Sevilla Walkabout

The Guadalquivir River, Sevilla's lifeline to the Atlantic

Sevilla, Spain. The Barber of Seville. This ancient city is the fourth largest in Spain, set in the far south. Built on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, the riches of Spanish conquests in the New World flooded into this city of the Old World. At one time it was one of the most important trading cities in all of Europe.

The city was founded by the Tartessians in pre-Roman times. The Romans conquered the city and it became a provincial town of the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the city felt the sandaled feet of 'barbarian' invaders, the Visigoths and others. Then came the Muslim conquest of 712, when southern Spain came under Moorish rule. The imprint of Moorish art is still stamped across the tiles of the city. Five centuries of Moorish rule came to an end when the Castillians re-conquered the southern Spanish peninsula. 

As the Spanish conquered the New World, they sent their plundered riches back to Spain. The official port of entry was Sevilla. For most of the sixteenth century, all of the gold and silver from the Spanish West Indies traveled across the Atlantic Ocean, then eighty kilometers up the river to Sevilla. 

The Tower of Gold

Plundered loot poured into Sevilla, off-loaded from Spanish ships. Sevilla had the Royal monopoly on all goods. Any traders wishing to purchase trade goods from the West Indies had to come to Sevilla to make the buy. Money literally poured into the city. This lasted for a century, until the river began to silt up. When shipping became more difficult, the Spanish Crown lifted the monopoly and opened the port of Cadiz. Sevilla remained an important city, but no longer had the stranglehold on all trade from the Indies.

The Real Fabrica de Tabacos

Sevilla was home to one of the first tobacco processing warehouses in Europe. The Fabrica was established in 1728. At the time, it was one of the largest free-standing buildings in the world. The building is still there, surrounded by its moat. Is is now part of the UIniveristy of Sevilla.

With the riches from the New World came riches for the city. The Sevilla Cathedral is on of the largest in Europe. Originally a mosque, the cathedral still retains Moorish influences. Hidden under the flying buttresses and towers are the domes of the former mosque.

If you like giant piles of stone, you have come to the right city. One cannot throw a Belgian paving stone without hitting a church, big or small. While there are enough monuments to keep a dedicated enthusiast busy for days, Sevilla has a great many other charms. As a walking city, Sevilla rivals Lisboa. Tiny, twisting passageways form a labyrinth that defies maps or sense of direction. It is a delightful town for simply getting lost.

Wandering the maze of Sevilla is what I will remember most fondly. In the old city, nothing runs in a straight line. A large part of the El Centro is restricted to delivery vehicles, taxis, and residents. We watched small delivery trucks squeezing through impossibly small lanes, places so narrow that the side mirrors have to be folded in to allow clearance. And those are the big streets.

HIdden courtyards offer a glimpse into the private life of old Sevilla.

Sad-eyed saints and virgins look down from every other wall.

A Main Street in the Old City

(Yes, I know I used this picture in the previous post)

Picture this courtyard in the 1600's, when this building was home to around seventy families. There was no indoor plumbing. Entire families cooked, did their laundry, and lived their lives in this courtyard. Bathing, when it was done, was accomplished in the public baths that were part of this enclave. Then the Plague came to Sevilla. In 1649, the Plague raged through the city. The population was reduced by half as people fled or died. Most died.

Quiet refuge in the old city

At six o'clock, it is time for walkabout to end and relaxing to begin. Find a bar and cozy up with the local folks. No good citizen of Sevilla would think about eating dinner before eight. The time between getting off work and dinner is spent in the company of friends and neighbors, preferably at a local bar. Libations are cheap here, and folks are friendly. Two damn-fine coffees set us back 2.40 Euro.

Tapas in the bar out front, under the air-cured hams. Restaurant in the back for full meals.

Gazpacho laced with lots of cilantro and a plate of Bacalao en Tomate. Bacalao is dried cod, one of the traditional staples of the Spanish and Portuguese coastal regions. It is cooked in a multitude of ways, from croquettes to stews. The saying is that one can eat bacalao 365 days a year and never eat it the same way twice.

Fried fishes and more fried fishes. Even the bits that look like potatoes are fishy. That is actually fried chunks of squid.

Time for weary travelers to return to the Corral de Conde and a nice warm bed. Dinners run late in Sevilla. It has been another great day of walkabout in another great city. I am one very lucky traveler. Today we dodged the rain, walked our feet to stone, and now rest weary in our snug little sixteenth century monastic cell. Tomorrow is another day, a day of meeting friends and journeying south. For this evening, travel well, travel often, and Ciao for Now!