Alcazar de Seville

One beautiful Saturday I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to walk through the Alcazar. Below is a brief history of it's existence but it is even more amazing in person than it is in photos. During the summer months, they have concerts every night in the gardens. On July 13th, I went with two of my friends to a Spanish-like opera but with only one singer and two people on the instrument: spanish guitar an a very old version of the spanish guitar. If you are ever in Seville in the summer, you must go to a concert!! Plus, they are cheap. Only like 4 euros to get in and you have your own seat. Just get there like an hour early, walk around and then go to your seat whenever the concert starts :) 


The Alcazar is a fortified palace of which the construction was ordered by Abd Al Ramn III in the year 913. Because of it's beauty it was chosen as residence by many monarchs in the centuries that followed. 

It now is the residence of His Royal Majesty Juan Carlos when he visits Seville. Pedro I, "the cruel" (1350 to 1369), made significant additions to the palace which is one of the most important examples of Mudejar architecture in Seville.

The numerous rooms, patios and halls vary in architectural styles from the Islamic to Neoclassical. The beautiful gardens and fountains are especially worth visiting.

Today, the upper levels of the Alcazar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional.

Interesting zones within the Alcazar (*disclaimer some of the photos are of the descriptions and some are not. I posted them because I thought they were beautiful, regardless if they were of the description or not.)

Salon de los Embajadores (The Ambassadors Room): The magnificent dome of the Ambassadors Room is decorated with gilded cedar wood sculptures.

Arcos de Herradura (Horse Shoe): The Ambassadors Room is decorated with tiles and complex plaster work. It has three semetrical arcs each with three horse shoes.

              (This is not the Horse Shoe room but is an example of the type of beautiful decorating.)

El Patio de la Montera (The Hunting Patio): This was the meeting place of the court before the hunt took place. The faade of the palace of Pedro I is a unique example of Mudejar design.

El Patio del Yeso (The Plaster Patio): This beautiful, ornate garden full of flowers and streams maintains elements of the almohade architectural style of the Moors from the 12 century.

Patio de las Doncellas (Patio of the maidens): This patio was decorated by the best architects in Granada. Patio del Crucero is above the ancient baths.

Salones de Carlos V (Rooms of Charles V): The rooms and chapel of Charles V are decorated with tapestries and coloured tiles from 16 Century.

El Patio de las Muñecas (The Patio of the Dolls): This patio with its bedrooms and adjacent corridors was the heart of the palace. It takes its name from the two tiny faces that decorate its arcs.

The Gardens of the Alcazar Palace

Jardin Inglés (English gardens). These gardens are modelled on those of the British Isles from 18 Century. The door to the Alcoba is of Islamic origin. The park was built in 1909 and the main gardener of the Real Casa de Campo, Juan Gras, was put in charge of planting the flowers. However, there are doubts as to whether his radical style fits in with the surroundings.

Jardin de los Poetas (The Garden of the Poets) The design of this garden is similar to that of the Forestier thanks to the influence of Joaquin Romero Murube. It's most emblematic feature is the two ponds that were inspired by the Arabs and Romans.

Jardin de la Vega Inclan (Garden of Vega Inclan) This is a well designed garden inspired by the Damas even though it lacks the refinement that had once existed. This garden consists of 20 mostly square flower beds that are separated by paths and fountains. These gardens took their inspiration from Islamic culture and the Renaissance.

Jardin de la Alcubilla (Garden of the Reservoir): This garden existed during the time of Charles V.

I want one as a pet!! :) 

How to..

MAKE YOUR OWN SANGRIA!!

Ingredients: 

1 bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja Reds, Zinfandel, Shiraz)

1 lemon chopped 

1 orange chopped

2 pears chopped

2 Tbsp of sugar

1 shot brandy

2 cups ginger ale or club soda

Preparation: 

Pour wine into the pitcher and then add the chopped fruit and add the brandy. Let mixture chill overnight in the refrigerator. Add ginger ale or club soda just before you are serving. 

To serve right away. Use chilled wine and pour over ice!! 

