Excursions to Sevilla and Ronda

This past weekend, all of the people in my program went to Sevilla for one night and Ronda for the next day. In Sevilla, we saw the Alcázar, a palace rebuilt after the Reconquista in the Moorish style but for the Christian rulers, the cathedral, the third largest cathedral and the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, and also a flamenco show. I loved the intricate architecture of the Alcázar, which is called Mudejar, Christian built with Moorish influences. The cathedral was impressive, but it seemed too dark and distant for me. However, I loved the view from its bell tower.

With a friend, I walked to the Plaza de España during our free time. I saw it at night, but I wish I could have seen it during the day. The buildings are in a half circle with a moat and a fountain concurrent to this half circle. It has beautiful tiles on all of the walls and bridges. I plan to visit Sevilla again because it’s about twice the size of Granada by population and deserves more time. The next morning, we took a 2 hour bus ride to Ronda, which is an old city built high on cliffs, referred to as one of the “white hill towns” in my guidebook. There, we toured the Plaza de Toros, a bull fighting ring, and the Arab baths.

The Arab baths have three underground chambers, each with a different temperature of water. Pumped from the river by a mule and a water mill type mechanism, the water then ran into the heating chamber by an aqueduct. A wood furnace heated the water and also the air, which traveled to the other rooms. The first room had hot baths, more like small pools, the second was more like a sauna for massages, and the last had cold baths. Usually Muslims would go to the baths before they entered the city and also the mosques. Also, there were always separate times for men and women to visit them. I plan to go to one, but it will probably be more like a spa, inspired by the Arab baths. Overall, it was a good weekend!

Ceiling in the Alcázar

Alcázar

Alcázar

 

Giralda Tower of the Cathedral

View of the Cathedral from the "Court of the Oranges"

Christopher Columbus' Tomb, carried by the 4 Christian kings at the time. Note the speared pomegranate at the foot of the forward most king. A granada is a pomegranate. At this time, Granada was still welcoming to Muslims.

Part of the ceiling of the cathedral

At the Plaza de España in Sevilla

The "New Bridge" in Ronda. It separates the old Moorish neighborhood on the right and the new Christian part of town on the left.