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Travel guide to Seville, southern
Spain with
useful information for visitors and local residents alike. Make
the most of your time in Fuengirola with our information on travel,
tours, sightseeing, hotels, and holidays. Wherever possible and
appropriate we try to give you exact GPS coordinates of the
places mentioned. You will also find links to online maps. |
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All photos on this website by
Jack Cox -
Travel & Nature Photographer -
Assignments welcome |
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Let's Discover
Sevilla (Seville)
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I first visited Seville
(Sevilla in Spanish) in May 2010. I had passed through before,
on my way to Huelva, and only seen the industrial estate so I
was completely overwhelmed and delighted by the beauty of this historic
city. I was on a coach trip which took the pressure off and I
was with a group of very good photographic friends which
enriched the weekend even more.
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The city of Seville is the capital of the autonomous region of Andalucia and of the province of Seville.
The inhabitants of Seville are called 'Sevillanos' (the feminine form being 'Sevillanas'). Interestingly, 'Sevillanas' is also the name given to a form of folk dancing similar
to flamenco. For the technically minded it lies approximately 37.39
degrees north and -5.98 degrees west. |
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The city if Seville is situated on the plain of the Guadalquivir River
which is the second longest river in Spain and the longest in
Andalucia. The Rio Guadalquivir is 657 kilometers long and drains an area of about 58,000 square kilometers. It
bubbles out of the ground at Cañada de las Fuentes in the Cazorla mountain range
in the province of Jaén. On its way to the sea it passes through Córdoba
before appearing here at Seville. It then touches the borders of
Doñana National Park reserve before finally flowing into the Gulf of Cádiz
at Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The Guadalquivir river is the only great navigable river in Spain. Currently it is navigable to Seville, but in Roman times it was navigable to Córdoba. |
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Seville has a Mediterranean climate The annual average temperature is 18.6 °C
, which makes this city one of the warmest in Europe. Winters are mild: January is the
usually coolest month, with average maximum temperatures of 15.9 °C and minimum of 5.2 °C.
Summers are much warmer. July is the usually the warmest month with
an average maximum temperatures of 35.3 °C and minimum temperatures of 19.4 °C.
Every year the temperature exceeds 40 °C on occasions. Precipitation varies from 600 to 800 mm per year, concentrated in the period October to April. December is the wettest month, with an average rainfall of 95
mm. On average there are 52 days of rain, 120.75 days of sun and four days of frost per year. |
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Seville festivals include Semana Santa (Holy Week or Easter) and the Seville Fair, La Feria de Sevilla.
There is also an April Fair ( Feria de Abril). Seville is internationally renowned for the solemn but beautiful processions during Holy Week and the colourful and lively fair held two weeks after. During Feria, families, businesses and
organisations set up casetas, marquees, in which they spend the week dancing, drinking, and socializing. Traditionally, women wear elaborate flamenco dresses and men dress in their best suits. The marquees are set up on a permanent fairground. |
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Seville is a famous centre for gastronomy. Its cuisine is based on the products of the surrounding provinces, including seafood from Cádiz, olive oil from Jaén, and sherry from Jerez de la
Frontera. The tapas scene is one of the main cultural attractions of the
city. People go from one bar to another enjoying small dishes called tapas (literally "lids" or "covers" in Spanish, referring to their probable origin as snacks served in small plates used to cover drinks.)
Local specialties include fried and grilled seafood (including squid, cuttlefish, swordfish and dogfish), grilled meats in sauces, spinach and chickpeas, Andalusian ham
(Jamón ibérico), lamb's kidneys in a sherry sauce, snails, and gazpacho. |
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Typical sweet cakes of this province are polvorones and mantecados from the town of
Estepa, a kind of shortcake made with almonds, sugar and lard; Pestiños, a honey-coated sweet fritter;
Torrijas, fried slices of bread with honey; Roscos fritos, deep-fried sugar-coated ring doughnuts; magdalenas or fairy cakes; yemas de San
Leandro, which provide the city's convents with a source of revenue, and Tortas de
aceite, a thin sugar-coated cake made with olive oil. Except for polvorones and
mantecados, which are traditional Christmas products, all of these are consumed throughout the year. |
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Seville oranges are great for marmalade but too bitter for
eating raw. They are commonly used to make marmalade and
lotions. According to legend, the trees were imported when the mosque was constructed in order to provide shade and mask the scent of the medieval city. However, many tourists insist on trying the oranges which taste like sour lemons. |
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Things to see:
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Seville Cathedral
(GPS: 37.385 north, -5.993 west) - The Cathedral of Seville
was built from 1401–1519 after the so-called 'Reconquista' on the former
site of the city's mosque. It is amongst the largest of all
medieval and Gothic cathedrals in terms of both area and volume.
