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Photos Archives Guided Tour and Visits Travellers Maria Luisa Park.
Parque de Maria Luisa. Sevilla – Pixdaus
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Photos archives Maria Luisa Park:
Copyright & Source by mckinleycooper.
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Photos Archives Guided Tour and Visits Travellers Maria Luisa Park.
Parque de Maria Luisa. Sevilla – Pixdaus
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Photos archives Maria Luisa Park:
Copyright & Source by mckinleycooper.
It’s now become part of our travelling calendar – we go on a city break for Jayne’s birthday in January – no presents for birthday’s and Christmas, we travel instead. This year it was Seville. We had to drive 180 miles south to Stansted to fly there though, Friday afternoon on the A1, such fun… It was a really good drive down in actual fact, the best day for months, glorious blue sky and a fantastic sunset- and I was in a car. We got stung for tea and drinks in the Radison Blu but we were overnighting and leaving the car so we didn’t have much choice. Ryanair aagh! Again no choice. To be fair to the abrasive Irish man O Leary things are better than they used to be and it was an acceptable flight.
We were hoping for better weather than we got- don’t you always? It was. cold, windy and after some initial beautiful sun on our first afternoon, it was mostly grey. The wind died but so did the sun. The other little problem was that it was my turn for the awful cold that Jayne had been trying to get over. I was under the weather in more ways than one all week, it was only a cold but it was the worst I’ve had for ages and it didn’t help my mood, particularly when the sun was absent. We had a few hours of really nice light here and there and I made the most of it – I think!
Seville has miles and miles of narrow cobbled streets, they seem to go on for ever. They are almost random in layout and it is extremely difficult to find your way around, it’s easier to just keep walking and see what you find. So we did! The architecture is stunning and the history is fascinating. Aside from the ancient history the two events that seem to have had a massive recent influence are the Expo’s of 1929 and 1992. The incredible buildings or ‘Pavilions’ that were built for a one off event are now part of the reason that people visit the city. The 1929 pavilions are fantastic, each one is a story in itself and a destination in its own right but there are a lot of them in Parque Maria Luisa. Plaza Espana, built by the hosts of course, is the biggest and I would imagine that you could make a project out of photographing the individual ceramic tile displays around it on their own. These incredible buildings really need the light to be right to get images that people want to see, flat bright light from bright grey skies is good for certain things but dramatic architecture deserves better – or maybe I’m looking for the easy way option. The other discovery that we made, we found just down the road from the hotel, about an hour into the trip – The Metropol Parasol. A giant lattice work parasol, apparently called ‘The Mushrooms’ locally and apparently the world’s largest wooden structure. You have to look twice, having discovered that it is wood. Only later did we discover that we could get to the top and there is an extensive walkway around the top of it. It is built on top of ancient ruins, ( still intact and viewable) a food market and bars etc. and has a plaza around it and on it, that is buzzing on weekend evenings. Walking around the top, the first people up it one day and being back to watch the sunset later was one of the highlights of the trip for me.
The 1992 Expo also covered a massive area but left behind lots of modern – and some very strange – buildings and arenas. Some are of a temporary nature and get dismantled others find a new use. The land used was on an island between two branches of the River Guadalquivir – Isla de la Cartuja. The branch that goes through the city is now a canal, blocked at its northern end by a barrier with a motorway on it, and is used extensively for water sports, mainly rowing. Many of the buildings are now used by private companies as headquarters , others have a very derelict look. The whole area- even though it is home to the theme park- which was shut for the winter, has a neglected air about it. There are weeds growing everywhere but fountains are switched on, which seemed odd. Unlike the city a short distance away, there are no cafes or bars or other people around for that matter, just us meandering through. The car park that was created for the event is massive, it stretches for miles, and I really mean miles. Totally derelict, just the odd person or dog walker around. There is even a railway line terminating here, in the middle of nowhere a modern and apparently unmanned station, like a ghost station. At this point, across the river proper is open countryside, much flatter than I expected and very easy for local walkers and cyclists to get to – also very calm and quiet, a place to linger and enjoy the peace.
As usual I researched and discovered as we walked, we averaged around 13 miles a day and tried to get off the beaten track. We were out around 8.15, before sunrise, and had orange juice, coffee and Tostada with the locals for breakfast. The trouble is that there are many miles of walking in a relatively small area, some streets are only a few feet wide so there are a lot of them to explore. Incredible ancient churches and squares are around every corner- it’s a very religious place – Catholicism rules in Spain. Unfortunately many are only a few feet away from the building next to it and it is difficult to get a decent shot of them. Seville is also famous, historically, as a producer of ceramic tiles. A building isn’t complete without a tile display of some sort and it would be very easy to make a project out of tiles alone. It may be a little boring for any companions though!
We walked the length of the embankment a couple of times, it has graffiti from end to end, several miles of massive concrete walls covered in everything imaginable, from marker pen scribbling to works of art. It was suggested to me that allowing people to paint here might prevent them from daubing property and monuments in the city- it hasn’t! Most alleyways and shutters have been attacked to a greater or lesser degree. Spain has very high youth unemployment and maybe this plays a role. To be truthful though we haven’t seen a city that’s free of graffiti. The other problem is dogs- or what they produce, it’s everywhere, absolutely everywhere, in a week we saw only one person remove his dogs mess. Fortunately the city streets are cleaned exceptionally well, some of the cleanest we have come across, men (and a lot of women) and machines are washing and sweeping endlessly.
Having had the wettest winter on record at home – almost three months of rain – we didn’t want more rain but we got it. The upside was the water and the reflections that it created made photography on the cobbled streets more interesting, particularly at night. I usually find that it takes me a while to get into the groove on a trip and this one was no different, I didn’t start shooting with total disregard – street shots- for a couple of days. Whilst the locals wore quilted jackets and scarves we got down to tee shirts at times, the warmer afternoons would be welcome in summer, never mind January, in Huddersfield. I envied the cyclists, being able to train in temperatures like this in winter – I wish! You need a lot less willpower to get out there and train hard in pleasant weather.
From a photography point of view I had a frustrating time, I never felt to get to grips with the place- other than on the streets at night. Writing this on my phone on the flight home, I haven’t a clue what I’ve got to work with when I get back. I usually edit first and write later. Generally I have a first look, I’m disillusioned, I then revisit and see things differently- thankfully! Architectural shots with a grey sky could be destined for the monochrome treatment, we’ll soon see. I’m still editing stuff from our London trip before Christmas, it’s getting decent views in black and white and I quite enjoy looking at them myself.
We visited most of the notable tourist destinations, and went up anything that we could. Seville doesn’t have a high point-it’s flat! Nothing really stands head and shoulders above the city. The Cathedral tower is over 300 feet but the Cathedral itself fills a lot of the view on some aspects. Being square and having to look through bars in recesses you don’t really get a completely open aspect. A new 600 foot tower is close to being finished, it’s an office block and I couldn’t find any mention of it being a viewing point in the future.
Oranges were the last thing on my mind when I suggested going to Seville. There are 25000 orange trees in Seville and now is the time that they are laden with big-and sour- Seville oranges, they are everywhere, apparently they are the property of the city authorities and will be harvested and sent to the UK to be made in to marmalade at some point in the near future. These trees will soon be covered in fragrant blossom, the city will smell beautiful for a couple of months. Studying the surrounding area it would be good to tour in March or April I would think, the scents, longer days and better weather would make for a fantastic trip. One for the future. The sunrise on our final morning was the best of the week, this was what we had looked forward to, we had to leave for the airport at 9.00…… Needless to say it was raining hard as we drove the last twenty miles home. Nothing new there then.
