| The museum
displays art by renowned artists such as El Greco and Velazquez. Las Meninas
is the piece most Velazquez fans come to see, while El Greco’s La Crucifixion
attracts a large crowd. Goya’s gruesome and sometimes disturbing artwork,
such as Saturno Devorando a Su Hijo (Saturn Devouring One of His Children),
is also on display.
Seville
I immediately
fell in love with Seville. It has all the romance, beauty and atmosphere
that you would expect of a city in the south of Spain. I’d been warned
to avoid Seville in July, when temperatures can reach upwards of 40°C,
but you can’t always choose when you take your holidays. We saw the thermometer
climb to 45°C one day, but this did little to ruin my impression of
Seville. (Just make sure you get an air conditioned hotel room.) Like Madrid,
the city comes alive at night, and our major undertaking in Seville didn’t
even begin until well after the hot sun had finally receded into the pink
sky.
Bull fights,
as gory and cruel as they seem, have been a part of Spanish culture for
centuries. Seville’s Plaza de Toros, one of Spain’s most elegant bull fighting
rings, is also one of its oldest. This made it the perfect place for us
to witness something I’d only read about in books.
We took our
place on the concrete benches inside the circular arena at 10 p.m. We spotted
a few other tourists, but most of the seats were occupied by locals. Shortly
afterwards, a huge, black bull came charging into the lighted stadium.
The crowd stood and roared, eager for the fight to begin. The matador,
dressed in a shimmering white pant suit, teased the bull with his bright
red cape.
Fighting
bulls charge anything that moves, and there is plenty of movement inside
the ring. Picadors, mounted on horseback, are next in line to torment the
bull. They carry lances, which they plunge into the bull's shoulders, or
withers. Next come the banderilleros on foot. Their job is to force banderillas,
barbed sticks covered with colorful ribbons, also into the bull’s withers.
This helps to lower the bull’s head for the eventual kill.
To be honest,
I missed most of the actual impacts of lances and banderillas as I cringed
and covered my eyes every time they came near the bull. But the sight of
the raging bull, with bloodied banderillas flapping from his upper neck
is one I’ll never forget.
The matador
completes the kill, and practiced bull fight spectators analyze every
move he makes at this point. The matador’s ultimate fight is within himself
as he struggles to increase his personal danger and survive at the same
time. The actual kill, or the moment of truth, requires both discipline
and courage. The blade of the matador’s sword must be aimed straight above
the bull's horns and plunged between its shoulder blades into his aorta.
It’s not pretty, but if it the crowd is pleased with the matador’s performance,
they stand and wave white flags.
A team of horses
drags the dead bull out while the matador and his entourage circle the
ring. Flowers, praise, and sometimes criticisms are flung at him – or her.
The fight we attended included one female matador. Women are slowly making
a name for themselves in this gory sport.
It’s worth
pointing out that the bulls killed in the ring are treated like kings prior
to their torturous death. The Spanish take great pride in their fighting
bulls, and they are allowed to live one year longer than those raised simply
for the slaughterhouse.
Seville
does have more to offer than just controversial night time shows. One
of the three largest cathedrals in the world, Catedral de Sevilla, is one
of the city’s most popular attractions. Before the Christians overtook
Seville, a mosque stood in the cathedral’s place. Upon entering, you’ll
find yourself in the Patio of Oranges, full of orange trees as its name
suggests, where Muslims once performed ablutions. Although spectacular
from the outside, the inside of the cathedral is undeniably remarkable.
So vast that you need a map to make your way around, the cathedral is more
of a museum than a place of worship.
The tomb of
Christopher Columbus, which contains his probable remains, is located inside
the south door. Four pall bearers grace the monument, representative of
the four kingdoms of Spain at the time of Columbus’ journey. The cathedral’s
jewel, the Capilla Mayor, is considered to be one of the largest altarpieces
in the world. Over a thousand biblical figures, carved in polychromed wood,
rise toward the ceiling.
The cathedral
is attached to La Giralda, a tower which was originally the minaret
of the mosque. It stands over 90 meters tall, but climbing it is easy thanks
to ramps instead of stairs that once supported ascension by horseback.
The impressive view of the city makes the exertion in the heat worthwhile.