The interior is the longest nave in Spain, and is lavishly
decorated, with a large quantity of gold evident. The Cathedral
reused some columns and elements from the mosque, and, most
famously, the Giralda, originally a minaret, was converted into a
bell tower. It is topped with a statue, known locally as El
Giraldillo, representing Faith. The tower's interior was built
with ramps rather than stairs, to allow the Muezzin and others to
ride on horseback to the top. |
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The Alcázar (GPS:
37.384 north, -5.992 west) faces the cathedral
and has developed from the city's old Moorish Palace; construction was begun in 1181 and continued for over 500 years, mainly in Mudéjar style, but also in Renaissance. Its gardens are a blend of Moorish, Andalusian, and Christian traditions. |
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The Torre del Oro or Golden Tower (GPS: 37.382 north,
-5.996 west) stands on the north bank
of the Rio Guadalquivir.It was built by the Almohad dynasty as a watchtower and defensive barrier. A chain was strung
from the base of the tower, through the water to the opposite
bank, to prevent unauthorised boats from entering the river port. |
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Seville Town Hall was built in the 16th century in high Plateresque style by master architect Diego de Riaño. The Facade to Plaza Nueva was built in the 19th century in Neoclassical style. |
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The University of Seville is housed in the original site of the first tobacco factory in Europe, La Antigua Fábrica de Tabacos, a vast 18th century building in Baroque style and the purported inspiration for the opera Carmen.
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The Plaza de España (GPS: 37.378 north, -5.987 west), in Maria Luisa Park (Parque de Maria
Luisa), built in 1929, is an outstanding example of Regionalist Revival Architecture, a bizarre and lofty mixture of diverse historic styles, such as Art Deco and Neo-Mudéjar and lavishly ornamented with typical glazed
tiles. |
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Monument to Ferdinand and Isabella (GPS:
37.384 north, -5.988 west), Christopher Columbus ( 1451 – 1506) was an Italian
navigator and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to
a more general European awareness of the American continents. Of
course Christopher Columbus is just the anglicised version of his
name. The Spanish call him Crostóbal Columbo. He probably
called himself Christophorus Columbus. Why people try to translate
names I will never understand. My name is Jack Cox weather I
am in Britain, Spain or Timbuktu! Anyway whatever you want to call
him, he made four voyages of exploration and several attempts at establishing a settlement on the island of Hispaniola.
All this was funded by Ferdinand 1of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile,
(now Spain). This monument is in recognition of all that. He most certainly
did not discover America. There were already civilizations
living there before he was even born. We know for a fact that the Vikings
had a settlement there and the Celts may well have made it accords
too. The biggest migration in ancient times was probably from
South East Asia. What we are supposed to call 'Native Americans'
these days (as opposed to 'Indians') are no more native than
the people who followed Columbus, they just got there earlier. Genetically
they probably have a mixture of Asian and Norse blood.
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Statue in honour of the fictitious character
Don Juan (GPS: 37.385 north, -5.988 west), Don Juan
is known as Don Giovanni in Italian. This story has been told many times by many
writers over the years.The orriginal may well have been "El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra" (The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest) by Tirso de Molina,
which is set in the 14th century. Better known today are Molière's play Dom Juan ou le Festin de pierre (1665), Byron's epic poem Don Juan (1821), José de Espronceda's poem El estudiante de Salamanca (1840) and José Zorrilla's play Don Juan Tenorio (1844).And
let's not forget Mozart's opera, Don Giovanni. |
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Recommended Reading
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Rapid
Spanish: Volume 1 |
Rapid
Spanish: Volume 2 |
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| Audio course |
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by Earworms
Learning |
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Photographs
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Download
full sized professional travel images of Fuengirola |
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Some Useful Links
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Travel Pics Pro - -
www.travelpicspro.com
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Photos of Spain -
www.photos-of-spain.com
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Hot Costa
- The Costas of Spain - Find maps and information about places
in Spain with our Spanish town locator. Many of the towns that
you find there will have their own interactive map -
http://www.hotcosta.com |
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All Spain
Accommodation -
www.allspainaccommodation.com
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Barranco Blanco - nature wonderland near Alhaurín el Grande
in Southern Spain close to Fuengirola |
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World Travel Guide- Placesonline.com guides to places and
countries with information about maps, holidays, pictures,
hotels, car rentals, flights and much more -
www.placesonline.com
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Businesses in Fuengirola -
http://www.hotcosta.com/Fuengirola.links |
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