Porto - Barcelona Day 12 Second Day in Seville

Good morning Seville - I was taking a look at the weather outside the apartment and it was pretty cloudy with slight mist. We have arranged for a city walking tour later in the morning meanwhile we were gamed for a short ride.

My bike has been set up and ready to roll just waiting next to a Gespa and a locked Dahon Speed P8 at another block nearby.

The 6 of us who came out this morning for a ride were posing in front of the bull fighting ring at Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla.

Went over to the pedestrian lane along the river and had a view at bridge Puente San Telmo.

It was a short ride in deed to just our itch to pedal before going for our walking tour, Kevin passing by Torre del Oro.

A stroll to the the old city for the walking tour.

The meeting point for Seville Free Walking Tour was at the statue of  King Fernando III (King of Castilla and León) located at Plaza Nueva, GPS : 37.388606, -5.995604

City Hall of Seville - Visitors to Seville will notice a symbol on many signs around the city, from taxis and buses to sewer covers, consisting of the letters ´NO8DO´. This is the city´s logo, and legend says that it originates from the 13th-century coat of arms awarded to Sevilla by King Alfonso X the Wise. He bestowed it in gratitude for Seville´s support in his battles against his son, Sancho IV of Castile, who wanted to usurp his father´s throne during the Reconquest. Between the ´NO and ´DO´ is an 8-shaped bundle of wool (madeja in Spanish). Add the three together, speaking in Seville´s fast, elliptical accent and you have ´no-madeja-do´, more correctly, ´no me ha dejado´ which means ´it (the city) has not abandoned me´. The motto was his reward to the people of Seville for their loyalty.

Iglesia Colegial del Salvador, the second largest church in Seville, after the Seville Cathedral.
This baroque church was built between 1674 and 1712 on the site of Muslim Ishbiliya's main mosque. The tiered red-brick facade is actually Mannerist in style, while the interior reveals a rich display of carving and gilding. 

Entrance to the Alcazar

Patio de Banderas - During the Muslim era of the city, while they lived in the fortress, Abderramán III ordered this space to be built as a palace during the 10th century. It came to be known as the Dar Al-Imara or Prince’s house, or the house of the Governor which was accessed by another door.

Within the surrounding of Plaza de Doña Elvira GPS : 37.384833, -5.990486

Grocery store giving free food sample to try so were the pigeons enjoying themselves with the goodies. GPS : 37.384716, -5.990563

The building that houses the museum was originally a house in the central Seville neighborhood of Santa Cruz , built in 1918, which was acquired in 1973 by the Granada-born painter Amalio García del Moral to establish his studio there. The choice of this particular building was due to the views of the Giralda that it owns, which were of great relevance to the artist, since most of his work revolved around the mentioned monument.

Listening to more stories - In 1480 the newly-emerging kingdom of Spain sought to strengthen itself through enforced conformity to Catholicism, many Jews had already left or converted to Christianity, but suspicion among some Christians that these conversos were not true converts, and hoped to bring about a restoration Judaism, had recently led to the creation of the Spanish Inquisition, charged with rooting out heresy and religious dissent wherever it was to be found. Don Diego de Susona, a wealthy merchant, was one such converso, and alarmed by the threat to his position, he convened a secret meeting of prominent conversos to discuss the possibility of armed insurrection.

Susana Ben Susón, nicknamed La Susona and the skull of Susona in the door where her old home was. Photo credit : Anne Cheong.

Susona daughter of Don Diego de Susona, however, had a Christian boyfriend, a young noble, who she feared would be put in danger by an uprising, and she revealed the plot to him. Her boyfriend promptly reported them to the authorities, and the conspirators were duly arrested and brought before the Inquisition, tried and executed.
Stricken with remorse at the consequences of her action, Susona never again left her house, and when she died she had her head hung up outside the house (where it remained as late as the 18th century) as a testament to her grief and the duplicity of Christians.

GPS : 37.384830, -5.988709 Jardines De Murillos entering Calle Antonio el Balarin

Walking along Calle Antonio el Balarin.

