Monday 18th March: Seville

 There is only one campsite convenient for Seville, in a suburb with a frequent and cheap bus service. Because of its monopoly, the campsite really packs ‘em in.

Campers use the site to visit Seville and the surrounding area then move on: no long-stay campers here. However, it’s quiet at night, and we got this reasonable end pitch:

So, having used the perfect bus service, here we are taking the short walk from the terminus to the historic centre of Seville. We come to the second largest building in Spain, after the Escorial Palace near Madrid. The enormous edifice  now houses the university, and is as long to the left of the entrance, which isn’t visible, as to the right that is shown on the photo:

It seems anyone can wander in, which we did, where it’s much less austere, with pleasant courtyards
and patios:

It was formerly a cigar factory, and the building’s forever claim to fame is that it was Carmen’s place of work in Bizet’s opera of that name. You enter the building half expecting, to hear the stirring Toreador song, but I’m sure today’s  anti-smoking lobby would prefer Alan Smethurst’s  (the Singing Postman) “Have you got a loit boy”. The compromise is silence.

 

Next we pass the superluxury hotel Alfonso Xiii. The hotel was built to accommodate top visitors such as heads of state attending a grand exhibition planned for 1929. The exhibition never happened because of the Wall Street crash. King Alfonso Xiii was also a disaster and abdicated after a short reign.

Street performers start to appear in the square leading to the cathedral, some worth watching, some not. Here we have a flamenco dancer whose shawl is magically produced from the litter bin behind. Who says the camera never lies?

The huge cathedral is impressive from any angle, inside or out. It was blogged in detail in 2020, together with its integral Giralda tower, so we didn’t visit again, but the stunning architectural detail has to be worth another photo:

So what’s this shop all about? We never did find out. Cannabis is nominally illegal in Spain but apparently tolerated. Anyway, we couldn’t fit a plant that size into the caravan.

In another square there is a protest that became much noisier later. Nothing to do with big politics e.g. Ukraine or Gaza, but employees of the Public Buildings Authority who are objecting to plans to privatise the cleaning services. Just as in the UK, they can’t see any advantage.

Good Friday is next week and all towns are getting ready for big parades. In Seville, unsurprisingly, it’s big time. Religious banners are going up everywhere, routes being laid out and seating installed. Practically all shops have religious effigies reflecting their support for “Semana Santa”. Here’s an example, and we perhaps ought not to be too judgemental.

Just off the centre is the museum, by way of contrast a modern design but pleasing nonetheless. Its canopy spans the museum building itself and then the whole road.

We head for the Casa de Pilato, a grand mansion of the early 16^th century. It is a mixture of Moorish and European styles. The front façade sums it up: 

The inner courtyard looks completely Moorish, like a Moroccan palace. The idea is to create a cool and shady atmosphere in the extreme summer temperatures, particularly as Seville is the warmest city in Europe.

Inside we observe restorers at work. It’s really painstaking – and look at that detailed ceiling! Stiff necks and a hot bath for the whole team after a day’s work, I’m sure.

And look at this for another ceiling! Why was so much effort and cost expended on these intricate ceilings – how much did these people drink?

Most of the walls are covered in small, highly patterned tiles. The cost, time and expertise must have been enormous.

Another intricate design, covering half a wall. Their patience and skill was unimaginable.

Now here’s an odd one to finish – a portrait in the classical style of a couple holding their child. It’s entitled  “The Bearded Lady”! So, we are to assume that dad is in the background and bearded mum is holding the child. It has to be said that, even clean shaven, mum would still look very masculine. They both look too old to have kids anyway. Why didn’t the artist go the whole hog and paint a bearded baby as well?

So goodbye to Don Pilato, and we head back to the bus terminus. Soon back to our sardine campsite and sit out for an hour – it’s plenty warm enough, 26 degrees C or so. Tomorrow we visit Cadiz.