We left the campsite at 09:00 to walk to the train station for the train to Seville. It was a chilly (for us) 6°C when we left but 14°C by 11:00 when we arrived in Seville. It was an interesting journey, following almost exactly the same route as we had travelled by road on Monday. The only slight delay was when the train lost the power pick-up from the overhead electric line and we stopped for about 10 minutes until they reconnected it.
We intended to catch the 18:40 train back, so we had to accept that we were only going to see a very small sample of Seville's sights but the cathedral was a must and we headed there first. This involved a walk into the centre and included part of the old town with its lovely winding lanes and interesting architecture. On one of the main streets we passed remains of the aqueduct that was built purely to supply the gardens of the Alcazar. We had seen another part of this 16 mile long waterway, called 'The Carmona Canal', going across country when we drove through Carmona on Monday. To get some idea of the scale of this, the waterway later changed use and became the supply for the whole of Seville until its population reached 300,000. Quite some project just to supply the gardens!
The cathedral, the third largest in the World, was a delight and the audio guide made the visit more interesting, although it also took longer. Building was started in 1402 and took over 100 years although it took another 300 years to finish the interior. Inevitably, just like most of the other major buildings that we have visited, they were restoring part of the church. Fortunately, the work was confined to a relatively small area in the very large building and we were able to see the result of some of the excellent restoration work that had been completed. The altarpiece, at 220 square metres the largest in the world, took over 80 years to complete and is the work of at least 26 different craftsmen. The detail is amazing with over 1,000 figures but the vast majority of the congregation would not have been able to see it – it was only with a telephoto lens that I could admire it. The church also contains the rather magnificent tomb of Christopher Columbus, although there is some doubt that his remains actually found their way back from the Caribbean.
It was now the middle of the afternoon and we had a very late lunch, just like the Spanish. It was too late to go to the Alcazar so we headed for the Plaza de Espana. This is much more modern structure built in the 20th century but very impressive and in keeping with the rest of the city. Hand-painted tiles and ceramic ornaments decorate the façade with its long line of arches, bridges connect the fountained plaza with the building over a wide water-filled canal. Very picturesque!
We passed magnificent architecture on the way to and from the plaza and this will be my abiding memory of Seville – wonderful architecture of many different eras. Seville deserves a much longer visit and we will certainly return one day (how many times have I said that?).
Photos: Detail of a painting in Seville Cathedral; The tomb of Christopher Columbus; The High Altar; Detail of the High Altar; Seville’s Plaza de Espana.
We intended to catch the 18:40 train back, so we had to accept that we were only going to see a very small sample of Seville's sights but the cathedral was a must and we headed there first. This involved a walk into the centre and included part of the old town with its lovely winding lanes and interesting architecture. On one of the main streets we passed remains of the aqueduct that was built purely to supply the gardens of the Alcazar. We had seen another part of this 16 mile long waterway, called 'The Carmona Canal', going across country when we drove through Carmona on Monday. To get some idea of the scale of this, the waterway later changed use and became the supply for the whole of Seville until its population reached 300,000. Quite some project just to supply the gardens!
The cathedral, the third largest in the World, was a delight and the audio guide made the visit more interesting, although it also took longer. Building was started in 1402 and took over 100 years although it took another 300 years to finish the interior. Inevitably, just like most of the other major buildings that we have visited, they were restoring part of the church. Fortunately, the work was confined to a relatively small area in the very large building and we were able to see the result of some of the excellent restoration work that had been completed. The altarpiece, at 220 square metres the largest in the world, took over 80 years to complete and is the work of at least 26 different craftsmen. The detail is amazing with over 1,000 figures but the vast majority of the congregation would not have been able to see it – it was only with a telephoto lens that I could admire it. The church also contains the rather magnificent tomb of Christopher Columbus, although there is some doubt that his remains actually found their way back from the Caribbean.
It was now the middle of the afternoon and we had a very late lunch, just like the Spanish. It was too late to go to the Alcazar so we headed for the Plaza de Espana. This is much more modern structure built in the 20th century but very impressive and in keeping with the rest of the city. Hand-painted tiles and ceramic ornaments decorate the façade with its long line of arches, bridges connect the fountained plaza with the building over a wide water-filled canal. Very picturesque!
We passed magnificent architecture on the way to and from the plaza and this will be my abiding memory of Seville – wonderful architecture of many different eras. Seville deserves a much longer visit and we will certainly return one day (how many times have I said that?).
Photos: Detail of a painting in Seville Cathedral; The tomb of Christopher Columbus; The High Altar; Detail of the High Altar; Seville’s Plaza de Espana.
No comments:
Post a Comment