Marilyn's Odyssey: Sevilla

Well we are at our last destination of the tour. Sevilla is a beautiful city many of the streets and squares are lined with loaded bitter orange trees. They serve dual purpose as shade and beauty and the fruit is exported mostly to Britian for marmalade. We started our time here at the church of the Macarena where we had a most informative guide who taught us all about how the fraternities in his city work. One joins the fraternity of their local parish generally and they all celebrate in April which is Holy Week. Members contribute financially to the fraternity and the larger ones such as the one at Macarena are very weathly. The people of Sevilla go to their churches and worship statutes, primarily ones of Mary as they feel as a mother she is much more understanding of their issues. Money collected goes to keep the statutes well dressed and even well jeweled. The floats that they use during Holy Week also come from this money. These floats are nothing like what most of us think of when we go to parades and it is hard to even begin to imagine what they are worth. They are in display in the church museum and are used every year so was fascinating to see them up close.

In the afternoon we visited the Aalcazar which was originally a 10th century palace built for the Moorish but was taken over by the Christians and is still the Royal palace but most is open to the public. Like the Alhambra much of it is done in Muslim style with exquisite plaster designs everywhere. The difference is that here the colors in the plaster have been well preserved giving it a beauty of its own. Some of the rooms in the palace are done in tile motifs which are fascinating. The Alcazar also has extensive gardens for all to enjoy.

In the evening we went to a small flamenco show which was quite enjoyable. The dancers have amazing foot and hand motion which is amazing to watch. Our last big tour was of the Santa Maria de la Sede which due to its high ceilings is the biggest volume cathedral in the world. A mosque previously stood on the site which was torn down in 1401 and the cathedral built over the next 120 years. The church itself is beautiful with one of the highlights being the tomb of Christopher Columbus right in front of the main entrance. The art work and relics are amazing and they even claim to have one of the thorns from the crown of thorns worn at the crucifixion housed in a beautiful silver receptacle. One can climb the bell tower and the views were the reward for the effort. Eric and I spent a fair bit of extra time wandering around and admiring all that this cathedral has to offer. After a tapas lunch outside in the wonderful sunshine and a stroll through part of town it was time to return to the hotel to get ready for our farewell dinner with the group followed by horse carriage rides around town.

This oddysey has been amazing. I have loved every minute of my time on the Camino, in France and exploring this wonderful country of Spain but I am ready and excited to be going home. I have missed our family and friends and cannot wait to see our precious grandchildren. Now Eric and I will have the fun of deciding on and planning our next adventure.