As usual I have aimed to present a pretty extensive collection of photographs of our chosen destination, some, at first glance will be pretty mundane shots of everyday life on the streets, often though, close inspection will reveal something humorous, something that needs a bit of thought. Others are definitely just people going about their holiday or work. Travelling with someone else it wouldn’t be fair to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to nail the perfect long exposure or HDR image of a cathedral or similar in perfect light – the one stunning shot to add to the portfolio- it’s not really my thing, I go for an overview of the place in the time available. Looking at the postcards locally it becomes obvious that stunning shots of some of these buildings are hard to come by. Heavily corrected converging verticals were quite obvious – and most likely will be in my own shots. As the owner of tilt and shift lenses I never travel with one – ever! My knees are already creaking from the weight of the bag.
Tagged: , SEVILLE , SPAIN , ANDALUSIA , RIVER , RIO , BRIDGE , TRIANA , SANTA , CRUZ , CATHEDRAL , EXPO , ARCHITECTURE , PLAZA , ESPANA , PAVILION , ORANGES , CERAMIC , TILES , GIRALDA , COBBLES , STREETS , PEOPLE , CANDID , ARENAL , PUENTE , CHAPINA , ALAMILLO , CARTUJA , LA , MACARENA , PARASOL , ALCAZAR , METROPOL , GUADALQUIVIR , HARP , EMBANKMENT , GRAFFITI , IGLESIA , PARQUE , MARIA , LUISA , UNIVERSIDAD , ISLA , JUSTA , SAN , BERNADO , LOS , REMEDIOS , ENCARNACION , BAR , CAFÉ , TRANSPORT , PUBLIC , TRAM
Copyright 2019 – Mark Schofield @ JB Schofield .
12 indispensables de Séville à voir pendant ton séjour à Séville!
Résumé Contenu
Que faire à Séville ? Que visiter à Séville en 1 jour ou pendant Un week-end? Comment faire une très bonne visite sur 2 jours ou de trois jours ? Si tu viens à Séville prochainement, tu veux surtout savoir quoi faire et voir à Séville et optimiser un maximum ton temps avant de repartir ?
Parfait, nous allons te proposer ton Menu Sévillan Spécial Voyageur et les meilleurs endroits que tu dois visiter, voir ou faire lors d’une visite parfaite à Séville.
Séville est le genre de ville qui remplit le cœur de joie aux voyageurs lors de leur premier voyage et qui pleurent à chaque fois qui la quitte de nouveau. Aller à Séville, c’est aussi visiter l’endroit le plus ensoleillé d’Europe, voir le Royal Alcazar et ses murailles, tomber amoureux des ruelles étroites du quartier du Santa Cruz, sentir aussi le passé, l’histoire du Moyen Age d’une ville pleine d’anecdotes et voir les patios de las casas : les cours typiques des maisons sévillanes remplies de fleurs ou les orangers.
Et n’oublions pas que lors de cette visite, l’art flamenco et les tapas vont te captiver comme jamais.
Il est important de bien découvrir la capitale de l’Andalousie dressée sur les rives du célèbre fleuve Guadalquivir, cette belle ville du sud de l’Espagne qui présente une riche tradition mauresque et qui gâte les vacanciers par sa gastronomie, son rythme et la beauté de son style de vie.
Pour t’aider à mieux connaître et visiter au mieux Séville, préparer ta venue, gérer le timing et savoir quoi faire, on te recommande ses 12 incontournables de La Perle de l’Andalousie, celle qu’on nomme : LA BELLE SEVILLE.
À couper le souffle, grandiose, la Plaza de España est l’une des plus admirables, sinon la plus remarquable, place de Séville. Intense ensemble architectural construit autour du Parc Maria Luisa pour l’Exposition Ibéro-américaine qui eut lieu en 1929. (Clique-ici pour voir notre tour del 1929). Ses bancs fantastiques en faïence symbolisent chacune des provinces espagnoles et la place est devenue au fil du temps et des films qui y ont tournés des scènes, un lieu culte pour tous les adeptes des sagas connues comme Game Of Thrones, Mission Imposible, Star Wars II, Lawrence d’Arabie et bien d’autres.
Ce superbe Parc est juxtaposé à la place d´Espagne. Lieu privilégié des voyageurs et des sévillans, il est le principal lieu de rencontre pour une promenade paisible, parmi une faune florale et des fontaines. Il est un lieu de refuge pour l’été chauds et un véritable poumon écologique. Au cours de votre promenade, promenez-vous jusqu’à la Fontaine des Grenouilles et la petite île aux canards avant d’arriver à la Plaza América (aussi appelée Plaza de las Palomas pour tous les pigeons qui y trouvent). On y trouve la Galerie d’Art des Disciplines et Coutumes et le Musée Archéologique de Séville, ainsi que le pavillon royal.
➡ Visiter le parcc Maria Luisa en famille
Pourquoi ne pas plonger au cœur de l´histoire de la ville ? Elément essentiel de votre séjour, le quartier historique de Santa Cruz jouit de légendes époustouflantes. Et pour cause, une fois dans ses ruelles, on veut toujours en savoir beaucoup plus. Alors flânez dans ce lieu captivant où les patios andalous, les maisons aux couleurs de la vie et les petits jardins vivent au rythme des murmures des fontaines, vont transporteront dans une autre époque. Laisse-toi surprendre par l’arôme merveilleux des fleurs d’oranger qui peuplent le Patio de Banderas, entre dans les labyrinthes de ses rues et peut-être écouteras-tu les plaintes des centenaires de Juifs qui y ont péris.
➡ Plus de détails concernant un tour guidé au Quartier Santa Cruz.
Si tu te demandes quoi faire à Séville en ce qui concerne les monuments historiques, penses tout de suite à la Cathédrale et à la Giralda ! Ces deux symboles ne sont plus présentés simplement parce qu’ils caractérisent presque à eux seuls l’énergie de l’histoire de Séville.
La Cathédrale a été construit sur un terrain qui est resté disponible après la démolition de l’ancienne mosquée aljama de Sevilla. Efficace et imposante, elle règne sur la ville comme la plus grande église du monde juste devant la de St Pierre à Rome et celle St Paul à Londres. En plus de sa superbe architecture, le monument possède également une incroyable tradition ethnique : il existe un assortiment de peintures,d’orfèvres et la fameuse tombe de Christophe Colomb.
La Giralda, alternativement, vient magnifier l’endroit un peu plus. Ancien minaret de la mosquée, il est aujourd’hui utilisé comme clocher de la cathédrale. Près de 100 mètres plus haut, il domine la ville et offre une vue spectaculaire sur les toits andalous de Séville.
➡ Voir tranquillement la Cathédrale et le Royal Alcázar de Séville sur deux jours
Sa réputation comme l´un des monuments les plus beaux au monde à visiter lui suffit. Un autre symbole de Séville à quelque pas des Archives d’Indes, qu’on te conseille également de découvrir. Inscrit au patrimoine de l’humanité de l’Unesco depuis 1987, le Real Alcázar fait partie des sites obligatoires en Andalousie qu’un voyageur doit voir.
Avec ses patios de style mudéjar (mélange d’art chrétien et d’art musulman), ses jardins d’influence arabe alliant à merveille végétation et eau, ses somptueuses arrière-cours, cet ensemble de palais est un pur prodige.
