We took a longish coach trip from Lisbon to Seville, about 7 hours worth if I remember rightly. Sounds gruelling, but we chatted with our driver Bruno and lifted the bar to a point where we now play a pretty mean game of Angry Birds. We checked into our hotel, a converted convent called the Sacristia Santa Ana right on the Alumeda de Hercules and crashed out big time. So nothing to write about there.
Next morning we were right in the thick of it. We walked down an avenue that translates as "For the Love of God" (Calle Amor de Dios) till we came to the Avenida de la Constitucion. There are several amazing buildings on it. One is the converted monastery of San Francisco (now government offices) and of course Seville Cathedral. Don't worry. I'm not going to show you pictures of another b....y cathedral. The entry line stretched around the block and the price was too high anyway. So we didn't bother to go in.
Right next to it is the other great landmark of Seville, the royal palace of the Alcazar. And we didn't go in there either. The queue to buy tickets there stretched around the block and even if you had a ticket, the entrance queue ran around the block as well. 3 hours is not unheard of waiting time to visit the Alcazar. So we gave that the flick as well and headed off to the Casa de Pilatos.
This was a noble's residence built by and occupied by the successive Dukes of Tarifa and their ladies. During a visit to Jerusalem and the middle east, the original duke was much taken with the Moorish influences in architecture and the succeeding dukes, if they did make any modifications, seem to have kept with the same theme. It is a very aesthetic blend of Moorish, classical and southern spanish elements. It is so well done that several film location scenes have been shot here, most notably David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia.
Loading up on nourishment with a huge gelati near the Ingresa de Santa Catalina we pushed on the the Palacio de las Duenas. Part of it has been converted to a museum but the rest remains the private residence of the Alba family, themselves Spanish nobility. It is a striking example of how the landed gentry of the period kept up with the Joneses.
See your piccies below, peeps.
This the the Alumeda de Hercules in the early morning Eg before 10 am.
The gets much busier at night, much MUCH busier.
Some art students (I presume) wrestling their creations down the Alumeda.
Typical streetscape in Seville old town, a maze of narrow twisting streets.
What Santiago was to churches, Seville is to Plazas. The whole town Seems to be several hundred plazas in search of a city.
The Plaza Neuva with an honorary statue to Ferdinand who got rid of all the Jews.
Not politically correct these days but there he is.
Seville has trams, or more like what we would call light rail.
This building in the Plaza de San Francisco is government offices.
But no government builds offices like this, it has to be and is a Monastic convertion.
You like topiary?
These are the topiaried trees outside the Banco de Espana.
The entrance to the Seville Cathedral, with some of the entrance line waiting.
The line went round the block.
A detail of the southern side of the Cathedral, and its waiting line.
Leaving the Plaza los Venerables.
And that is a street between those buildings you can see.
Located against the Alcazar walls (but on the outside) is a neat bit of parkland called
the Jardines de Murillo.
The Casa de Pilatos.
A marvellous blend of Moorish and Spanish architectural styles.
But mostly Moorish.
Biggest darn bouganvillea I've ever seen.
It further reached right across the court yard wall as well.
Grecian classical statuary was a passion of the Duke of Tarifa and he imported a great deal of it.
To showcase his collection properly was a large influence of the Casa's design.
Moorish arches around a central patio, classical Moorish design.
The column capitals tell a different story though, they are of Greek origin.
The fountain is pure Italian. Quite a blend really.
One of the classic the duke collected was this painting by Josepi Ribeira.
It is called "The Bearded Woman".
More like "The Breasted Man" if you ask me.
The lower floors are the Summer Palace, 'cause they stay cooler in summer.
The upper floor is the Winter Palace, 'cause they are warmer in Winter.
There are several patio gardens throughout the Palace.
This beatiful rose and hedge garden was once their veggie patch.
Same garden as above, different aspect.
Notice the enormous bouganvillea growing up the wall then across the upper level?
Another detail of the classical entry patio.
There was a young lady from Riga,
Who rode on the back of a tiger ...
This is another of the Duke's collection of classical statues expertly displayed in the gardens.
It brought to mind the Rudyard Kipling limerick is all.
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