Sept. 20 (Seville)

Seville has acres and acres of balconies with iron grillwork (on them, you can imagine a seņorita with a rose clenched in her teeth) even more secluded courtyards guarded by iron grillwork gates; more and better flamenco nightclubs than anywhere else in Spain; a magnificent, medieval, gothic cathedral (third largest in Europe); large communities of dark-eyed gypsies looking like Carmen and her cohorts; the actual cigarette factory that supposedly inspired the plot of Carmen; the most magnificent bullfighting ring in Spain (18th century in age); the exotic Alcazar palace; Barrio Santa Cruz, a long, narrow, alley-like shopping street with luxurious stores; a sprawling "old town" where the streets are just as alley-like and winding; and a feria de Abril (carnival) of three and four weeks' duration starting just after Easter Sunday, which fully compares with similar celebrations in Rio and New Orleans; the home of famous and legendary "Don Juan" who started to conquer the hearts of women across all Europe. From Seville, the Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci embarked on his voyage of discovery to what became known after him as North America and South America, (Columbus started from a port close to Seville to discover a new world). And it was from Seville as well that the Portuguese captain Fernando Magellan began the first circumnavigation of the world. Seville is also the only inland city of Spain to have access to the ocean via a river--the broad Guadalquivir--that runs through it. That physical feature gave it a "Golden Age" in the 16th century, when riches of the New World (America) poured into the Old World through the port of Seville.

As a rather superfluous bonus, it has districts of dwellings in the Mudejar style that mixes Gothic and Arabic (or Moorish) designs. Seville was ruled by the Muslims from the 8th to the 13th centuries and bears many marks of that era.

The immense, 14th-through-18th-century Cathedral and the nearby Giralda Tower are the two major landmarks; Columbus is thought to be buried in the Tower. An eerie collection of skulls in the Cathedral's treasury may not be to everyone's taste, but the stained-glass windows (15th century) are a universally admired masterwork. It is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having an area greater than any other in the world. This immense structure is primarily Gothic, though the work done after its central dome collapsed in 1511 was mostly in Renaissance style. As for the Tower, built as a minaret in the 12th century, it can be climbed via a ramp, and from the top--300 feet up--you can see all over town.

The Reales Alcazar, a few blocks from the Cathedral, is a Royal Palace built in the 14th century, and the later home of Isabella and Ferdinand, who financed Columbus' travels. The lavishly furnished and decorated palace, with its 52-column patio and terraced garden of exotic plants, all in Mudejar style (Arabic/Gothic), is exceeded in fame and critical appraisal only by the Alhambra in Granada.

The old district Barrio Santa Cruz is located mostly on what was once the old Jewish quarter. The best way of getting to know it is by visiting it with its narrow streets that form a real labyrinth where it is easy to get lost. This now has turn into a fashionable neighborhood, with chic shops and rustic restaurants. It is here, you can see many traditional Andalusian homes. Open-work, wrought-iron gates mark the entrance porch and iron gratings the windows. A square inner courtyard, cool and inviting with its abundant greenery, dado of Moorish tiles and central fountain is covered with an awning in the summer and used as the living-room.

That evening, I had a chance to visit Tablao Flamenco El Arenal. Flamenco has roots in "la tona", which comes from the Byzantine liturgical music that was adopted by the church in Spain in the 11th century. During the centuries of Moslem influence, and especially when the Moors and gypsies were persecuted by the Catholic Monarchs, flamenco was impregnated by feelings, expressions of tragedy, desperation and betrayal. I've heard flamenco recordings in my life, but I was not prepared for the subtlety of real-life flamenco rhythms, the beat or compas, of the music. Four pairs of clapping hands create fluid, overlapping, percussive textures. Add a pair of dancer's feet, and the listener is lost inside the rythym. If there were a kind of music reflecting the feelings of the Andalusians, it would be without any doubt the flamenco music. A CD by Paco de Lucia, the country's top flamenco guitarist was worth a souvenir.

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