Seville: October 2007

In our last issue, Seven Days at Cortijo Romero, we caught up with Ray in southern Spain, where he participated in a personal development course and took a quick look at the Alhambra Palace in nearby Granada. 

In this issue, our guest correspondent Matt Adore picks up Ray's trail as he heads for Seville to see his good friend Dave Cox and explore the city that has become Dave's home. He then follows him for a whirlwind three day visit to Marrakech, in nearby Morocco.

The last time that Ray saw his friend Dave Cox was in December 2005. When we met in Seville, I asked him to tell me a little bit about their history together. "Dave is one of my favourite, long standing friends" beamed Ray. "I have known him since I was at school some 30 years ago. We have stayed in touch over the years, even though our life paths only crossed here and there for a long time" he explained.

"He came to join me in Thailand for a week over Christmas the year before last, at a time when he was considering a change in direction and that led to him setting up a new business in Seville" added Ray, "so I was really interested to find out how he was getting on with it" said our excited traveller. 

Above: Another day comes to an end as the sun sets over Europe and Africa. If you look to the left of the dark area, you will see Spain and nearby Morocco, which is separated by a narrow stretch of water barely visible from this distance

Below: Ray and David go back a long way - this is what Ray looked like when they first met, over thirty years ago!

Having recently undergone much needed ankle surgery, David's mobility has been severely restricted. "Because we keep in touch, I was aware of his condition before my arrival" said Ray, "so I knew he wouldn't be able to move around as much as he would normally" he told me.

David's newly formed company, Really Discover.... Seville, provides discerning visitors to the city with personalised authentic tours. "He is very proud of his business" said Ray. "We talked about the idea of doing it when we were in Thailand back in 2005 so it is very exciting and inspiring to see that he has actually followed through and brought it to life" he told me. "Luckily for David, he has a Spanish partner in the business who is an experienced city guide, which is very fortunate at this particular time while he is unable to walk around" said Ray.

Above: David (on crutches) has worked very hard to establish Really Discover.... Seville and it has paid off, with a regular stream of visitors that find out about their tours via the web site. "He always meets guests in person" says Ray. His partner Luis (standing on the right) invited Ray to join him and their guests that day for a walking tour of the city. "It was a great chance for me to explore Seville with Luis, who knows the place like the back of his hand" said our global traveller

Below: The magnificent cathedral in the centre of Seville is only a stones throw from the apartment where David lives and is a great base for a few days for our nomadic traveller - "He couldn't have picked a better spot" said Ray

Seville is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of Andalusia and of the province of Sevilla. Situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, it has an average elevation of seven metres (23 ft) above sea level. The population of the city was around 704,000as of 2006, ranking as the fourth largest metropolitan area of Spain.

Seville is more than two thousand years old. "The passage of the various people instrumental in its growth has left the place with a distinct personality, and a large and well-preserved historical centre" said Ray.

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Above: Map of Seville (circled) in Andalusia, southern Spain

The Seville Cathedral

The building of the cathedral was begun in 1402, with construction continuing into the 16th century. It is the largest of all Roman Catholic cathedrals (Saint Peter's Basilica not being a cathedral) and also the world's largest Medieval Gothic religious building, in terms of both area and volume. Its central nave rises to an awesome 42 metres and even the side chapels seem tall enough to contain an ordinary church. Its main altarpiece is considered the largest in the Christian world.

"The interior, with the longest nave in Spain, is lavishly decorated with a large quantity of gold evident" observed Ray. "In the main body of the cathedral, only the great box like structure of the coro stands out, filling the central portion of the nave. This opens onto the Capilla Mayor, dominated by a vast Gothic retablo of 45 carved scenes from the life of Christ" headded."Thelifetime'sworkofasingle craftsman, Pierre Dancart, this is the ultimate masterpiece of the cathedral - the largest and richest altarpiece in the world and one of the finest examples of Gothic woodcarving anywhere" said our well informed visitor.

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Above: "The largest and richest altarpiece in the world (left) was just breathtaking" said Ray, "and one of the finest examples of Gothic woodcarving anywhere - a vast retablo of 45 carved scenes from the life of Christ" he told me. On the right are the huge columns and the great box like structure of the coro

The Seville cathedral also has a large collection of religious jewelry items, paintings and sculptures, along with the tomb of Christopher Columbus. "It is widely accepted that he was actually born in the Republic of Genoa, now located in modern day Italy" said Ray. "If you look closely, you can see that the builders re-used some columns and elements from the Almohad Mosque, which had stood on the site previously, and most famously the Giralda,originally a minaret, was converted into a bell tower and was later topped with a statue representing Faith" added our traveller. 

