Bill's trip to Seville 2011
Bill spent two+ weeks in Seville in April, 2011. In addition to attending the wedding of Raquel and Coqui, he did a lot of other fun things with his lab colleagues. Here are six examples.

1. Lab dinner
1 (of 46) Dinner with Guillermo, Lucia, Bill, Rocio, Laura, and Rosa

2. Los Torres

The painter Julio Romero de Torres (1874-1930) lived most of his life in Cordoba, just upstream from Seville. His portraits of young women are especially accurate depictions of classic Spanish beauty. Here are several of his portraits, and also a few photos of graduate student Laura Torres. I don't know if she is related to the painter (same name), but she surely could be related to his subjects.


3. Plaza de España
2 (of 46) The fabulous Plaza de España, restored to its original splendor and reopened in 2010. Built for the 1929 Ibero-American World's Fair, it is a large semi-circlular building around a canal and plaza, all at the edge of the Parque de Maria Luisa.

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4 (of 46) The beautiful ceramics were completely restored

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9 (of 46) More than 50 cubicles celebrate each of the Provincias of Spain

10 (of 46) Each has a shield at the top, then a picture depicitng a famous historical event, and a map on the ground

11 (of 46) Here is the map showing the Province of Sevilla (part of the Comunidad of Andalucia)

12 (of 46) ...and the pictue (I think defeating Napolean)

13 (of 46) ... and the shield. The slogan of Sevilla is "no8do" - it is a pun

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16 (of 46) not a meeting of the flat world society

17 (of 46) Visitors gather in the lacuna of their home town

18 (of 46) Current maps at the tourist office are just like this, including the confusion caused by putting north on the left

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21 (of 46) Luke Skywalker was there with his sister and mother. I don't know who those guys in the background are.

22 (of 46) Luke challenged his sister, and when he...

23 (of 46) accidentally whacked her, he had to consult with her as mom (not looking much like Princess Leia) moved in

24 (of 46) The other end of the Park of Maria Luisa, and the museum of Spanish Arts and Customs

25 (of 46) A closer look at the beautiful museum

25a (of 46) Of the many fountains in the park, my favorite is the Fuente de las Ranas....

25b (of 46) ... a closer view.

4. Flamenco
26 (of 46) A night of Flamenco with Rocio and Luismi, at the same venue where Joan, Emmy, and I went in 2005


Before the show, we had a beer at a local bar, one of the oldest in Seville, with some local flamenco singing.
Video


27 (of 46) Afterwards, a word with Antonio, the star of the show, who also is Rocio's teacher.


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5. Cazalla de la Sierra
29 (of 46) A Sunday trip with Lucía and Guillermo to the pueblo where Guillermo grew up, Cazalla de la Sierra, about an hour north of Seville. These ancient buildings (and I mean ancient - evidence of habitation goes back 3000 years), near the pueblo, were recently a monastery, abandoned in the 19th century, and most recently lovingly restored with private funds, now run as a hotel.

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36 (of 46) The restoration clearly is not yet completed, but the ruins add a wonderful romantic feel to it all

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39 (of 46) A walk in the country on a perfect spring day

40 (of 46) And then into town. These children were playing school

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42 (of 46) Lunch at a local cafe bar. That is Guillermo's sister María on the left. Guillermo knew just about everyone in the bar, and just about everybody who walked past.

43 (of 46) The owner (left) and a patron

44 (of 46) Three ancient Spanish natives

45 (of 46) After lunch we visited a longtime friend of Guillermo, a tennis competitor when Guillermo was a contender at (and occasional winner of) the local tournament, who owns this beautiful hotel. This is the patio, leading to a large garden.

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6. Semana Santa (Holy Week)
Bill left Seville just as the famous Semana Santa (Holy Week) got underway. The night before his departure, he went with Lucia and Guillermo to view several "pasos" - processions usually comprising two floats (one each of Jesus and the virgen Mary), followed by a brass band and dozens to hundreds of devotees ('nazarenos') who are often dressed in robes and masked hoods that the KKK copied a hundred years ago, and so can startle, or even shock, Americans on first sight.

In Seville, each Holy Week lasts from Palm Sunday through Good Friday (Easter Sunday is not an especially celebratory time). During Holy Week, each of the fifty or so churches in Seville sends out its 'paso'. Each one makes its way to the Cathedral (one of the largest in Europe) to be blessed, and then returns, circuitously, to its home. The trip can take up to twelve hours, often beginning late in the day, and so can last through much, or even all of the night.

The streets throng with people, lots and lots of people. They are not raucous or drinking, nor religious (I saw no one, for example, crossing himself). Instead, they chat with family and friends, and, when the floats pass by, they watch in respectful silence, children in arms, and they often gently applaud. A former religious exercise has evolved into a largely cultural celebration.

The nuts and bolts of the operation are interesting. Fifty parades need to be scheduled for the week, with as many as eight occurring simultaneously, which must not intersect. For each parade, two floats need to be hoisted and carried. Each float weighs about 3500 pounds. They are carried by guys ('casteleros') underneath, 35 of them. Each castelero lifts about 100 pounds, working for about 90 minutes. He then gets 90 minutes off while 35 others take over. Each castelero does 4-5 carries per day. Without pay. And they don't just lift and carry. It's bad enough that the streets are incredibly narrow and that they have to negotiate tight turns. But, in addition, each step is an exquisitely choreographed process, because the floats sway gently back and forth, just as a person does while walking. Ginger Rogers, going backwards and in heels, had it easy by comparison. Check out the videos to see how it works.
Video 1 - Jesus turns the corner
Video 2 - Virgen Mary follows
Video 3 - Mary is serenaded

46. Looking towards the Cathedral...

47. Casteleros, having a break (Coke, for the sugar), with a long night ahead of them carrying pasos. The weight rests on folded padding in the back of their headscarf, at the base of their neck.

48. The paso will turn the corner and pass down that street

49. Here it comes - this is the virgen

50. The nazarenos

51. more nazarenos