L’éblouissante lumière des lieux taquine gentiment les yeux qu´on se sent bercer de la chaleur du soleil. On peut visiter tous ces jardins sans s’en lasser jusqu’à arriver aux immenses jardins : près de 14 000m² d’orangers, de palmiers, de fontaines, de petits canaux et d’allées parsemées de petites faïences où il fait bon de se balader. Espace étonnant qui te séduira, le Royal Alcázar revendique une véritable rupture dans le temps et sera un souvenir inoubliable.
➡ Tickets d’entrée Alcázar de Séville et Visite guide officiel + coupe-file
Quels que soient vos émotions sur la tauromachie, la Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza vaut la peine d’être visitée, seulement pour profiter de la façade baroque des arènes. Baptisée la “Cathédrale du Toréador”, elle appartient à la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Seville, une entreprise qui remonte à 1248. Véritable institution locale, La Maestranza abrite un superbe environnement de sable ocre, niché dans cette industrie de 12 000 chaises qui perpétue les traditions depuis des années. Sous les stands, une petite galerie d’art retraçant l’histoire de la tauromachie expliquera les temps forts de son histoire, des grands noms qui sont venus triompher dans l’arène.
La Torre del Oro est localisé sur la rive gauche du Guadalquivir, non loin justement des arènes de la Maestranza. Il s’agit d’une tour almohade qui, dans le passé, fermait le passage vers l’Arenal par un tronçon de muraille, qui le reliait à la Torre de la Plata, et faisait ainsi partie des remparts de Séville qui fortifiaient l’Alcazar. Elle a été utilisé comme chapelle et plus tard comme prison, abrite actuellement le Musée Naval de Séville. On lit parfois faussement que des légendes racontent qu’il s’agissait en fait d’une réserve d’or et d’argent. Mais on l’appelait Torre del Oro (tour de l’or) de l’époque almohade en raison de l’éclat produit par le mortier de chaux et de paille et de son reflet dans la rivière.
Berceau du flamenco qui se trouve sur l’autre rive du Guadalquivir, Triana t’invite à une vie définitivement bohème. Authentique, chaleureux, artistique, son nom attirent tous voyageur du monde entier qui, séduits par son ambiance, l’adoptent parmi l’une de ses destinations favorites de la ville. Déambuler avec ton guide dans les ruelles et apprendre son histoire est vraiment une visite guidée des plus recommandées. Voir les jolies façades colorées et de la douceur de l’air ou l’odeur du Guadalquivir. Le quartier de Triana se prête tout à fait à ce que l’on appelle le slow travel, autrement dit l’art de prendre son temps en voyage, au lieu de courir de visites en visites comme parfois nous sommes habitués. De plus, tu pourras entendre d’une fenêtre une voix entamer une chanson de Triana qui dit : « Que bonita esta triana, que bonita esta Triana ».
➡ Faire un tour matinal dans les quartiers de Triana et Arenal
Aller à Séville, c’est savourer ses richesses seigneuriales. Juste après l’Alcazar, nous aimons beaucoup comme agence de visites La Casa de Pilatos est un palais appartenant à la Casa de Medinaceli. C’est l’une des résidences les plus emblématiques de l’architecture civile andalouse du XVIe siècle et présente un mélange de styles Renaissance italienne et mudéjar espagnol, résultat de différentes interventions qui ont eu lieu du dernier tiers du XVe siècle au XVIIe siècle. Visite aristocratique, cette superbe demeure éblouit par sa beauté et sa finesse. Véritable bijou de design et de convention, la Casa de Pilatos avec ses motifs mudéjars, gothiques et Renaissance, ses parfaites faïences, ses galeries d’art, le cœur coronaire, ses patios, ses peintures murales et ses décorations attrayantes te plongent directement dans une véritable œuvre d’art que tu ne cesseras de photographier.
Monument extraordinaire et l’une des réalisations architecturales les plus importantes de ces dernières années à Séville, Metropol Parasol est une construction en bois de 28 mètres de haut pour réhabiliter la Plaza de la Encarnacion.
Le Metropol Parasol se compose de six parasols de grandes dimensions en bois lamellé-collé reposant à une hauteur sur six piliers cylindriques rétroéclairés et deux colonnes en béton sous lesquelles se trouvent les ascenseurs donnant accès au point de vue.
Les parties supérieures de chaque parasol sont entrelacées pour former un toit unique. Fascinant, la plupart es gens nomme le Metropol comme “Las Setas de la Encarnacion ou Las Setas de Sevilla” (setas=Champignon), surnom qui se doit par son ensemble et qui rappelle la forma de champigons.
Le Metropol Parasol est l´une des meilleures vues possibles avec la Giralda de Séville sur la ville et vaut la peine d’être visitée.
Profitez aussi de votre promenade pour visiter le marché de quartier et visiter la galerie d’art archéologique qu’il abrite où prendre un café dans l´une des cafeterias qui se trouvent en bas.
Déguster un verre sur une terrasse tout en profitant d’un spectacle de guitariste ou assister à l’une des démonstrations de flamenco que beaucoup d’artistes proposent dans les rues, est une chose des plus normales à Séville. Surtout si ce verre est accompagné des fameux tapas de Séville. Gastronomie remarquable, la cuisine sévillane, est un vrai plaisir pour le palais et est pas très cher ! Pour découvrir toute la tradition culinaire andalouse, tu peux essayer des croquetas aux patatas bravas, en passant par le lomo ou jambon ibérique, gambas à l’ail, Salades méditerranéennes. Il y a beaucoup de saveur à découvrir ! Et si tu as envie nous pouvons t´emmener connaître la vraie gastronomie locale et loin des tapas commerciaux que hélas certains établissements proposent aux touristes.
Nous avons déjà parlé de Triana mais pas de son marché. Il ne faut pas oublier que ce n’est pas seulement un espace dans lequel sont logés toutes sortes de locaux, mais aussi un lieu chargé d’histoire. Au rez-de-chaussée du marché se trouvent les vestiges du Château de San Jorge, ancien siège de l’Inquisition et à l’intérieur du marché nous pouvons voir quelques vestiges de l’histoire comme une grande toile du château, mais nous avons aussi la possibilité d’aller faire notre marché aux poissons et légumes frais, déguster une bière locale, goûter à des tapas locaux et du jour. Comme par exemple, le Bar La Muralla. Un lieu très recommandé qui avec ses ortiguillas y el pescaíto frito va aussi te ravier et est clairement l’un des meilleurs endroits du Mercado de Triana ; et ceci à un prix raisonnable.
Les jeunes et moins jeunes apprécieront une visite différente et relaxante à l’Aquarium de Séville. L’Aquarium de Séville abrite une faune aquatique une des plus variée d’Europe et te permet de plonger dans le monde marin. Situé sur le Quai De Las Delicias à Séville, il possède 35 aquariums différents capable de contenir plus de 400 espèces différentes dans des bassins ayant une capacité de plus plus deux millions de litres d’eau.
Une partie de sa visite se base s’inspire du Premier Tour du Monde que Magallanes a entrepris à Séville. Et il faut savoir que l’Aquarium de Séville abritent aussi bon nombre de spécimens de requins, et qu´il est possible de dormir une nuit dans les installations en compagnie des requins.
Une visite de rêve pour tes enfants !
Bon à savoir : la visite est gratuite pour les enfants de moins de 4 ans.
Que voir à Séville dans deux jours. La belle Séville te propose 3 itinéraires recommandés de 1 jour, 2 jours (ou week-end) ou 3 jours pour voir les endroits les plus importants de la ville de Séville.
Pour voir Séville tranquillement et profiter de la ville, nous te recommandons de passer au moins un week-end.
La capitale andalouse est pour beaucoup l’une des principales visites à faire en Espagne, car elle se distingue par son peuple, son art et sa cuisine.
