on Holy Wednesday, our last day in Sevilla, we accidentally slept in and had to scramble to pack everything up and clean up the Airbnb. we then took a brisk fifteen-minute walk north to visit the famous Virgin of Hope of Macarena, the arch-rival to the Virgin of Hope of Triana across the river. (on a secular note: yes, the actual Macarena song and dance originated from the Macarena neighborhood!)
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can you spot the white Macarena sign on the right column
of the gate, heralding the entrance to the neighborhood? the crenellated
wall to the right of the gate dates from the 12th century. |
we had just a few minutes to duck into the Basilica of Macarena and view the famous Lady, along with another huge wooden float. La Macarena was carved in the 17th century, and she has been refurbished many times, with decorations and vestments added over the years, including her elaborate green cloak and the emerald brooches adorning her veil. these were donated by a famous bullfighter, El Gallo, in gratitude for preserving his safety in the ring. sadly, eight years later, El Gallo was gored to death. the neighborhood dressed La Macarena in head-to-toe black as a sign of mourning.
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Christ of the Judgment, showing Christ when he was condemned (17th century)
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close-up of the Virgin's face, with five tears and the emerald brooches
(photo credit) |
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her golden crown weighs six pounds
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various accoutrements belonging to the cofradia who proudly
takes care of La Macarena and parades her through the streets |
the next hour flew by as we had to walk back to the Airbnb to pick up our suitcases, and then drop them off at the local bus station luggage storage before our 1 PM tour of Alcatraz. this seemed all very easy in theory, but Google Maps led us on a wild goose chase circling through a park, and when we finally reached the bus station (having unintentionally taken a very circuitous route), we were tired, stressed, and hungry. i had assumed we could pick up sandwiches or street food nearby, but the station only had an actual sit-down restaurant. we finally grabbed sandwiches from a mom-and-pop corner store and joined the crowds outside Alcatraz!
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| the park that stymied the GPS |
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| i love this architecture! |
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as we walked around the cathedral, we got to see this intricately
carved side door! |
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the crowds outside Alcatraz. the cathedral is to the left, while the walls of
Alcatraz loom to the right. |
i was so glad i had followed Rick Steves' advice to book tickets online in advance for a self-guided tour of this must-see sight. entrance is limited to a certain number of guests at a time, and the queue for people trying to buy tickets at the door stretched all the way around the block!
Alcatraz was built originally by the Moors in the 900s, and then underwent vast remodeling and expansion by King Pedro I in the 1300s. the architecture is a fascinating amalgam of Eastern and Western influences called Mudejar, and these walls have heard all kinds of history unfold. this is where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella lived, and subsequently King Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
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| this wall dates to 913! |
past the rose garden, we entered the Courtyard of the Hunt. the current king and queen of Spain still use some of the upper rooms.
inside the palace, we headed to the Admiral's Hall. in this room, Christopher Columbus detailed his discoveries to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, and Magellan proposed his circumnavigation expedition.
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a massive painting depicting King Ferdinand III kneeling in gratitude before the bishop
after he won control of Sevilla from the Moors in 1248 |
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Holy Mary of the Navigators, painted in the 1530s. Columbus is depicted to the right
of Mary, wearing a gold outfit and a bare head. King Ferdinand is painted
on the left, wearing a gold cloak. |
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a model of the Santa Maria
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the Columbus (Colón) family's coat of arms. the inscription reads:
"To Castile and to León, Colón gave a new world." |
the Courtyard of the Maidens is a beautiful oasis, meant to recreate the royal atmosphere of the Alhambra in Granada. i could have stayed in here for hours taking pictures -- the elegant arches, lacy designs and symmetric columns are like therapy for the eyes.
this palace just kept getting more and more incredible. the Hall of the Ambassadors served as King Pedro's throne room. the symbolism of the cubic room (representing the earth) and the domed ceiling (representing heaven) was meant to convey that Pedro's power extended to the celestial realm. even though Pedro was a Christian, the walls are inscribed with Muslim sayings, including, "Happiness and prosperity are benefits of Allah, who nourishes all creatures."
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the portraits in the golden arches depict the kings of Castile
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palace dance party
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the Courtyard of the Dolls was built from recycled Roman columns. it's named for tiny carved doll faces, which were extremely difficult to find! finally Nick spotted them, which was good because i was determined not to move on until we found them.
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frolicking in a palace, as you do
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the Courtyard of the Dolls
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spot the doll faces at the base of the arch?
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Cecilia was ready to beat the heat with her flamenco fan
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the King Charles V Ceiling Room is named, unsurprisingly, after its coffered ceiling. in this room, King Charles V and Queen Isabel were married, uniting the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal.
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the walls and floor are pretty impressive too!
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after the wedding ceremony, King Charles and Queen Isabel held their reception in the large banquet hall. we were intrigued by the small organ -- a Cece-size organ, as it was promptly dubbed.
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| detail of the altar at the end of the hall |
next door, the Hall of Tapestries is covered with 18th-century Spanish tapestries depicting naval battles, maps, and coats of arms.
finally, we explored the vast gardens. the girls were happy to watch the fish in the fish pond for quite a while.
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the Mercury Pond, supplied by a 16th-century aqueduct
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they desperately wanted to play in this fountain!
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this pavilion was built for the wedding of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.
finally, we had to tear ourselves away from the garden in order to pick up our luggage and walk over to the train station (as per Google maps, a 23-minute walk; more like half an hour with our crazy caravan of Cecilia in the Ergo and Greta in the stroller). on our way, we spotted one last glimpse of a float depicting Christ being crucified, being carried across an overpass. it was a fitting way to say goodbye to Sevilla!
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there's something jarring about seeing the crucifix in this thoroughly modern setting.
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we made it aboard the 4 PM high speed train, which would shuttle us diagonally across the country, past Madrid, all the way up to Zaragoza in the northeast corner of Spain. the three and a half hour ride was actually quite comfortable. Cecilia spent much of the time watching out the window for "broccoli trees", which reminded me of a diminutive version of the famous Roman umbrella pines.
the train pulled into Zaragoza station at 7:30 PM, and we were able to catch a local bus to take us into the center of town. Zaragoza is much more industrialized than flashy Sevilla, and it was at least ten degrees colder, too! we checked into our Airbnb in an apartment high-rise, and i made a run to the huge grocery store right next door for some food. my American heart swelled within me as i stepped through the doors to see aisle upon aisle upon aisle of food -- a far bigger selection than anything i'd seen in Italy so far! however, the produce was mostly picked over and the store was packed with frantic shoppers trying to load up their carts with every necessary item for the upcoming festivities, especially since most stores would shut the next day and remain closed for the entire Triduum (starting Holy Thursday) through Easter Sunday. i still managed to pile my own cart high with enough food and snacks to sustain us for the next four days. we feasted on frozen pizza (ham and queso, and chorizo -- absolutely delicious), cured sausage, and a €3 bottle of tempranillo. olé!
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