Seville: A Saucerful of Secrets
FINDING MY FEET IN THE CITY OF HEAT!
Frying or freezing could have been the title here. I am no stranger to the heat but more so in Asia. 37 was commonplace in Guangzhou. Likewise freezing in hostel dorms or on public transport and so Seville breathes a familiar air. My expectation was to be done with the cauldron city within a few hours but Seville engages exactly the way Valencia, Alicante and Malaga didn’t.
So I finally had a city other than Barcelona and Castellón that I actually liked but August was not the best time to be seeing it. The dawn meanwhile creeps over the rooftops offering a calm window between 7am and about 10ish to peruse the streets and its many secret interiors before the heat simmers to a boil.
WHICH WAY IS THE BIBLIOTECA?
I am struggling with finishing my A-ha blog as the libraries close early (like lunchtime) and won’t be on normal hours til September when I’m informed by my hosts the city comes alive! Wow I’d love to see that (unless it’s like Murcia and the city streets become very public toilets!) The libraries as you can see vary drastically from each other.
One I mistake for a ruin but curiosity led me through its open door to find another, equally puzzling. Almost like an Aztec pyramid with a black arched door in it. I felt like Alice going through the looking glass. Inside an oasis of plant life and calm, no one was fighting to get to a desk. Then by complete paradox there’s the ultra modern edifice on the river but as mentioned its hours were greatly diminished and in the outside heat so are mine and I retire for a snooze.
ACROSS THE RIVER
SECRETS OF THE CITY
ARCHITECTURALLY SOUND
Next morning I aim for the Plaza de la Encarnaciòn (masterminded by German architect Jurgen Mayer) aka Metropol Parasol which the locals call Las Setas (the mushrooms). Like the Pyramid at Paris Louvre, unless you knew it was there you wouldn’t have a clue. Visually it looks like someone’s gone nuts with gigantic slats of balsa wood and slotted them into mushroom shaped pods either end of an elongated arial walkway.
STATION TO STATION
Another Plaza (de Armas) across the street from the main bus station (of the same name) is nothing much save for a McDonald’s and a gallery space but there are some nice photos of when it was the city’s main train station – now at Santa Justa a few blocks away but in these kinds of temps believe me it’s far enough! There is no time to get lost in the maze of Santa Cruz secret lanes and streets before I’m bound for… stay tuned to find out.
PLAYLIST AND CREDITS
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PLAYLIST
*As I was still working on the a-ha blog a good proportion of songs on my mind walkman were related to that. Real Meaning and Keep the Sun Away are particularly relevant.
Real Meaning (from Foot of the Mountain) – A-ha
Keep the Sun Away (from Out of my Hands) – Morten Harket
Broken Glass Park (from Celebration) – Simple Minds
Faith in this Colour (Slow Version)(from the Singles 81-85 box set) – Duran Duran
Wishy-Washy Wishing (from More Better Different) – Mick Karn
*perfect for wandering around old towns in the early hours and in keeping with the title of this blog…
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun (from A Saucerful of Secrets) – Pink Floyd