Travel to España Sevilla part V (Italica)

Before leaving Sevilla, we heard about this amazing Roman ruin just outside of the city. First you might ask, why would there be Roman ruins in Spain? Well, Spain is quite similar to most of Europe in that it's been colonized and settled by several different ethnic and cultural groups throughout it's long history. Similarly, Spain is unique in that it has integrated and sustained the legacy of its previous inhabitants. Italica then stands as a stamp, an undying tribute to Roman history in Spain
"Italica was founded in the year 206BC by General Publius Cornelius Scipio as a place of settlement for soldiers wounded in the battle of Illipa. It also served as an important military outpost. The name Italica gave reference to the first settlers who came from Italy."
Though we arrived to find that all the English pamphlets were gone, we found some locals and other visitors who could speak enough English to explain a little bit more about the place. Italica retained a fully intact amphitheater where you could walk the path of the gladiators on their way to the ring. You could sit where Roman emperors sat, waiting for the next show. Though it wasn't a huge town, it was a luxurious one. People told us that it was almost like a resort for wounded soldiers, complete with lush manors and Roman baths. Romans used to build their buildings that take into account the changing angles of the sun, cultivating different temperatures at different times of the day. There were beautiful mosaic tiles at the bottom of bathhouse floors with gorgeous depictions of Roman gods like Poseidon and water nymphs. Though it felt like a desert with the heat and the dry barren ruins, it still held a sense of luxury and magnificence. A great day trip that is less than an hour away from the bustling city of Sevilla.

Travel to España Sevilla part IV

Sevilla is also Spain's second most important center for bullfighting , after Madrid. Its elegance, charm, and wealth are mostly based on food processing, shipbuilding, construction and a thriving tourist industry. The total refurbishment of the infrastructure boosted by the 1992 Expo.
The April Fair is particularly raucous, with flamenco dancers in colorful folk costumes lining the streets and daily bullfighting competitions. The fictional spirits of Carmen and Don Juan, who originated in Seville, are invoked for delirious fair-goers.

Outside Feria week, flamenco music is hard to find in Sevilla, with most venues offering tacky "shows" instead of the real thing. La Carbonería is an exception - a quirky bar north of Santa Cruz church which hosts sessions by local gypsy musicians most night of the week.

La marcha Nightlife in Sevilla, known for good reason as la marcha (marching), usually means an interminable tapas-bar crawl around Santa Cruz, followed by a session in a nightclub and a mass get-together at dawn in the Plaza San Salvador. Not for the fainthearted.

Travel to España Sevilla part IV

Sevilla was founded by Hercules and its origins are linked with the Tartessian civilization. It was called Hispalis under the Romans and Isbiliya with the Moors. Its high point in its history was following the discovery of America.
Sevilla lies on the banks of the Guadalquivir and is one of the largest historical centers in Europe, it has the minaret of La Giralda, the cathedral and the Alcázar Palace. This was the most amazing palace built that I have ever seen and is part of the treasure include Casa de Pilatos, Torre del Oro, the Town Hall, Archive of the Indies (where the historical records of the American continent are kept), the Fine Arts Museum, plus convents, parish churches and palaces.Chief among Seville's wonders is the Alcázar, where Seville rulers have wielded their power from the time of the Romans. The Alcázar used to be merely a palace, albeit a huge one enlarged to feed the sensual needs of ruler al-Mu'tadid, who needed space to house his harem of eight hundred women and to hold his grisly garden of flowers planted in the skulls of his enemies.
For all its important monuments and fascinating history, while the Sevillians are known for their wit and sparkle, the city itself is striking for its vitality. It is the largest town in Southern Spain, the city of Carmen, Don Juan and Figaro.

Travel to España Sevilla part III

After two days in Malaga we continue our journey to Sevilla "Seville," wrote Byron, "is a pleasant city, famous for oranges and women." And for its heat, he might perhaps have added, since SEVILLA 's summers are intense and start early, in May. But the spirit, for all its nineteenth-century chauvinism, is about right. Sevilla has three important monuments and an illustrious history, but what it's essentially famous for is its own living self - the greatest city of the Spanish south, of Carmen, Don Juan and Figaro, and the archetype of Andalucian promise. This reputation for gaiety and brilliance, for theatricality and intensity of life, does seem deserved. It's expressed on a phenomenally grand scale at the city's two great festivals - Semana Santa (in the week before Easter) and the Feria de Abril (which starts two weeks after Easter Sunday and lasts a week). Either is worth considerable effort to get to.
The restaurants offer a great variety of meals so tasty that you have to experience yourself to believe it. Get adventurous and take the trip, after all you deserve it. But Seville has other attractions without such grand history. Two great festivals set the population afire each year: the Semana Santa, during the week before Easter, and the April Fair, which lasts a week at the end of the month. The April Fair is particularly raucous, with flamenco dancers in colorful folk costumes lining the streets and daily bullfighting competitions. The fictional spirits of Carmen and Don Juan, who originated in Seville, are invoked for delirious fair-goers.

Travel to Spain (España) part II

You can easily leave the Roman Amphitheater to visit the Muslim fortress the Alcazaba, admire the splendid renaissance cathedral and then submerge yourself in the lively atmosphere of the nearby streets. You can see the city on foot, in a horse-drawn carriage or with the Malaga tour bus.
We went to a a park besides the Alcazaba and there were tables ready to be served with Tapas especial tasty food from the region. What a delightful treat.
You can really get an impression of the essence of Malaga during it’s many ‘fiestas’. Between all the festivities that take place in the city, the Semana Santa (Holy Week, in April) and the Feria (around the 19th of August) are probably the most important. From May until June there is the Fiesta de las Cruces, the Feast of Los Patronos San Ciríaco, Santa Paula and the Noche de San Juan. In July there is the Fiesta of the Virgen del Carmen.
As for the city’s beaches you can find anything from steep cliffs and small coves towards the East, to the very central, famous Malagueta beach (the Paseo Marítimo Picasso) to endless sandy beaches to the West.

Travel to España part II

Our travel to began at Malaga located in the south of Spain is on the Mediterranean coast. Malaga’s long history was born from the sea, with the arrival of the first mariners and traders around 2,000 years ago. This has shaped the character of the city ever since, making it a welcoming, prosperous place.
Your itinerary can be theme based or simply focused on the most important and we can guarantee that there are options to suit everyone’s tastes, from religious art to the most contemporary artistic expressions, as well as popular art, interactive museums, and not forgetting, naturally, Picasso, represented by his Birthplace Museum and the Malaga Picasso Museum.
Despite some XIX Century alterations, traces of ancient Islamic roads can still be seen in the center of Malaga, for example in Calle Granada or Calle Fresca. The best example of this is Larios Street, which is the main street of Málaga’s historic center.
As for the city’s beaches you can find anything from steep cliffs and small coves towards the East, to the very central, famous Malagueta beach.

Travel to España part II

We began our trip at Malaga, then Gribraltar, Sevilla, Cordoba, Toledo and finally Madrid.
The capital of España since 1562, is located on the geographic center of the Iberian Peninsula. Because of its central location and high altitude, the climate of Madrid is characterized by warm dry summers and cool winters.