‘Stealing’ a Month of Leisure in Portugal: A Glimpse of Seville
The trip was hectic, and we only had a night in Seville. The biggest problem in big cities is parking. We asked the hostel to book a parking space for us, with a discount of 17 euros for 24 hours, enjoying the accommodation order price. The only disadvantage is that it is a bit far from the hostel, and it takes more than ten minutes to drag the luggage there.
After parking, it was still a few hours before we could check in. We went to visit the Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla. I used to be fascinated by bullfights, and I admired the bullfighter Juan.
Royal Maestranza Bullring (Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla)This bullring, built in 1758, is one of the oldest and most important bullrings in Spain.
During the winter months, it is not the bullfighting season, and you can only participate in guided tours every 20 minutes, with a price of 8 euros, and a free Chinese audio guide. Enter the arena, follow the route of the bullfighters to perform, first pass through the preparation area, the prayer area, and step into the central arena.
The Maestranza bullring is most famous for its 1250-person circular bullfighting arena and the surrounding arcades, as well as the 'Prince's Gate' which is not found in other bullrings in Spain. When a bullfighter wins three or more horns in a two-round match, he will open the 'Prince's Gate' to reward him.
The bullring has a museum exhibition hall, exhibiting many precious historical materials, works of art, bullfighter costumes, and equipment used in bullfighting. We learned about the bullfighting culture together with the audio guide.
Spain SquareGuadalquivir River (Guadalquivir)It is the fifth longest river in Spain. It nurtured a powerful maritime empire, and Christopher Columbus's voyage to discover the Americas began from here.
There stands theTorre del Oro (Golden Tower)This tower, built in the 13th century, was a military watchtower. The tower's body is an equilateral 12-sided polygon, and it is currently a naval museum.
I wanted to take a walk along the river, but the rain kept getting heavier, so we thought of visiting a place with indoor attractions, so we came to theRoyal Alcázar of Seville (Royal Alcázar of Seville)
The Royal Alcázar of Seville is the oldest royal palace in Europe, which is now a world cultural heritage site. The palace was built in 1181 and took 500 years to build. It is still one of the residences of the Spanish royal family today. Because it has been used as an Islamic and Christian palace, it has a combination of different architectural styles.
The opening hours of the palace are 9:30-17:00 (19:00 in summer), and the adult ticket price is 11.5 euros. The Girl's Garden, the Palace Garden, the Ambassador's Hall, etc., are all worth seeing. At the same time, it is also the setting of 'Don Quixote' in the courtyard of the Madril family's palace.
Unfortunately, due to the rain alert, the palace garden was closed. We spent more time visiting the indoor area, and we could only quickly visit it in the rain.
After settling in at the hostel, we saw that the rain finally stopped, and we went out for a walk. We passed a McDonald's, and surprisingly there was a milkshake, which we couldn't miss. I don't know why the milkshake doesn't exist in Portugal, but it does in Spain.
Walking and walking, we saw several large lilies far away. These are the new landmarks in Seville –
Metropol Parasol (Metropol Parasol)
It is said to be the largest wooden structure in the world. The Metropol Parasol was designed by German architect Jürgen Mayer, and it was completed in April 2011. It is 26 meters high and consists of four layers. The ground floor has an archaeological museum, a market, and a bar, etc. Take the elevator to the observation deck, there is a cafe with a view. The opening hours of the observation deck are 10:00-22:30, and the ticket price is 5 euros. You can buy it independently at the small house opposite the entrance. Looking at the building from afar, it looks like a large parasol. When looking closely, it looks like a large waffle. When climbing to the top, it feels like standing on the clouds and enjoying the city night view. It is believed that visiting during the day will have a different feeling.
The rain drizzled down, and it rained all day. The streets were reflecting the street lights, with an orange color, which was very romantic.
The next morning, we came to
Catedral de Sevilla (Seville Cathedral)
We arrived early, but the cathedral didn't open until 11:00. We strolled along the street, and we found a side door that was open and we could enter for free. Just before opening time, we cleared the side entrance. The Seville Cathedral is the third largest cathedral in the world after St. Peter's Basilica and Milan Cathedral. The ticket price is 10 euros, and the opening time varies daily, please refer to the official website www.catedraldesevilla.es. The overall architecture of the cathedral belongs to the peak period of Spanish Gothic art, and it is combined with Arab architectural art. The two are organically combined.
The cathedral consists of five Gothic main halls, including the Royal Hall, the Main Chapel, and the Cathedral Museum. The halls are connected by wide and cross-shaped corridors. The altar is carved with gold, which is very luxurious.
The cathedral has a tall square tower, which is the famous
Giralda (Giralda)
It has no stairs, but a ring-shaped ramp, which takes you to the 70-meter-high observation deck, and you can enjoy a 360-degree view of Seville.
After visiting the cathedral, we came toSpain Square (Spain Square)Spain Square is Seville's landmark, and it is known as 'the most beautiful square in Spain'.
Spain Square is a semi-circular square, which was the main venue for the 1929 Iberian-American Exhibition. Now it is a military museum and the seat of the Junta of Andalusia. There are 48 niches under the corridor, representing the 46 provinces of Spain except Seville and 2 islands. They are arranged from north to south in alphabetical order. Above each niche is a badge representing the province or island, and the ground is a map of the place, and the wall is drawn with legends. The square is surrounded by an artificial moat, and there are four arched bridges across the moat. The bridges are decorated with Andalusian decorative tiles. The whole square faces west, which is the ideal place to watch the sunset, but it is cloudy, so we put this beautiful moment in our hearts.
1929-
48462
