Nice city; shame about the tram system (Seville)

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	Seville
Date:	23/09/06 (1571 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to reach and with many enjoyable reasons to visit

Disadvantages: Currently in significant turmoil due to the construction of a tram system

We have set our sights on visiting the three great Moorish cities of Spain; Granada, Seville and Cordoba and, having visited Granada last year, decided to make it Seville this year. Once again it would be for just a long weekend, not really long enough, agreed, but as long as we could spare. The visit turned out to be very enjoyable although what we discovered was not entirely what we were expecting, in several ways.

Getting there
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For such a short stay, flying is really the only option, no matter what the Green Lobby may say about the impact on the Environment. From the UK, direct flights to Seville are limited. I discovered that RyanAir go there from either Stanstead or Liverpool, neither convenient for us, and Iberia do so from London Heathrow but at some cost!

What I eventually found was that BA franchisee, GB Airways, flies there from Gatwick at a not unreasonable price. We flew out on a Thursday morning and back on a Sunday morning. GB Airways only run one flight each way per day. The flight is about 2¾ hours. The plane was pretty well full on both occasions. I didn't realise Seville was so popular! A pair of tickets for my wife and me cost me £255 inclusive of all taxes and charges. I have reviewed our experiences with them separately.

Seville Airport
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Seville Airport is located to the North-East of the city, about 20 minutes away by taxi. It's fairly modern and quite spacious with decent facilities should you be forced to spend some time there waiting for your flight. The shopping opportunities are not extensive, much of the incentive to do so having been destroyed by the EU directive on Duty Free shopping within the Union and by the more recent bans brought on be the security alerts that are having such an impact on travel.

The check-in directions displayed on the notice screens could be better. There are only a limited number of flights shown and the screen does not scroll to reveal later flight information. Consequently you may have to wait until earlier flights have been removed from the board before your appears. This means that you can be hanging around until you find out which set of check-in desks you are supposed to use.

Even when they do show, the information can be confusing. We were informed that a whole range of desks could be used but when we got there, some of them were closed and others had specific flights displayed above the desk that were not ours. We just joined the shortest queue and hoped for the best. As it happened, as if by magic, the sign over our queue changed to our flight just as we reached the front! Now, what were the chances...?

You can get into the city by bus. There's one that runs every half-hour but the queue was huge so we invested in a taxi. As it turned out it only cost us €22 and took us pretty well to the door of our hotel. Yes, the bus would have been a lot cheaper but it would likely have taken us at least an extra hour, bearing in mind also that it would not have dropped us anywhere near the hotel.

The Hotel
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I had booked to stay at the Hosteria del Laurel, in the heart of the old Santa Cruz district and very close to the Alcazar, one of the chief reasons for our visit. It turned out to be a very good choice; comfortable and well located for all the sights and at a good price. Once again, I have reviewed it separately.

The City
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Seville cannot be said to be as attractive a city as Granada. There is a feeling of general lack of care for the place. Time and time again I saw piles of litter all over the place. The River Guadalquivar runs through the city and has potentially some beautiful walks along its banks. However, many of these embankments were inaccessible.

One of the main reasons for this is that Seville is in the throws of constructing a MetroTram system. The consequence is that much of the centre of the city is a complete mess. Bridges over the river are being repaired and strengthened to take the weight of the trams. The entire length of the Avenida de la Constitucion and beyond is a building site, right up as far as the ring road close to the remnants of the old city walls in La Macarena (Oh Macarena!) district.

Although the entire city is not plagued with these disturbances you did rather get the feeling of an attitude of “Oh, we'll clean that up later when all this is finished”, which nevertheless left a poor impression on the visitor. I may be being unfair but if we had known about this in advance we might well have gone to Cordoba this year and left Seville for a couple of years to sort itself out.

Most of the attractions are to the east of the river although we were recommended to the Triana district on the west bank. On our one pedestrian visit over there, we were informed at the first bar at which we stopped that they were closed. It was 5.00pm! We didn't go back again.

