Romantic Seville

Photos and article by Eleanor S. Morris

SEVILLE, Spain - The story of Carmen, the heroine of that famous and popular opera, took place right here in Seville. On one side of Parque de Maria Luisa is the cigarette factory where Carmen worked--yes, it's a true story and one Sevillans revel in; they have immortalized her with a statue.

Another claim to fame of this beautiful old city, connects it with the New World. According to city history, Columbus, returning from his first voyage, sailed into Seville on Palm Sunday in 1493 in triumph, bringing exotic birds and plants, and Indians "the like of which had never before been seen in Europe." Sevillans claim that the explorer planned his third and fourth voyages from Seville (which back then was a port), and one of the highlights of a visit here is seeing his magnificent tomb in Seville's cathedral.

The funeral monument dates from 1891 when Columbus's remains were brought to Seville for final interment. Four larger-than-life figures, representing the four kingdoms of Spain in his time (Castile, Leon, Navarre and Aragon) bear the casket aloft.

The Gothic cathedral was built on the site of a great Moorish mosque dedicated to Christianity by Ferdinand III. It was begun in 1401 and is one of the largest in the world. Be sure to walk up the four-square ramps (a strenuous hike but perhaps easier than steps) to the top of La Giralda, the bell tower, once an Arab minaret. There's a fabulous view.

Seville is an old city with a fascinating history. As early as 257 B.C. Phoenicians sailed up the Guadalquivir, Seville's river. The Vandals, the Visigoths, and finally the Moors came, the later ruling Spain for five hundred years. Seville prospered until 1248, when Ferdinand III captured it for Christiandom. Ruin followed as Muslims and Jews, who had lived together in peace, fled or were expelled. Torquemada and the Auto-da-fe of the Inquisition didn't do much for the city's popularity either.

The cathedral is in an older section of the city, the Barrio Santa Cruz, where small cafes, pottery shops and small green plazas make strolling very pleasant. You might even meet up with street musicians strumming to an enthralled audience. Close by is the Reales Alcazares, the impressive royal palace dating from the reign of Pedro I in 1402. You'll enter it through an archway in an ancient wall built by the Almohads, a fanatical people from Northern Africa who invaded in the 12th century.

All through the palace you can see in the beautiful mosaic work the juxtaposition of Muslim and Jewish art. Neither religion permits the depiction of living things because of the taint of idolatry, and curves of arabesques side by side with geometric scrolls forming stars of David are beautiful to see. One of the many gardens, the Patio de Schmuel Levi, honors the finance minister of Pedro I.

The lush and spacious palace gardens date from the Renaissance. Arched balconies surround, and it's amusing to notice the capitals of the pillars along the way, no two alike. Evidently the builders used whatever they could find in relics of earlier civilizations.

Even after the passing of centuries, hues of the mosaics covering walls, floors and ceilings are still as vibrant as is the pottery industry in Seville. Shops in the old Santa Cruz quarter display walls of ceramic lates and plaques for sale and you won't want to resist.

Rio Guadalquivir, called Rio Grande by the Sevillans, is broad and smooth as it flows through town. A grand sight, day and night, is Torre del Oro, the golden tower, on the Canal de Alfonso XIII, a diversion of the river. Although the tower, built in the early 13th century as a fortification, nowadays needs the gold of the sun to gild it, it was covered originally with golden tiles. A prison in the Middle Ages, it's now a Naval Museum.

Parque de Maria Luisa if off Avenida de las Delicias near the river. Along the avenue, El Camo is a lovely fountain with myriad sprays, a memorial to Magellan and the first voyage around the world. Within the park is Mudejar Pavilion, Spanish-Moorish architecture at its best. Another is the magnificent Spanish Pavilion, built for an exposition held here in 1929.A waterway follows the curved wings of the imposing building on the Plaza Espana, and its balustrade is made of colorful ceramic tiles. In addition, set into the walls of the wings are ceramic murals, one for each of the 56 Spanish provinces. The one depicting Columbus busy convincing the rulers of Spain to underwrite his journeys is a study in blue and white.

Come evening, Seville is known for it "tapas," miniature snacks offered in bars, and evening outings usually start with these, sampled while cruising the small bars in the Barrio Triana or Barrio Santa Cruz. If there's room for dinner later--and in Seville, much later--paella is one of the national dish of Seville. That and all other seafood is fresh and delicious. Other well-known dishes are gazpacho, eggs "a la flamenca," veal sevillana stuffed with olives and almonds.

After dinner, it wouldn't be Seville without a visit to one of the "tablaos" in order to hear and see flamenco singing and dancing. In a small bar you might even chance upon a trio of customers entertaining themselves with their own impromptu performance of flamenco song and staccato handclapping to the flamenco rhythm.

They'll be delighted if you join right in.

Copyright Eleanor S. Morris