One will never be prepared with the beauty that Seville offers. It is like a music box encrusted with semi-precious stones that beguiles one’s eyes. Once opened, a diamond ballerina springs out, and gold, diamonds, pearls, rubies and sapphires start overflowing from its chamber. What your hand can hold is too limited compared to the jewels that Seville has in its chambers.

PLAZA DE ESPANA Y TRIANA
Plaza de Espana was our first destination. Getting there, it stunned both me and our publisher. I was just too dumbfounded by the beauty that I was beholding and Teresa, our local guide, quipped, “I can see you can hear but cannot understand anything I am saying,” and I did not deny it. It may not have been the pyramids of Giza, but Plaza Espana could have very well been it. Semi-circular in formation, it has three towers, two at the ends and one in the center. It is predominantly terra-cotta accented with beautifully painted tiles and balustrades, and wrought iron lamps. Double Romanesque columns run the entire length of the structure designed by Anibal Gonzales. It fusses Renaissance and neo-Moorish architecture in Regional Revival Style.

Making our way into the embrace of the square, Teresa was wise to stop talking and let me absorb the beauty that I was trying to commit to memory since I forgot my cellphone in the car, for note-taking and snapping pics. I was just intent in absorbing the grandness and the beauty of the place. Arabesque patterns on the azulejos (painted tiles), contrasting with the earthy terra-cotta structure, horse-dawn carriages with gold trim, and the fountain at the center, just made the place more enchanting.

Next stop was Triana, the town across the Guadalquivir River that produced these beautifully painted ceramic tiles. Triana is filled with ceramic shops, a great place to haunt for souvenirs. I was looking for something out of the ordinary and I eventually found the head of Carmen (from Bizet’s opera). Unfortunately, it was not for sale.

ROYAL ALCAZAR OF SEVILLE
First in the agenda the following day was the Royal Alcazar of Seville. It is the oldest Royal Palace in Europe still in use. It has two parts; first is the garden. It wasn’t massive by European standards like the Versailles or the Belvedere; it was more intimate and more human in scale. Also called Jardin Alcazares, it has three unique main features. First is the maze. With very tall hedges, Teresa, the guide, challenged us, “Would you go in there?” “No,” was our quick response. Then she added, “If I can do it, I’m sure you can.” Thanks, Teresa, but no thanks.

The second attraction was the water organ. Completely hidden against a water feature, it is run by water and will play at timed intervals. It started playing when we got to it. I peaked through one of the ventilation holes and indeed, the organ was playing itself as water cascaded through its system. The whole melody lasted for five minutes.

The juiciest one is the Banos de Dona Maria de Padilla. It was where Peter the Cruel met his mistress Lady Maria de Padilla. It’s catacomb-like ambiance can be quite sexy.

At the front of the garden is the actual palace. Standing in the middle of Patio de la Monteria, Teresa pointed out, “In this area, we have three palaces. To the left is the Palacio de la Contractacion, where Ferdinand and Isabelle signed the agreement with Columbus when he discovered the Americas. In front is the Palacio Mudejar; it is one of the finest sample of mudejar style-Muslim workers working on Christian buildings. Peter the Cruel, a great admirer of the Alhambra, had it constructed. And the last one to the right is the Palacio Gotico.”

As we entered through Palacio Gotico, we encountered an azulejo wainscoting with the intricate arabesque patterns prevalent all throughout Andalucia. The top portion was a bare white gothic vaulted wall and ceiling highlighted only by wood trim and inverted ceramic finials. Pendant lights added to its elegance. As we turned the corner, we get to Palacio Mudejar.

