We have spent only 24 hours in Sevilla, Spain, but
those of you who know me well know that won’t stop me from going ahead and
making some potentially judgmental observations about this city. As noted in my title, it is a city of
contrasts. As the fourth largest city in
Spain (with a municipal population of about a quarter million and a
metropolitan population of about 2 million), there are lots of people living
within a relatively small area. Consequently,
Sevilla prides itself on being the “greenest city in Spain.” As a result, we
see these enormous recycle bins all over the sidewalks. Interestingly, though, garbage cans are far
more challenging to find.
Sevilla does a beautiful job of celebrating its
historical buildings – the Cathedral of St. Mary (which has been under
construction and/or restoration for centuries) and the Alcázar (a one-time Moorish palace that dates
back to the 12th century), but some of the vintage buildings have
graffiti all over them. Weird.
The city has embraced the modern world, and it seems
to be building some gorgeous new buildings using cutting-edge modern architecture,
and yet Sevilla’s Roman heritage in evident in the Roman ruins that can still
stand all over town. Another area where
the city’s contrasts are evident is the traffic. Drivers generally seem polite, especially with
tourists who occasionally cross the street outside of the crosswalks. Drivers will stop for pedestrians without
honking at them. That said, however,
what we have noticed multiples times is that many drivers blatantly ignore
traffic lights. So, when we get ready to
cross the street the light tells us that we can, we still have to look and make
sure that no small trucks or cars are barreling through the light. Yikes!
Anyway, despite the fact that the temperature was
99-degrees yesterday, and it promises to be as hot today, everyone is
well. I promise to write more later
about what we have done. I also promise
to post some pictures. Just too much to
do right now.
Joanie
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