Seville, the cultural and financial capital of Spain is situated in the south by the Guadalquivir River. It is more than 2000 years old. It was known as Hipalis during Roman times. It was conquered by Arabs during the VIII century. That is why it counts with different monuments like La Giralda, an 800 year old tower, built as the minaret (slender tower, usually build by Muslims, with a balcony to go and pray) of the cathedral. Now days it is considered to have the best view of Seville.
Other monuments that most tourists go to are the Alcazar which took 500 years to be built, the Torre del Oro and the Town Hall. The Town Hall was built in the 16th century. Other places to visit in Seville are The Museum of Fine Arts of Seville, the Palace of the Countess of Lebrija, the Parque de Maria Luisa and the Alcazar Gardens.
Seville has two main festivals Semana Santa (Holly Week) and La Feria de Sevilla (Seville Fair). The first one is recognized internationally because of the beautiful procession and the second one is a week of dancing, drinking and socializing. During the fair women wear the traditional flamenco dresses.
One thing you don’t wanna miss if you visit Seville is to watch the flamenco dancers and the gypsy street performers and to try the tapas, small dishes usually eat as appetizers.
Seville sounds like a wonderful place. I’ve been thinking about studying abroad soon, and Spain is one of my first picks of places to go! It’s so rich in history and beautiful architecture, like the type displayed in the picture you provided. The only other cathedral I’ve seen with a somewhat similar design is the one in Santa Ana, El Salvador. Granted it’s a tiny Central American country, the evidence of past Spanish rule still remains in many of its historic landmarks. Anyway, the festivals there sound pretty fun, so regardless of whether I’d study there or not, I will definitely go for those international celebrations – one day! Your post is pretty informative and I like the fact that you provide some historical information about certain landmarks. Reading your blog makes me feel just a little bit more culturally enlightened every time.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I've been very interested in your blog, and have read all of your posts. I love all the information you include and I think it really helps out someone who doesn't know much about anywhere (like me) to really find out thinks about new and foreign places. Spain is somewhere I want to go before I die, and reading your blog just makes me want to go more!
ReplyDeleteLove it!