Sevilla

 When we first arrived, we were supposed to have our classes in a room at the University of Sevilla. However, the students were demonstrating this week, so they decided to move us. The next best place...? A 14th century monastery on the edge of the old city. I can't complain, it was beautiful.

 

On the way to the monastery we passed through this plaza (Alameda de Hercules) where they pointed out that the two pillars in the background were Roman pillars built in the second or third century. In the 16th century they moved them from the original location to the current location to decorate a now pleasant and relaxing plaza. About fifteen years ago this plaza was run down and filled with dark-life activities, but since it has become one of the most trendy places in Sevilla to hang out (with one of my favorite restaurants too!).

 

This was a ninth century Muslim castle built during the ascent of Islamic Spain. In the background you can see one of two additions by the Christian Kings after they reconquered Sevilla in the 13th Century. That one was by Don Pedro, the first to extend the palace, designed to imitate the Muslim architecture. Here history seems to mesh together, showing that it does not necessarily end, but we grow from one stage into another, preserving vestiges of the past that influence our future.

 

A really fascinating street by our hotel, Sevilla sports countless walkways that are narrower than my reach, but are still drivable if you can get your car in (or motto).

 

These are three additional pillars that the Romans built to sustain the same temple as those two that were moved to the plaza de Alameda de Hercules. Scholars suspect that the structure was either a temple of worship to the Roman gods, or a government building. The supports are about 15-20 feet below street level, because two thousand years of rubble, silt, floods, etc. have buried them, and modern Sevilla keeps on living, growing out of  what it was yesterday into what it is today. Our guide and friend, Carlos, mentioned that improving homes in this part of the city is difficult because whenever they venture into the foundations, they find ruins and remnants of this past civilization, and then the construction has to stop while they call in experts to analyze the artifacts and either excavate, or give the green light to proceed. This can take from weeks to years (if they have to excavate).

 

On the first day of the seminar we went to a little Mediterranean tapa restaurant for lunch. The director ordered three tapas for everyone, and then we got to choose our own fourth one. They were all absolutely delicious, so much so that I went back later in the week. Four tapas they were a bit expensive, but they are also several cuts above the rest, and absolutely the best I have had in Sevilla. Of those that I ate with the group, These were the most interesting looking, and they took me back when I first saw them. They are anchovies (I think they are raw) filleted over a type of sauce and guacamole. I looked at them and felt a bit less than adventurous, but since I promised long ago (in 1999) that in a new place I would try everything at least once, I had to try them, and I am glad I did. They were absolutely delicious; just wonderful! When I went back the second time, I ordered them again. How could I not? 

This is a picture of an elementary school in Sevilla that we visited. It is labeled a bilingual school because they are teaching English and Spanish, but more uniquely their children come from something like 12 different countries around the world, from China to Bolivia. They are faced with the struggle of helping them connect through their similarities, teaching to respect cultures and differences, while teaching Spanish to be able to function in society. These kids usually serve as translators and liaison for their parents who speak no Spanish, requiring them to mature faster than most kids would like to, so they try to give that innocence back a bit to the kids. Sound familiar?