I guess this is at the fringe of  the Royal Alcázar of Seville at Paseo de Catalina de Ribera GPS : 37.382818, -5.988582

The Royal Tobacco Factory is an 18th-century stone building in Seville. Since the 1950s it has been the seat of the rectorate of the University of Seville. Prior to that, it was a tobacco factory: the most prominent such institution in Europe, and a lineal descendant of Europe's first tobacco factory, which was located nearby. It is one of the most notable and splendid examples of industrial architecture from the era of Spain's Antiguo Régimen. GPS : 37.381628, -5.990955

Thank you so much for an interesting walking tour where we get to listen the history and stories of beautiful Seville. Photo credit : Anne Cheong.

Hotel Alfonso XIII -One of Spain's most prestigious hotels in Seville - A luxury hotel located next to the Royal Alcázar of Seville.

The flamenco dancer in action, one after another waiting for their turn to performance and earn some money.

Fenn was filling up her tumbler from the drinking water tap at the road side.

Horse carriages commonly seen and making distinguish noise as they rolled over the cobblestone.

The Andalusian Parliament of Seville where politicians debate over issues before implementing new rules.

Me & Joe went out to get our laundry done at one outlet near our apartment.

A night where we went two places to eat when tummies were not fully filled at the first restaurant.

The first tapas restaurant.

The second restaurant, the waiter looked like Richard Gere. And finally we were done with our dinner for the 12th day. Good night Seville.

Porto - Barcelona Day 11 Faro - Seville

The open court yard of The Story Guest House and goodbye for a quick stay.

We bought some light snacks for as breakfast on the our bus to Seville at Snack Bar Da Baixa at Praça Ferreira de Almeida, GPS : 37.017061, -7.933743

A short distance to the bus terminal. Photo credit : Anne Cheong.

We met an Argentine couple travelling with their touring bicycles and were on the same bus with us to Seville.

The bikes were kept at the lower compartment and secured using a long bungee cords. Next to ours were the bicycles belonging to the Argentine couple. The fare from Faro to Seville was 13Eur per pax for a distance of approximately 228 km.

We have stepped onto the soil of Spain, a toilet break at La Pausa, Chucena, Huelva, Spain at GPS : 37.347038, -6.424071. And another 65km we will be in Seville. The ladies took the chance to buy a box of Spanish olive oil biscuits.

Let's try the Spanish biscuits.

Alsa Bus ended the journey at Plaza de Armas GPS : 37.391478, -6.003204 with an old Tram on display inside the building.

Outside the building of Plaza De Armas and heading towards our accommodation which was less than a kilometere away..

We took a detour to a nearby river path, enjoying the lovely weather and beautiful surrounding.

The bridge, Puente de Isabel II as viewed from path along the river.

The Torre del Oro is also found along the river (Tower of Gold) is a dodecagonal military watchtower. It was erected by the Almohad Caliphate in order to control access to Seville via the Guadalquivir river.
Constructed in the first third of the 13th century, the tower served as a prison during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the golden shine it projected on the river, due to its building materials (a mixture of mortar, lime and pressed hay).

Still along the river with a dedicated bicycle lane .

Taking a circular ramp up to the main road and heading towards Donkey Gallery (the name of our accommodation in Seville).

At first I thought it was some kind of a monastery building, little did I know later it is a bull fighting ring. It is the Plaza De Toros, one of the few active bullfighting rings left in Spain.

My Oregon indicated to go into the premises of the bull fighting ring as the recommended route to our desired destination.

The place we were staying at Galera Donkey located at Calle Galera GPS : 37.387558, -5.99867837. Photo credit : Anne Cheong.

A glimpse of flamenco performance in the street of Seville. We went back out to the old city to explore further including food hunting.

Suddenly we fancied a Mexican restaurant, maybe it was due to the attractive decor from the outside of the building. It's Iguanas Ranas at Calle Santo Tomás, 7, GPS : 37.384356, -5.992998

Savouring a Mexican prawn dish that was stuffed with cheese, bacon, red sauce and accompanied with rice and salad.

A typical Mexican enchilada consisting of a flour tortilla dipped in chili sauce and stuffed with meat from Iguanas Ranas.

