Travel Seville is 80 kilometres north of the Atlantic Ocean, but its location on the banks of the Guadalquivir River means that it’s also a waterfront city. Plaza de España is a beautiful place to walk, with bridges over a moat, alcoves displaying ceramic tile images of Spain’s provinces and buskers providing entertainment in the courtyard. Horse-drawn carriages clip-clop along the pathways of the adjoining Maria Luisa Park. Its ponds, gardens and singing birds draw residents and visitors. What did Seville look like in the 14th and 15th centuries? To find out, we time-travelled back to medieval Spain in the Santa Cruz Quarter. The city-within-a-city was originally called the Jewish Quarter because Jewish people settled here until 1492. We followed pretty Calle Juderia (Jewish Quarter Street) to a maze of streets. Potted geraniums decoratedwhitewashed homes, restaurants and souvenir shops. Orange trees, fountains, plants and vibrant azulejos(ceramic tiles) enchanted us as we peered through open doors and wrought iron gates into courtyards of proud homeowners. We found more orange trees in the nearbyReal (Royal)Alcázar. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, the part-time royal residence is Europe’s oldest palace still occupied by a royal family. Six different palaces have occupied this site since the Moorish governor built his fortress here in the 10th century. King Pedro’s palace, built in the 14th century, is the most important. Its Mudéjar architecture, created by Moorish artisans, combines Islamic and Christian decorations. Queen Isabella met Christopher Columbus here after his second voyage to the Americas. Palace social life took place in the reception rooms around the gardens and pool of the Courtyard of the Maidens. Ambassadors’ Hall, the most elaborate room in the palace, features triple horseshoe arches, intricate 14th-century stuccoMudéjar decorations and a gilded dome ceiling. Pathways, palms, ponds, fountains, a labyrinth, flowers, magnolia and orange trees accentuate the Alcázar’s extensive gardens. Game of Thrones used the gardens and Ambassadors’ Hall as film locations for its fifth season. Seville Cathedral, northwest of the Alcázar, also surprised us. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the world’s richest cathedral. Gleaming gold covers wooden carvings on the 20-metre main altarpiece. No one knows exactly howmuch gold is in Seville Cathedral, but one reference estimates it to be more than 40,000 kilos, obtained from Spain’s NewWorld colonies. Seville Horseshoe arches and Mudéjar decorations in Alcázar’s Ambassadors' Hall, used as a Game of Thrones film location Plaza de España Viewing ceramic tile image of Spain’s province of Alicante in Plaza de España Horse-drawn carriage in Maria Luisa Park Azulejo tiles decorate entrance to courtyard of private home in Santa Cruz Quarter CSANews | SUMMER 2018 | 23
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