Seville and Semana Santa

Well we made it to Seville – just. The floods in Seville the previous week had destroyed part of the motorway, and the traffic was confined to one lane. 10 hours from the Costa Blanca, with only 45 minutes for lunch and two comfort breaks – it was a bit of a marathon. The coach companies are feeling the pinch and out trip was a hybrid of several offers, which included 3/4 day trips to Seville, Seville, Granada, Cordoba. Seville – Jerez, and tastes of Andalucia. The guides were multi lingual, and had to keep track of all the permutations, and which coach had who on it , and where they were going phew!

We had a comfortable hotel in the centre of Seville, and the first day had a local guide who took us on a bus/ walking tour, which gave us a flavour of the different sectors of the city, the amazing architecture, from the Moorish/ christian origins, also roman remains, to the wonders of the two expos in 1929 and 1992. We were entranced by the Plaza de Espana  which incorporated the history of Spain in a huge Plaza with impressive buildings, water, boats and bridges We were whisked off to the Santa Cruz area,  now a highly fashionable and sought after area to live. We wandered delighted through the narrow streets, some so narrow you can touch either wall

We peeped into the courtyards with plants and fountains which are so typical of the city, as are the beautiful balconies with bright red pelargoniums

We finally emerged fromone of the narrow tunnels to a view of the morish tower The Giralda, which is atttached to the Cathedral. The cathedral itself is a formidable building, reflecting the different centuries, during which it has been rebuilt and extended

Seville is preparing for the processions of Holy Week, in all there are 60 processions, where enormous statues of Christ or his mother are carried through the streets.One of the major processions takes 13 hours to reach its destination. Penitents wear long robes and pointed hoods very like the KluKlux Clan. The streets are cleared, and in some areas seating is erected for people to watch the processions weave through the streets. These ceremonies are repeated throughout Spain, ans appear to be a mixture of devotion, and spectacle. For now the horse drawn carriages wait to transport tourists round the sights,themselves adding to the elegant atmosphere of the city.

There were moments, like watching a young girl describe her dress to her friends, whirling as she mo ved the long imaginary frilled train, which she would wear during the Semana Santa.

We were mesmerised by the Alcazar, especially the gardens which were stunning, similar to those of the Alhambra, but on a much grander scale I think that the first impression is always the most powerful , but we vowed to come back, under our own steam, and stay in one of the backpacker hostels, and spend at least a week there. So much to delight and entrance and come back for