Please see the link below for a slideshow of my pictures. 👇
Wednesday was wall to wall sunshine when I awoke. The streets around the cathedral were quiet so it was easy to find a somewhere for breakfast. Casa Funes, a tapas bar on Calle Mateos Gago, delivered scrambled egg with cheese together with a pot of tea. The food was paid for and we turn headed to our first port of call, the Real Alcázar. I do recommend booking entrance tickets in advance (www.alcazarsevilla.org), as a big queue was already building up when we arrived for our 10am slot. The Alcázar is a fortress-palace that has over a thousand years of history. Building first started by Moroccan invaders in the year 712, and has been occupied by Muslim and Christian rulers. It is useful to pick up one of the simple maps of the site as there is a lot that you could easily miss, unless you go with a guide. There are beautiful rooms decorated in different styles due to the many rulers who have built onto the original site. Much of our time was spent in the beautiful gardens. Here you will find that there are different styles of garden, such as the Jardin de Marqués de La Vega Inclán (French) and the Jardin Inglés (English). Parrots, peacocks and a pond of carp are a few of the residents there.
The Santa Cruz area (near the cathedral) was getting busy with people so it was decided to head west towards the river, the canal de Alfonso XIII. We saw a 13th century medieval watchtower, the Torre del Oro, meaning the Tower of Gold. It can be accessed for €3 but we skipped this. It has previously been used as a chapel and prison.
It was a beautiful day to walk across the Puente de San Telmo into the Triano Quarter (Barrio Triana). The walk down the riverside was quiet before we arrived at Triana, which was buzzing. This was mainly due to the number of visitors who were here for Semana Santa (Holy Week). We passed the Los Marineros Chapel where people were queuing to pay their respects.
We stopped for a beer at Taberna el Papelon on Calle Reyes and the waiter cleverly upsold us some iberico meats and cheeses, with bread and breadsticks. By this point it was lunchtime so we said yes. The bill came as a bit of a shock as the platter was €28, which I suppose is the price you pay for a tourist area, even though the beer is still far cheaper than the UK. After a stop at a bodega, we headed back over the Puente de Isabel II (Puente de Triana), an iconic 19th century arch bridge.
Back in the Santa Cruz area, the smell of incense was everywhere. It was very busy with people so if you do not like crowds it is best to avoid Seville during Semana Santa. It attracts over a million people during this week of the most holy of celebrations. During Semana Santa, the different churches take part in daily processions to celebrate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. In each procession are up to three pasos which are made of wood, wax and wire. They are decorated in gold or silver (dedicated to Passion or the Virgin Mary respectively). The organisation of the carrying of the pasos is done by different religious brotherhoods. Their members follow the pasos dressed in long robes and “capirotes”, with tall pointed hoods with just eye holes to see. The capirotes were designed so the faithful could repent their sins without being recognised.
The area around the Ayuntamiento (town hall) came to a standstill whilst these processions took place. It is very well organised and definitely worth seeing but extremely busy.
Once we’d escaped the crowds we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and then went for a quick drink in Cervecería Giralda. This was a busy bar but wine was cheap. Our next stop was the Restaurante San Marco Santa Cruz. It is a restaurant located in an old and preserved Arab baths from the 12th century. The cuisine is Mediterranean with a good choice of starters, mains and desserts. Three courses for two, plus a bottle of wine, cost just short of €80. This place is well worth a visit.
On leaving the restaurant we ended up in the thrall of the crowds still witnessing the Semana Santa processions. Some of these are timetabled to end in the early hours of the morning, so last more than 12 hours. We saw other men in vest tops and wearing a turban style headdress with padding. We realised that they must be the ones who had been carrying the pasos. It was good to get up close to see the pasos and brotherhoods in their full glory. A great end to the day.
jctraveller 
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