For the final day on our brief visit to Sevilla, here’s another Glimpses of the World photo, which shows a panoramic view of the beautiful city:
.
.
The book’s caption for this photo reads: “From the summit of the old Moorish spire, the Giralda [the tall spire in the photo above, originally a minaret and now the cathedral’s bell tower], the view of Sevilla is one of exquisite beauty. Clasping it in beauty, like a silver girdle, is that stately river, whose Moorish name (the Guadalquiver) sounds, even when pronounced in English, like a strain of music. It is a very ancient city, famous for distinguished men, lovely women, palm trees and orange groves, charming courtyards, fine churches, and many rare paintings by Murillo and Velasquez. From Sevilla two of the most celebrated Roman emperors, Hadrian and Trajan, went forth to wear the imperial purple of the world. Here the gifted Moors reigned for many centuries in splendor. Each house in Sevilla, however plain its exterior may be, will have its pretty courtyard paved with marble and enclosed by walls enameled with glazed tiles. In these charming patios occur in the soft delightful evenings of Sevilla the little informal social parties, which render a residence here agreeable. A few modern squares are to be found here, but it is often unpleasant to cross their broad expanse of fiery sunlight, and the narrow, Moorish streets, into which the sun only fully enters for an hour at noon, seem better suited to its climate.”
.
From among the many photos I took in Sevilla in 2010 here, first, is one of the Giralda and a bit of the city’s massive cathedral.
.
.
And as you can see here, the view from the Giralda (the first photo is from one of the windows on the climb up the tower, and the other two are from the top) is still one of “exquisite beauty,” as our book’s authors claimed 120 years ago.
.
.
.
.
In this photo, the complex with the crenellated wall is the Real Alcázar, which we peered inside in yesterday’s post.
The Slower Road 