Despite having toured the Alhambra, the Palacio Mudejar still took our breath away. The celebrated Virgin’s Courtyard was a sight to behold. The enclosure had a fascia of multi-lobed arches decorated by lace-like patterns held up by double pillars. Above it was another set of living quarters with a cat walk accented by another set of pillars and arches with more delicate decorations. The terra cotta finish made the whole courtyard look as if the structure rose from the earth. The insides of the palace was nothing short of astonishing. Arabesque patterns, murquana vaults, a dome of multi-pointed star, it was all dream-like. Despite it being smaller than the Alhambra, Palacio Mudejar certainly was not taking a back seat when it came to overwhelming the senses. Now that we have seen the richness and vibrancy of Mudejar architecture, we moved a through a few phases and entered the Christian world.

CATEDRAL DE SEVILLE AND LA GIRALDA
Entering from the side, we were suddenly engulfed by this cavernous structure. Its scale made me feel insignificant. “This is the third largest church in the world. The first one being St. Peter’s Basilica, and since that is a basilica and not a church, it therefore does not count, making this the second largest church in the world,” was the glib argument of our guide Teresa. Uncontested however, is its reputation as the biggest Gothic church in the world.

Since there was so much to be seen, let me just concentrate on the more significant ones. First is the altar piece or the retablo mayor. Measuring 98 feet high by 66 feet wide, it was Gothic art in pure splendor. I was shaking my head in disbelief when I saw it. It looked like a big slab of gold that had miniature carvings. Then there was the pipe organ. If the height of the main altar is any indication of the church’s height, then we can assume on the length of the pipes of this organ too. But the wood details that held the metal pipes together were the ones that caught my attention. Intricate bas relief formed a rich texture contrasting with the pipes that were smooth and metallic. It rendered other pipe organs I have seen feeble.

And the last piece that needs to be pointed out was the tomb of Christopher Columbus. According to Teresa, “There is an issue whether the bones inside are of Cristopher Columbus or not. But of all those have the same claim, it is only Seville who allowed for DNA testing on the bones. And lo and behold, the experts have agreed they are of the great explorer.”

La Giralda, the bell tower that used to be a minaret, was at the side of the cathedral. And just like the cathedral it serves, La Girlada was just as stunning and magnificent, with unforgettable majestic tableaus and architecture. The scale by which the tableaus were created is just as astonishing as the one in the cathedral. After seeing this whole complex, I told our two tour guides, “You know, this I will tell you, you guys are crazy.”

“You know Willy,” Teresa continues, “Legend has it that the city rulers once said ‘Hagamos una Iglesia tan hermosa y tan grandiosa que los que la vieren labrada nos tengan por locos’ (Let us build a church so beautiful and so grand that those who see it finished will take us for mad)” Well, I certainly fell for it.

THE MUSHROOM
From the cathedral we made our way to the last stop: the Mushroom. Officially, “The Mushroom” is the Metropol Parasol. It is in downtown Seville where a parking space was suppose to be built while upgrading the ancient market place. However, they stumbled upon an ancient Roman ruin during construction and therefore had to stop. The city officials decided to open a competition and was won by German architect, Jürgen Mayer. “We call it Las Setas or The Mushrooms,” Teresa explained. “But don’t they look more like belgian waffles?” I asked to their delight. It is the latest landmark in Seville and just like the glass pyramid of I.M. Pei in the Louvre, “The Mushroom” is not without its own controversy. “Some people like it, and some don’t,” volunteered Lola. But for this Instagram generation, this will undoubtedly be a most sought-after backdrop.

We enter La Encarnacion Square and rode the elevator to the observation deck of the Mushroom. As we got out of the elevator, the whole city of Seville was in front of us in full panoramic splendor. We made our way up to the highest point soaking up the Iberian sun. It was a very mild undulating ascent and to see the structure up close was the reward for the effort. Made of wood, it claims to be the biggest wood structure in the world. The honeycomb pattern was certainly interesting, and as a person who studied design, I cannot help but take note of its contrast with the “traditional” architecture.

This trip opened a music box. We still need to dig deep into the box and see what other hidden gems are inside. Another Star of India, perhaps? A gem so big it will make anyone go mad.