We went on a Road Scholar trip early in the summer of 2022 and spent 6 weeks living in Seville, Spain. While there we took language lessons, visited surrounding cities, went to a bull fight, saw flamenco dancers and went to see several concerts. It was an event filled 6 weeks to say the least. And thoroughly enjoyable. Here below are some photos from our trip.
Las Setas was originally called Metropol Parasol, but once applied, the Mushroom nickname stuck. It is a wooden structure located in the old quarter of Seville, Spain at La Encarnacion square. It was designed by the German architect Jurgen Mayor, and completed in 2011. Comprised of 6 mushroom like structures, it was a source of considerable controversy when it was built. Now it is an important tourist attraction.
When in Rome...so we went to the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza in Seville to see a bullfight or two. The Plaza de Toros bull ring is reputed to be the largest and most important one in Spain, but that's worth taking with a large grain of salt. The Plaza de Toros, which is 100 years old and holds 13,000 spectators, is not the sole claimant of the honor of being the most important.
We took a bullet train to Jerez de la Frontera, more popularly called simply Jerez. Since 1987, Grand Prix motorcycle racing has been held at Circuito de Jerez. The city is also famous for its sherry, although, alas, we didn't have any while we were there.
One of the most interesting places we visited was the Alhambra in Granada. The Alhambra is both a palace and a fort, and is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture. It is one of the best preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world, and it includes some Spanish Renaissance architecture. (During and after the Reconquista, it was not unusual for the reconquering Spaniards to rebuild over formerly Islamic sites).
Here is the famous Roman Bridge of Cordoba, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Known locally as the Old Bridge, it crosses the Guadalquivir River. The Great Mosque of Cordoba, pictured below, is also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. The Mosque / Church changed hands several times until it came under Spanish control once and for all with the Spanish Reconquista. As the Mosque / Church changed hands, each new conqueror built over the existing architecture. As a result it has both Islamic and Western architectural features.
We did visit the Macarena section of Seville. And yes, it's the Macarena that the song is named after. The one that rocketed up the charts in 1996. A Seville duo, Antonio Romero and Rafael Ruiz, playing as the band Los del Rio, recorded their tune in 1993 and it was a solid hit on the Spanish charts. And then in 1996, a group called the Bayside Boys released a dance remix with some of the female vocals in English. It went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for 14 weeks, after which it remained on the Hot 100 for 66 weeks.
There is a lot more to Macarena than Los del Rio and the Bandies Boys. It is kind of a hipster area in Seville. It has beautiful architecture and public parks that have been reclaimed from what was becoming urban blight. And now it's kind of a happening place to be.
In Seville proper we visited the Maria Luisa Park which stretches out along the Guadalquivir River. The park, which is enormous, is the principal green space in the city of Seville. The park has walking paths, an outdoor cafe, and beautiful lakes and gardens. Located inside the park is the Plaza de Espana (shown above) which was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It is now a landmark that incorporates elements of Baroque Revival, Renaissance Revival and Moorish Revival styles of Spanish architecture.
We eventually made our way to Madrid by high-speed train. Madrid is very different from Seville. While Seville is a charming regional center, Madrid is a very large cosmopolitan city, like London or Paris. It is the nation's capital city, complete with wide streets, embassies and frantic activity.
The city, with a population of 3.4 million people, is the second largest in the EU. Including the surrounding Metropolitan Area brings the population to about 6.7 million. Madrid which is hot in summer and cold in winter, is the political, economic and cultural center of Spain. The Prado Museum, the Museo Reina Sofia (which houses Picasso's Guernica) and the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum are all in Madrid, as is the Royal Palace. We visited them all.
Spain was wonderful to live in for a while. The people were extraordinarily friendly; the art and architecture were fabulous, and there was never a lack of things to see and do. If you get a chance you should definitely go.
Adios for now.
JFB
Credits:
© 2022 Joe Benning Photography. These photos can be licensed by going to www.evocativephotos.com