You can’t leave Seville until you’ve visited the Alcazar. Transformed from
a defensive fort into an extravagant palace, a visit to the Alcazar can
take several hours. The first structure dates back to the 11th century,
and subsequent buildings expanded the palace to the size it is today.
Muslim influence
is visible in the Arabic arched doorways and courtyards built around fountains.
Tiled walls and intricately carved stone can be found throughout the palace’s
many glorious buildings. Just as impressive as the palace buildings are
the grandiose gardens. Perfectly rounded shrubs, brilliant flower and wide
expanses of green grass provide a relaxing haven to escape from the heat.
If you time it just right, the sprinkler system kicks on and showers you
with a refreshing spray of cool water. It’s heavenly.
Gibraltar
If you’ve
had enough of saving money in reasonably priced Spain and wish to squander
more of your hard earned money,
head directly to Gibraltar. Only one step is needed to transport you from
a land of bargains into one where you cringe every time you extract your
wallet from your trousers. Although immediately adjacent to Spain, Gibraltar’s
prices are almost equivalent to those you’d find in London. A British dependency
since the 1700’s, Gibraltar is like a piece of England plucked right off
Great Britain and deposited on the southern coast of Spain. Which makes
it worth a visit, even if it does cost you a little extra.
Gibraltar’s
population of 28,000 inhabits a space with an area of 6.5 kilometers squared
and 426 meters high. It’s easy to forget that you’re in South-western
Europe as you walk down streets lined with Indian restaurants, Barclay’s
Banks, and British accents filling the air. If it weren’t for the heat,
you’d never believe that you weren’t in England. It’s wonderful.
We only spent
two nights in Gibraltar, which is plenty. One of the must do’s is a dolphin
sighting trip. We searched the Bay of Algeciras for dolphins on the Nautilus
IV. The 22 meter long boat can go up to fifteen knots and is equipped with
underwater viewing areas and underwater microphones. It didn’t take long
to spot the dolphins, and once we did, they wouldn’t leave us alone. They
frolicked in the water around the boat, showing off their grace and sleek
gray skin, providing plenty of photo ops.
The best
way to see Gibraltar is to sign up for The Official Rock Tour. Mini
van taxis take groups of tourists to all the main sights – it’s almost
a private tour. You can decide which of the sights you’d like to see, or
follow the general tour of the most popular attractions, which is what
we did.
The first stop
on the tour was probably my most and least favorite – and definitely the
most adrenalin inducing! When our guide pulled up to the Apes’ Den, we
were pleased because we were the only tourists in sight. Gibraltar’s apes
are a species of tailless monkeys called Barbary Apes. We quickly
jumped out of the van, cameras swinging wildly from our necks, and marveled
at the semi-wild primates going about their daily business. They hardly
noticed us, or so we thought.
I was crouched
down taking a photo of a mother ape fondling her black furred baby when
I suddenly felt a large weight crash into my back. It was a large ape,
and it nearly knocked me over. I reflexively screamed and stood up, effectively
knocking the monkey off my back, and receiving a few scratches in the process.
Just then, another ape took a run for my mother, who was traveling with
me, and attempted to jump on her. Our screams brought the tour guide running
and he calmly said, “This is normal. They are not scared of people anymore.”
As much I love interacting with wildlife, a monkey on my back first thing
in the morning is not exactly what I had in mind. We snapped a few more
pictures, with our backs planted firmly against the taxi, and stayed as
far away from the apes as we could. This story is not meant to scare you
off – by all means, go see the Apes. This is my favorite memory of Gibraltar.
The apes are amazing. Just be warned, they’re not shy, and this seems to
be a common occurrence. Later that day we took the cable car to the top
of the Rock and just as we were getting off, a rather disheveled woman
was getting on. Her bright pink shirt hung off her shoulder, her brown
paper bag was torn to shreds and her glasses were perched crookedly on
her face. We didn’t have to ask her what had happened.
Other stops
on the tour include St. Michael’s Cave, with a depth of 250 feet below
the entrance and a multitude of impressive stalactites and stalagmites.
Concerts still take place here today. The Great Seige Tunnels, dug almost
entirely by hand during the siege of 1779-1783, are also awe inspiring.
And don’t forget to look out over the Strait of Gibraltar. On a clear day,
you can see all the way to Africa.
The following
is a list of articles that Dawnelle has written for the magazine:
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