A Séville, tu pourras voir le centre historique le plus important d’Espagne et des endroits aussi spectaculaires que la Giralda, l’Alcázar ou la Cathédrale.
Visite Séville en 2 Jours !
2 jours pour visiter Séville, c’est mieux qu’un ! Visite l’Alcazar de Séville. Visite les Archives des Indes, la Cathédrale de Séville, le quartier de Santa Cruz, la Plaza de España et le parque Maria Luiza. Visite aussi le quartier de Triana, Alfalfa et Arenal. Visiter le meilleur et les indispensables en 2 jours. Un […]
SUR COMMANDE
(2 Opinions)
Super Tour à Séville !
Trois jours pour visiter Séville, c’est mieux qu’un ! Visite de l’Alcazar de Séville. Visitez les Archives de l’Inde. Visite de la Cathédrale de Séville. Regardez le quartier de Santa Cruz. Voir la Plaza de España et le Parc Maria Luiza. Regardez les districts de Triana, Alfalfa et Arenal. Cet itinéraire de trois jours à […]
SUR COMMANDE
Séville 1 JOUR NON-STOP
Génial! Tu vas enfin connaître le Royal Alcázar de Séville (El REAL ALCÁZAR DE SEVILLA), un des symboles les plus emblématiques de toute la ville et même de l’Andalousie. Je peux déjà te dire que cela sera l´un de tes meilleurs moments de ton séjour car le Palais Royal est une des plus belles attraction […]
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Photos Archives Guided Tour and Visits Travellers Maria Luisa Park.
Maria Luisa Park in the center of Seville
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Photos archives Maria Luisa Park:
Copyright & Source by nextbiteoflife.
It’s now become part of our travelling calendar – we go on a city break for Jayne’s birthday in January – no presents for birthday’s and Christmas, we travel instead. This year it was Seville. We had to drive 180 miles south to Stansted to fly there though, Friday afternoon on the A1, such fun… It was a really good drive down in actual fact, the best day for months, glorious blue sky and a fantastic sunset- and I was in a car. We got stung for tea and drinks in the Radison Blu but we were overnighting and leaving the car so we didn’t have much choice. Ryanair aagh! Again no choice. To be fair to the abrasive Irish man O Leary things are better than they used to be and it was an acceptable flight.
We were hoping for better weather than we got- don’t you always? It was. cold, windy and after some initial beautiful sun on our first afternoon, it was mostly grey. The wind died but so did the sun. The other little problem was that it was my turn for the awful cold that Jayne had been trying to get over. I was under the weather in more ways than one all week, it was only a cold but it was the worst I’ve had for ages and it didn’t help my mood, particularly when the sun was absent. We had a few hours of really nice light here and there and I made the most of it – I think!
Seville has miles and miles of narrow cobbled streets, they seem to go on for ever. They are almost random in layout and it is extremely difficult to find your way around, it’s easier to just keep walking and see what you find. So we did! The architecture is stunning and the history is fascinating. Aside from the ancient history the two events that seem to have had a massive recent influence are the Expo’s of 1929 and 1992. The incredible buildings or ‘Pavilions’ that were built for a one off event are now part of the reason that people visit the city. The 1929 pavilions are fantastic, each one is a story in itself and a destination in its own right but there are a lot of them in Parque Maria Luisa. Plaza Espana, built by the hosts of course, is the biggest and I would imagine that you could make a project out of photographing the individual ceramic tile displays around it on their own. These incredible buildings really need the light to be right to get images that people want to see, flat bright light from bright grey skies is good for certain things but dramatic architecture deserves better – or maybe I’m looking for the easy way option. The other discovery that we made, we found just down the road from the hotel, about an hour into the trip – The Metropol Parasol. A giant lattice work parasol, apparently called ‘The Mushrooms’ locally and apparently the world’s largest wooden structure. You have to look twice, having discovered that it is wood. Only later did we discover that we could get to the top and there is an extensive walkway around the top of it. It is built on top of ancient ruins, ( still intact and viewable) a food market and bars etc. and has a plaza around it and on it, that is buzzing on weekend evenings. Walking around the top, the first people up it one day and being back to watch the sunset later was one of the highlights of the trip for me.
The 1992 Expo also covered a massive area but left behind lots of modern – and some very strange – buildings and arenas. Some are of a temporary nature and get dismantled others find a new use. The land used was on an island between two branches of the River Guadalquivir – Isla de la Cartuja. The branch that goes through the city is now a canal, blocked at its northern end by a barrier with a motorway on it, and is used extensively for water sports, mainly rowing. Many of the buildings are now used by private companies as headquarters , others have a very derelict look. The whole area- even though it is home to the theme park- which was shut for the winter, has a neglected air about it. There are weeds growing everywhere but fountains are switched on, which seemed odd. Unlike the city a short distance away, there are no cafes or bars or other people around for that matter, just us meandering through. The car park that was created for the event is massive, it stretches for miles, and I really mean miles. Totally derelict, just the odd person or dog walker around. There is even a railway line terminating here, in the middle of nowhere a modern and apparently unmanned station, like a ghost station. At this point, across the river proper is open countryside, much flatter than I expected and very easy for local walkers and cyclists to get to – also very calm and quiet, a place to linger and enjoy the peace.
As usual I researched and discovered as we walked, we averaged around 13 miles a day and tried to get off the beaten track. We were out around 8.15, before sunrise, and had orange juice, coffee and Tostada with the locals for breakfast. The trouble is that there are many miles of walking in a relatively small area, some streets are only a few feet wide so there are a lot of them to explore. Incredible ancient churches and squares are around every corner- it’s a very religious place – Catholicism rules in Spain. Unfortunately many are only a few feet away from the building next to it and it is difficult to get a decent shot of them. Seville is also famous, historically, as a producer of ceramic tiles. A building isn’t complete without a tile display of some sort and it would be very easy to make a project out of tiles alone. It may be a little boring for any companions though!
We walked the length of the embankment a couple of times, it has graffiti from end to end, several miles of massive concrete walls covered in everything imaginable, from marker pen scribbling to works of art. It was suggested to me that allowing people to paint here might prevent them from daubing property and monuments in the city- it hasn’t! Most alleyways and shutters have been attacked to a greater or lesser degree. Spain has very high youth unemployment and maybe this plays a role. To be truthful though we haven’t seen a city that’s free of graffiti. The other problem is dogs- or what they produce, it’s everywhere, absolutely everywhere, in a week we saw only one person remove his dogs mess. Fortunately the city streets are cleaned exceptionally well, some of the cleanest we have come across, men (and a lot of women) and machines are washing and sweeping endlessly.
Having had the wettest winter on record at home – almost three months of rain – we didn’t want more rain but we got it. The upside was the water and the reflections that it created made photography on the cobbled streets more interesting, particularly at night. I usually find that it takes me a while to get into the groove on a trip and this one was no different, I didn’t start shooting with total disregard – street shots- for a couple of days. Whilst the locals wore quilted jackets and scarves we got down to tee shirts at times, the warmer afternoons would be welcome in summer, never mind January, in Huddersfield. I envied the cyclists, being able to train in temperatures like this in winter – I wish! You need a lot less willpower to get out there and train hard in pleasant weather.
From a photography point of view I had a frustrating time, I never felt to get to grips with the place- other than on the streets at night. Writing this on my phone on the flight home, I haven’t a clue what I’ve got to work with when I get back. I usually edit first and write later. Generally I have a first look, I’m disillusioned, I then revisit and see things differently- thankfully! Architectural shots with a grey sky could be destined for the monochrome treatment, we’ll soon see. I’m still editing stuff from our London trip before Christmas, it’s getting decent views in black and white and I quite enjoy looking at them myself.
