Alcázar Underground

A visit to the Reales Alcazares (Royal Palaces) of Sevilla and the gardens around them is a bit like stepping into a 1001 nights world of magic and make believe, or the set of a medieval fantasy TV series, with a timeless quality of a place set somehow outside the mundane world.

alcazar

But appearances can be deceptive. The Alcazar is also a fortress, and for much of its history was the working centre of government and administration, a history that goes back to 913, when the Caliph of Córdoba established a residence and headquarters for his governor in Sevilla roughly in what is now the Patio de Banderas, protected by the walls that we still see in the Plaza Triunfo and Plaza de la Alianza. During the next four and a half centuries the Royal precinct underwent profound changes, with buildings and walls built, torn down, and replaced by others.

alcazar sotano (1)

In the last couple of decades extensive archaeological work has been carried out in parts of the complex, such as the Patio de Banderas, to elucidate these developments. Work is currently going on beneath the Mudejar Palace of Pedro I, built in the 1340s in a style that blends Moorish and Christian elements together in the most stunning way. Not surprisingly, though, it wasn’t the first building on this site, being erected over the remains, and foundations, of a previous Moorish palace. Such sites are required to have some public access for educational purposes, and the basement of the Mudejar Palace is accordingly open for guided tours, which can be booked online every Saturday at 11 am and 12 noon while the work is going on. This was what I had come to see.

alcazar sotano (2)

The tour started with a talk by one of the archaeologists on the history of the Alcázar, given in the formal gardens behind the palace, from where we went down into the basements. The area we were able to see seemed quite small, though its hard to judge size compared to the palace above, and we could see that the cellars extended at least as far as the Gothic Palace. It was orginally a storage area and, of course, much more basic than the palace, with brick walls and vaulted ceilings to support the weight above, in a rough hewn early Moorish style. There was also a substantial collection of recovered tile and pottery pieces laid out on tables, parts of the intricate abstract patterns of Moorish and Mudejar decoration.

alcazar sotano (3)

It was certainly a different view of the palace, and a reminder of what may be going on behind the scenes. Worth doing, but you will need to speak Spanish, as the tour is primarily intended for locals, not tourists.

Noche en Blanco

noche en blanca 2014

Sevilla’s third Noche en Blanca is TONIGHT.  Organised by @SevillaSeMueve, the 2014 edition of this all-night cultural event is the most amibitious to date with more than 100 spaces participating, including theatre, music, boutiques, galleries, cinema, gastronomy, walking tours and much more.

Have a great White Night everyone!

Noche en Blanco Programme
Twitter hashtag: #nocheenblancoSEV

Acuario de Sevilla

shark

Love the dim light of the mysterious deeps? Fascinated by fish? Shocked by sharks? Well, now you can indulge yourself with a visit to Sevilla’s newest visitor attraction, the Acuario de Sevilla.

fish collageI was fortunate enough to be invited to the press preview for the grand opening on September 30th, and be one of the first people to see the new facility and its 400 species of marine life. The layout of the exhibits within the aquarium was designed to represent the first circumnavigation of the world by Magellan, who set out from Seville in 1519, and the creatures he would have met along the way. Inevitably, everyone will come to look at the sharks (you can even spend the night with them), but sharks are not the only fish in the sea (so to speak). There’s gliding rays, flotillas of brightly coloured tropical fish, as well as a pair of caymans, sea turtles, octopus and less obvious creatures like starfish and sea urchins.

pulpo

You can buy a souvenir of your visit in the aquarium gift shop, and fortify yourself (either before or after) with a drink at the bar. Check the Aquarium website for courses, special events and activities.

plush
Calle Santiago Montoto (Puerto las Delicias)
Opening hours Mon-Thur 10am to 7 pm (Nov-Feb)
10am-8pm (Mar-Oct)
Fri- Sun 10am – 9pm (10pm Mar-Aug)

Tickets €15 adults €10 children, disabled, pensioners.
Discounts for families and groups.

Salvador Church Night Tours

 

salvador moon

I never learn! Remember when I did that fabulous Cathedral rooftop tour a couple of years ago and ended up totally panic-stricken quivering wreck? Well apparently I hadn’t remembered when I booked a night time tour of the crypts and rooftops of the impressive Church of El Salvador, the second largest in Sevilla (the first being the Cathedral, natch). And so it was that I found myself outside El Salvador shortly before 10 o’clock on a hot August night, waiting for our guide.