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Above: The Giralda is the city's most famous symbol - "You can walk up the tower, but there are no stairs" said Ray. "Instead, smooth inclined ramps were used so that they could ride horses to the top" he told me

Below: The tomb of Christopher Columbus inside the cathedral

Really Discover.... Seville - Some Highlights

Ray was very fortunate to have been invited by experienced city guide Luis to accompany him on one of the company's excellent walking tours of the city. "The cathedral is great, but there is plenty more than that" said Ray, as he told me about the other places he had been taken to.

Above: The Hotel Alfonso XIII has served Royal families, heads of state and innumerable personalities from all over the world

The region's only five star hotel is the Hotel Alfonso XIII. "We discovered that it was commissioned by the King of Spain in 1928 to be Europe’s most luxurious hotel" said Ray. "On their web site, they say it embodies the tradition, hospitality, aesthetic genius and harmony of life that characterises Seville and having seen it, I would say it is very impressive. Ifyoulikeluxurybreaks,thisistheplace for you" he told me.

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Above: The courtyard restaurant at the Hotel Alfonso XIII

Below: Experienced guide Luis (centre) talks to Ray and the other guests on the tour about the hotel's history

Luis took Ray and the other guests to a building known locally as the "Old Tobacco Factory", although it has not been used for that purpose for over 50 years. "This beautiful building is now one of the main sites of the University of Seville" said Ray, "and also the setting for the very well known opera 'Carmen', by Bizet" he added. "In fact, Carmen was a worker in the tobacco factory" he told me.

Until 1953, the tobacco factory was the largest industrial building in Spain. A monopoly assured high income, which is reflected in the factory's architecture and surrounding gardens.

Above: Luis and his group stand outside the Old Tobacco Factory, which was constructed between 1728 and 1771 by Sebastián Van der Bocht. Over the main entrance, the triangular facade ends in a statue of La Fama (fame). This building houses four of the university's faculties: the School of Literature & Filology, the School of Geography & History, and the Law School

The Torre del Oro (Spanish for "Gold Tower") is a military watchtower built during the Almohad dynasty in order to control access to the city via the Guadalquivirriver. "Luis told us that the tower was built as part of the defensive works running from the Alcázar to the river" recalled Ray. "The tower may have received its name from the golden tiles which cover its dome and may have once adorned the rest of the tower.

Constructed in the first third of the 13th century, it has twelve sides, and from its base a chain would be stretched, underwater, across the river to another fort on the opposite shore, thereby preventing enemy ships from traveling upstream to the port of Seville" explained Ray. "The Castilian naval force commanded by Ramón de Bonifaz broke this defense, helping Ferdinand III of Castile capture Seville in 1248. The final and highest addition to the tower was made by Sebastián Van der Borcht in 1760" added our amateur historian.

Above: The impressive twelve sided Gold Tower, built in the 13th century

The tower served as a prison during the Middle Ages and as a secure enclosure for the protection, at times, of precious metals periodically brought by the fleet of the Indies, another possible origin for the tower's name. "This last naming theory was actually created by some guides to deceive tourists. In fact the tower has been called Torre del Oro since at least 1248, when Fernando III gave it to an italian namedNicolosodelaTorredelOro"Raytold me.

Above: The tower looks amazing by night

Today the tower is a naval museum, containing engravings, letters, models, instruments, and historic documents. The museum outlines the naval history of Seville and the importance of its river.

Much to Ray's surprise, Luis stopped to point out a statue of Mozart to the group. "It seems that this place was an inspiration to him and he spent time here composing some of his opera's, including Don Giovanni" he said. "I thought he must have written the 'Barber of Seville' here too, until I realised that he never composed it at all and it was actually written by Rossini!" he joked.

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Above: This statue honours Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who composed 'Don Giovanni' and other works in Seville

Below: This beautiful building is home to some of the Roman Catholic priests who live in the city

Above: The centre of Seville is full of amazing buildings and has just undergone a masive investment in a new tram system, soon to be launched

Below: If you look closely, you will notice that the ornate carvings on the building below gradually fade and stop altogether as you move your eye from left to right - "The project simply ran out of money when the city hit hard times so the decoration was never finished" said Ray. "This was yet another brilliant example of the way in which Luis at Really Discover.... Seville brought the place to life for us as we walked around" added our curious traveller

Having got much better acquainted with the city, Dave and Ray hit the streets to sample the local cuisine. "David knows Seville really well, especially the places that are really popular with the locals and do not generally attract tourists - what he calls the 'authentic' Spain" explained Ray. "So we went to some great little bars and Tapas restaurants, making my visit extra special" he told me.