Catedral de Sevilla (The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See), better known as Seville Cathedral.
Christopher Columbus and his son Diego are buried in the cathedral.

Real Alcázar (Royal Alcázars of Seville) is a royal palace in Seville, built for the Christian King, Peter of Castile. It was built by Castilian Christians on the site of an Abbadid Muslim residential fortress destroyed after the Christian conquest of Seville.

Monument to the Immaculate Conception in the  Plaza del Triunfo

The Plaza de Virgen de los Reyes is a historic square, dominated by the cathedral and its unique bell tower. Horse-drawn carriages and picture-snapping tourists are part of the scenery here.

At the center of the Plaza de Virgen de los Reyes stands a monumental fountain and lamppost, created by José Lafita Diaz in 1925 for the Ibero-American exposition of 1929. The water-spouting heads are replicas of Roman grotesques found in the Casa de Pilatos.

The Giralda is the bell tower of Seville Cathedral. It was built as the minaret for the Great Mosque of Seville in al-Andalus, Moorish Spain, during the reign of the Almohad dynasty, with a Renaissance-style top added by the Catholics after the expulsion of the Muslims from the area.
The 104m tall Giralda tower was the minaret that was part of a mosque commissioned in 1171 by the second Almohad caliph Abu Ya`qub Yusuf. The mosque, which was built to replace the existing Umayyad mosque because the congregation had grown larger than the prayer hall could welcome, was completed in 1176 but construction of the minaret did not start until 1184.
Moulay Yacoub , also known as Al-Mansur, was the third Almohad caliph and in 1188 he picked up where his father had not been able to see the construction of the minaret finished. It was finally finished ten years later and looked slightly different than it does now.
In 1248 Sevilla fell in Christian hands during the Reconquista and of course the mosque was turned into a cathedral. Following an earthquake in 1356 the damaged cathedral and tower were renovated, the spheres removed and replaced by a single bell and a cross at the top of the tower.
The Giralda tower is very different from most minarets. It has ramps instead of stairs for those wanting or needing to climb it. The caliph had ordered the 35 ramps instead of endless steps so that the muezzin could ride a horse (or donkey?) to the top in order to call out the azan five times a day.

All kind of transport modes seen at Seville.

A modern tram service is also available for one to get around Seville and enjoy the gorgeous sight of the old city.

A pair of huge cube shaped trees with a fountain (Mercury Fountain) in between in front of a bank (Banco de España).

The Adriatic Building (Edificio de La Adriática) at GPS : 37.387783, -5.994367.
Built between 1914 and 1922, this striking building was designed by the architect José Espiau y Muñoz and, in the 21st century, there is no one who walks through the Avenue of the Spanish Constitution without stopping to contemplate it due to its striking beauty. Its facade has an eclectic style: it is the result of the mixture of neomudéjares, plateresque and, of course, regionalist elements, a current that was in full swing in Seville at that time. It was designed on behalf of the insurance company La Adriática and is, today, one of the most photographed corners of the center of Seville.

A metro station at Plaza Nueva where Plaza Nueva is a public square which Seville city hall is located. The land where the plaza is built was formerly part of the San Fernando convent during 1270-1840. The land was later acquired by the local government and converted into a public square. The plaza was completed in 1856.

A group of tourists on Dahon folding bicycles was seen exploring the old city, there were also other bicycle tours too moving around the vicinity.

Puncturing through the vibrant streets of Seville.

A classic shop with beautiful woodwork inside and gorgeous shop front. It is a pastry and coffee haven prominently located at GPS : 37.392653, -5.994892 at the main road of Campana.

While Anne was checking out at a Decathlon outlet we waited at a cafe ordered our beer.

Dinner was near where we stayed and the name of the shop is Casa Pepehillo GPS : 37.386729, -5.998646. The food was good and tasty such as the tapas, dogfish and
stuffed avacado and a taste of expensive Iberican ham. Drink was the red Sangria. Photo credit : Anne Cheong.

The first Spanish dinner at Seville.

Anne insisting to have her ice cream before we walk back to our apartment.