Scintillating Seville!

The Cathedral of Seville. One of the largest cathedrals in all of Europe.

Our travels continued with a visit to the "old city" of Seville. The cathedral is the focal point, and as it turns out one of the bishops in 1401 decided the city needed not only a cathedral, but the biggest one and 80 years later it was finished. To give an idea of its magnitude, an entire soccer field can fit in it. Today mass is held, and there is a time for prayer in the morning, but mostly it is viewed as a museum of spanish culture. Christopher Columbus is buried in the cathedral, well at least parts of Columbus are buried there as he was also entombed in Havana, Cuba for a time and many people have claimed Columbus is buried here and there. They did some DNA testing a few years ago, and the citizens of Seville now rest assured, the remains of the real Columbus are in the cathedral. He actually isn't "buried" per se, as the tomb is being held up by four statues, representing the four kingdoms of Spain during the time when Columbus set sail for the new world.


The "old city" is a lovely area, crammed together by small alley ways and old stone buildings meaning transportation is done here with both feet. While taxis can be found in the plaza by the cathedral, there really isn't a better way to get around than by walking. There is much to see and do as there are number of lovely restaurants and shops. Seville has a long history even before Columbus set sail since it was an inland port. The river which is navigable runs about 50 miles to the sea, so all the great expeditions to the new world began in Seville. The city park is filled with plants brought from the Americas, and there are some ficus trees which look a lot like magnolias which were first planted more than 300 years ago. The root structure is amazing as often it will stand more than six feet off the ground. Most everyone climbed the cathedral tower which provides great views from about 100 meters, 300 feet, in the air.


We leave for Madrid, which is the final leg of this two week tour, in the morning. One more item, I have been able to upload a piece from the concert in Niguelas. You can find it on Youtube by searching Chancel Choir Spain Untitled Hymn.