We've walked our socks off today, but if you're going to
sightsee and get a true flavour of the place, then you have to
walk.
On the package tours we have done in the past the coach tends to
take us up to the sight, we go round it, we get back on the bus
then on to the next place and repeat - it misses out the joys of
dusty narrow back streets, aromas of sewers (Granada Jasmin?),
and dodging dog poo.
It also misses out seeing life as it is, hidden patios and
churches, corner shops and local people at work.
So we're off. The hotel is located on San Vicente, at the top end
and the first call was supposed to be La Macarena district, but
we are immediately distracted at an early church - Iglesia de San
Lorenzo y Jesus del Grand Poder. What a delightful place this was
with some superb paintings of Christ's final days.
We finally arrive at Calle Castille for a street-by-street guided
tour (as in our guidebook). We sometimes get diverted off route,
but we basically follow as it is shown, making a point of seeing
the bits highlighted.
From here we go to then go round Casa de Pilatos (Pilate's House)
so named because it was thought to resemble Pontius Pilate's
house in Jerusalem. The ground floor is patios, fountains and
Gothic balustrades, whilst the upstairs is furnished rooms which
are viewed with an escort - the Palace is still lived in by the
Dukes of Medinaceli.
Time for lunch - we do home made sandwiches with ingredients
bought during the morning and sit on the steps of the Cathedral
eating them. There are horse drawn carriages for the tourists to
be taken around Seville, so lunch is occasionally interrupted by
the smell of horse droppings.
It's time to tour the Cathedral and La Giralda, its bell tower,
so named because of the weathervane (giraldillo) which isn't
there at the moment - the top of the bell tower now joins our
impressive list of "famous buildings I have seen in
scaffolding". The route to the top of the tower is not
steps, but a series of (about 34) ramps along the interior walls
with small exhibits tucked away in alcoves to break the journey.
As is usually the case it is nice to see the city from a high
point, and we always climb the tower or go up the hill to get
that special view.
Back down and a leisurely stroll round the main building - Patio
de los Naranjos; the high altar of 44 gilded relief panels; the
tomb of Christopher Columbus; the general Gothic immensity of the
place - then it is off on the street-by-street tour of Santa Cruz
and here there were some nice out of the way plazas.
Unfortunately we caught a glimpse of the bullring while up the
tower and decided to head off there to go round it so it's out
with the map, best foot forward - though neither of us actually
has a best foot at the moment - and head for Plaza de Toros de la
Maestranza.
We're there for the 5.00pm half hour tour of the bullring and
museum. The bullring bit of it is a walk up to the terraces, and
I can't remember the name of it - the location of the sun in the
afternoon determines the seat prices and the areas are all named
differently. The general order of play of a bullfight is also
described, and you're left with the feeling that chasing a fox
around the English countryside is positively kind.
Each of the, typically 6 per performance, bulls spend half an
hour being taunted by various people, during which time it has
half a dozen spears rammed into its back to weaken it and make it
angry for the big finish when someone else comes along to taunt
it further prior to killing it! "This is the machine we
use", says the guide "to drag the dead bull from the
ring". The meat is then sent for sale, indeed the bull's
tail is a Spanish delicacy.
It made us wonder what the last verse to Tommy Steele's song
"Little White Bull" should really be if death was
inevitable - I somehow don't think it would have been quite as
popular.
After the bullring we saw the fully equipped surgery/operating
room for when the bull gets the better of the matadors, from
there a trip round the museum before visiting the chapel and
stables.
We sit on the step of the bullring and debate the relative merits
of going back to the hotel by taxi, sadly we were unable to
convince ourselves and we walk back, picking the shady side of
the street wherever possible and crashing out on arrival.
Eating out is in the "seedy area" mentioned earlier,
then on to watch the sunset across the River Guadalquivir - very
nice.
Despite legs and feet aching, we walk over to the EXPO site and
have a quick look at the Omnimax cinema time before, you guessed
it, walking back (another couple of miles in the bag!). We had
heard that there is a fireworks display at the pleasure park -
Isla de Magica and it is now about 11.00pm so we wait a bit, just
in case. We give up at 11.10 and go back to the hotel well and
truly "done in", to be particularly polite about it.
About 11.45 we hear the makings of a big finish to a fireworks
display - damn.
Time for sleep and ponder why the toilet paper here has a dimpled
side and a smooth side and which should be used - is it stronger
one way or will your fingers still go through it whichever side
is used.
Go to Day 8
Return to Andalucia home page
Author: val_and_andrew@hotmail.com
Copyright © 1998 Andrew J White