Sunday we walked nearly eight miles exploring the city – we started our day with a walk around Barrio Santa Cruz, one of Seville’s oldest neighborhoods.
Behind the iron gates we see patios filled with orange trees, greenery, and flowers in season.
The ambiance of tree-filled squares and narrow alleyways have inspired many operettas set in Seville (Don Giovanni, Carmen, The Barber of Seville, and The Marriage of Figaro.) The sign on the wall says, “In a tavern located on this street, Carmen would meet Don Jose and Escamillo.” Fun to imagine!
Next we walked to Plaza de la Encarnacion to check out – “the mushroom” a huge canopy of five waffle-patterned, toadstool-like structures. It’s the site of busy local market.
Lunch was at an outdoor restaurant along the river under the shade of orange trees. We’ve been fascinated by these trees packed with oranges that no one seems to eat! We learned the hard way that these oranges are bitter – only used to make vitamins, perfume and marmalade.
And now, a bit of the gritty-side of Seville.
Sunday evening is a good time to do laundry – it’s easier than ever before as the soap is incorporated in the process so all we had to do was load the clothes and add euros – 5 in this case. While waiting for our laundry to finish, we met a very nice young man from London who is spending a month in Seville to study Spanish.
We’ve spent the last several days admiring the outside of the Cathedral and decided that it was time to go inside. We bought tickets online in advance and got a senior discount. It’s the largest Gothic church anywhere and is overwhelmingly huge. Photos just can’t adequately capture the grandness of the interior.
We’re really fortunate that the weather is still nice enough to dine outdoors. Fried fish served in paper cones was a good lunch for a Monday.
Tuesday we’ll pack up and take a three-hour bus ride to our next stop Granada.….saying goodbye to Seville for now!