Additional ideas: 

Sliced strawberries or peaches, handful of fresh blueberries, raspberries or kiwis, or a shot or two of gin, brandy or rum, a cup of ginger ale or citrus soda :) 

Seville: Cathedral

My favorite thing to do here in Spain is to simply walk. Walk for hours and observe everything that is going on around me. The buildings here in Europe--in Spain--are absolutely breath taking. Each facade is years upon years old. I love looking at each building and comparing it to the building next to it on the left and right. Each seems to have its own personality. I like to think that that is what the first owner/ builder was like. Age and time had only made each building more unique and more beautiful. On my walks that I love, I walk straight to the center every time. Regardless of where I am going; even if it is out of the way, I walk towards the center. It is like I am gravitating towards some intense magnet and I have finally come to realize that this magnet is the Cathedral. It is breathtakingly beautiful. I am not just saying that because I am here in Spain but I am saying this because everything I look at it, I seem to loose my breath. Call me a helpless romantic, but I always seem to be in awe that hundreds and hundreds of years ago humans were capable of building such grandeur. It makes me wonder what we would do now without all of the construction tools and instruments we use--interesting huh? Well this is the history of the cathedral...

Thanks to sacred-destinations.com for the history of the Seville Cathedral: 

Seville Cathedral was built on the same large, rectangular base-plan of the mosque it replaced, but the Christian architects added the extra dimension of height. The result is an astonishingly large building that breaks several size records. Measured by area, Seville Cathedral is the third largest in Europe after after St. Paul's Cathedral in London and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, but measured by volume, it surpasses them both.

The total area covers 11,520 square meters. The central nave (the longest in Spain) rises to 42 meters and even the side chapels seem large enough to contain an ordinary church.

Two parts of the mosque were thankfully preserved in the cathedral: the Moorish entrance court (Patio de los Naranjos); and the Giralda, originally a minaret, converted into a bell tower. 

The cathedral is entered via the Puerta de San Cristóbal on the south side, just inside of which is the tomb of Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón). Columbus was originally buried in the cathedral of Havana, on the island he had discovered on his first voyage in 1492. But during the upheavals surrounding the Cuban revolution in 1902, Spain transferred the remains to Seville.

A monumental tomb was sculpted for the explorer's new resting place in Seville. Sculpted by Arturo Melida, it was designed in the Late Romantic style and is held aloft by four huge allegorial figures representing the kingdoms of León, Castile, Aragón and Navarra. There have long been doubts about the authenticity of the remains in Columbus' tomb, and DNA tests are currently underway to find out if they really are those of the explorer.

The huge interior of the cathedral, with a central nave and four side aisles, is lavishly decorated. Gold is everywhere. But at the same time, there is a sense of overall simplicity and restraint in decoration, for the grand monuments are confined to the side aisles and the huge nave is left mostly empty.

In the center is the great box-like structure of the coro (choir), which contains elaborate 15th-century choir stalls.

The coro opens onto the Capilla Mayor, which is dominated by an incredible Gothic retablo (reredos or altarpiece). The supreme masterpiece of the cathedral was the life's work of a single craftsman, Fleming Pieter Dancart. Composed of 45 carved scenes from the life of Christ, it is carved in wood and covered with staggering amounts of gold. It is the largest and richest altarpiece in the world.

Other notable works of art in the cathedral include 15th-century stained-glass windows and the iron screens (rejas) closing off the chapels. During Corpus Christi and Immaculate Conception observances, altar boys with castanets dance in front of the high altar.

The grandiose Sacristia Mayor, designed in the Plateresque style in 1528, houses the treasury. Among the displays are silver reliquaries and monstrances, artworks by Goya, Murillo, and Zurbarán, and a collection of skulls. Don't miss the keys presented to Fernando by the Jewish and Moorish communities on the surrender of the city: sculpted into the metal in Arabic script are the words, "May Allah render eternal the dominion of Islam in this city."

The northeast corner contains the domed Capilla Real (Royal Chapel), which is not always open. Built on the site of the original royal burial chapel, it shelters the body of Fernando III (El Santo) in a rich, silver shrine. The tombs on either side belong to Fernando's wife, Beatrice of Swabia, and his son, Alfonso the Wise.

To the left of the Capilla Real is the entrance to the wonderful Moorish minaret, La Giralda, which now functions as the cathedral's belltower. It is well worth climbing to the top.

These last two photos were from the top of the bell tower!! Can you saw gorgeous?? Que bonita!!! It was absolutely beautiful. Definitely climb to the top if you are able to visit :)

El Rocio

The first Saturday I was in town, Katy and three of her friends took me to the festival of Rocia. It was awesome!! I felt that I had somehow gone through a time machine and landed up in the middle of the Wild Wild West. Yes. I said it. I did not believe it until I saw it but hundreds upon hundreds of Spaniards were dressed up in outfits that I believed were pulled from the very pages of a Zoro-type of book.

