Monday 21st April - Seville

Having arrived in Seville

a week ago, where ever I walked, I was greeted by swirling crowds of thousands making it difficult to appreciate the amazing facades of Seville's buildings.  A combination of a change in weather (rainy & much cooler) plus the departure of thousands of tourists I am now able to appreciate the facades that I have passed by on numerous occasions & missed.
Thought I would like to share some of them with you!

Sunday 20th April - in Seville for Easter Sunday

With all their processions & their prayers, the Sevillianas must have done something right with you know who up above as suddenly, the weather changed from unseasonably hot to a cooler rainy Sunday. Luckily the rain didn't really start until lunchtime when the last of the processions were over.
I decided to join a walking tour to Triana

(on the other side of the Guadalquivir River), home to the gypsies & the birth place of Flamenco.  So much history is attributed to this part of Seville that before any bridges were built to join Seville with Triana (less than 200 years ago), both cities were run separately.  Triana's past dates back to the time of the Inquisition in 1492 when those meeting their fate with death were dropped off by boat at the entrance of a tunnel only to find themselves in a building around the corner (which is now a market) from where there was no escape.  Even in more recent times (75 years ago) during the time of Franco, gypsies were relegated to a similar fate by being shipped off 200kms away.  Fortunately today, Triana is the home of creativity especially in the fields ceramics & gypsy Flamenco music & dance.

Thursday 17 April (The Day before Good Friday) Seville

Everyone told me not to miss the week of Semana Santa in Seville but no-one elaborated on it & nor did I ask too many questions.  The stamina & participation by the residents of this city can only be described as heaven sent when you see with your own eyes the relentless processions being staged simultaneously in at least three different parts of town. The afternoon heat does not seem to hamper anyone's enthusiasm as the crowds ebb & flow, constantly on the move so as not to miss any of the processions.  Children as young as five years decked out in white flowing tunics with purple & gold capes together with their older brothers or sisters & adults dressed in either Klu Klux clan outfits of various colours, or in elaborate soldiers uniforms with gold braiding & helmets with feathers in their gold helmets.  The latter play the drums & trumpets non stop for at least eight to ten hours.  At least half the city is involved in this amazing parade which has as its' core, the devotion of the Catholic religion edifying the story of Easter.  Different religious floats are carried every day to the music of these bands & they move at a snail's pace because of the choking crowds surrounding them.
Before the processions start, around 5.00pm, every outdoor restaurant & cafe is full to capacity from 2.00pm with families dressed in their finest.  The young men all look as if they are getting married in their dark suits while their young girlfriends are wearing their newest purchases together with their hair coiffed & their makeup perfectly applied.  This happens every day from the Sunday before Good Friday.  However, today there was an added surprise, where most ladies of any age, wore simple black dresses accessorized by pearls, diamonds etc & their hair elegantly pulled off their faces so that the mantilla

& black lace are shown off to their greatest advantage.  The menfolk look so proud accompanying their women as they saunter along the narrow streets of Seville.

Sunday 13 April in Seville Spain

Only having arrived in Seville at lunchtime I started to explore the town a few hours later.  I was struck by seeing the streets & outside cafes full with families all dressed up, (the men in suits & the women in impossibly high heels pushing strollers over the cobblestone streets).  While the parents were eating & drinking, the children, in their Sunday best, were playing nearby in the local squares where the restaurants were located either being shaded by huge umbrellas or orange trees.  I joined them & ate delicious tapas consisting of melt in the mouth "baccalao" (fish) & a creamy spinach & chickpea dish with Moroccan flavours washed down of course, by a very potent & cold Sangria. Except for me, there was not a tourist in sight!  Now it was time to start wandering the streets of Seville!  Some of them were so narrow that when you stretched out your arms you could touch the walls!  Also many of the houses had their internal gardens open for show behind the wonderfully ornate wrought iron gates.  Before I knew it I found myself near the vast dominating Catholic church which was surrounded by a sea of people & as I managed to ease my way through the crowds I could see that hundreds of seats had been cordoned off for people who had purchased tickets for the commencement of the Semana Santa

week's celebrations.  Suddenly the smell of incense pervaded the air & the bands struck up with mournful trumpet playing & constant drumming.  Next minute hundreds of Klu Klux clan attired people appeared in the procession some of them carrying huge black crosses & they were followed with enormous floats of the Black Madonna, palm trees etc.  This procession started at 6.00pm.  Three hours later there was no let up in the crowds as the bands, floats etc kept appearing in different parts of the nearby streets & the crowds continued to follow them.  By this stage I thought I was going to faint & finally managed to break away to find my way home!

Wednesday 9th April in Toledo

Caught the fast trains from Valencia to Toledo via Madrid.  Luckily for me I had very helpful people sitting on the train next to me who guided me to the connecting train from Madrid to Toledo as I only had 20 minutes to do this!  When I arrived at the Toledo train station I was overwhelmed with the Moorish architecture & ceramic tiles.  Not something that you expect to see in a train station!
My accommodation was in the historic walls of Toledo

with views over the River Tagus (Rio Tajo).
Walking through the narrow cobblestone streets of Toledo evokes history of over a millennium ago!
Tour groups come in their hundreds from Madrid as a day tour but either early in the day or later in the afternoon I was able to reclaim this town as my own.

Tuesday 8th April Valencia Spain

This morning I visited both the Central Market & the Ceramic Museum in Valencia.

 Those who know me, understand that I am passionate about the decorative arts era & that any buildings in themselves which are works of art & are used for everyday life like the Mercado Central, brings me great joy!  What could be better than seeing a wonderful display of Spanish fresh produce housed in a building that evokes a history of great creativity?  Another building, Valencia's Ceramic Museum, is also an amazing testament to a time when people revered the arts & the attention to creative detail is found in everyday life centuries ago.

Monday 7th April in Valencia

Today I visited the futuristic City of Arts & Sciences in Valencia

which is the biggest leisure/cultural complex in Europe.  Situated next to the former bed of the Turia River it's architectural grandeur has to be seen to be believed.  Everything shimmers & shines under the sunny skies of Valencia & the only other building, equally as grand, but on a much smaller scale that can rival it, is the Sydney Opera House in my opinion.