Another Day in Sunny Seville

Mobile knife sharpener
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Today is our last full day in Seville and once again we are greeted with blue skies and perfect weather. For once we have a plan for the day, after breakfast we are going to walk over to the old Jewish Quarter, along the old city walls, then through the old Santa Cruz section of town to Casa Pilatos, where there is a collection of Classical sculpture and then on to the Museo de Bellas Artes to look at the collection of Seville art which includes a few paintings by El Greco, Goya, Velasquez and Murillo.

Internal courtyard, Casa Pilatos
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Breakfast is the usual experience, order and see what we get, seems that whatever we order is not quite what we get but it makes breakfast interesting. After a leisurely breakfast and coffee we stroll off past the Cathedral and into the Jewish Quarter, spotting the local mobile knife sharpener. There are lots of tourist type shops for the unwary and hordes of tourist groups coming the opposite way to visit the Alcazar which is nearby. Emerging from the Quarter into the Jardines de Murillo, behind and outside the Alcazar' we watch an old man feeding the pigeons before heading through the streets of Santa Cruz which are quite a maze of alleys and side streets, checking our trusty map regularly before emerging in front of Casa Pilatos. The house is so named, erroneously apparently, as having belonged to Pontius Pilate. Whatever the case it is regarded as the epitome of Spanish Grand Palaces in Seville. Before entering a roasted nut seller tries to con us into buying from him but at 2 Euros for what looks like less than 50g we tell him basically to take a hike!

we are hit with an entry charge because we are not European Union nationals!

Pleased to meet you!
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The Palace is typically in the Moorish style, with later additions, an internal formal courtyard surrounded by living quarters and further outside gardens with the mandatory fountains and fruit trees. The decor is similar, tiles along the walls, friezes around the courtyard and high decorative timber ceilings. This type of design is remarkable effective at providing a very cool living environment with plenty of shade and breeze. The sculpture collection is interesting with some pieces just fragments and others fully intact, all in white marble.

Menu board, Santa Cruz
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Onwards from the Casa and we find a little tavern to have lunch; Taberna Coloniares in Plaza del Cristo de Burges and nab an outside seat which are in high demand, this being the only open air cafe and obviously used by the locals. It's here we see their reservation system for tables outside, there's a blackboard with a sign indicating for Sevillians only (I know what it said but don't ask me to write it in Spanish) and as people arrive and there are no tables they write their names up and number of places required and then just wait outside or sit in the bar until a table becomes available, simple but effective and cuts the tourists out in favour of the locals.

After a long and pleasant lunch time to get the walking shoes on and head for the Art Museum, about half an hours walk through a shopping district. At the Museum we are hit with an entry charge because we are not European Union nationals! The Museum is dedicated to Sevillian Art and is very well laid out with paintings arranged chronologically so you can appreciate the evolution of painting styles. Most of the work is, as usual, of a religious nature and it's only the later works where the religious theme disappears. The highlight was not a particular painting but Room 5 which is an old Church integrated into the museum where they have hung vast canvases on the whitewashed side walls and at the Nave end there is a large dome with the original paintings on the dome and surrounding walls retained and art works hung below that. The room in its entirety is quite inspiring regardless of any religious or non religious beliefs you may have.

From the Museum it's a short walk back to our room, followed by tea at La Figaro and then sleep. Tomorrow we head for Granada.