Plaza de la Encarnacion

As mentioned in a previous footprint, we met a German couple in our hotel and every day at breakfast, we compared notes about what we had seen or done the previous day.

Heike and Johannes live in Germany on Rugen Island in a town called Sellin, and they like to travel. In fact they will be going to Italy in the Fall and staying on a beautiful lake near Venice for a month.

One night, they went to the Metropol Parasol in Seville, also known as Las Setas. Setas means mushrooms in Spanish and the name refers to the shape of the structure, which resembles a giant cluster of mushrooms. They really enjoyed it and encouraged us to go at night. So we did.

The Setas is supposedly the largest wooden structure in the world. It is situated in the Plaza de La Encarnación and was constructed between 2006 and 2011.

The structure, that is 150 m long and 70m wide, is made up of six large parasol-shaped structures, almost 30 meters high. The panels used to create the shape are arranged in a honeycomb-like pattern, which creates a visually stunning effect and provides shade for the area underneath. There are two concrete columns that house the elevators.

We walked a short distance to the Setas just as the sun was starting to set. Entry to the mirador (viewing area) was controlled but once we got in, we could take the elevator to the top and stay as long as we wanted.

We found it hard to believe that the structure was made of wood. Chris checked it out. It looked and felt like concrete. But it wasn’t. Apparently 3,500 pieces of Finnish pine was used in its construction and 16 million screws. A polyurethane covering was put over the wood to protect it from the weather.

At the top, we walked on a 250m long ramp to the panoramic platform that offered great 360 degree views of the city. It was fun looking for the various places we had visited during our stay. As the sun started to set and the city darkened, lights came on on the buildings and the sky turned a pale pink. People come here to take photos of the sunsets.

At 8 pm, a gentle light and sound show began, with LED lights bathing the Setas in ever changing waves of color. So pretty and calm. A huge contrast to last nights energy at the Flamenco show. Lol.

When we had seen enough, we had the option of watching a 15 minute film called “Feeling Seville” that encapsulated what Seville had to offer. It was an excellent film but we not able to film any part of it or take photos. I was able to find it on Utube though…

On our way back to the hotel, we saw a large group of students dancing and singing. A street musician was playing his guitar and the kids were having a ball singing with him. It was nice to see the freedom that they had while accompanying the singer.Read more