Seville- Alshabilah of Andalucia.

"Sevilla does not have ambiance, it is ambiance." James Michener

Click here for the album.

Saying goes in Andalusia, "Cordoba has the Mezquita, Granada has Alhambra, but Sevilla has the soul".

You will not know that unless you experience that.

Monuments and historical buildings have their value, but what makes a lively experience is a living city. Nothing gives you more of that in Southern Spain than Seville. Its old city is perhaps the largest of Andalusia. It takes to to a different time zone, to a far away place back in time. A place where the  atmosphere is laid back, nobody is in rush. People are everywhere, even in the hot summer nights, walking on the paseos,  sitting on the sidewalks, on the outside extensions of the restaurants and eating places, music being played at every corner; you think that the time has no intention to rush. 

The best place I liked was on the German Street (Calle Alemondes) outside the back of the mosque's door.  It is like sitting outside the Jamia Masjid, with the restaurants bustling with both tourists and city dwellers, and night is ever young.

Nobody seems to be in a hurry to leave and you may lounge way past midnight on a weekday.

When we reached Seville (called Sevilla locally, pronounced se-vee-aa) in the middle of the day from Madrid,  we had it all chalked out. We will have evening on our own, have a full day trip to Cordoba the next day, rent a car the day after and go to Granada, spend a night there and drive back the next day via Gibraltar   

But when we checked in the hotel, which was a bit far from the city, AC Cuidat Marriott, Allejandro at the front desk had a message for us. Due to an event in the Cordoba Mosque, the trip was cancelled, and the trip company had taken the liberty for booking us on the next day ie Thursday for the trip. That was very nice, but it was a problem. We had already bought tickets for Alhambra Palace, which are bought way in advance for a specific half hour slot to enter the Palace, and cannot be changed, The ideal thing was to go to Cordoba the day after that ie Friday. That also meant to change the rent a car arrangements. It all may sound easy, but not so in a foreign land with a different language where you do not know a single person. 

The next two hours were quite tense, with back and forth emails, calls overseas and a lot of heartburn. The local tour company did not answer phones as they were out to lunch till 5 pm. That is where the availability and readiness of Tipu was a blessing, He was available on the phone,  in Indianapolis, guided  us the right way and eventually we were to able to secure a new trip to Cordoba on Friday, got a new car rental for three days locally and cancelled the Avis rental which was booked ahead of time.

While all this was being executed, we hired a cab to go to old town. It was already too late to visit Cathedral or Alcazar. We had lunch in a pizza place where the gruesome bullfight was being shown on the TV. It is being slowly banned in all over the Spian, it is pretty brutal, and contrary to what I thought it is, the bull is eventually killed by the sword if the fighter has to win. Although it was still hot, one of the hottest days of the year, but the atmosphere in the central area was quite festive.  And then we went to see a flamenco dance show.

Besides a gallop up the Giralda Minar of the destroyed mosque,  covered in a later posting, what will remain with one after leaving Seville are  the  streets of  old jewish quarters, and watching a flamenco dance.

Flamenco:

I had heard that the Roma people of Spain and the rest of Europe have Indian roots, but one cannot be convinced more after viewing flamenco. Claimed to leave India in 14th century or so, perhaps from Rajhistan or Punjab, these nomads, found their way in the Muslim empire ultimately into the Iberian peninsula. One genetic research have linked them closer to my ancestry, they share the same gene pool as the jats of Punjab!!! click here

The art initially started as a combination of voice and dance, later guitar was added, and the latest addition is the stomping of feet. The best place to watch is were you have active participation of the audience. We watched it in a dinner place, which is primarily filled with tourists, and the response from the audience is rather tepid, but it was still good. It was recommended by Allejandro and later found out to be one of the most famous places in Seville, Tablao El Arenal
We got a seat next to the side of the stage, as we were not having dinner and did not get the front seats, but it turned out good. The long dredging sounds of the vocalists, which some say is reminiscent of the azaan,  reminded me of the desert voices like Reshman. Zoha whispered in my ear that this music sounds like what is being played in my car all the times. She was right. It is like the songs of Rohi with a beat of feet thumbing on the wooden floor and hand clapping, enriched by the music of guitar and the moves of the dancers.

Getting lost in the streets: Barrio Santa Cruz

It may have been a desperate place for Jews in the times of Christian conquests, and they were crammed into these quarters, but after their expulsion the area was occupied by their looters, and soon it became the heart of the city. This is now the most prized area of the old city. It became prime real estate. With its small winding streets and open gardens it is the real heart of the city. Plenty to wander and enjoy during the day, and the whole area becomes an open dining arcade after the sunsets. 

The Remains of the Mosque:

The best of Seville was the remains of the Almoravid's mosque. As I had not heard about it at all before we left for Spain, this was a most understated place in my mind. It turned out to be the place which left the deepest impression.

The mehrab, the minar, the sehn and the dar-o-dewaar. mostly retained as original for various reasons.

More on that  later.