We visited most of the notable tourist destinations, and went up anything that we could. Seville doesn’t have a high point-it’s flat! Nothing really stands head and shoulders above the city. The Cathedral tower is over 300 feet but the Cathedral itself fills a lot of the view on some aspects. Being square and having to look through bars in recesses you don’t really get a completely open aspect. A new 600 foot tower is close to being finished, it’s an office block and I couldn’t find any mention of it being a viewing point in the future.
Oranges were the last thing on my mind when I suggested going to Seville. There are 25000 orange trees in Seville and now is the time that they are laden with big-and sour- Seville oranges, they are everywhere, apparently they are the property of the city authorities and will be harvested and sent to the UK to be made in to marmalade at some point in the near future. These trees will soon be covered in fragrant blossom, the city will smell beautiful for a couple of months. Studying the surrounding area it would be good to tour in March or April I would think, the scents, longer days and better weather would make for a fantastic trip. One for the future. The sunrise on our final morning was the best of the week, this was what we had looked forward to, we had to leave for the airport at 9.00…… Needless to say it was raining hard as we drove the last twenty miles home. Nothing new there then.
As usual I have aimed to present a pretty extensive collection of photographs of our chosen destination, some, at first glance will be pretty mundane shots of everyday life on the streets, often though, close inspection will reveal something humorous, something that needs a bit of thought. Others are definitely just people going about their holiday or work. Travelling with someone else it wouldn’t be fair to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to nail the perfect long exposure or HDR image of a cathedral or similar in perfect light – the one stunning shot to add to the portfolio- it’s not really my thing, I go for an overview of the place in the time available. Looking at the postcards locally it becomes obvious that stunning shots of some of these buildings are hard to come by. Heavily corrected converging verticals were quite obvious – and most likely will be in my own shots. As the owner of tilt and shift lenses I never travel with one – ever! My knees are already creaking from the weight of the bag.
Tagged: , SEVILLE , SPAIN , ANDALUSIA , RIVER , RIO , BRIDGE , TRIANA , SANTA , CRUZ , CATHEDRAL , EXPO , ARCHITECTURE , PLAZA , ESPANA , PAVILION , ORANGES , CERAMIC , TILES , GIRALDA , COBBLES , STREETS , PEOPLE , CANDID , ARENAL , PUENTE , CHAPINA , ALAMILLO , CARTUJA , LA , MACARENA , PARASOL , ALCAZAR , METROPOL , GUADALQUIVIR , HARP , EMBANKMENT , GRAFFITI , IGLESIA , PARQUE , MARIA , LUISA , UNIVERSIDAD , ISLA , JUSTA , SAN , BERNADO , LOS , REMEDIOS , ENCARNACION , BAR , CAFÉ , TRANSPORT , PUBLIC , TRAM
Copyright 2019 – Mark Schofield @ JB Schofield .
It’s now become part of our travelling calendar – we go on a city break for Jayne’s birthday in January – no presents for birthday’s and Christmas, we travel instead. This year it was Seville. We had to drive 180 miles south to Stansted to fly there though, Friday afternoon on the A1, such fun… It was a really good drive down in actual fact, the best day for months, glorious blue sky and a fantastic sunset- and I was in a car. We got stung for tea and drinks in the Radison Blu but we were overnighting and leaving the car so we didn’t have much choice. Ryanair aagh! Again no choice. To be fair to the abrasive Irish man O Leary things are better than they used to be and it was an acceptable flight.
We were hoping for better weather than we got- don’t you always? It was. cold, windy and after some initial beautiful sun on our first afternoon, it was mostly grey. The wind died but so did the sun. The other little problem was that it was my turn for the awful cold that Jayne had been trying to get over. I was under the weather in more ways than one all week, it was only a cold but it was the worst I’ve had for ages and it didn’t help my mood, particularly when the sun was absent. We had a few hours of really nice light here and there and I made the most of it – I think!
Seville has miles and miles of narrow cobbled streets, they seem to go on for ever. They are almost random in layout and it is extremely difficult to find your way around, it’s easier to just keep walking and see what you find. So we did! The architecture is stunning and the history is fascinating. Aside from the ancient history the two events that seem to have had a massive recent influence are the Expo’s of 1929 and 1992. The incredible buildings or ‘Pavilions’ that were built for a one off event are now part of the reason that people visit the city. The 1929 pavilions are fantastic, each one is a story in itself and a destination in its own right but there are a lot of them in Parque Maria Luisa. Plaza Espana, built by the hosts of course, is the biggest and I would imagine that you could make a project out of photographing the individual ceramic tile displays around it on their own. These incredible buildings really need the light to be right to get images that people want to see, flat bright light from bright grey skies is good for certain things but dramatic architecture deserves better – or maybe I’m looking for the easy way option. The other discovery that we made, we found just down the road from the hotel, about an hour into the trip – The Metropol Parasol. A giant lattice work parasol, apparently called ‘The Mushrooms’ locally and apparently the world’s largest wooden structure. You have to look twice, having discovered that it is wood. Only later did we discover that we could get to the top and there is an extensive walkway around the top of it. It is built on top of ancient ruins, ( still intact and viewable) a food market and bars etc. and has a plaza around it and on it, that is buzzing on weekend evenings. Walking around the top, the first people up it one day and being back to watch the sunset later was one of the highlights of the trip for me.
The 1992 Expo also covered a massive area but left behind lots of modern – and some very strange – buildings and arenas. Some are of a temporary nature and get dismantled others find a new use. The land used was on an island between two branches of the River Guadalquivir – Isla de la Cartuja. The branch that goes through the city is now a canal, blocked at its northern end by a barrier with a motorway on it, and is used extensively for water sports, mainly rowing. Many of the buildings are now used by private companies as headquarters , others have a very derelict look. The whole area- even though it is home to the theme park- which was shut for the winter, has a neglected air about it. There are weeds growing everywhere but fountains are switched on, which seemed odd. Unlike the city a short distance away, there are no cafes or bars or other people around for that matter, just us meandering through. The car park that was created for the event is massive, it stretches for miles, and I really mean miles. Totally derelict, just the odd person or dog walker around. There is even a railway line terminating here, in the middle of nowhere a modern and apparently unmanned station, like a ghost station. At this point, across the river proper is open countryside, much flatter than I expected and very easy for local walkers and cyclists to get to – also very calm and quiet, a place to linger and enjoy the peace.
As usual I researched and discovered as we walked, we averaged around 13 miles a day and tried to get off the beaten track. We were out around 8.15, before sunrise, and had orange juice, coffee and Tostada with the locals for breakfast. The trouble is that there are many miles of walking in a relatively small area, some streets are only a few feet wide so there are a lot of them to explore. Incredible ancient churches and squares are around every corner- it’s a very religious place – Catholicism rules in Spain. Unfortunately many are only a few feet away from the building next to it and it is difficult to get a decent shot of them. Seville is also famous, historically, as a producer of ceramic tiles. A building isn’t complete without a tile display of some sort and it would be very easy to make a project out of tiles alone. It may be a little boring for any companions though!
