ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR -- part 4

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR Sevilla, to many a poet, priest and pedestrian, IS Andalucia. Speaking of the pedestrian experience, it can be a bit challenging for wheelers because of narrow sidewalks favored by speeding motorcyclists and teeth-rattling cobblestones in the pleasant Santa Cruz district. Four of Sevilla’s crown jewels – The Real Alcazar, the Cathedral, the bull ring and Calle Sierpes are very accessible. The Real Alcazar has elevators that allow disabled visitors to explore its corridors. Listen carefully and you can hear the many stories this royal palace has to tell. Tales of its origin as a Moorish fortress centuries before the first millennia, of its transformation into an opulent palace by Pedro the Cruel, of its reincarnation through Gothic elements added in the Middle Ages. Sevilla’s Cathedral is bigger than St Peter’s in Rome, with five lofty naves and a staggering main altar nearly 120 feet tall. Follow the signs to the accessible entrance and take advantage of the barrier-free restroom and gift shop filled with photo books in English. Once inside, marvel at the altar covered in carved statues and entirely coated in gold – a remnant of a nearly two century monopoly that Sevilla enjoyed in trading with the New World for precious metals and other goods. TOMORROW -- SEVILLA PART 2