Seville - just a glimpse

Our one night trip was obviously no where near enough time.  We just wanted to see it on our way through to the south of Spain.  It was beautiful and exciting in the late afternoon and evening.  We ate, shopped for shoes for Donnie's poor little toe, and wandered the streets with just about every living soul in Seville.  There was some kind of event happening in the Plaza de Espana, but we didn't get close enough to tell what it was.  This is pretty much what I experienced in the Plaza Mayor in Madrid.  Thousands out walking (the Paseo) and gathering in the city's central Plaza (pronounced platha myore).

One of the many shopping streets in Old Town Seville.  Note the fabric shading the streets.  It was 90F going into the evening.

This woman sang flamenco style, sang her heart out.  I don't know how her voice survives that.  It was very beautiful to hear and watch while we ate our evening meal in beautiful Seville.

The Cathedral of Mary of the See, or Seville Cathedral.  As you know, I cannot pass up a cathedral and this one is heartrendingly beautiful architecture.

A side chapel to the Cathedral.

It's possible that there were no people inside that night.  They all appeared to be out on the streets, with multiple police everywhere.  

The cathedral at night was just gorgeous and we were able to walk into the entry area, where a brontosaurus or apatosaurus would feel comfortable.  Those vaulted ceilings are just incredible and they do indeed make you feel small - the point of the gargantuan proportions.  There was a large group at the altar area watching a televised or recorded sermon.  It was actually rather bizarre to see the faithful sitting and watching this recording, while the tourists were aimlessly wandering and talking at the other end of the huge ancient church.

Seville was founded as a city in the 8th century BC and has been the capital of Andalusia for centuries.  Legends evens say that Hercules himself founded the city.  Lucky Seville was the seat of the Inquisition after Granada fell and the muslims were finally pushed out of Spain in 1492.  Like the other Spanish cities we've visited, it is now a modern city with the necessary infrastructure to maintain that and still one that shows the ancient walls, buildings, and art that has been here for generation after generation.

It's difficult for me personally to assimilate that these cities are SO much different than ours in the U.S. - the attitude toward and acceptance of this heritage, the willingness to accept some inconveniences in order to protect and maintain the evidence and beauty of the past.  Many in the U.S. may have genealogical heritage that goes back to these ancient sites, but we have very little connection to them.  We are, in some ways, displaced people for having left and lost this land so many generations ago.  People here seem more interconnected, too.  As Steve and I walk down the street, we hear many, many difference languages - some are tourists, some are immigrants, some are local dialects of Spanish, I'm sure.  But, people here don't seem to notice or discriminate; in fact, they seem to deal very well with each other.  The local governments help with signs in multiple languages, and private businesses help with gestures, patience, and kindness, so much kindness.