Seville – the Soul of Spain

If Madrid is the bustling capitol of Spain, and Barcelona the architectural and intellectual center, and the Basque its culinary heart, then Seville is the Soul of Andalucía, and of Spain.

During our trip, Malcolm has been reading James Michener’s Iberia. We picked it up at a used bookstore in Rio Rancho. Malcolm and Chris went into FriendShop beside the Albertson’s on Hwy 528 looking for paperback novels to read on the trip. (Note: we highly recommend this bookstore. Please support them.) Malcolm happened to mention out loud to Chris that he would really love to find a Michener book on Spain. One of the volunteer workers, overhearing him, then tapped him on the shoulder and said we have a copy of Iberia, but only in paperback. Perfect, and in paperback no less. The word of that day was synchronicity! Had he gone by himself, he would have missed it. Had she not been standing close enough to hear, she would not have heard him. And had Chris not been there at the time, he may have chosen a different way to get a paperback novel. Ah! The beauty of synchronicity!

Malcolm expected another Michener historical novel. Instead, in this 1968 book Michener tells us about his travels in Spain over many years. It was perfect. Some history was thrown in from the last few centuries, but not the novelistic and encyclopedic history that Michener is known for. It is the factual and provable history of more recent events. Not dwelling on history but describing his feelings about Spain and why it is the Spain we now know. How it stayed out of the world wars but had its own revolutionary war that tore it apart. How it was the richest country in the world at the time of discovering American but managed to spoil it all by ignoring its lower class. How Spain survived the dictatorship of Franco is not in the book since the book was published in 1968 and Franco was not gone until 1975. Each chapter is a city or region of Spain and in the chapter on Seville, he describes Seville as the soul of Spain. We couldn’t agree more.

In describing Seville, he wrote much about the “Feria de Abril” or the April Fair in Seville. This event falls two weeks after Easter. This year, Easter fell in late April, causing the Fair to fall in May, coinciding with our visit. The Spanish traditions of the women in their Flamenco dresses. Most were tall and slender and wore them well. The men in suits, looking dapper and standing tall and proud. The horses and carriages that carried them around to see and be seen. All of these are a part of the tradition of Seville. We did not visit the fair grounds where families, companies, groups and others set up large tents and hosted parties for friends and family. In the Spanish way, the events lasted until 7 am and partied through the night. But on the day we left, we walked by a couple heading home at 7 am.

The narrow streets of Old Town in Seville

The narrow streets of Old Town.

A replica of Victoria, the ship that took the Magellan-Elcano Expedition around the world. The Spaniards are proud of their history of discovery and exploration, particularly the discovery of the Americas.

One of the things that makes Seville special is its tradition and romanticism. We had forgotten how much so. From Don Juan, to Zorro, to Don Quixote. They are all part of the mythical romantics of Seville. The myth of the swashbuckling bachelor sweeping through the countryside. We recommend you read the one chapter in Iberia on Seville to get more of a flavor for Seville and to understand why it is the soul of Spain. Here the word of the day is Tradition!

Spain is historically a Roman Catholic country. Its roots go back to the inquisition when everyone who was not a Catholic was expelled from the country, namely, Jews and Muslims. We can’t separate the Fair from the Holy Week that just precedes it. The Holy Week is supposedly majestic, although we missed it, and the Fair that follows two weeks later is the Mardi Gras or Carnival that follows.

They come from all over the country and take this festival very seriously. We saw them on the trains and at the bus station. Walking down the street at all times of day. Not the drunken craziness of a Mardi Gras, but the celebration of majesty. My words cannot do this event justice, but the feel is in the air and all around that something is going on and it’s a powerful event for those in it. Enjoy the pictures.

Carriages - See Seville and be seen!

The number of horses demonstrated your wealth.

A young couple on their way to the faire.

As is typical these days, the cell phone is everywhere. Welcome to the new romanticism. If you are wondering where in these tight dresses a cell phone might be carried, fear no more. It's stuffed in the bodice! And the phone are out front and omnipresent.

Taking advantage of the Abril Faire to make a beer commercial!

The Cathedral in Seville is the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world. After having been to Familia Sagrada, we believe we like the more open concept of the Sagrada rather than the traditional Gothic. This is all personal taste.

As we walked by one day, the bells of La Giraldi were continuously ringing at 17:15 and we could not understand why. Then it dawned on us. A new Pope had been selected and the bells were ringing in honor of the Pope.

We also visited the Alcazar. What an understatement. Like the Alhambra, it was the home to both Moorish and Spanish royalty. I think we may be on palace overload. It was a spectacular place to see but almost overwhelming. Doing Santa Barbara Castle, the Alhambra and the Alcazar in a few days span was a little over the top. Here are some pictures of the Alcazar.