay to rest claims that the wrong relics had been moved to Havana and that Columbus's remains had been left buried in the cathedral at Santo Domingo, DNA samples were taken in June 2003 (History Today August 2003). The results are not conclusive. Initial observations suggested that the bones did not appear to belong to somebody with the physique or age at death associated with Columbus. DNA extraction proved difficult; only a few limited fragments of mitochondrial DNA could be isolated. However, such as they are, these do appear to match corresponding DNA from Columbus's brother, giving support to the idea that the two had the same mother and that the body therefore may be that of Columbus. The authorities in Santo Domingo have not allowed the remains there to be exhumed, so it is unknown if any of those remains could be from Columbus's body. The location of the Dominican remains is in "the Colombus Lighthouse" or Faro a Colón which is in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

OH THE CONTROVERSY!!

a ´secret´room off to the side of the Cathedral...it leads to the ´Treasury´....

Then another ´secret room´, not really, it just seemed like it because it was óut of the way´....I liked this room...it was impressive....

What a roof! What a view! Love eet!

We are now at the top of the Giralda, or ´Bell Tower´. The Giralda is the city's most famous symbol. Its square base is 13.61 meters and a height of 105 meters. It was built as a minaret of the old mosque, although the bell tower and spire top, is Renaissance.

This is looking north-ish from the tower over Sevilla...

Here we have a more right on northern view....

This is looking east over the city...

South-ish look....you can see the Alcazar fortress down below....

and then finally the true south view with the Guadalqivir river in the background (as seen in the Cordoba photos and it continues and empties into the ocean in the city of Cadiz)...I asked an Egyptian friend what ´Guadal´meant and he said ´river´and then I asked him what ´qivir´meant and he said ´big´ so there you have it, the Big River or the Rio Grande! LOL!

Here is probably all that is left of the mosque that they built the cathedral on top of (now it makes so much sense that Cortez just smashed Aztec temple up and then built Catholic churches on top...the Spaniards had been doing it for at least 100 years before), the garden with orange grove....

´Wilburrr!´ I wonder if horses like having all of that on them and lugging people around or not....it kind of makes me sad....

Once again the Giralda.....when it was built as the minaret of the mosque of Sevilla it was the tallest man-made structure in...at least Europe, but it´s said, the world....

Sevilla street.....

Nice little church....probably built on top of a mosque....

a little plaza....I liked the architecture of the building....that is one thing that I REALLY liked about Sevilla - the architecture! So diverse....truly interesting....

Old Church - New Shopping District...a changing of óur Gods´...hmm.....

I am confused....this says that here Cervantes éngendro´Don Quixote...I am confused if that means that he wrote it here or he came up with the idea here....but Cervantes did live for a time in Sevilla....so....

This is the back of the City Hall....beautifully decorated! Oddly enough the back looks better than the front!

This building is famous and once again, Sevilla shows itself as being a COOL place for architecture!

Front of the City Hall....back was better :(

Plaza Nueva in front of City Hall....

Loved this...to me this looks more Italian! Don´t know why....

Dreary day (sorry folks), but there is the Guadalquivir that brought the stolen Aztec-American gold and silver to Spain and made Sevilla great! Later the silt built up in the river and Cadiz then became the ´port of the Americas´.... It was interesting to see in Berlin, in Sevilla, etc., the effects on the ímperial power´of ´robbing´the resources of a colony....amazing wealth! Beautiful buildings! But...it´s wrong....right? :)

Oh Carmen, you fiery-lady you!

Bizet´s ´Carmen´takes place in Sevilla....watch out for Don Jose!

Here is the Bullring of Sevilla...

You could pay to go in and see, but having seen one in Malaga already I decided to just take this photo they had sitting there, LOL!

The Torre del Oro was built by the Almohad dynasty as watchtower and defensive barrier on the river. A chain was strung through the water from the base of the tower to prevent boats from traveling into the river port.

This palace is the best example of ´sevillian baroque´in the world, so says the tourist guide. I say it´s probably the only example in the world! LOL!