It is always wonderful to return home - and especially so when the yard is lush from spring rains (particularly when one has not had to live through said rains).
The skies were blue - at least for part of the day after we returned.
Cecil - overjoyed to see us.
Pierre, likewise, ecstatic that we have returned after a long absence.
After a late start to our day (recovering from our days of celebrations and multi- course dinners beginning at 10 pm), we went to the Museum of Fine Arts. Every Sunday in the Plaza de Museo artists of all kinds display and sell their works. One artist pointed out a passing scene, making sure we were aware of something that is very familiar in Sevilla. Brotherhoods from different churches and neighborhoods participate in religious processions, often having to carry great weight. This was a group training for the upcoming Feast of Corpus Christi which will be celebrated later this week. There are often long waiting lists of folks wanting to have the honor of carrying religious symbols during these processions.
The museum was another example of the richness of Spain's artistic history - and the amazing buildings that house their treasures. The museum has quite a collection of works by Murillo and Zurburan, and also was showing an exhibition from the Prado with art by Rubens, Loren, and Brueghel (both older and younger).
We went to our favorite tapas place over in the Alameda de Hercules followed of course by a stop at our favorite gelato place. And headed back to our neighborhood on Calle Redes for the last time.
We have packed and are ready for a 6am taxi pickup Monday morning to take us to the Santa Justa Estancion. After a high speed train ride to Madrid (it takes 2-1/2 hrs and reaches speeds of 300 km/hr), we will take the metro to the airport for our flight home.
The wedding took place at the Iglesia de San Jorge de la Caridad - a church built in the 17th century and containing works by the leading Spanish artists of that time (including Bartholome Murillo, Valdes Leal, and Simon Rolden). A hospital established at the same time by Miguel de Manara cared for the poor.
Conrad waiting at the altar.
Meagan walking down the aisle with her father.
Happy couple leaving the church.
Our friends, Susan and Dan - happy parents of the groom.
We were bused to an olive orchard and farm where we were greeted by dancers, singers, and musicians. The grounds and buildings formed a beautiful backdrop for the wedding celebration.
After wonderful tapas (love that Iberian ham and manchego cheese) and plenty of wine/champagne/sangria and cervaza, we were seated outside for a multi-course dinner and ate as the full moon rose. The entertainment, the company, and food were all superb - a wonderful memory of our travels in Spain and especially of our time in the region of Andalusia. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate the marriage of Conrad and Meagan not only with our good friends of many years, but having had the opportunity over these days of celebrations to connect with people from many different parts of the world. We hope to see many of them again.
Many of you know that we were coming to a wedding of the son/stepson of good friends. Our last few days in Sevilla have been at a variety of great events leading up to the wedding tonight. The first event was a welcome party at a great venue - a series of rooftop terraces right across from La Giralda. I didn't get pictures of participants due to lighting conditions but the setting was magnificent and a good time was had by all.
It was great to see our friends, renew old acquaintances and meet new folks.
The next night we were bussed to a bullring and were treated to wonderful performances, great food and wonderful company. The setting was beautiful and the weather perfect.
The theme was flamenco/gypsy/country. Here is Mary in her flamenco outfit enjoying a G&T at the King Alfonso XIII Hotel while we were waiting for the bus. The hotel was built for the 1929 World Exhibition (unfortunate timing) and is quite beautiful.
The venue was at a bullring and was great fun. To the left are the bride and groom watching the festivities. They are both gracious, generous, welcoming and fun-loving hosts - it was fun to watch them interact with each other and their many different guests. The bride to be and her family spent summers in a small Andalusian village outside of Sevilla; they have strong ties with the people of the village here and the Andalusian culture. Conrad spent a summer there and played soccer, earning the nickname El Gigante due to his height. This wedding event included many of the villagers and it was fun to meet them.
There were opportunities for guests to try their hand in the bull ring - with a baby bull. One guest remarked that the amateur bullfighters probably had more testosterone than the poor bull.
The bullfighter on the right is a professional and did a good job at ensuring that none of the amateurs were hurt.
Storks watched over the party, feeding their young ones in the gigantic nest.
