Day 143: Up the River to Seville, Spain

Monday, 29 May 2017
O/N @ Muelle de las Delicias … Seville, Spain

Stats @ Ship’s Time 5:40p (CEST) … UTC 3:40p (29 May)
Temp: 77.5F (25.3C)
Position: 37.22.37N / 5.59.53W

Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we
stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.
~ Lawrence Block ~

Who knew the land on either side of the Guadalquivir River — the only navigable river in Spain — produces a bounty of rice?  I certainly didn’t.  When we got up at 7:00a to Insignia traveling upriver to Sevilla [Seville], the flooded fields on either side of the ship came as a surprise … one that made this morning’s river transit far more interesting than I expected it to be.

Actually, that we would be doing a river transit was a surprise in and of itself.  You see, our original itinerary called for Insignia to be docked in Cádiz … some 75 miles (120 km) from Seville, the capital of Spain’s Andalusia Region.  We learned about the change in plans from passengers embarking the ship in Civitavecchia a week ago … and welcomed it with delight.

After watching the rice fields go by from the veranda, Mui set up his GoPro and we went up to breakfast at the Terrace Café.  The higher vantage point gave us a better look at the fields … some flooded … others dry and barren-looking … yet others with newly grown rice shoots gently swaying in the breeze.  In the midst of the flooded fields, buildings big and small stood on dry tracts of land.

Following breakfast, we wandered around the upper decks for a while before returning to the veranda.  Small fishing boats plied their trade in parts of the river, giving me more reason to click the shutter button … as did reflections on the water and horses grazing on narrow strips of land dividing rice fields that stretched as far as the eye could see.  Occasional settlements with a mix of white-washed and colorful buildings added another interesting dimension to the scenery.  What I anticipated would be a slow morning on the river turned out to be filled with photo ops that had me popping up from my lounge chair all too frequently.

Around 9:45a we entered the Seville Lock.  Someone had said this was necessary as the sharp bend in the river at this point was too tight for ships to make the turn.  Later, I read that the lock system regulates the silting and flooding caused by the Guadalquivir, and also manages the water level so as to reduce the tidal influences on the Port of Seville.

Once through the lock, however, it didn’t look like we were anywhere near Seville.  Sure enough, CD Ray came on the P/A shortly before 11:00a to advise us that we would be delayed arriving due to heavy river traffic.  He also called our attention to a rail and traffic bridge in the distance that had to be raised at 11:00a before Insignia could arrive at her overnight berth.  The new docking time was now approximated to be 11:45a.  More time time relax on the ship before heading off to ‘pound the sightseeing pavement’ in Seville.

Looking back after Insignia exits the lock that regulates the Guadalquivir.

At about 11:10a, the ship started maneuvering to point its bow downriver.  The time and place had come to sail backwards a bit as GM Victor said we would last night.  CD Ray came on the P/A again to advise us that we would be backing in past the draw bridge to ease tomorrow’s departure, which must be on time due to the tides.  Alrighty then.

With the help of a tug, Insignia backs into the Port of Seville through the open drawbridge.

Turns out we actually docked at 12:02p — right in the heart of the city … and walking distance to the sights we planned to visit.  Because Insignia went into its berth bassackwards we had a nice view of the city from our veranda.  Couldn’t have asked for better … especially since the overcast that had plagued us most of the way upriver had lifted and patches of blue brightened the sky over the city.

From our berth it is walking distance to Seville’s many sights of interest to visitors.

We decided to start our sightseeing from Plaza de España.  Thus we headed into the nearby Parque de Maria Luisa to get to the popular square.  We could have easily spent the afternoon just exploring the park, which was the setting for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition.  But our time was limited, so we walked directly to the grand edifice that rims the plaza in a half-circle instead.

A quick photo op is all we dedicate to Parque de Maria Luisa.

WOW!  What scale … what grandeur?  Words cannot adequately describe the Renaissance/neo-Moorish style buildings originally constructed to showcase Spain’s industry and technology exhibits at the exposition.  Mainly government offices are now housed inside the buildings that are fronted by a fountain and a canal filled with water.  Bridges reminiscent of those in Venice curved over the canal, tile decorations drawing the eye … no wonder the plaza is sometimes referred to as the Venice of Seville.  Later I learned that the bridges represent the four ancient kingdoms of Spain — Castille, Aragon, Navarre, and Leon.

The shape of the canal mimics the semi-circular shape of the buildings.

