Christmas in Sevilla

December 25, 2011

Everything is closed on Christmas day, so Janet and I are ensconced in a cafe on the square overlooking the Cathedral and the Giralda, the grand Moorish tower attached to it, enjoying a cafe leche and reflecting on our first week in Spain. The bells of the tower peel cacophonously--so loudly that conversation is impossible--at seemingly random times. We could go into the Cathedral to worship at the mass (it's not open for sightseeing), but one mass at a small church last night on Christmas Eve, standing uncomfortably leaning against the wall at the back, was enough for us. The cathedral, the largest Gothic building in the world, is spectacular, especially at night with its flying buttresses and soaring angles beautifully illuminated in a soft yellow light. Go here for this and other photos of our trip.

We love the narrow, twisty cobblestone streets of Sevilla, the stunning ochre and pink buildings with their elegant balconies, and the profusion of decorative orange trees. It's especially nice to see the city--and be guided around it--through Emmy's experienced eyes. We met and were charmed by her "madre," a pretty and vivacious 70-ish matron with a spacious apartment where Emmy and her roommate have lived in their own two- room suite for the last three months. Emmy and her madre (Carmen) are clearly very fond of each other.

We traveled to Sevilla via the fast train from Madrid. Because we did not buy tickets in advance and tourist class was full, we splurged on business class seats and enjoyed a marvelously smooth and speedy ride, good food and exceptional service--better than what the best of airline service used to be.

Madrid is a huge, bustling capital city. We made the obligatory visit to the Prado, focusing on the wonders of the triumvirate of Spanish masters, El Greco, Velasquez and Goya. Emmy had learned a lot about them in a Spanish art and architecture class and provided helpful lectures about their masterpieces. There was so much more to see in this grand museum, but sore backs, jet lag and an unexpectedly early 3:30 closing hour conspired against us.

Our visit to Madrid included a day trip via bus to Toledo, the beautiful ancient hilltop city of synagogues, mosques and churches. Together with Emmy's boyfriend, Tas, who was with us for the Madrid portion of our visit before returning home to Boulder, we meandered the streets and paths of this remarkably multi-cultural city. We especially enjoyed climbing to the top of the cathedral tower at sunset for a stunning view of the city, peering around the eight enormous cast iron bells.

Emmy's Christmas gift to us was tickets to a performance of Cirque du Soleil in a vast arena in Madrid. The phantasmagorical performance included amazing acrobats performing heart-stopping stunts, amusing clowns and mimes , and singers of a soulful story that we could not follow.

Back in Sevilla for the remainder of Christmas Day: We ate a magnificent lunch (the big meal of the day in Spain) of paella with lobster and clams at a lovely restaurant overlooking the Guadalquivir River. That was followed by a long walk to the beautiful Plaza de Espana and its stunning gardens, built for an international Ibero-American exposition in 1929. Roses and begonias were in mid-winter bloom. We ended the day at an atmospheric tapas bar eating gazpacho, salad, goat cheese and Spanish ham (Jamon Iberico).

More to come as we continue on to Granada...