We were treated to exhibitions of well-trained horses and superb horsemanship.
Unfortunately my camera battery went out so there are no pictures of an amazing series of dance performances during dinner.
The mother of the groom and a friend.
While it is likely that the Romans first settled Sevilla, Hercules is claimed as its mythical founder. At the Alameda de Hercules, Roman columns are topped by Hercules and Julius Caesar. This is an interesting part of town - good tapa bars/restaurants, great ice cream, and all sorts of kids and people playing, walking, and sitting around. It is also the home of the daughter of friends of ours, and her husband and two delightful children. We got lots of insider tips about Sevilla from them.
We visited Italica, an archaeological site just outside of Sevilla, that was settled first in 206 BC with much of what remains from the 2nd century. It was the home of Roman Emperors Trajan (first one from the provinces) and Hadrian, his nephew/adopted son. While much of the site has been taken to other museums, it was fascinating to see the layout of the old Roman city. On the right, Elliot and Tula doing their best imitations of Roman statues.
The mosaics still in place are impressive - it is always something to look at art created so long ago. This floor is from the House of the Planetarium where the seven planetary gods related to the days of the work are pictured.
Later in the week we visited Museo Palacio de la Condesa de Librija in Seville, where many mosaic floors and other artifacts were taken from Italica and became first part of a private home and then became the museum it is today. It was odd to see so many mosaic floors transported to a new setting, out of context from their original site.
The amphitheater that was built here was the third largest built by the Romans, able to seat 25,000 people. While much of it is gone, it is still an impressive sight.
We also stopped at San Isidore del Campo Monastery which was Europe's southernmost Cistercian monastery. This order doubled as soldier monks in helping to keep the Christian border secure during the centuries of border skirmishes between the Muslims and the Christians.
The monastery and its church are great examples of Mujedar art complemented by the Gothic architecture. Much of the church interior art and sculpture is intact, and the14th century frescoes of the cloister are really something.
This royal castle/fortress has been expanded and reconstructed many time in the 11 centuries since it was first built in the 9th century. It is the oldest European castle still in use as a royal residence; when the King is in Sevilla, this is where he stays. The monarchy went into exile in Italy during Franco's rule but returned in the 1970's as a constitutional monarchy. The current king is very unpopular having recently spent a lot of money shooting elephants while the country suffers through extremely high unemployment and very tough economic times. Evidently the Queen lives in London and it took her 3 days to get to the hospital where the King was recovering from some injury suffered during his safari. The son-in-law is likely to be charged with financial misdeeds in which the princess may be implicated. Lots of material here for a telenovela.
All of the trade from the Spanish colonies in the Americas came through the Contracting House in the Alcazar built in the 1500's. This helped make Seville very wealthy for a time until the trade was moved to Cadiz. On the walls of this room are the coats of arms of all the commanders of the Spanish fleet; pictured on left is that of Christopher Columbus.
In the mid-1300's, Pedro I created what is seen as the crown jewel of the Alcazar, the Mudejar Palacio de Don Pedro. King Pedro had a long-standing alliance with the Muslim ruler of Granada, Mohammed V. When Pedro decided to build a new palace Mohammed sent many of the best artisans to Seville.
The result is a collaborative architectural masterpiece that combines symbols, craft and art from the 3 religions prominent at the time: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Since this castle has been in continuous use, it didn't suffer the neglect of La Alhambra so the colors of the inside decoration remain vibrant. The wooden dome ceilings are amazingly intricate.
Mary standing in one of the rooms of King Pedro's palace. The tiles in this area are original 13th century work; each different color is a different piece of tile. It is amazing the craftsmanship and artistry of each detail of this magnificent palace.
King Alfonso X replaced much of the original Moorish castle with a Gothic style palace in the 13th century. The original lead chandeliers were taken by Napoleon's army when the French conquered this area; lacking funds, the Spanish have replaced them with paper mâché replicas.
The extensive gardens are a beautiful feature of the Alcazar. As you walk on the upper walkway you can see the older gardens on your right and gardens designed in the 19th and 20th centuries in the English and French style on your left.
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