Architecture

Seville Snapshots: the Nighttime Streets of Santa Cruz

September 17, 2012 by Cat Gaa · 6 Comments

Can I make a confession?

Most of you guys already know, but just in case you don’t: I am a blogger without a laptop.

I left my laptop in the cab that took me from Barajas to a friend’s house in Madrid, and upon realizing it, went through all of the steps to find it: police denuncias, stalking taxi drivers in line, passing out my business card to any taxista willing to help me out. Six hours later, I returned home a bit defeated, but mostly just tired. It’s not the end of the world.

Still, I’m without the majority of my pictures until my parents come with the external hard drive at Christmas. So what’s a blogger to do with deadlines to meet and an audience to satisfy?

Carry Camarón on me like a third arm.

I left my new job at a a language academy on Thursday night to meet Gary of Everything Everywhere and one of my guest bloggers, Sandra of Seville Traveller, for tapas at La Bulla. As I cut through Santa Cruz’s narrow streets, the few street lights illuminating ancient streets, I heard the ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM of a rickety old motorbike as it zipped by me. Camarón was buried deep in my bag, but he came to life just before the motorist disappeared around the corner and onto Calle Santa Teresa.

Love taking shots? Been to Seville or Spain? I’m looking for travelers with a good eye to capture beautiful Spain and contribute to my weekly Snapshots section. Send your photos to sunshineandsiestas @ gmail.com with your name and a short description of the photo and look to be featured here!

Filed Under: Architecture, El Centro, photo post, Santa Cruz, Sevilla Center, Seville, Seville Shots, Tapas, travel photography, typical Spanish · Tagged: Seville, Spain

Seville Snapshots: Patio de las Doncellas

July 23, 2012 by Cat Gaa · 6 Comments

Camp is just about over, and I’m not thinking of Seville, but of corn on the cob, fireworks, boating and all things American (after two days in Madrid with the Novio, I’m flying back to Chicago de la Frontera). But special pictures like this one, from Toby, keep the memories of my second home strong when I’ll be away for two months.

The jewel in Seville’s crown is the triangle of sites that lie in Plaza del Triunfo: the massive cathedral, Archivo de Indias and the royal palace, the oldest still in use. The center of the complex, which includes architectural hallmarks from Seville’s 2000-year history and one of the city’s largest gardens, is the Patio de las Doncellas. The Maiden’s Courtyard is said to have been named for the 100 virgins brought in every year for the Moorish kings living in the palace, and its upper courtyards are still used by the Royal

Toby writes: I spent my junior year of college in Madrid and fell in love with Spain. But it took me nearly 30 years to return and I brought my husband and then 10-year-old daughter on a two-week trip through Spain and had a fabulous time! We started in Barcelona, then onto Madrid. We spent several days in Madrid and took one day trip to Toledo. Afterwards we spent time in Sevilla, Malaga and Granada. 10 months later my husband and I returned to celebrate our 20^th anniversary. Now hubby has also fallen in love with Spain and we hope to retire to Malaga. We shall see what happens (a ver lo que pasa). I started my blog to document both trips to Spain as well as future travel plans: http://travelswithtoby.wordpress.com/

If you’d like to contribute your photos from Spain and Seville, please send me an email at sunshineandsiestas @ gmail.com with your name, short description of the photo, and any bio or links directing you back to your own blog, Facebook page or twitter. There’s plenty more pictures of gorgeous Seville on Sunshine and Siesta’s new Facebook page!

Filed Under: A Few of My Favorite Things, Andalucia, Architecture, El Centro, guest post, Oranges, Sevilla Center, Seville, Seville Shots, Spain, travel photography · Tagged: Seville

Seville Snapshots: The View from Patio de los Naranjos

July 9, 2012 by Cat Gaa · 7 Comments

As I hang out up north, running a summer camp and looking after 16 teachers and a blogger, I’m pining for Seville: the heat, the food, the open, wide sky. I’m delighted that Christine in Spain sent me a gorgeous picture that encompasses so many wonderful things about the city, and that she was patient enough to wait in line.

Says Christine: I chose to contribute this photo in particular because I think it captures the essence of Seville: the orange trees which are so symbolic of the city, and the commanding presence of the Cathedral and Giralda in the background. I took this on a mild, sunny January day when the streets were buzzing with people as they so often seem to do in Spain.

Links:

https://twitter.com/#!/christinenspain

http://www.christineinspain.com

http://www.facebook.com/christineinspain

If you’d like to contribute your photos from Spain and Seville, please send me an email at sunshineandsiestas @ gmail.com with your name, short description of the photo, and any bio or links directing you back to your own blog, Facebook page or twitter. There’s plenty more pictures of the gorgeous Seville on Sunshine and Siesta’s new Facebook page!

