Tour de la Catedral Sevilla : Tour of the Sevillan Cathedral

Fun-day Thursdays! We only have 2 hours of class then have guided tours around three big monuments in Sevilla. I am excited for the next two- today's was just the Cathedral, which I already have so many pictures of because I walk past it about 6 times a day. Either way, I learned a bunch more about it which was not a waste of time.

It is the largest Catholic Church in the whole world. That's a big place. It is the third largest Christian church in the world.

It was orginally actually a mosque, built in 1148, when the Arabs ruled the Iberian Peninsula, but when the Catholics took over, they extended it and obviously changed its religious affiliation. However, it does still have Arabic influence and script throughout the old part of the building. Look at them, respecting each other.

It became a Cathedral after King Franco (II or III- can't remember, but when it comes down to it, does it truly matter?). He and his two wives are buried in it. He is not the only one buried though, the tomb of Christopher Columbus is also in the building. Here in Sevilla, they love Columbus because he was the one who put Sevilla on the map. After he "discovered" the Americas, he killed a bunch of Indians and tortured a lot of people, he made Sevilla the major port for all commercialized goods heading towards the Americas. This kick started their economy and brought it what it is today... (a country with 27% unemployment). Enough of my cynicism I suppose- it is all in good humor.

Tomb de Cristobal Colon:

They also had encased there, the first flag unifying Spain. That flag is over three hundred years old- older than our country. 

After that, we climbed up the 35 story ramp, which has only one flight of stairs. Had I known it was 35 stories from the get-go, I may not have started the climb. I thought it would be 10 stories. and the ramp just kept going. Either way- we got a great view of the city, I saw the Plaza de Torros (where the bulls fight) and some of the other Plazas that I hear about all the time. I have also posted a picture of the organ- it is HUGE.

While I am not Catholic, it was very cool to see the Cathedral and admire all the detailing. Learning the history behind the building gave me insight into Spanish culture and the country's history. It is hard to explain just how BIG it is.

In Spain- they drink A LOT of beer and even more wine. We learned that it is now encased in their culture because in the olden times, they couldn't drink the water, so the only safe thing to drink was beer or wine. Even for children- they would water down the wine in hopes the alcohol would kill the bacteria in the water. Alexander the Great actually died from water poisoning- confirming their belief to always choose the wine. It is a tradition many college students carry with them to this day- even after all these years.

After swimming some laps, I decided to meet some friends in the Centro where we enjoyed some tinto de verano and tapas. I love tapas- they are the perfect size, you can eat more than one, or just one, but they are real meals, not like chips and dip. Yesterday we went to a place with bocadillos (mini sandwiches) and they all cost 1 euro. They were like mini jimmy johns subs- but like 1 x 4 inches. 

Hard to believe I left a week ago, I am getting to know the city and don't take my map with me when I go out. I was so lost those first days it was ridiculous. I have met some really cool folk and can't wait for this weekend when we take a boat to Portugal to go to two different beaches!