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A bit about Seville in Spain

I took up a generous offer to borrow a friend’s house in Old Seville for a week or so one summer, the trip was mainly for the food, history and wine although I took along my paints too and I was just rummaging through the work I did there and thought it would make a painting story that might be of interest to others.

Seville is said by the Romans to have been founded by Hercules. Many Roman remains can still be found here including an aqueduct. Since that time, Seville has been ruled by both Muslim and Christian Kings. It reached its golden age, however, after Columbus crossed the Atlantic to the New World in 1492. Almost all the gold collected in the Americas came to Seville first before distribution, so much local profit was to be had.

Things have been up and down since, as with most great cities, although today, Seville is mainly a tourist city ideal for those interested in architecture, art, good food, and wine. That will be me then.

Oranges

Seville is world famous for its oranges so I was half expecting to see great orange groves, here and there, all in neat rows, or at least signage to orange groves. I saw none.

I was there a few days before I realised that Seville’s oranges were hiding in plain sight. They are everywhere. Every street, every plaza and every park is covered with orange trees. I didn’t notice them at first because in summer they are green and about the size of golf balls. But when you start looking you see that they are prolific.

I was later told that there are groves outside the city but vast quantities are taken from the streets, and once they are ripe, lorries trundle about the city harvesting them.

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