Procession and more

We had a wonderful time in Seville. Unlike the last time we had been there which was during Easter and we were busy every evening following the processions and marvelling at the richness of the whole process of them, this time it was fairly quiet. There were some events that were out of the ordinary however, and I have decided to do a separate post on them.

The first one was a religious procession we saw.  On the ground floor of the building next to our hotel there was a room where people used to meet and some evenings they had big gatherings that spilled into the street. I was never able to figure out exactly what this place was.

One day I stopped to look at this poster that was pinned on the door and a woman who saw me came out and tried (I do not speak Spanish) to explain to me what this event was. She urged us to attend their fiesta which included a tombola and whiwas going to happen that evening in the empty car park across the road.

This was the Festival of the Crosses, usually celebrated early May in many parts of Latin America and Spain and particularly in Andalucia. The festival is rooted in the legendary search by the Byzantine Empress Saint Helena for the cross on which Jesus died. As well as being a religious festival it is also an excuse for Catholic neighbourhoods to compete for prizes for the best-decorated cross. Each neighbourhood sets up a bar in the evening where drinks and tapas are served and this is what we were invited to. In this neighbourhood, all the procees from the fiesta would go to children in need.

We could hear chanting from our hotel room in the early evening, and saw a procession from our balcony, 

so we headed to the Plaza de San Martin which was a few minutes away and here they all were, outside the church, 

ready to start.

The poster had informed us that  there would be a children's float and some very young children were lined up

the float, carried by children, was brought out of the church

you can just about make out the shoes of the children who carry the float on their shoulders

 very much a children's event.

And they were off.

We left the square, and walked to another square,

to our favourite, Cafe Santa Marta, for our pre-dinner drinks.

And then, a different procession from another neighbourhood, passed right by where we were sitting

Some of them were carrying signs with the letters SPQR on them, so I looked it up. It stands for Senatus Populusque Romanus, which translates to 'The Senate and People of Rome'. It was the official emblem and motto of the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire representing the joint authority of the aristocracy and the citizens.

Ohhh! The candle is almost bigger than she is!

Some of the children were wearing unusual headgear

We had our pre-dinner drinks and then we went for our evening meal. On the way back to the hotel we noticed that the fiesta we had been invited to, was winding down.

                                          

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We also witnessed a political rally on the Almeda de Hercules. We were on our way to Tapas and Vinos for our evening meal and we saw the crowd, and went to investigate.

Adelante is a left-wing Andalucian nationalist party focused on regional issues and independent from traditional Spanish left-wing coalitions. They formed in 2020 after splitting from Podemos and United Left.

    

                                

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Finally, an art market takes place in the Plaza del Museo every Sunday

just outside the Museo de Bellas Artes.

So we went to investigate. 

Below are some of the pieces on display

Metropol Parasol (Setas de Sevilla)

Setas de Sevilla (Mushrooms of Seville), initially titled Metropol Parasol, is a large, predominantly wooden structure in the La Encarnacion square in La Macarena district. It accomodates a traditional market, restaurants, a performance square, archaeological museum and a rooftop terrace with panoramic views of the old city. 

It was designed by architect Jurgen Mayer and completed in 2011. It's roughly 150 by 70 metres with an approximate height of 26 metres.  It consists of six parasols loosely resembling large mushrooms, inspired by the vaults of the Cathedral of Seville and the ficus trees in the nearby Plaza de Cristo de Burgos. The structure is constructed of 3,500 meters of micro-laminated Finnish pine and it's the world's largest wooden structure. Since opening, it has become Seville's third-most visited urban landmark.

It was impossible to get a picture of the whole structure so I had to accept that I could only photograph sections of it. Being in its vicinity is magnificent.

We spent quite a lot of time around the square that surrounds the structure - we loved it here. At first we wandered around the north side of the square, had two meals here as well as pre-dinner drinks one early evening.

Always a lot of people around here, drinking, eating, or just wandering around.

The structure was beautifully lit up at night, and the colours of the lights kept changing.

The performance area was always busy at night, and one evening, someone was taken away on a stretcher, but she could not have been seriously ill, as she was looking at her phone while they were taking her away.

The best performance was the evening when a very popular group peformed. I could hear them during the evening meal, and, when, after the meal I went near the stage, it was incredible.

When they started performing Bella Ciao, the Italian resistance song, everyone started clapping, singing along, and a lot of people got up and started dancing to this 

I will always remember this.

The south part of the square was the most vibrant, this is where the performance area is, but also, the busiest restaurants and bars. We really enjoyed sitting here, having a drink, or a meal, looking at the Parasol and just enjoying the whole atmosphere

We also bought tickets to explore the rooftop terrace

paths that wind round the structure so that visitors can explore

At times you could see both the structure and the views of the city

you can see how it winds all around

The whole structure is just amazing

In the distance, the bridge we got a glimpse of as our taxi was taking us to our hotel, but which we did not manage to visit - another time

I am sure this is the baloon I saw at the CAAC so it must be there more or less permanently

Torre Sevilla in Triana in the distance  

And there are the paths of the Metropol that look as if they are winding round the city

We kept going round

the sqaure round the Metropol

and one of one of the 'mushrooms' towering in front of us

another good view of parts of the Metropol and the city.

That evening, we were back.