Trip Report-Day Five, Seville Spain
We decided not to take the toll highway so navigating the country roads was a wee bit taxing.
We stopped at one point to take pictures in each direction of this beautiful valley. The landscape reminded us of the hills of Tuscany.
But the views of the countryside from the car were worth the extra trouble.
Just before we turned onto the highway to Seville, we saw this scene which quite frankly astounded us!
The highway up to Spain was direct and fast but navigating the streets of old Seville was frustrating.
To top it off, when we finally found our hotel, we discovered that we had left our passports in the car. D walked back to the car to fetch them.
As I waited for D’s return I took this picture through our hotel front door to the cathedral.
This was the view from our room!
The room was teensy. One wall was immediately to the left and the window immediately to the right, but we were delighted with its location.
We had a quick lunch of patatas bravas and paella for 2. I thought that it as too expensive at 36 Euros and I was not overly impressed with it or the potatoes. But all of our meals couldn’t be home runs!
D and I had thought that the Cathedral was the third largest Gothic cathedral in the world behind St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London (both of which we have visited) but as I look at a brochure from the cathedral now, it states that with the dimensions of 126 m length, 83 m wide, 27 m high and the 96 m of the Giralda tower, the Seville Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world.
The most fascinating aspect of the building itself was the fact that in 1184 it was built as a mosque. It was consecrated as a cathedral in 1248 and the construction of the Gothic architecture took place from 1434 – 1517.
We were definitely impressed with the grandeur of the building but what I especially loved were the tiny details, like the three cherub angels above.
The vision of St. Anthony by Murillo.
The tomb of Christopher Columbus by Arturo Melida.
The crucifix.
Clerical vestments.
The Giralda Tower was designed by Ben Basso also in the 12th century.
The night views of the tower were also exquisite.
The orange tree courtyard dates back to the 12th century. We could not believe this quiet sanctuary was smack in the centre of this bustling city.
We took a Devour tappas and wine tour that evening. Stay tuned.
Kath’s quote: “A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral”. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Love never fails.
