Sevilla Spain!

I know, I know, you are all shocked and stunned that I am actually writing a blog update.  I seem to only get around to it once a year, so actually, I am ahead of schedule!

Gary and I are in SPAIN!!  Yes, after trying for the last 34 years to get back to Spain Gary was finally able to do it.  He served his mission in Southern Spain from 1976-1978 and we have wanted to visit Spain for years, but everyday life kind of took over...

We started out in Seville.  Gorgeous, spectacular Seville!  We stayed in a renovated 16th century hotel, and it was fun.  It was located right in the middle of Seville, near all of the major sights that we wanted to see so we were able to just walk everywhere.

  

We started  out by walking through the streets of Sevilla in search of Gary's first apartment building. as a missionary in the area.  Now, bear in mind that Sevilla is a city of around 800,000 and very similar to San Francisco in design - lots of hills and crazy streets shooting off in different directions, and Google maps wasn't a lot of help, so we headed in the general direction of where we though it might be, asked a few locals along the way, and next thing we know we turned a corner and Gary recognized exactly where we were!

We also found the Murallas, or original defensive walls of the city of Seville, which date back to the early 1100's and were built by the Moors.  Very cool.

On our way back to central Sevilla we bumped into the Basílica de La Macarena, where the Macarena de la Esperanza has her permanent home.  Unfortunately, we were there during the middle of the day and the Basilica was closed so we didn't get the see the statue...

 But that doesn't mean you can't!  Here is an image of what she looks like.  Several years ago the residents of Sevilla and the patrons of the parish raised funds for new clothes for The Macarena. (apparently she was getting pretty shabby) so she now rocks a wardrobe of gold woven lace and lavish silk, velvet etc worth over $100,000.  She also has diamond and crystal tears and other precious jewels woven through her outfit and her headpiece.  The entire ensemble is worth millions.  During Holy Week in Sevilla she is carried through the streets of the city on the shoulders of the people.  She is very highly revered and is considered a blessing to the city.

After our jaunt through the holier regions of the city we headed to the Plaza de Espana, which was built for the Ibero-American Exposition World Fair in 1929.  The building was used as a location in the Star Wars movie series — Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) — in which it featured in exterior shots of the City of Theed on the Planet Naboo.

The towers at the Plaza de Espana were amazing!  I want to live in one.

The Plaza de Espana has a central arced courtyard with mosaic tiled alcoves, each representing a different province of Spain.

 There is also a huge gorgeous fountain in the center of the plaza.

After the Plaza de Espana we then went to the Giralda Tower, a former Moorish minaret that was converted to a bell tower for the Cathedral of Seville. Which, along with the Cathedral, was closed for a special ceremony. Of course it was.  Just our luck!

But we still got some great photos of the outside!  Huge cathedral, absolutely gorgeous architecture!

 The plaza area in front of the cathedral was really gorgeous as well.  Just LOVE the architecture!  Amazing buildings with lots of details, exquisitely maintained, and I swear there are three or four restaurants in every plaza!  Just love it that

 

On the way back to our hotel we happened upon a LUSH cosmetics shop!  A little taste of home!