Sodden Sights of Seville

Rest Day in Seville – Tue 10^th May 2016

Town PhotosTrip MapsGarmin
 

“Seville must be one of the most addictive cities in the world. In it, all of Spain’s clichés come together, wrapped in a thick scent of orange blossom: this is the home of the glory and the gore of bullfighting, the soul-ripping sound of flamenco, the sombre and spectacular Semana Santa (Holy Week) processions and the jolly relief of Feria de Abril. Traditional men with slicked-back black hair rule here. There are hundreds of tapas bars with swinging jamones (hams), served by barmen with pencil-thin moustaches. Seville is where the highly strung Carmen rolled cigars on her thighs and loved a torero (bullfighter), where Don Juan worked his mojo in times long gone, and where Cervantes and Columbus drank sherry” ~ Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet has it pretty right … Seville is addictive, even on a day like today when torrential rain has fallen relentlessly. In spite of the weather, today has been spent very enjoyably just meandering around this fascinating city, one hand wrestling with my flimsy, Kathmandu, super-lightweight, mini umbrella (trying to prevent it from turning concave upwards) and the other hand clicking away merrily with my Panasonic Lumix camera.

Undeterred by the conditions, eager tour groups huddled under umbrellas, listening intently to the endless spiel emanating from the mouths of their tour guides. I noticed that the umbrellas were keeping the upper part of their bodies dry, but their trousers and slacks were drenched from the knees down. How glad I was that I wore my plastic cycling pants and kept my only pair of long trousers dry for later in the day.

Indoor coffee shops were overflowing, while outdoor plaza cafés and bars were deserted. I chose a coffee shop called Café de Indias in San Pablo and sat at a window seat so I could do some serious people watching while drinking my strong, bitter coffee. Why is it so hard to find a decent cappuccino outside of Australia?

The rain showed no signs of abating, so I left the coffee shop and resumed my walk through a maze of charming, narrow, cobbled streets. At first I was successful in choosing only the higher cobblestones to walk on, but then I became distracted by another photographic opportunity and stepped on one of the low-lying, submerged ones, resulting in my shoe being filled with water.

Sloshing along aimlessly, I happened upon the beautiful Triana Bridge that straddles the Guadalquívir River. Apparently it is the place to be at sunset, but I am unlikely to experience such an event while I am here. I continued on alongside the river, past the Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla (bull-fighting arena). I am not sure whether Spaniards still participate in this barbaric sport, but if they do you can count me out.

From there I turned left and was impressed by the sight of an amazingly futuristic looking building which turned out to be the Mercado de la Encarncion. Always fascinated by markets, I couldn’t resist checking it out and I wasn’t disappointed.

The rain became even heavier, so I took refuge under the cloisters of the Gipsoteca Universidad de Sevilla and watched the cascades of water over-flowing from the roof gutters. My intention was to continue on to visit the city’s major monuments  –  the Cathedral, the Giralda and the Alcázar  – but the rain got the better of me and so I am now writing this blog from the comfort of my cosy, warm, dry B&B. The famous sights of Seville can wait until tomorrow!