We walked the length of the embankment a couple of times, it has graffiti from end to end, several miles of massive concrete walls covered in everything imaginable, from marker pen scribbling to works of art. It was suggested to me that allowing people to paint here might prevent them from daubing property and monuments in the city- it hasn’t! Most alleyways and shutters have been attacked to a greater or lesser degree. Spain has very high youth unemployment and maybe this plays a role. To be truthful though we haven’t seen a city that’s free of graffiti. The other problem is dogs- or what they produce, it’s everywhere, absolutely everywhere, in a week we saw only one person remove his dogs mess. Fortunately the city streets are cleaned exceptionally well, some of the cleanest we have come across, men (and a lot of women) and machines are washing and sweeping endlessly.
Having had the wettest winter on record at home – almost three months of rain – we didn’t want more rain but we got it. The upside was the water and the reflections that it created made photography on the cobbled streets more interesting, particularly at night. I usually find that it takes me a while to get into the groove on a trip and this one was no different, I didn’t start shooting with total disregard – street shots- for a couple of days. Whilst the locals wore quilted jackets and scarves we got down to tee shirts at times, the warmer afternoons would be welcome in summer, never mind January, in Huddersfield. I envied the cyclists, being able to train in temperatures like this in winter – I wish! You need a lot less willpower to get out there and train hard in pleasant weather.
From a photography point of view I had a frustrating time, I never felt to get to grips with the place- other than on the streets at night. Writing this on my phone on the flight home, I haven’t a clue what I’ve got to work with when I get back. I usually edit first and write later. Generally I have a first look, I’m disillusioned, I then revisit and see things differently- thankfully! Architectural shots with a grey sky could be destined for the monochrome treatment, we’ll soon see. I’m still editing stuff from our London trip before Christmas, it’s getting decent views in black and white and I quite enjoy looking at them myself.
We visited most of the notable tourist destinations, and went up anything that we could. Seville doesn’t have a high point-it’s flat! Nothing really stands head and shoulders above the city. The Cathedral tower is over 300 feet but the Cathedral itself fills a lot of the view on some aspects. Being square and having to look through bars in recesses you don’t really get a completely open aspect. A new 600 foot tower is close to being finished, it’s an office block and I couldn’t find any mention of it being a viewing point in the future.
Oranges were the last thing on my mind when I suggested going to Seville. There are 25000 orange trees in Seville and now is the time that they are laden with big-and sour- Seville oranges, they are everywhere, apparently they are the property of the city authorities and will be harvested and sent to the UK to be made in to marmalade at some point in the near future. These trees will soon be covered in fragrant blossom, the city will smell beautiful for a couple of months. Studying the surrounding area it would be good to tour in March or April I would think, the scents, longer days and better weather would make for a fantastic trip. One for the future. The sunrise on our final morning was the best of the week, this was what we had looked forward to, we had to leave for the airport at 9.00…… Needless to say it was raining hard as we drove the last twenty miles home. Nothing new there then.
As usual I have aimed to present a pretty extensive collection of photographs of our chosen destination, some, at first glance will be pretty mundane shots of everyday life on the streets, often though, close inspection will reveal something humorous, something that needs a bit of thought. Others are definitely just people going about their holiday or work. Travelling with someone else it wouldn’t be fair to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to nail the perfect long exposure or HDR image of a cathedral or similar in perfect light – the one stunning shot to add to the portfolio- it’s not really my thing, I go for an overview of the place in the time available. Looking at the postcards locally it becomes obvious that stunning shots of some of these buildings are hard to come by. Heavily corrected converging verticals were quite obvious – and most likely will be in my own shots. As the owner of tilt and shift lenses I never travel with one – ever! My knees are already creaking from the weight of the bag.
Tagged: , SEVILLE , SPAIN , ANDALUSIA , RIVER , RIO , BRIDGE , TRIANA , SANTA , CRUZ , CATHEDRAL , EXPO , ARCHITECTURE , PLAZA , ESPANA , PAVILION , ORANGES , CERAMIC , TILES , GIRALDA , COBBLES , STREETS , PEOPLE , CANDID , ARENAL , PUENTE , CHAPINA , ALAMILLO , CARTUJA , LA , MACARENA , PARASOL , ALCAZAR , METROPOL , GUADALQUIVIR , HARP , EMBANKMENT , GRAFFITI , IGLESIA , PARQUE , MARIA , LUISA , UNIVERSIDAD , ISLA , JUSTA , SAN , BERNADO , LOS , REMEDIOS , ENCARNACION , BAR , CAFÉ , TRANSPORT , PUBLIC , TRAM
Copyright 2019 – Mark Schofield @ JB Schofield .
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Photos Archives Guided Tour and Visits Travellers Maria Luisa Park.
Plaza de Espana was the location of the Spanish-American Exhibition in 1929. The half circle structure is on the eastern edge of the Parque Maria Luisa. Inside the park is the Palacio de San Telmo, now houses the government offices. Excursions in Barcelona Excursions in Barcelona Holidays in Barcelona Sightseeing tours, airport transfers, taxi, interpreter and your personal guide in Bar
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Photos archives Maria Luisa Park:
Copyright & Source by barcelonawow.
It’s now become part of our travelling calendar – we go on a city break for Jayne’s birthday in January – no presents for birthday’s and Christmas, we travel instead. This year it was Seville. We had to drive 180 miles south to Stansted to fly there though, Friday afternoon on the A1, such fun… It was a really good drive down in actual fact, the best day for months, glorious blue sky and a fantastic sunset- and I was in a car. We got stung for tea and drinks in the Radison Blu but we were overnighting and leaving the car so we didn’t have much choice. Ryanair aagh! Again no choice. To be fair to the abrasive Irish man O Leary things are better than they used to be and it was an acceptable flight.
We were hoping for better weather than we got- don’t you always? It was. cold, windy and after some initial beautiful sun on our first afternoon, it was mostly grey. The wind died but so did the sun. The other little problem was that it was my turn for the awful cold that Jayne had been trying to get over. I was under the weather in more ways than one all week, it was only a cold but it was the worst I’ve had for ages and it didn’t help my mood, particularly when the sun was absent. We had a few hours of really nice light here and there and I made the most of it – I think!
Seville has miles and miles of narrow cobbled streets, they seem to go on for ever. They are almost random in layout and it is extremely difficult to find your way around, it’s easier to just keep walking and see what you find. So we did! The architecture is stunning and the history is fascinating. Aside from the ancient history the two events that seem to have had a massive recent influence are the Expo’s of 1929 and 1992. The incredible buildings or ‘Pavilions’ that were built for a one off event are now part of the reason that people visit the city. The 1929 pavilions are fantastic, each one is a story in itself and a destination in its own right but there are a lot of them in Parque Maria Luisa. Plaza Espana, built by the hosts of course, is the biggest and I would imagine that you could make a project out of photographing the individual ceramic tile displays around it on their own. These incredible buildings really need the light to be right to get images that people want to see, flat bright light from bright grey skies is good for certain things but dramatic architecture deserves better – or maybe I’m looking for the easy way option. The other discovery that we made, we found just down the road from the hotel, about an hour into the trip – The Metropol Parasol. A giant lattice work parasol, apparently called ‘The Mushrooms’ locally and apparently the world’s largest wooden structure. You have to look twice, having discovered that it is wood. Only later did we discover that we could get to the top and there is an extensive walkway around the top of it. It is built on top of ancient ruins, ( still intact and viewable) a food market and bars etc. and has a plaza around it and on it, that is buzzing on weekend evenings. Walking around the top, the first people up it one day and being back to watch the sunset later was one of the highlights of the trip for me.
