Spain trip - Seville, pt. 1

Old city wall and Basilica of Macarena

Military contingent on the way to the cathedral

The energy was pulsating!

The guys in white were beneath the 'floats', carrying it

Holding our breath as the 'float' enters a church

It was an interesting day here in this vibrant capitol of the Andalusian region. Charles slept in, the whirlwind of the first three days of tourist activities gave him enough reason to do so! Add to that the delicious meal the night before (and some fantastic wine!), a delightful shower, and a very comfortable bed made for a pleasant start to Thursday in Spain.

An excellent breakfast in the hotel's restaurant gave energy for the day to come. It was nice that there was the Hermandad (Basillica) de la Macarena was next door to the Alcoba del Rey de Sevilla (his hotel) so Charles got in a church right off the bat, very nice, and the early morning mass was filling up the seating so he left to see more of downtown Seville.

When setting out from the hotel, Charles had no idea what he was about to experience! Being dropped off by the taxi in the vicinity of the amazing Cathedral de Seville, Charles was smack-dab in the middle of a military formation with four companies (and a military band) lining up for a parade. Of course Charles was interested and followed the units as they made their way to the front door of the Cathedral where they and the crowd that had gathered waited patiently.

It seemed as though everyone, with the exception of the normal tourist crowd, knew what was going on. Eventually, the doors opened and out came throngs of people in formations, some with banners, some swords, military brass, the bishops and clergy, a few nuns, and public officials, (he thought he picked up on El Rey (the king), but it wasn't sure who it was).

What got everyone abuzz though was the huge religious imagery being carried on ornate platforms by dozens of men. Charles didn't realize but that the processions were leaving the Cathedral on their way to churches throughout the area in the largest celebration of Corpus Christi in Spain. Wandering the streets afterwards he got to see one such item being taken into a church with strong connections to Teresa of Ávila!