City Tour
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There are two main city tour bus companies, SevillaTour (red) and Tour por Sevilla. (green) We bought 24 hour tickets for the former for no particular reason other than that theirs was the first outlet we discovered that sold tickets. In retrospect it may not have been a good choice.

The tickets cost €15 each and the 24 hours starts from the moment you first use them. We used our a few times over two days. It is a hop on/hop off service but the main trouble with SevillaTour is that there are very limited opportunities to hop on or off. There was one whole section of a couple of miles where we might well have liked to get off to explore but where the bus simply didn't stop. Also, the route map was somewhat inaccurate, much due to the city centre upheavals.

My feeling now is that this probably wasn't very good value for money, despite the chance to get an overall impression of the city before exploring deeper. I suggest you maybe give the other one a try instead.

Having got a feel for what the city had to offer we chose just a few of the many sights that we felt we could visit in the time available to us. There is much, much more that you can see, given sufficient time. We started with ...

The Alcazar
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Our main reason for visiting Granada was to see the Alhambra, a genuine Moorish palace, palaces actually, occupied until driven out of Granada by the army of Isobel and Ferdinand, by Boabdil the Moor. The Alcazar might be thought of as Seville's Alhambra but in fact nothing could be further from the truth. The Alcazar was never occupied by the Moors, unless you count the Moors who built it.

It was commissioned by Pedro the Cruel of Castille who recognised the skill and craftsmanship of the Moors and had it built in the Moorish style using materials rescued from various buildings in and around the area. His structures survive to the current day but have been extended over the years, not always in sympathy with the original. However, the overall appearance remains impressive and well worthy of a visit.

The whole complex is surrounded by high walls with the main entrance in one corner between Plaza del Triunfo and Plaza Contratacion and next to the cathedral. Entrance is €7 but this does not include a guide, either human or audio. These cost extra. You make your own way around and read the information on the placards liberally found throughout the complex.

As with the Alhambra, the attractions are both the buildings and the gardens, both of which are impressive. Although not on either the scale or grandeur of the Alhambra there is still more than enough to enjoy for a morning or an afternoon, longer if you want to take your time. There is also the choice of an evening visit when the complex is illuminated to highlight all of the most impressive features. We chose a morning visit.

The Cathedral
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There are arguments as to which is the largest cathedral in Christendom, St Peters in Vatican City, St Pauls in London or the Cathedral of Seville. As with all things it depends upon what measurements you use. Seville claims the honour on volume grounds. There is no doubt though, it's big. As with many continental cathedrals, entrance is not free. We paid €7.50, once again just to enter, not for any guides.

The cathedral occupies the site of a former mosque, which it replaced in the 12th century. There is a display in the cathedral of how the site has changed over the years to what it is today.

The interior is very impressive though I was somewhat disturbed by the substantial steel “girdles” surrounding two of the gigantic pillars holding up the roof. Impressive maybe but, it would seem, suffering the ravages of time.

One of the main features is the huge organ which dominates the centre of the building with its masses of pipes in two separate structures. The sound is undoubtedly something to hear but sadly it was not being played whilst we were there.

However, the main reason for visiting the cathedral is that it is the last resting place of Christopher Columbus or Cristobel Colon as he is known to the Spanish. His memorial is quite extraordinary. It consists of four more than life sized representations of his peers, bearing his coffin on their shoulders. However, his remains do not occupy the entire coffin but are revealed through a small door in the side of the coffin, which can be seen by walking up a ramp that winds its way around the memorial.

I can't pretend that you will find anything in the cathedral, other than the tomb of Columbus, that sets it apart from other similar institutions. However, it is worth a visit for that alone. The price of entrance also includes entrance to the adjacent...

The Giralda
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The Giralda is now the bell tower of the Cathedral but originally formed the basis of what was the minaret of the mosque, from which the faithful were called to prayer. Access to the viewing platform where the bells hang is by way of an ascent inside the tower up 35 inclined ramps. Each one is numbered on the wall facing you so you know just how far you still have to go.

All the way up there are alcoves giving access to views over the city but without doubt the best views are from the top. From there you get a real feel for the scale of the city.