Above: David took Ray to a very old backstreet bar/restaurant where virtually nothing has changed in the last 100 years, including David's jokes!

Below: A panoramic view of the old city, seen from the Giralda. "In the bottom right corner, on Calle Don Remondo (where David lives), you might spot a swimming pool on the roof of a small hotel" said Ray. "This doubles up as a roof terrace bar at night and has one of the best views of the cathedral in the entire city - a very well kept secret!" said our well infomed visitor

Above: "Buenos Dias Mum!" says David, as he takes his siesta and a break from the effort of moving around on crutches, before another night out with Ray and friends

Below: Really Discover.... Seville offer to take visitors around the city at night to sample some of the best, undiscovered Tapas bars in the world (left). "David does the Tapas evenings himself because he is able to translate the menu's for guests and knows the best things to choose" said Ray. "So we got to eat great food and meet some really interesting people from Australia and Hong Kong at the same time" said Ray, "and finished it off with by going to see some old style, local Flamenco dancing (right)

Cadiz

There is no doubt that Seville is a great place to visit. "I was very impressed" said Ray, as it has a wonderful blend of old world charm, with sufficient modern amenities and transport connections to make it accessible, not to mention the exceptionally attractive women!" he added. "But the one thing it does not have is a beach, so I decided to take the one and a half hour train journey to the coast for a day, to explore the city of Cadiz, as it has so much historic significance" Ray told me.

Above: Cadiz is on the coast (marked with the red dot), and after the extension to the AVE high speed train is complete, will only be 45 minutes away from Seville, potentially making it a property hotspot

Above: One of Cádiz's most famous landmarks is its cathedral - "It sits on the site of an older cathedral which burned down in 1596" said Ray. "The reconstruction, which was not started until 1776, was supervised by the architect Vicente Acero, who had also built the Granada Cathedral" he told me

Below: The cathedral entrance. This largely baroque-style building was built over a period of 116 years, and due to this drawn-out period of construction, underwent several major changes to its original design. It contains rococo elements and was finally completed in the neoclassical style. Its chapelshavemany paintings and relics from the old cathedral and monasteries from throughout Spain

Cadiz is a city and port. It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in western Europe, has been a principal home port of the Spanish Navy since the accession of the Spanish Bourbons in the 18thcentury.Its peculiar location at the end of a narrow peninsula protruding into the Bay of Cádiz lends added charm to this ancient city.

"In actuality, Cádiz is on an island which is separated from the mainland by a larger island, the Isla de Léon" explained Ray. "To reach the mainland from Cádiz, it is necessary to cross a narrow channel to the low-lying Isla de Léon, before crossing another narrow channel to the mainland. Isolated behind its high thick medieval walls on its improbable site in the middle of the bay, Cádiz, on approach from the sea, presents a dramatic and aesthetically appealing view" observed Ray.

Above: Cadiz has some wonderful and very accessible beaches

Above: Cadiz is the most ancient city still standing in Western Europe, no doubt due to its heavily fortified position on the coast, which made it virtually impregnable to attack from enemy naval vessels. "Standing in the ancient fort made me think of Sir Francis Drake, the Spanish Armada and lots of pirates" recalled Ray

Below: Ray always dreamed of being a pirate, and even attend pirate school in 1965 (left), but decided that the long months at sea were not that attractive as it meant missing his mum's cooking! The bombardment of Cadiz in 1634 by the Barbary Corsairs is depicted in this painting by Francisco de Zurburan (right)

Christopher Columbus sailed from Cádiz on his second and fourth voyages and the city later became the home port of the Spanish treasure fleet. Consequently, the city became a major target of Spain's enemies. "I found out that a raid by the Englishman, Sir Francis Drake in April 1587 occupied the harbour for three days, capturing six ships and destroying 31 others as well as a large quantity of stores. The attack delayed the sailing of the Spanish Armada by a year - luckily, it seems like the Spanish have forgotten about it now!" laughed Ray.

Above and below: Cadiz has really needed its fort for protection on several occassions

Despite its unique site, Cadiz is, in most respects, a typically Andalusian city with a wealth of attractive vistas and well-preserved historical landmarks. The older part of Cádiz, within the remnants of the city walls, is commonly referred to as the 'Old City'.