Filed Under: andalú, Andalucia, Architecture, Churches, El Centro, guest post, living abroad, photo post, Sevilla Center, Seville, Seville Shots, spring, tourism, travel photography · Tagged: Spain

Seville Snapshots: La Giralda

June 18, 2012 by Cat Gaa · 12 Comments

The Moors had control over a large portion of Spain for some 400 years before the fundamentalist Almohad Dynasty built the Giralda in their most-favored city in al- Andalus. Originally a minaret to the mosque in Sevilla, Catholics repurposed the Giralda after capturing the city in 1248. It was modeled on the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, and symbolized both the power and piety of the Almohad Dynasty. After a series of architectural alterations and additions following the capture of Sevilla, the Giralda now stands as a symbol of Spain’s rich cultural heritage and its long, victorious struggle against Islamic rule on the Iberian Peninsula.

Taken on an unusually cloudy day in the summer of 2011, this photo details the upper third of the tower that was added during the sixteenth century.

Text and photo © A Painter of Modern Life (http://apainterofmodernlife.wordpress.com).

Twitter: www.twitter.com/apoml Facebook: www.facebook.com/APainterOfModernLife

If you’re new here, check out my first two entries in a series on photogenic Seville, which will be posted every Monday. If you’d like to participate with your photos from Spain and Seville, please send me an email at sunshineandsiestas @ gmail.com with your name, short description of the photo, and any bio or links directing you back to your own blog, Facebook page or twitter. Don’t forget to follow Sunshine and Siestas on its new Facebook page!

Filed Under: Andalucia, Architecture, El Centro, La Giralda, photo post, Sevilla Center, Seville, Seville Shots, Spain, tourism, travel photography · Tagged: Andalucia, Seville, travel photography

Seville Snapshots: The Battle of the Towers

June 11, 2012 by Cat Gaa · 9 Comments

My life has been lived next to rivers. Every home I’ve ever known has been in a city where the river runs through it, so it was no question I had to find a place blocks from the Guadalquivir when I moved to Seville. From the Triana side of the city, the commanding skyline had very few blips, just the spires of churches, the Giralda tower and the Torre del Oro, where gold was kept during the New World Exploration. Nowadays, the tower hosts a small naval museum (with free entrance every Tuesday) and is a reference point for the city.

But that may all change.

Further up river, the construction of the Torre Pelli has the UNESCO up in arms. In fact, this skyscraper will effectively change the city skyline the way the setas did a few years ago, and the organization is threatening to put Seville on their blacklist and strip the Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias of their world heritage status. During a visit in January, the organization effectively called for the construction to be halted, and even at only half its height, it makes a statement.

Do you think skyscrapers are right for Seville or small Spanish cities? Many thanks to Fiona for her insight via the Andalucía Blog!

If you’re new here, check out my first entry in a series on photogenic Seville, which will be posted every Monday. If you’d like to participate with your photos from Spain and Seville, please send me an email at sunshineandsiestas @ gmail.com with your name, short description of the photo, and any bio or links directing you back to your own blog, Facebook page or twitter. Don’t forget to follow Sunshine and Siestas on its new Facebook page!

Filed Under: Andalucia, Architecture, El Centro, la vida loca, photo post, Sevilla Center, Seville, Seville Shots, Spain, Torre Pelli · Tagged: Architecture, Seville

Dublin Doors

August 29, 2011 by Cat Gaa · 1 Comment

Way back four years ago, I made a list in a freshly-opened journal with an Old World Map on it. Underlining in black ink, the list read:

Places to Go This Year.

Ireland. Portugal. Morocco. the Netherlands. Germany.

For someone hellbent on traveling to 25 countries before a birthday of the same age, I had some work to do in just under three years. I scoured Internet travel agencies and budget airlines in search of my first destination, though I always knew what it would be. Given my reddish hair and blue eyes, freckles and being a softy for beer, the Emerald Isle, home to my father’s family, would get my well-saved travel dollars first, even if it was the most expensive.

My passport is now home to four green stamps, proclaiming my four trips to Eire, which include three in the last eight months. On each jaunt, I’m more enamored with Beef and Guinness pie, the Ha’penny Bridge over the River Liffey, fields exploding in bright green. And those doors! I spent an entire morning hunting out the most brightly colored amongst squat, brown brick buildings and the ever-present grey skies.