We spent quite a bit of time exploring the plaza and checking out the amazing tile work inside and out.  We went up to the first floor balustrade and roamed along the balcony.  In every direction I looked a photo op caught my eye … none more interesting than the 48 azulejo-tiled Alcoves of the Provinces lining the perimeter of the building.  It really was difficult to pull ourselves away from here.

View of Plaza de España from the first floor balustrade.

The Alcoves of the Provinces afford visitors a place to sit.

Next, following a meandering path that we couldn’t duplicate even if we tried to, we headed to the Seville Cathedral, arriving right around 3:30p … just before the ticket office was due to close.  To make matters worse, the cathedral was scheduled to close at 4:00p and would not be open the next day due to a special event.  Bummer since we had a very limited time to explore the world’s largest Gothic edifice in all of Christendom.  Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the cathedral was constructed on the site of a 12th century mosque in the 100 or so years between 1402-1506.  In fact, the Giralda Tower — the bell tower that is a recognized symbol of the city — was originally the minaret of that mosque.

Inside the cathedral, one can’t help but gasp in awe when faced with the immensity of the nave.  Splendiferous … that about describes the interior.  Inspiring … no doubt about it.  But I was disappointed because every altar and chapel was behind locked wrought iron gates.  It made photography very difficult.  And worse, if you sat down to enjoy the details with your eyes, you had to view everything through the bars.  Since we had limited time anyway, we decided to head up the Giralda Tower and dedicate the bulk of our time to aerial views of the city instead.

The exterior of the 100-foot (30 m) high tower — a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its own right — is richly decorated with arched niches and geometric patterns.  The interior, though is quite simple, with occasional niches on the outer wall allowing for glimpses of the city and the church buildings.  Along the inside wall, small rooms hold displays.  But we didn’t have time to check them out.  Time was quickly ticking towards closing time.

We hot-footed it up the 35 floors of the tower to the top — luckily it was all ramps and not stairs.  The advantage to our late visit was that there were a lot fewer people at the top, so juggling for space to take photos out of the openings on all four sides of the square tower was easier.  The scenery was worth the huffing-and-puffing to get to the top quickly.

After our visit to the cathedral, we took a meandering stroll back to the ship.  We stopped at a café for some beverages, but the service was lackluster … as were our drinks.  By 5:30p, we were back aboard, wrapping up a 12,792-step sightseeing afternoon.  Why back so early?  Because the last of the special events for RTWers — A Seville Fair — was set for tonight

We joined up with friends and other RTWers in the Insignia Lounge about 20 minutes before the 7:55p meet up time to pick up our bus assignment … first come, first served.  The ride to Estancia el Vizir took about 30 minutes and gave us a chance to see a different side of the city on our way there.  At the estancia [ranch], we were greeted by women in traditional dress.  While some handed out red carnations, others sang and danced.  Servers stood with trays of beer, wine, and sangria, and a group of caballeros [gentlemen] astride horses were lined up near the entrance to the courtyard, which was strung with yellow and orange lanterns.

The tables and chairs — which reminded us of those used in children’s playrooms — were set for four each.  Painted red, green, and blue, they were colorful, but oh so uncomfortable, with very little room on the table to place our full-size plates.  We managed though.  The menu featured a variety of local dishes, including seafood paella and a selection of hams, croquettes, sardines, calamari, and more.  A meat carver showed off his knife skills by slicing an Iberico Ham into slivers so thin that they were nearly see-through.  A vintner in traditional costume poured out what looked like white wine, but those who tasted it said it was much stronger.  Dessert consisted of a strawberry tart, a crème brûlée like sweet, and a rice pudding.

After dinner, we adjourned to the estancia’s bull fighting ring for a show featuring Andalusian horses.  Next, we moved into a hall where chairs were set up for the flamenco show.  The troupe that performed consisted of a guitarist, a cajon player, a singer, and three dancers … two women and one man.  Were they any good?  I am not one to judge since this was my first time at such a show.  I enjoyed it very much.  The footwork was amazing.  The festivities concluded with fireworks … a lovely surprise.

We were back at the port shortly after midnight.  The buses all arrived at about the same time, making for a long line to board Insignia.  Luckily, neither the shoreside x-ray machine at the port security checkpoint, nor the one on the ship was in operation, so the line moved reasonably fast.  We have no specific plans for tomorrow, so I’ll get a good night’s rest before we head out for another day of sightseeing … now that I have finished writing about our day and am ready to turn off the light.

© 2015-2017 — All rights reserved by Erin Erkun.