"It is characterized by the antiquity of its various quarters (barrios), among them El Populo, La Viña, and Santa Maria, which present a marked contrast to the newer areas of town" observed Ray. "While the Old City's street plan consists largely of narrow winding alleys connecting large plazas, newer areas of Cádiz typically have wide avenues and more modern buildings. In addition, the city is dotted by numerous parks where exotic plants, including giant trees supposedly brought to Spain by Columbus, flourish" he added.

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Above: Just like parts of Seville, Cadiz is a labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets

With a planned trip to the USA looming in a few days, our solo traveller decided to head for Marrakech in nearby Morocco. "There were a couple of programmes on the travel channel about Marrakech and it made me want to check it out" said Ray. "When I discovered I could fly there from Madrid for fifty quid, it was a 'no brainer' as it was so close" he added.

Above: Morroco is only a stones throw from Spain when you look at it on the map

With flights arranged, Ray set off for Madrid and hit an unforseen problem. "My flight was leaving Madrid Sunday afternoon, and there are regular high speed AVE trains from Seville - getting one on a Sunday morning should be no problem" he thought. "But it turned out that a rock concert was happening in Seville and thousands of people were coming in from Madrid on Saturday to see it, returning Sunday morning so every seat on every train was sold" added our frustrated traveller. "In the end, I decided to take the train on Saturday and spend a night in a backpackers hostel, which gave me a couple of hours in the city to take a look" he told me. 

Above: The railway station in Seville where Ray caught the AVE high speed train to Madrid - "it takes you over 600 kilometres in two and half hours - incredible!"

Above and below: Home for the night in Madrid was this little place called the 'MAD' hostel - "I have no idea what it stands for, and am assuming it has nothing to do with my state of mind" quipped Ray. Like more and more hostels these days, the facilities are pretty good, with lounges and wireless Internet (a must) included

Quickly inventing his own two hour walking tour, there was very little time to really see anything so Ray headed straight for the centre of town and a couple of it's major attractions. "The Royal Palace and the Cathedral were relatively close so I headed there first" he recalled.

Above: Dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena, the Neo-Gothic interior is uniquely modern, with chapels and statues of contemporary artists, in heretogeneous styles, from historical revivals to "pop-art" decor

Below: The Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace) is the official residence of King Juan Carlos and the Royal family. They do not actually reside in the palace, instead choosing the smaller PalaciodelaZarzuela,ontheoutskirtsof Madrid. However, the Palacio Real de Madrid is still used for state occasions

I met with Ray at his hostel to get his initial impressions of the city. "Although my visit here has been really short, I have seen enough to know that it would be great to come back and spend some more time here. The city is colourful, hectic and vibrant and that's just on a Sunday!" laughed Ray. "And it has an immense amount of character" added our traveller.

Above: A typical street in Madrid - "the city oozes character" said Ray

The last time Ray visited Morroco was in 1983. "I could not believe it was nearly 25 years ago" he told me. "Back then, I went on holiday with a large group of people and only made it as far as Tangiers, so going to Marrakech was doubly exciting as I had missed it the first time around" he told me.

Above: The last time Ray visited Morroco was in 1983. He sent us this snap from his personal holiday album, in the days when photographs were still printed on paper!

Below: Budget airlines have sprung up everywhere around the world, giving more and more people the chance to travel. Ray flew on Air Europa from Madrid - "without aggregators on the Internet, air travel would be much harder for me to research and book" said Ray

Above: Arrival at Marrakech airport. Fortunately for Ray, everything went smoothly with his journey, unlike the poor fellow in the rather amusing video clip below.....

TO VIEW VIDEO CLIP, CLICK HERE

Regular readers of The Daily Explorer will know that finding good quality accommodation at budget prices can be quite a challenge for Ray. "As I am travelling long term, I am trying to stretch my finances as far as possible" explained Ray. "Whilst it is hard to live on sixteen pounds a day in Europe, which was my budget in Asia, I try my best to stick as close as possible to it" he added. "So I was very pleased when I discovered a small hotel on the Internet, near the old town, for about twenty five pounds a night" said our happy traveller.

Above: There are some great places out there for budget travellers - "As I had slept on a couple of sofa beds and a floor in recent weeks, having a double bed for a couple of nights felt like real "luxury" to me, and with access to a swimming pool and free wireless Internet, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!" said Ray

Below: Marrakech is becoming more sophisticated as more foreign buyers move into the area - "This chic restaurant (left) is typical of the places you can find in the city and it transforms by night into a dark, bazaar like place with a terrific ambience" said Ray 

Marrakech, known as the "Red City" or "Al Hamra," has a population of around one million (2006) and is located in southwestern Morocco, in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. It is the third largest city in Morocco after Casablanca and Rabat. "One of the things that struck me was the diversity here" said Ray. "There is a very large international community consisting mainly of Europeans, especially French (estimated at over 10,000), Germans, Italians, English and Swiss" he told me.

