Tag: seville

Castillo de San Jorge

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Visitors to Sevilla are usually surprised and even amused to come across “inquisition alley” in Triana for the first time, and will often make the usual Monty Python Spanish Inquisition jokes, but of course the sobering reality is far from anything amusing.

For almost three hundred years (1481 – 1785) the Castillo de San Jorge was the Seat of the Holy Inquisition in Spain where thousands of men and women from all walks of life were imprisoned and tortured. Its sinister image became the iconic symbol for the Inquisition throughout Europe.

In 1990 the city of Sevilla began work on renovating the old Triana Market and unearthed the remains of the castle. Today it stands as a monument to tolerance and calls itself a place for reflection, inviting us to remember the past in order to prevent such totalitarian abuse of power happening again.

The exhibit is distributed over two floors and includes an interactive room containing three spaces (Value Judgements, The Abuse of Power, The Victims), artefacts from the castle, archaeological remains and historical data.

There is also a Gallery of Key Figures that pays homage to some of the most representative figures of the Inquisition.

I finally stopped by for a visit yesterday (it opened this past spring) and found it very well done and even inspirational. The info pamphlet says that “You are the main protagonist of this story. This is your history” and goes on to explain that the essential aim of the exhibit is to transfer the lessons learnt from these historical facts to the motivations and concerns of our present day society. All the written information is displayed in both Spanish and English and admission is free.

[click to enlarge collage]

Castillo de San Jorge

Monday-Friday 10.00-14.00h / 17.00-19.00h
Saturday, Sunday & holidays 10.00-15.00h
Castillo de San Jorge Blog

Seville European Film Festival

azahar3 Comments

Beginning back in 2001 as the Festival de Cine y Deportes de Sevilla the latest edition of the European Film Festival kicks off in Seville tomorrow with the opening ceremonies and a screening of Stephen Frear’s latest film, Tamara Drewe.  Stephen Frears will receive an honorary award this year and his fabulous first film The Hit (1983) – set in Spain – is also being shown throughout the duration of the festival.

The basic objective of the Seville European Film Festival is to promote European film culture, with particular attention to emerging European cinema, and to help incorporate new support for film expression. At the same time, it will foster works by new directors and also by established artists, making it possible to present a broad perspective of the most recent, significant productions at an international level. The Festival also provides an annual meeting place for the European film industry.

The programming is structured around competitive sections and special non-competitive ones.

Below are links to the Festival de Sevilla home page for the daily agenda and to an A-Z list of the films being shown. Screenings will take place at the Lope de Vega theatre and the Nervion Plaza cinema.

Seville Festival daily programme
A – Z film list

Seville European Film Festival
5-13 November, 2010

Plaza de España

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After YEARS of restoration work the beautiful Plaza de España reopened this past weekend. I waited until Monday to check it out and tried to recreate the first time I ever saw the plaza, back in September 1993. I’d seen it on my map so I knew it was a semi-circular building and I’d read that it was designed by Anibal Gonzalez and built as the Spanish pavillion for the 1929 Ibero-American Expo, but nothing had prepared me for what I saw when I turned the corner of the North Tower…
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Just another day in paradise…

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Hospes Hotels Las Casas del Rey de Baeza

As you all know, I don’t get to travel much, and certainly not nearly as much as I’d like to. But a week ago today I got to take a “day trip” to a one of the most beautiful hotels in Sevilla . The hotel Las Casas del Rey de Baeza (longest name ever – try tweeting that several times a day!) is part of an exclusive chain of luxury hotels called Hospes Hotels, most (all?) of which are restored palaces. I have to say that it was interesting to see – and experience – how the other half lives…

My 24-hour getaway was lovely and it was very nice that my friend & flatmate Peter was able to come with me. We got there around 5pm and, after getting settled in the room (mostly me taking tons of photos and both of us going WOW) we retired to one of the lounge areas just off a lovely plant-filled patio to read our books and enjoy some cava. Heaven.

After a couple of hours we went back up to the room, changed for dinner and went to try out the Senzone restaurant. They had us booked for a couple of tasting menus but we never like eating the same thing, so I convinced the waiter to bring us a selection of this and that to share. It was all very good but there was something about the place that made it feel “hotel-y” in a way the hotel itself didn’t. But we still enjoyed it very much. Back up to the room and I took a luxurious bath in the massive circular tub while Peter curled up with his book. By this time we were both pretty zonked so it was lights out and and I have to say the bed was amazingly comfortable. We were supposed to have been given a room with twin beds, but in retrospect we had also been upgraded from a standard double room to a deluxe one, so what the heck. Peter and I are old friends and used to bunking together when we go to Málaga, so that wasn’t a problem.

Next morning we went down for brekky, not quite sure how things worked, and were told we could either have the buffet breakfast or order off the menu. So we decided to go for it and tucked into the buffet as well as ordering some very nice bacon & eggs. After all that we were so stuffed that all we could do was head for the fireplace lounge, sink into the big fat leather sofas and read some more.

Suddenly it was check-out time but we really didn’t feel ready to leave, and that wasn’t a problem. We were told just to leave our packed overnight bags in the room and later we could ask for them at reception, which gave us some extra time to go upstairs and enjoy the rooftop for awhile (see pic on the right).

I took so many photos that I really didn’t know what to do with them all, so here are a couple of collages (click on them to enlarge) of the hotel and our room, and of the food.  It really was a fabulous getaway and many many thanks to Hospes Hotels for making it happen.

Senzone Restaurant

[click on collages to enlarge]

XVI bienal de flamenco

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The world-renowned Bienal de Flamenco in Sevilla has taken place every two years since it was first established in 1980 and features performances from the world’s most respected baile (dance), toque (guitar) and cante (singing) artists, taking place in various venues around Sevilla. I’m still hoping to get to the closing concert if anyone has a spare ticket….

XVI Bienal de Flamenco
15th September – 9th October 2010

Programme 2010