The site of the church has a history of use for important public and religious buildings that goes much further back than that of its big sister, and is closely entwined with the life and history of the city itself.

In Roman times, it was the site of the Basilica, the most important public building in a Roman city. It first became a church during the time of the Visigoths in the 6th century, and remained so for some time after the city was conquered by the Moors, Berber Moslems from North Africa. In 879 it became the city’s Grand Mosque, Ibn Adabbas, and the focus of its religious life, while the streets around it, that formed the Zoco, or market, were its commercial hub. Later, as the city grew, a new Grand Mosque was built where the Cathedral stands today. Later still, in 1248, the Christians reconquered the city and the Mosque was rededicated and partially rebuilt as a church (incidentally making it one of the few to have completed the cycle from church to mosque and back again. By 1671 the building was in a ruinous state, and the decision was taken to demolish it. The church we see today was completed in 1712. In the last ten years there has been extensive restoration work, especially to the crypts, that has uncovered many interesting things related to the church’s past, and motivated the night tours that are allowing interested Sevillanos and visitors the opportunity to learn more about this unique heritage.

Our tour started in the patio, where we could see the half-buried original Moorish pillars and the old minaret, now topped, like the Giralda, by the bells of the Christian church, before our adventure began in earnest, with our guide leading us down into the crypts below the church.

I had half-expected this part of the experience to be a bit claustrophobic, but in fact the space was surprisingly open and well-lit, with air-conditioning and new concrete structural supports for the building above as well as the old brick walls and arches, and some of the original tiled flooring of the building’s earlier incarnations. The most touching part of the experience, though, was learning that hundreds, or even thousands of unnamed burials, including many of very young children, had taken place here. We also discovered that a buried stream (now partly exposed) ran through the foundations, and was the source of the problems that had led to the decision to undertake work on the church.

Back above ground we passed through the main body of the church, with its impressive retablos or altarpieces, to stand in front of the statue of the church’s patroness, the Virgin of the Waters, who sits in a little chamber halfway up one wall of the church. We reached the chamber itself (the camarín) by way of a small stairway to one side – it’s a slightly odd feeling to look down into the church from behind the statue.

salvador night tour (2)

 

On then to the second half of the tour, and a climb up a narrow spiral staircase, first to the balconies inside the church (which gave me a touch of vertigo, but nothing too serious), and then on up two more spiral stairways to the roof, where we did a complete circuit. From up here you can see all the major landmarks of the city, including the Cathedral, the Metropol Parasol and, a bit jarringly, the new Torre Pelli (I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that one). I’m afraid it was at this point I kind of lost it and remembered why I shouldn’t go walking around on high rooftops with vasty views, but with a lot of deep breathing I managed to keep going and even got a few nice photos. So it was a relief when we made our way back down the narrow staircases and I soon was safely back on terra firma, feeling very glad to have had the opportunity for such an unusual and interesting experience. Knowing me, I’d even do it again.

La Huella de lo Sagrado guided tour costs 12 euros and takes place with a minimum group of 10 people; the night tours are available until September 15th, though day tours are available year round. They are only offered in Spanish but even without understanding the guide I think that it is still visually worthwhile. To reserve a place, go to the Cathedral Reservations Page.

Some photos below (click on one to start slide show)…
Continue reading “Salvador Church Night Tours”

Rompemoldes Días Europeos

rompemoldes dias europeosWhen I first visited Rompemoldes Creative Craft Space a couple of weeks ago I was told about the “Días Europeos” open house planned for this weekend and have been looking forward to going. Most of the workspaces will be open to the public so it’s a great opportunity to see this modern version of a corral de vecinos “in action”.

There are workshops and demonstrations planned both days and I’m very interested in seeing the Gastromoldes event on Saturday as that studio wasn’t open during my last visit. There will also be guest artisans showing their work along with the resident artists.

Looks like the weather is going to cooperate as well!

Días Europeos
Rompemoldes
Espacio de Creación Artesanal

April 5th & 6th
Calle San Luís 70

You can see the programme of activities below…
(click on images to enlarge)

rompemoldres programa días europeos 1

rompemoldes programa días europeos 2