Andalusia
We went travelling in Andalusia a couple of months ago, in the Republica de Andalucìa, the Andalusian autonomous community that covers a large chunk of southern Spain – the green area in the map.
Seville
We landed in Seville. The city is doing well. It’s the capital of Andalusia and it’s a lovely city – the architecture is varied and rich, with some lovely buildings. Here’s a view through an archway onto the Plaza de San Francisco in Seville.
Christopher Columbus
The influence of Christopher Columbus on the city is huge. Originally, Cadiz was the port and centre for goods coming from the New World. But the coastline retreated and Cadiz was too exposed, so Seville took over, and the city became one of the foremost and richest in Europe.
And this is Christopher Columbus’ sarcophagus in the cathedral in Seville. According to DNA analysis, only twenty percent of the remains in the sarcophagus are his, probably because his body was moved more than once before its final resting place.
Horse And Carriage
Yes, we took a ride with a horse and carriage – a long trot around town, taking in the sites and meandering through the Parque de María Luisa. That’s the cathedral in the background of the photo.
Real Alcazar
Just across the square from the cathedral there is the Alcazar. It’s wonderful. What a complex of buildings and beauty – dynasties of Moorish influence followed by the stamp of Catholic Spain. Where the cathedral is huge and dark with tall, imposing columns – the Alcazar is light and airy and leads on and on like a mini-city within the city, with plazas, reflecting pools, and buildings leading this way and that.
The Modern Art Museum
The museum is way out of town and the photo at the top of this article gives you an idea of what it is about. It’s kind of weird, with not very good art scattered around the buildings. This ‘giant Alice’ was the best thing there.
Plaza de España
I’ll continue with Part II with our stay in Cordoba, but for the moment – here is a photo that just came out right. It’s a view through an archway in the Plaza de España in the Parque de María Luisa.
The Plaza de España was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It was bad timing because of the worldwide stock market crash, and it cost the city money it could ill afford.
It is all in red brick and strangely un-Iberian, and slap in the middle of the plaza there’s a canal with little boats you can paddle around in, as though in the Venice of an alternative world.