The 1992 Expo also covered a massive area but left behind lots of modern – and some very strange – buildings and arenas. Some are of a temporary nature and get dismantled others find a new use. The land used was on an island between two branches of the River Guadalquivir – Isla de la Cartuja. The branch that goes through the city is now a canal, blocked at its northern end by a barrier with a motorway on it, and is used extensively for water sports, mainly rowing. Many of the buildings are now used by private companies as headquarters , others have a very derelict look. The whole area- even though it is home to the theme park- which was shut for the winter, has a neglected air about it. There are weeds growing everywhere but fountains are switched on, which seemed odd. Unlike the city a short distance away, there are no cafes or bars or other people around for that matter, just us meandering through. The car park that was created for the event is massive, it stretches for miles, and I really mean miles. Totally derelict, just the odd person or dog walker around. There is even a railway line terminating here, in the middle of nowhere a modern and apparently unmanned station, like a ghost station. At this point, across the river proper is open countryside, much flatter than I expected and very easy for local walkers and cyclists to get to – also very calm and quiet, a place to linger and enjoy the peace.
As usual I researched and discovered as we walked, we averaged around 13 miles a day and tried to get off the beaten track. We were out around 8.15, before sunrise, and had orange juice, coffee and Tostada with the locals for breakfast. The trouble is that there are many miles of walking in a relatively small area, some streets are only a few feet wide so there are a lot of them to explore. Incredible ancient churches and squares are around every corner- it’s a very religious place – Catholicism rules in Spain. Unfortunately many are only a few feet away from the building next to it and it is difficult to get a decent shot of them. Seville is also famous, historically, as a producer of ceramic tiles. A building isn’t complete without a tile display of some sort and it would be very easy to make a project out of tiles alone. It may be a little boring for any companions though!
We walked the length of the embankment a couple of times, it has graffiti from end to end, several miles of massive concrete walls covered in everything imaginable, from marker pen scribbling to works of art. It was suggested to me that allowing people to paint here might prevent them from daubing property and monuments in the city- it hasn’t! Most alleyways and shutters have been attacked to a greater or lesser degree. Spain has very high youth unemployment and maybe this plays a role. To be truthful though we haven’t seen a city that’s free of graffiti. The other problem is dogs- or what they produce, it’s everywhere, absolutely everywhere, in a week we saw only one person remove his dogs mess. Fortunately the city streets are cleaned exceptionally well, some of the cleanest we have come across, men (and a lot of women) and machines are washing and sweeping endlessly.
Having had the wettest winter on record at home – almost three months of rain – we didn’t want more rain but we got it. The upside was the water and the reflections that it created made photography on the cobbled streets more interesting, particularly at night. I usually find that it takes me a while to get into the groove on a trip and this one was no different, I didn’t start shooting with total disregard – street shots- for a couple of days. Whilst the locals wore quilted jackets and scarves we got down to tee shirts at times, the warmer afternoons would be welcome in summer, never mind January, in Huddersfield. I envied the cyclists, being able to train in temperatures like this in winter – I wish! You need a lot less willpower to get out there and train hard in pleasant weather.
From a photography point of view I had a frustrating time, I never felt to get to grips with the place- other than on the streets at night. Writing this on my phone on the flight home, I haven’t a clue what I’ve got to work with when I get back. I usually edit first and write later. Generally I have a first look, I’m disillusioned, I then revisit and see things differently- thankfully! Architectural shots with a grey sky could be destined for the monochrome treatment, we’ll soon see. I’m still editing stuff from our London trip before Christmas, it’s getting decent views in black and white and I quite enjoy looking at them myself.
We visited most of the notable tourist destinations, and went up anything that we could. Seville doesn’t have a high point-it’s flat! Nothing really stands head and shoulders above the city. The Cathedral tower is over 300 feet but the Cathedral itself fills a lot of the view on some aspects. Being square and having to look through bars in recesses you don’t really get a completely open aspect. A new 600 foot tower is close to being finished, it’s an office block and I couldn’t find any mention of it being a viewing point in the future.
Oranges were the last thing on my mind when I suggested going to Seville. There are 25000 orange trees in Seville and now is the time that they are laden with big-and sour- Seville oranges, they are everywhere, apparently they are the property of the city authorities and will be harvested and sent to the UK to be made in to marmalade at some point in the near future. These trees will soon be covered in fragrant blossom, the city will smell beautiful for a couple of months. Studying the surrounding area it would be good to tour in March or April I would think, the scents, longer days and better weather would make for a fantastic trip. One for the future. The sunrise on our final morning was the best of the week, this was what we had looked forward to, we had to leave for the airport at 9.00…… Needless to say it was raining hard as we drove the last twenty miles home. Nothing new there then.
As usual I have aimed to present a pretty extensive collection of photographs of our chosen destination, some, at first glance will be pretty mundane shots of everyday life on the streets, often though, close inspection will reveal something humorous, something that needs a bit of thought. Others are definitely just people going about their holiday or work. Travelling with someone else it wouldn’t be fair to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to nail the perfect long exposure or HDR image of a cathedral or similar in perfect light – the one stunning shot to add to the portfolio- it’s not really my thing, I go for an overview of the place in the time available. Looking at the postcards locally it becomes obvious that stunning shots of some of these buildings are hard to come by. Heavily corrected converging verticals were quite obvious – and most likely will be in my own shots. As the owner of tilt and shift lenses I never travel with one – ever! My knees are already creaking from the weight of the bag.
Tagged: , SEVILLE , SPAIN , ANDALUSIA , RIVER , RIO , BRIDGE , TRIANA , SANTA , CRUZ , CATHEDRAL , EXPO , ARCHITECTURE , PLAZA , ESPANA , PAVILION , ORANGES , CERAMIC , TILES , GIRALDA , COBBLES , STREETS , PEOPLE , CANDID , ARENAL , PUENTE , CHAPINA , ALAMILLO , CARTUJA , LA , MACARENA , PARASOL , ALCAZAR , METROPOL , GUADALQUIVIR , HARP , EMBANKMENT , GRAFFITI , IGLESIA , PARQUE , MARIA , LUISA , UNIVERSIDAD , ISLA , JUSTA , SAN , BERNADO , LOS , REMEDIOS , ENCARNACION , BAR , CAFÉ , TRANSPORT , PUBLIC , TRAM
Copyright 2019 – Mark Schofield @ JB Schofield .
It’s now become part of our travelling calendar – we go on a city break for Jayne’s birthday in January – no presents for birthday’s and Christmas, we travel instead. This year it was Seville. We had to drive 180 miles south to Stansted to fly there though, Friday afternoon on the A1, such fun… It was a really good drive down in actual fact, the best day for months, glorious blue sky and a fantastic sunset- and I was in a car. We got stung for tea and drinks in the Radison Blu but we were overnighting and leaving the car so we didn’t have much choice. Ryanair aagh! Again no choice. To be fair to the abrasive Irish man O Leary things are better than they used to be and it was an acceptable flight.
We were hoping for better weather than we got- don’t you always? It was. cold, windy and after some initial beautiful sun on our first afternoon, it was mostly grey. The wind died but so did the sun. The other little problem was that it was my turn for the awful cold that Jayne had been trying to get over. I was under the weather in more ways than one all week, it was only a cold but it was the worst I’ve had for ages and it didn’t help my mood, particularly when the sun was absent. We had a few hours of really nice light here and there and I made the most of it – I think!
