Today my mom and I did a lot of touristy things around el centro, the center of Seville. First we walked to la Catedral de Sevilla. While taking some photos of the imposing, impressive outside architecture, we were approached by a woman carrying short fragrant branches. She gave us one each and started telling us our fortunes, which we knew she would charge us for, but it was fun so we let her take total advantage of our blatant status as confused extranjeros. She told me I would get married and that my mother would live a long life. My mother started to hand her a 2 euro coin but she insisted that we give her more. “Coins are bad luck. You must give me paper money.” But we needed the paper money, the larger denomination, to get into la Catedral. So we told her that we were giving her all we could. I’m pretty sure she cursed us. So I’m a little freaked out by that. My mom told me not to worry, but clearly she’s never had a gypsy curse placed on her before.
view of La Catedral and La Giralda. The dome covers the room with the Bishop's chair.
Anyway, slightly shaken up (but not shaken down), we entered the astonishingly large Catedral. It was so beautiful, but in a dark, intimidating way. My mom, an architect, was amused by the agglomerative styles. The building was originally constructed as a Mosque (1184-1198), its famous Giralda bell tower a minaret. The building’s Islamic roots are still visible--for example, in the mushroom-shaped Puerta del Perón--though not overwhelming like the Gothic elements (then again, I supposed Gothic elements were supposed to be overwhelming...) After the Mosque was consecrated as a Cathedral in 1248 (burn!) the space was renovated four additional times: in a Gothic style (1434-1517), during the Renaissance (1528-1601), during the Baroque period (1618-1758), and between 1825-1928, when the three main doors and the southwest corner were added. The interior is covered in ornate drips of gold and painstakingly carved wood and stone. The ceilings are vaulted and very high, reaching 37 m at the center of the transept. My mom, who is not only an architect but also an historian, commented that she hates seeing such lavishness within Catholic spaces--it reminds her of how corrupt Catholicism was centuries ago. “People were literally starving while this was being created” (referring to an especially gaudy gold crown). I did really enjoy the room with the Bishop’s chair--it was a brighter space with a pretty cupola.
After leaving la Catedral, we nourished ourselves with some café and walked to Real Alcázar, the royal palace about which I have heard much wonderful praise. This was such a peaceful experience, especially after my gloomy and heavy experience in la Catedral. I want to come back to Real Alcázar every day that I am here. Obviously that will not be possible, but hey, a girl can dream. I think the grey sky and slight drizzle made the bright walls brighter, the old tiles clearer, and the lush vegetation riper. Normally I prefer sunny weather, but today I was grateful for its absence. Islamic influences are far more apparent here: I noted many semi-circular arches and arabesques.
Major highlights were
- El Estanque de Mercurio (Mercury’s Pool), which, if I remember correctly, was originally part of some plumbing that was turned into a decorative pool in the 16th century. Don’t quote me on that, though.
- Los Baños de (the baths of) Doña María de Padillas, a long originally uncovered pool that was enclosed in a vaulted space after an earthquake.
- El Cenador del León (The Lion Bower), a pavilion named for the lion statue in the fountain opposite the bower.
- Cuarto del Almirante (The Admiral’s Room), in which important cosmographic discoveries of the Americas, and the first trip around the world, were organized.
Expect more on Real Alcázar. A lot more, I hope! Everybody should get to see this place. Time for dinner! Even though the real Sevillanos won’t be sitting down to dine for another two hours...
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