Hospital de los Venerables
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For us this was very conveniently situated just across the square from our hotel, so we didn't have far to go to visit. Entrance is €4.75 and this includes an audio guide. If you are prepared to visit on a Sunday afternoon you can get in for free. The visit takes up about an hour.

The place was constructed as a refuge for priests and consists of a residence and church, both beautifully constructed and a refuge of calm in the middle of a busy city. Situated at the heart of the Santa Cruz district it was built on land provided by Dona Elvira that previously housed her theatre. An adjacent square is named after her.

Plaza de Espana
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This impressive semi-circular building was built in the 20s for an exhibition but is now used as government offices. Its original purpose is highlighted by the tiled displays around the lower walls facing the centre of the square in front representing all of the regions of Spain. The decorated tiles illustrate famous (at least to the Spanish) episodes from the history of those regions.

Between the building and the impressive central fountain there is a canal that has been filled with water and upon which it was possible take boats. Sadly, at the moment the canal is drained. The fountain though, is still operating.

I understand that scenes from the recent Star Wars movies were shot there though I must admit I'm not sure I recognised the backdrop. Maybe I will if I see
them again. They are being shown on Sky Movies at the moment.

Parque Maria Luisa
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The park is just across the road from the Plaza de Espana and so is worth a visit whilst you are there. The park is most notable for the extensive examples of different species of plants and trees. It's a very enjoyable oasis of calm and we saw a number of young people who were using the various refuges as a quiet place to study.

In the park you will also find a booth where it is possible to hire bike on which to explore the city.

The City Walls
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These were the most disappointing feature of our visit. Situated in the Macarena district and running alongside the ring road, only small sections of the original walls survive but do include the only complete original city gate, the Macarena Gate. You can visit but the walls cannot be climbed so, other than to take a look, there is little more you can do.

Eating Out
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Spain is rightly famous for it's Tapas. These snacks are intended to be eaten “on the run” rather than as a sit down meal. Indeed, if you follow the tradition then the idea is that you take one dish at one bar and then move on to another for another, and so on. Of course, each should be washed down with a suitable refreshment. Also, to be really traditional you must take your Tapas standing up, even if you are staying at the bar rather than wandering about. We believe that there should be concessions to age and in consequence we defy tradition.

Bar Gonzalo
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Our first lunchtime break, Bar Gonzalo is situated on Alemanes, right opposite the cathedral. We ate, as we always try to do, outside and here the bar has a small colonnade that keeps you out of the path of pedestrians and under cover, should the weather prove inclement (which it didn't). Here we shared their “standard” tapas, along with an additional bowl of the biggest olives you have ever seen in your life (think small plums) and a bottle of Marques de Caceras Rose. Very enjoyable even though the service was less than attentive. We never did get the bottle of water we twice requested. The whole came to €35.25 (£22) for the two of us.

Baco
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Situated on Francos on the main North/South pedestrian route from La Macarena back via Centro to Santa Cruz, it is actually right behind Robles, which, I understand, has a substantial reputation. Why didn't we eat at Robles then? Well, as I mentioned, we like to eat outside wherever possible but the drawback with Robles is that their outside tables are situated on a narrow alleyway where pedestrians are continually passing very close to your table. Baco, on the other hand, has a large space in front of it's restaurant where tables provide a lot more privacy.

The food here was excellent and I don't believe that we would have enjoyed better at Robles, no matter what its reputation. Here we shared a couple of dishes and, along with a bottle of water and one of Torres Vina Sol it came to a very reasonable €38.50 (£25) for the two of us.

Restaurant Modesto
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Modesto appeared in our guide to Seville (http://www.andalucia.com/cities/sevilla.htm) as another recommended Tapas bar but I have to say that off all of those we tried this was the one that least impressed. Situated just on the Cueto pedestrian area just east of Plaza Refinadores, itself just east of Plaza Santa Cruz, the location proved noisy and with a lot of coming and going to distract from a peaceful repast.

The food was good. The service was so so. On this occasion we decided on a Paella Mariscos for two. With a bottle of water and a Marques de Riscal white wine the meal came to €48 (£36) and was, compared with the other lunchtime experiences, overpriced.