Like many North African and Middle Eastern cities, Marrakech comprised both an old fortified city (the médina) and an adjacent modern city (called Gueliz). "Top of anyone's list of places to visit in Marrakech is likely to be the Medina" said Ray. "Anyone who has seen the Indiana Jones movies might remember the scene where Indie is confronted by a huge sabre wielding Arab who swings his blade menacingly in front of him, before Indie takes his pistol out and shoots him - well that was filmed here" Ray told me.

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Above: The old city is still surrounded by a wall - this is the entrance on Mohammed V, one of the main roads running through the city

Below: The Koutoubia Mosque is the largest mosque in Marrakech

Above: The architecture is very striking and quite different from the western style which Ray is more accustomed to

Below: There are many arched passageways that take you into the labyrinth of streets forming the 'souks'

Marrakech has the largest traditional market (souk) in Morocco A 'souk' is a highly fashioned caravan. "In modern standard Arabic, the term refers to marketsin both the physical and abstracteconomic sense e.g., an Arab would speak of the souq in the old city as well as the souq for oil" said Ray.

Above: The souks sell everything you can imagine - "it's like the early Arabic equivalent of e-Bay to me" joked Ray

Below: "There is a strong French influence in and around the city" observed Ray

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Above: Two of the many French people living in Marrakech are Sophie (left) and Eric (right) - "I met Sophie, who is a singer, at the Spa Samui in Thailand in November last year. It was great to see her and meet her partner Eric, and get a feel for the city from their perspective" said Ray

As well as the largest souk, Marrakech also has the busiest square in the entire continent of Africa, called the Djeema el Fna in Marrakech's medina quarter. "The square bustles with acrobats, story-tellers, watersellers, dancers and musicians by day and food stalls by night, becoming a huge open-air restaurant" observed Ray. "The place remains the main square of Marrakesh, used equally by locals and tourists" he told me. 

Above: Panoramic view of the huge Djeema el Fna. The origin of its name remains unknown. It means Assembly of the dead in Arabic, but as the word djemaa also means mosque in Arabic, it could also mean place of the vanished mosque, in reference to a destroyed Almoravid mosque

Below: The Djeema el Fna at night

"During the day it is predominantly occupied by orange juice stalls, youths with chained Barbary apes, water sellers in colourful costumes with traditional leather water-bags and brass cups, and snake charmers whoposeforphotographsfortourists"saidRay. "As the day progresses,the entertainments on offer change; the snake charmers depart and in the afternoon and evening the square becomes more crowded, with Chleuh dancing-boys (it would be against custom for girls to provide such an entertainment), story-tellers (telling their tales in Berber or Arabic, to an audience of appreciative locals), magicians, and peddlers of traditional medicines. As dark descends the square fills with dozens of food-stalls, and the crowds are at their height" explained Ray.

Above: The Medina at night is one of the liveliest places our traveller has been to and bombards the senses with a wonderful blend of tastes, smells, sounds and images - "The transformation between night and day is very dramatic" said Ray "and also very exciting as there is so much going on" he told me. "Having spent a whole day getting 'lost' in the souks, which seem to go on forever, I wanted to try some of the freshly cooked fish, vegetables and spices which you can eat at many of the stalls with the locals"

Below: "Take your time wandering around and choose a stall you fancy" advises Ray. "And don't panic - there are literally hundreds of them"

Above: Our traveller enjoys some of the local food and soaks up the incredibe atmosphere and character that makes Marrakech a very special place

Editors Note: Thanks Matt for another stunning set of pictures and for keeping us all up to speed with Ray's visit to your part of the world. In our next issue, which is due online in a couple of weeks, we will be reporting from the USA, about Ray's visit to New York. We are recruiting a new journalist to cover his trip and will release information to readers soon.

Before I sign off, I would like to congratulate two of our reades, Howard Taylor and Jacqui Gilmour in Sydney, Australia, who celebrated the birth of their son Austin James on 30th September. Best wishes to you all from everyone at The Daily Explorer!

MOZZIE BYTE

Above: A warm welcome to Austin James Taylor, in Sydney - our youngest Daily Explorer reader!

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