Andalusia, Spain - Seville 3
Day 3 began with a breakfast search as usual. We arrived at our first choice of cafe and found out it was unexpectedly closed. J managed to find an alternative, which was located in La Macadena, the northern part of Seville. We saw Setas de Sevilla again! It stands on the border between La Macadena and San Cruz, the center of Seville, in where the Cathedral and the Real Alcázar as well as our hotel are located. We walked through under the Mushrooms of Seville this time. It was really huge and unique.
La Cacharrería, a casual breakfast/brunch cafe wasn't so far from the Mushrooms.
While you can build your own sandwich/toast from their extensive topping list, we simply ordered one of their 'Gourmet Toasts.' Mine was 'Veggie' toasts - homemade beetroot hummus, fresh cheese, avocado, mushrooms, sautéed asparagus and almonds on wholemeal bread. That was pretty good. J had 'English' toasts - scrambled eggs, smoked bacon, sausages, roasted tomato, sautéed mushrooms, avocado and beans with meat accompanied by homemade bread. I believe he enjoyed his!
After the toast party, we headed to the south of Seville via Santa Cruz. We walked through Jardines de Murillo, which used to be orchards and vegetable plots in the grounds of the the Real Alcázar and now a public park with a long promenade and gardens because the monarch Alfonso XIII ceded the land at the beginning of the 20th century.
Christopher Columbus Monument was a centerpiece of the promenade. It was fascinating to learn more about Columbus during the trip. King Ferdinand II of Aragon (also, Castile) and his Queen Isabel, whose favorite residence was the Real Alcázar, sponsored Columbus' campaigns to the New World, giving him three ships. Their names were engraved on the Columbus Monument. Even though the city doesn't face to the ocean (50 miles inland from the Atlantic!), Seville kept the exclusive right to trade with the New World and became the largest and richest city in Spain and one of the wealthiest in Europe by 1600. Apparently the King and Queen couple's gamble was paid off and Columbus was/is a hero of Seville.
We walked more to the south and finally arrived at our destination, Plaza de España, or Spanish Plaza.
The large semicircular square and the surrounding buildings were the main pavilions for the 1929 Ibero-American Expo, the exhibition to create a symbolic peace between Spain and its former American colonies. The Spanish Renaissance style plaza was spectacular although it was covered with a lot of tourists.
52 benches and mosaic tiles with frescos at the foot of the building in Spanish Square depict all 52 Spanish provinces. I saw some people posing and taking a picture with one of the provinces. He or she was probably from there.
We ran into another flamenco show. With a live song and guitar music, it was very nice and powerful, better than one with a recorded music, which we saw yesterday on the street.
Plaza de España is located in Parque de María Luisa, an oasis of calm in Seville. We strolled in the large public park for a while and enjoyed finding birds, fountains and oranges.
We left the park and walked towards the restaurant for lunch. We passed by a huge building with a moat. I didn't know more than that it was a university building at that time. Later I found out it was formerly the Royal Tobacco Factory, built in the 18th century, and now is a part of Seville University. It is one of the largest buildings in Seville. It looked quite huge indeed.
Behind the former tobacco factory was Hotel Alfonso XIII, a luxury five star hotel, commissioned by the King of Spain to host to international VIPs during the 1929 Expo. It looked lovely! Why didn't we stay there?
Across the street from the hotel was Puerta de Jerez Square, one of the main pedestrian squares in Seville. The fountain there was also built for the 1929 Expo. The Exhibition must have been a big deal for the city.
It was J's birthday. We had a lovely lunch at Arabesca, a Lebanese/Moroccan restaurant to celebrate his special day!!
For a starter, we had Mutabal, a smoky Middle Eastern dip commonly made with roasted eggplant, tahini, olive oil, and garlic. It's slightly different from Baba Ganoush that had chopped tomato, pomegranate molasses and herbs like mint and parsley. I liked the Mutabal. It may have been the first Mutabal I had. I would like to try Mutabal again instead of Baba Ganoush.
For mains, we shared Kofta Tahini and Couscous with Lamb. Both were delicious! Happy Birthday J!!
To digest the rich meal, we walked around in the city and happened to be in the Jardines de Murillo again.
It was a lovely day to be outside and wandering among the colorful and fascinating buildings.
We visited Palacio de las Dueñas. Built between 15th and 16th centuries, the Palacio was originally the house of the Pineda, lords of Casa Bermeja, one of the dynasties of Seville but became the residence of the Dukes of Alba since the early 17th century, a Spanish noble family originating from the crown of Castile and dating back to the 14th century. Parts of the Palacio is open for public, including several gardens and patios.
Once we stepped into the neoclassical entrance gate, what I saw first was a group of gorgeous orange trees lining up to the house building. I loved the place instantly.
The front walls of the house was veiled with bougainvillea. A few were already blooming but it was too early to see the bright pink color tinting the entire walls.
Passing through the stable, we slowly strolled and sometimes had a seat in three gardens. It was so quiet and peaceful without a wave of tourists. There were various citrus trees, including big and small oranges and lemons.
The main patio, Patio Principal looked splendid. It is recognized as one of the best creations of Sevillian Mudejar art and Renaissance coffered ceilings.
You can access several rooms from the main patio, where we glimpsed the aristocratic life.
The gardens were much smaller than those of the the Royal Alcázar but very charming and personal. I enjoyed the visit very much. It was hard to say good-bye to the lovely orange trees.
We stopped by at Jester, a lovely tiny bakery that we found the day before near the hotel by chance when we were looking for a place to get a take-away cup of herb tea for me. This time I got camomile tea agin and also a slice of cheese cake. Black tea and pecan pie for J. Again, Happy birthday J!
To be continued...