La Cueva
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Two of the best evening meal experiences we had were in the same location, Plaza de Dona Elvira, within a 100 metres of the hotel. This delightful location hosts restaurant, on opposite corners of the square, Dona Elvira and La Cueva.

The food here was excellent. We shared a seafood casserole for two, which was excellent. Accompanied by a white Marques de Caceras and followed by, it has to be said, run-of-the-mill desserts, the bill came to €73.30 (£49).

Dona Elvira
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Although the food here was very good, the most memorable reason for this location sticking in our minds was the procession of brides and grooms visiting the square during our meal. It appears that the Sanata Cruz district is the location of choice for your wedding photographs if you are a resident of Seville. And of all the locations, Dona Elvira Square is the one backdrop that is essential for your photo collection. It was almost as if they were forming an orderly queue to have their pictures taken on the tiled benches around the square or beside the fountain that forms the central focus. Before we had finished our meal there must have been around half a dozen couples and their photographers passing through. Bear in mind that this was around 9.00 in the evening!

But, let's return to the food. My wife started with a Gazpacho Andaluz, a cold soup whilst I started with a chowder of shellfish. Both were delicious. For the main course my wife had a steak, which was served to her taste (rare) even though they failed to actually ask how she wanted it cooked! Just as well she didn't want it well-done!

I had a Spanish classic, Stewed Oxtail, one of my all-time favourite dishes. It was very good although I have had better. It didn't all entirely fall off the bone like it should but the taste could not be faulted.

With a dessert and a bottle of Yllera the meal came to €96.30 (£64), the most we paid at any time during our visit.

Corral del Agua
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And so, saving the best for last, on our final night we visited Corral del Agua. In fact we were lucky to get in. We hadn't booked, as we hadn't anywhere else either. This was nearly a mistake. It appears that Corral del Agua is a very popular location.

We had come across it by chance and the first time we passed they were still setting out the tables. When we returned we discovered every table to have Reserved tickets on them. We did enquire if they still had any availability and all they could offer was a table inside, which we didn't really want. However, the Maitre d' came over at that point and said that he had just had a cancellation for an outside table! Good timing.

Corral del Agua is set in a courtyard accessed through a small doorway right opposite the walls of the Alcazar on Callejon del Agua, the route in times past of the water supply to the Alcazar. The courtyard has a central water well but its chief attraction is its “roof”, made entirely from the bines and leaves of a huge grape vine, which lay on wire stretched across the courtyard from wall to wall.

We both had fish, Sea Bass for my wife and Bream (Dorada) for myself. Both were done to perfection. To start we had had variously a Tuna Salad and for myself Asparagus with Salmon. To go with this we had a white Pierola, even though this was a wine I had never previously tried. It proved to be a good choice.

All together the bill came to €90.84 (£60). Considering that this was not the most expensive meal but was easily the most enjoyable experience, I felt it very good value.

Flamenco
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Of course, the visit was not all monuments and restaurants. Spain is famous for Flamenco and this was one experience in which we had not previously indulged. We decided to remedy that omission.

We chose Los Gallos whose theatre is located on Plaza Santa Cruz for no particular reason other than that it was conveniently located close to our hotel. We surmised that they are probably all pretty much of a muchness and as we were in no position to judge whether any one of the many flamenco companies was any better than any other, Los Gallos appeared as a good a choice as any other.

The show was exactly what you would have expected. The troop consisted of dancers, both male and female, guitarists and singers. There is no doubt that they were all skilled artists but I have to say that, a bit like “Riverdance”, after a while all starts to sound and look pretty much the same as what has gone before. The show lasted 2 hours, which was probably about half an hours too long. Nevertheless, it was an experience I am glad we tried even though we will probably not attend one again!

Conclusion
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We enjoyed our short stay in Seville even though this was probably the wrong year to visit. I would recommend anyone contemplating going there maybe to consider delaying a year or two until the upheavals of the construction of the MetroTram system are closer to completion than they are today. Once that situation is reached I would have no hesitation in recommending a visit.

Summary: One of the most famous of the Moorish cities of Spain