Seville — Jewel of Andalucia
By Chris Wildgen, McMaster Alumna, travel writer, photographer and tour leader
The name Andalucia evokes romantic visions of leisurely, sunny days, bougainvillea spilling over doorways, flamenco dancers in brightly coloured dresses, horse-drawn carriages and tapas with friends in an outdoor café on warm evenings. It’s all embodied in its capital, Seville (Sevilla in Spain.)
My first stop in Seville was the Plaza de Espagna, approaching it from the Maria Luisa Park to take in its wide expanse. Slowly walking closer, I admired the intricate details of the architecture and the ceramic tiling. Swans and ducks share the canal with small, foot-pedalled boats, adding to the peaceful atmosphere.
After crossing the small bridge to the main building (a prime photo location), I stopped to watch a flamenco dancer performing with her musicians under the portico, with a small crowd gathered around.
The sounds of guitar and clicking heels followed me as I walked the covered area to admire the ceiling. At the sweeping staircase, I stopped to listen to the man playing classical music on the piano on the landing. Music and Andalucia — to me, they are synonymous.
After a stroll along the front to admire the 52 benches and mosaic tiles (azulejos, typical of Andalucia) depicting all of the provinces of Spain, I walked 20 minutes to the restaurant, Dculto, in the Nervión area, where I had enjoyed lunch the day before. It’s always fun when the waiters recognize you and make a point of coming by to say “Buenas Dias!” Over two days, I ate tapas of tomato salad, grilled artichoke with Iberian ham, tuna loin mojama (thinly sliced cured tuna) and mini-burgers that were so good, I ordered seconds. All of these are available as either a tapa portion or a ration, a full-size.
From here, it is a 20-minute walk through narrow, clean, flower-filled streets to reach the Cathedral of Sevilla, aka the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See. Completed in 1519, It is the third largest church in the world and like many churches in Spain, it is built on the foundations of a former mosque. On my first visit, it struck me less as a church and more a museum to the power and wealth gained from Spain’s conquests and colonization. It felt dark and heavy.
After a few visits with a guide or headset, I saw more lightness and appreciated its role as a church and it’s (and Seville’s) importance in the history of Spain.
It was and is a wealthy city, comfortable in its prosperity. Maybe this is why its citizens are confident, relaxed and happily enjoying their good fortune to be there
It is also ironic to me that two main sights of Sevilla are the Plaza de Espagna whose goal was to make symbolic peace with its former American colonies and the Cathedral, which is a monument of its conquests and colonization.
A more recent nod to Seville’s personality and national importance is the Seville Fair, which was happening that week. It is the largest, most colourful fair in Spain. Begun in 1846, this week-long annual event is on the calendar of every important person not just in Seville or Andalucia but throughout Spain and beyond.
The whole city celebrates but the main action, 20 hours a day, is along the 15 streets in the fair grounds on the island. Companies, important families, associations and government entities rent a caseta and entertain guests with food, drinks and entertainment, sometimes until dawn. People chat, laugh and dance, pose for pictures while the streets are lined with an endless parade of horses and carriages carrying people who scan the crowd for friends and family.
Sleep deprivation is accepted and tolerated during this week, as I learned when a shop clerk told me he had only 2 hours sleep! Of course, he was returning to the fair that night, it’s only for one week!
If there is anything that demonstrates the Spaniards’ ability to enjoy life with a good party with family, friends and colleagues, the fair is it.
It’s free to attend to walk the streets enjoying the festive atmosphere and the non-stop parade of the horsedrawn carriages. With no invitation to a private caseta (maybe next year?), and the public casetas full, I left the fair to meander the streets back to my hotel. At the tapas bar beside it, I ordered the typical Spanish tapa of patatas bravas and a glass of crisp godello white wine from Galicia, a new grape for me — a perfect end to any day in Seville.
After an international career in sports medicine and sales and marketing, McMaster graduate Chris Wildgen is following her dream of connecting with people and diving into local cultures around the world through travel. Now a digital nomad, Chris is a travel writer, photographer and tour leader. With a natural flair for languages, she can converse in German, French, Italian, Spanish and English. Visit her site www.travelbetterlivebetter.com.
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