spain | eyewitness


southern charm


From the heady grandeur of Seville to the evocative serenity of Cordoba, David Whitley turns off the audio guide to feel his way around the Spanish province of Andalusia


THERE COMES A point when putting down the audio


guide and just marveling at the


surroundings becomes the smart option. Seville’s Alcazar is one such place. It’s a remarkable patchwork, put together by


various Spanish kings in occasionally jarring styles over the centuries. T e detail gets ever more extravagant. But nothing dampens the sense of wonder more than a droning voice in the ear, harping on about architectural detail in the driest way imaginable. T e star in this network of palaces is the


Palacio de Don Pedro, built when the money really started fl owing into Spain from the Americas. It’s a masterpiece of southern Spain’s distinctive Mudejar style, fi t for royalty both real and fi ctional — the Alcazar recently doubled as Prince Doran of Dorne’s palace in the fi fth series of Game Of T rones. Mixing Islamic and Spanish infl uences, it’s a


glorious blizzard of colorful tiles, complex plasterwork, keyhole-shaped arches and a wooden dome carved to look like the night sky. However, the history is as striking as the intricacy. Trade between the old world and the new was controlled from the Admiral’s Hall. It was also where Ferdinand Magellan planned the fi rst circumnavigation of the globe and Juan de la Cosa drew up the fi rst world map. Seville’s position as the monopolistic port city


for all the gold coming from the Americas made it the wealthiest in the world, and that shows in its cathedral. Back then, the city authorities wanted to build a church “so large, future generations will think we were mad”. On those terms, it’s an unequivocal success. It’s so huge, it feels almost empty inside. T ere’s just so much space lined with oppressive stone among the glittering chapels, enormous altarpiece and treasure-fi lled side rooms. Yet the crowds are gathered around one


Patio de las Doncellas, Alcazar


ludicrous, grandstanding tomb, which is raised in the air and carried by four statues. Inside, supposedly, are the remains of Christopher Columbus — although the evidence that it really is Columbus in there is patchy at best. 


fall 2015 | ASTAnetwork | 103


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