The women were elegantly dressed in Flamenco dressed-each with a unique design-I do not believe I saw any two dresses the same. There hair was slicked back into the typical Spanish bun and on the very top-not side-but top of their head sat an rather enormous yet matching fake flower.

The men on the other hand were dressed like they were about to save a damsel in distress. They had on these wonderful old cowboy suits with a Spanish-type cowboy hat. Each guy had his own horse, like it represented masculinity or something because there were THOUSANDS of horses. One for each man, I guess.

There were no cars but everyone went around the little town from casa to case on horseback or by carriage which was-you guessed it-pulled by a horse. There was no pavement, rather, the streets were garnished in sand. Everywhere you went. Sand. Loads upon loads of sand. Once a horse road up to a casa, the cowboy tied his horse to one of the horse stands you see in the western movies. I believe my mouth was open the whole time because I do not believe my brain actually registered that I was in the year 2011. It felt as though I were in the middle of a movie, and like I mentioned, any moment expected Zoro to come riding by me with that sexy black cape of his. He didn't; however, I was not too sound, rather entertained. Greatly.

The fiesta in Rocia was not just to dress up like cowboys and flamenco dancers. It is actually a very old tradition that dates back many, many years. According to don Quijote the tradition goes something like this..

"Bridle those oxen and tie some flowers on your cart--it's time to make a dusty pilgrimage to the Andalusian countryside for Spain's biggest festival--the Romeria Del Rocio. Up to one million people are expected to travel to the marshes near the mouth of the Guadalquivir River to sing, eat, dance and pay homage to the Virgen del Rocio.

And while the religious fanaticism will be kicked into overdrive for the next few days, the Romerio is also a chance have some serious Spanish fun. Many of the participants are city-dwellers from Seville, Madrid and Barcelona who have come to spend time with nature and to get in touch with their roots.

The Virgen Del Rocio has been celebrated at this isolated site for over 800 years, and since 1758 the Romeria Del Rocio has been celebrated at Whitsun , the fiftieth day after Easter Sunday. There are really two parts to this celebration, the festival in Almonte and the actual pilgrimage that starts several days before. As with many Spanish festivals, the Romeria is a blend of Catholic and local pagan beliefs.

The Virgen Del Rocio has been the patron saint of Almonte since the 15th century, when a hunter found a statue of the Virgin Mary in a tree trunk near the marshes. The devoted claim her intense powers can cure disease, infertility and mental disorders.

The pilgrimage is a pretty traditional affair. Hundreds of "brotherhoods" from the surrounding villages and towns organise the processions that all end up in Almonte. Travellers (or "romeros") come from all over Andalucia on foot, on horseback or by cart. No motorised vehicles are allowed. Most of these pilgrims wear traditional clothes, women in bright gypsy-inspired flamenco dresses and men in the unique wide-brimmed "bolero" hats and short-cropped jackets associated with Andalusia. As they get closer to Almonte, the pilgrims camp out in the fields and forests of the surrounding Donana National Park.

All the romeros arrive in the village of Almonte just before dawn, and then the festivities really kick into gear. Accompanied by tambourines, flutes and guitars, the entire group strolls across the broad plains to the El Rocio shrine in the nearby marshes. Almonte's elite "Hermandad Matriz" brotherhood carries along a large silver shrine that contains an effigy of the Virgen. The sound of firecrackers fills the air as the crowds cry "Viva la Reina de la Marisma" ("Long live the Queen of the Marshes"). Once everyone arrives at the shrine, mass is recited and the Virgen is paraded around the dusty fields for several more hours.

For the next couple of days, the scene at El Rocio resembles a makeshift camp-out, a carnival, and a family reunion all at the same time. The crowds sing traditional songs and dance together in the fields. Snacks of tortilla, jamon, prawns and fried peppers are sold along with plenty of local wine and sherry. First-time pilgrims "baptise" themselves by dipping their hats in water and dousing themselves. In a day or so, the crowds will disperse and the fields of El Rocio will become quiet again."

Now if you still cannot fathom the idea of hundreds if not thousands of Spaniards riding around on horses dressed up in costumes, I have what lawyers like to call evidence for you. Visual evidence. These photos were not taken by me but are from the web; however, they match the festival I was at to a T. 

