Spain Portugal Morocco: Seville (1)
12:12 AM
After 2 days in Lisbon, including a very drunken christmas eve dinner at the hotel (:P), we left Portugal to head back into Spain, more specifically, the city of Seville located in Southern Spain. It was the last Spanish city we visited before heading into Morocco. It was a long drive to Seville from Lisbon and on that day we passed by many agricultural fields, including olive trees, cork trees, salt pools, Eucalyptus trees and orange trees.
Lunch stop in a small town in Portugal just 4km off the border of Spain. Saw the locals transporting livestock using these mini carts, and animals which looked suspiciously like mules or donkeys...
Arrived in Seville in the late afternoon, and as there were a couple of hours to kill, I ventured out into the town to look see look see. The city of Seville is easy to navigate and we were lucky that our hotel was located near the city centre. Within 15/20 mins I was in the city centre and happily snapping away. That day was the 26th, just after Christmas and the city was burstling! Quite a contrast from quiet Lisbon just a day prior. Pictures of Seville below.
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While walking along the streets, came across a live band performing all the streets which was pretty fun to watch. There were also many sellers selling roasted chestnuts which reminded me a lot of home...
Seville Cathedral. It was built from 1401-1519 after the Reconquista on the former site of the city's mosque. It is amongst the largest of all medieval and gothic cathedrals. The interior is the longest nave in Spain. Most famously, the Giralda, orginally a minaret, was converted into a bell tower. It is topped with a statue, known locally as El Giraldillo, representing Faith.
Seville at night. Top right picture is the Seville Bull ring stadium. Bull fight season is usually in Spring/Summer. In Spain, there is a controversy about Bull fights as the Bulls are killed in the ring, and animal activists see the bull fight as an act of animal cruelty. Notably, in Portugal, their bull fights are different in the sense that Bulls are not killed in the fight. Victorious bull masters are usually rewarded with a body part of the bull, usually the ear, or the tail.
That same night, we went for a optional excursion to see Flamenco dancing. It was in stark contrast from the Portuguese Fado the night before. I think that most people enjoyed this optional better. The dancers were really good, though it became obvious later on that it's a very strenuous dance and as such, Flamenco careers are often very short.
Lunch stop in a small town in Portugal just 4km off the border of Spain. Saw the locals transporting livestock using these mini carts, and animals which looked suspiciously like mules or donkeys...
Arrived in Seville in the late afternoon, and as there were a couple of hours to kill, I ventured out into the town to look see look see. The city of Seville is easy to navigate and we were lucky that our hotel was located near the city centre. Within 15/20 mins I was in the city centre and happily snapping away. That day was the 26th, just after Christmas and the city was burstling! Quite a contrast from quiet Lisbon just a day prior. Pictures of Seville below.
\While walking along the streets, came across a live band performing all the streets which was pretty fun to watch. There were also many sellers selling roasted chestnuts which reminded me a lot of home...
Seville Cathedral. It was built from 1401-1519 after the Reconquista on the former site of the city's mosque. It is amongst the largest of all medieval and gothic cathedrals. The interior is the longest nave in Spain. Most famously, the Giralda, orginally a minaret, was converted into a bell tower. It is topped with a statue, known locally as El Giraldillo, representing Faith.
Seville at night. Top right picture is the Seville Bull ring stadium. Bull fight season is usually in Spring/Summer. In Spain, there is a controversy about Bull fights as the Bulls are killed in the ring, and animal activists see the bull fight as an act of animal cruelty. Notably, in Portugal, their bull fights are different in the sense that Bulls are not killed in the fight. Victorious bull masters are usually rewarded with a body part of the bull, usually the ear, or the tail.
That same night, we went for a optional excursion to see Flamenco dancing. It was in stark contrast from the Portuguese Fado the night before. I think that most people enjoyed this optional better. The dancers were really good, though it became obvious later on that it's a very strenuous dance and as such, Flamenco careers are often very short.