Seville has miles and miles of narrow cobbled streets, they seem to go on for ever. They are almost random in layout and it is extremely difficult to find your way around, it’s easier to just keep walking and see what you find. So we did! The architecture is stunning and the history is fascinating. Aside from the ancient history the two events that seem to have had a massive recent influence are the Expo’s of 1929 and 1992. The incredible buildings or ‘Pavilions’ that were built for a one off event are now part of the reason that people visit the city. The 1929 pavilions are fantastic, each one is a story in itself and a destination in its own right but there are a lot of them in Parque Maria Luisa. Plaza Espana, built by the hosts of course, is the biggest and I would imagine that you could make a project out of photographing the individual ceramic tile displays around it on their own. These incredible buildings really need the light to be right to get images that people want to see, flat bright light from bright grey skies is good for certain things but dramatic architecture deserves better – or maybe I’m looking for the easy way option. The other discovery that we made, we found just down the road from the hotel, about an hour into the trip – The Metropol Parasol. A giant lattice work parasol, apparently called ‘The Mushrooms’ locally and apparently the world’s largest wooden structure. You have to look twice, having discovered that it is wood. Only later did we discover that we could get to the top and there is an extensive walkway around the top of it. It is built on top of ancient ruins, ( still intact and viewable) a food market and bars etc. and has a plaza around it and on it, that is buzzing on weekend evenings. Walking around the top, the first people up it one day and being back to watch the sunset later was one of the highlights of the trip for me.
The 1992 Expo also covered a massive area but left behind lots of modern – and some very strange – buildings and arenas. Some are of a temporary nature and get dismantled others find a new use. The land used was on an island between two branches of the River Guadalquivir – Isla de la Cartuja. The branch that goes through the city is now a canal, blocked at its northern end by a barrier with a motorway on it, and is used extensively for water sports, mainly rowing. Many of the buildings are now used by private companies as headquarters , others have a very derelict look. The whole area- even though it is home to the theme park- which was shut for the winter, has a neglected air about it. There are weeds growing everywhere but fountains are switched on, which seemed odd. Unlike the city a short distance away, there are no cafes or bars or other people around for that matter, just us meandering through. The car park that was created for the event is massive, it stretches for miles, and I really mean miles. Totally derelict, just the odd person or dog walker around. There is even a railway line terminating here, in the middle of nowhere a modern and apparently unmanned station, like a ghost station. At this point, across the river proper is open countryside, much flatter than I expected and very easy for local walkers and cyclists to get to – also very calm and quiet, a place to linger and enjoy the peace.
As usual I researched and discovered as we walked, we averaged around 13 miles a day and tried to get off the beaten track. We were out around 8.15, before sunrise, and had orange juice, coffee and Tostada with the locals for breakfast. The trouble is that there are many miles of walking in a relatively small area, some streets are only a few feet wide so there are a lot of them to explore. Incredible ancient churches and squares are around every corner- it’s a very religious place – Catholicism rules in Spain. Unfortunately many are only a few feet away from the building next to it and it is difficult to get a decent shot of them. Seville is also famous, historically, as a producer of ceramic tiles. A building isn’t complete without a tile display of some sort and it would be very easy to make a project out of tiles alone. It may be a little boring for any companions though!
We walked the length of the embankment a couple of times, it has graffiti from end to end, several miles of massive concrete walls covered in everything imaginable, from marker pen scribbling to works of art. It was suggested to me that allowing people to paint here might prevent them from daubing property and monuments in the city- it hasn’t! Most alleyways and shutters have been attacked to a greater or lesser degree. Spain has very high youth unemployment and maybe this plays a role. To be truthful though we haven’t seen a city that’s free of graffiti. The other problem is dogs- or what they produce, it’s everywhere, absolutely everywhere, in a week we saw only one person remove his dogs mess. Fortunately the city streets are cleaned exceptionally well, some of the cleanest we have come across, men (and a lot of women) and machines are washing and sweeping endlessly.
Having had the wettest winter on record at home – almost three months of rain – we didn’t want more rain but we got it. The upside was the water and the reflections that it created made photography on the cobbled streets more interesting, particularly at night. I usually find that it takes me a while to get into the groove on a trip and this one was no different, I didn’t start shooting with total disregard – street shots- for a couple of days. Whilst the locals wore quilted jackets and scarves we got down to tee shirts at times, the warmer afternoons would be welcome in summer, never mind January, in Huddersfield. I envied the cyclists, being able to train in temperatures like this in winter – I wish! You need a lot less willpower to get out there and train hard in pleasant weather.
From a photography point of view I had a frustrating time, I never felt to get to grips with the place- other than on the streets at night. Writing this on my phone on the flight home, I haven’t a clue what I’ve got to work with when I get back. I usually edit first and write later. Generally I have a first look, I’m disillusioned, I then revisit and see things differently- thankfully! Architectural shots with a grey sky could be destined for the monochrome treatment, we’ll soon see. I’m still editing stuff from our London trip before Christmas, it’s getting decent views in black and white and I quite enjoy looking at them myself.
We visited most of the notable tourist destinations, and went up anything that we could. Seville doesn’t have a high point-it’s flat! Nothing really stands head and shoulders above the city. The Cathedral tower is over 300 feet but the Cathedral itself fills a lot of the view on some aspects. Being square and having to look through bars in recesses you don’t really get a completely open aspect. A new 600 foot tower is close to being finished, it’s an office block and I couldn’t find any mention of it being a viewing point in the future.
Oranges were the last thing on my mind when I suggested going to Seville. There are 25000 orange trees in Seville and now is the time that they are laden with big-and sour- Seville oranges, they are everywhere, apparently they are the property of the city authorities and will be harvested and sent to the UK to be made in to marmalade at some point in the near future. These trees will soon be covered in fragrant blossom, the city will smell beautiful for a couple of months. Studying the surrounding area it would be good to tour in March or April I would think, the scents, longer days and better weather would make for a fantastic trip. One for the future. The sunrise on our final morning was the best of the week, this was what we had looked forward to, we had to leave for the airport at 9.00…… Needless to say it was raining hard as we drove the last twenty miles home. Nothing new there then.
As usual I have aimed to present a pretty extensive collection of photographs of our chosen destination, some, at first glance will be pretty mundane shots of everyday life on the streets, often though, close inspection will reveal something humorous, something that needs a bit of thought. Others are definitely just people going about their holiday or work. Travelling with someone else it wouldn’t be fair to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to nail the perfect long exposure or HDR image of a cathedral or similar in perfect light – the one stunning shot to add to the portfolio- it’s not really my thing, I go for an overview of the place in the time available. Looking at the postcards locally it becomes obvious that stunning shots of some of these buildings are hard to come by. Heavily corrected converging verticals were quite obvious – and most likely will be in my own shots. As the owner of tilt and shift lenses I never travel with one – ever! My knees are already creaking from the weight of the bag.
Tagged: , SEVILLE , SPAIN , ANDALUSIA , RIVER , RIO , BRIDGE , TRIANA , SANTA , CRUZ , CATHEDRAL , EXPO , ARCHITECTURE , PLAZA , ESPANA , PAVILION , ORANGES , CERAMIC , TILES , GIRALDA , COBBLES , STREETS , PEOPLE , CANDID , ARENAL , PUENTE , CHAPINA , ALAMILLO , CARTUJA , LA , MACARENA , PARASOL , ALCAZAR , METROPOL , GUADALQUIVIR , HARP , EMBANKMENT , GRAFFITI , IGLESIA , PARQUE , MARIA , LUISA , UNIVERSIDAD , ISLA , JUSTA , SAN , BERNADO , LOS , REMEDIOS , ENCARNACION , BAR , CAFÉ , TRANSPORT , PUBLIC , TRAM
Copyright 2019 – Mark Schofield @ JB Schofield .
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Photos Archives Guided Tour and Visits Travellers Maria Luisa Park.
Maria Luisa Park, Seville. Photo by Nancy Todd
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