The line of wagons making there way to Rocio. Every city has a different day that the people leave to go on pilgrimage and a different day that they return on. 

Every man has a horse-and a girl. 

Much of the fiesta--basically all--was centered around family, food, drinking, dancing and singing. 

More pictures of the women's outfits. 

The beautiful church in Rocio. 

Like I said right out of a movie. Where have all the cowboys gone?

The Spanish John Wayne. YeeeHawww. 

Modern meets traditional--don't worry ladies it will be in the states in 2 years! 

The Good, Along with the Bad

Sometimes we just have bad starts to our day. You seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed and then later find yourself crying for no reason whatsoever. Well that was my beginning today. Woke up, felt seemingly invincible and ready to take on Espana (did I mention I was in Spain) and was ready to go. However, after church I just started crying- not that cute type of cry that everyone seems to have except you-it was the embarrassing, I need a tissue like now, type of cry. Why? Because I could not understand half of our service. It was one of those lonely days. Where nothing I heard in Spanish made sense. So, as anyone would, I just wanted to curl up and not do anything. However, when you try to push aside and not get in to your self pity party, the unexpected can happen and that, my friends, is what happened to me today. I walked away, not wanting to eat lunch with two friends because I was feeling depressed about not understanding a very, very fast speaking spanish service this morning. However, once we had some wonderful tapas and great conversation my attitude seemed to change. I became suddenly aware of how certain people come into your life at certain times, and much needed times at that. My friend Franaqa from Morocco provided just the comfort I needed. She was very nice and spoke slowly to me in Spanish and allowed me to try to enjoy our conversation. After, I went to the center with Katy and we sat in a Starbucks for hours and read. While Katy was getting her computer from her apartment, I scouted out seats for us and then did the usual throw your jacket over a couple of seats to save them-not sure the Spanish do that but oh well, it worked. As I was thinking and people watching, this lovely woman from Canada started to speak to me. What was only a slight question turned into the onset of a very long and blessed conversation. I was describing why I was in Seville and she in turn told me all about her trip around Spain and Portugal. We started discussing the monastery by Santiponce and she allowed me to recall as many details as I could from my earlier tour. Once Katy arrived we said the usual nice to meet you and carried on our way; however, right before she left she brought up conversation again and told me to enjoy the time I have and that I have such a neat future ahead because of the adventures I have had thus far. Exactly what I needed. It is funny how the Lord can use people to speak through and I believe that she was an angel meant exactly for me. She brightened my day and encouraged me. It was such a nice break from walking around and the heat and it lifted my spirits too. Then, if we hadn't had enough Starbucks we met up with a friend Manula who made the rest of our afternoon absolutely hilarious. Spaniards are funny. We literally laughed all afternoon and I seriously, laughed away my tears and any thoughts about throwing a pity party quickly vanished. Then later that night, I came home to my piso and went on a great walk with my host sister. The rest of the night was filled with laughter and joy. It is funny how sometimes we think a bad day means a bad day and bad attitude all day long; however, a simple change of heart and mind can lead to quite an enjoyable day and a lifted spirit.

when all else fails, go to Starbucks and you will get a literally get a taste of home :)

Seville: Week One :)

I don't know where to even begin besides the fact that I am so blessed to be able to have the opportunity to study abroad (again) but this time as an intern. I'm currently interning with East West ministries in Seville, Spain in Santiponce. It is gorgeous here!!! We are close to ancient Roman ruins and a beautiful field of sunflowers. I am loving every minute of my time here. I currently reside in Mirena with a family of five. They have two daughters Karen and Elizabeth and one son Samuel and have graciously opened there home up to me this summer. My boss is Chris and the other intern with me (long term) is Katy. She is awesome! She lives very close to the center of Seville so I get to take the metro there and explore often. :) 

Plaza de Espana 

Personal Contact

My madre espanola! Mercedes was a wonderful host mother last summer in Valencia and truly represented an amazing Spanish woman. For my birthday last year, she bought me a Valencia traditional dancer statue. This is a rewrite of the note she wrote me: 

"Muchas Felicidades y espero fue tienes muy buen dia, y cuando vuelves a America te escribes de nosotros. Besos, Mercedes, Juan Jo y Pluto (El perro de Mercedes) "

I encourage everyone who travels abroad to get to know your host family and enjoy your time with them. Life is different but in general we are all the same; humans who want to live, love and laugh about life. Have a great time :)