Triana

One of the things I had hoped to bring back from our trip to Spain was a beautiful ceramic pot. I asked some friends where to find such a thing and they said a neighborhood called Triana was the place to find some beautiful ceramics and they offered to take me there. Triana is just over the bridge from where we live. My friends used to live there, but said that it got too expensive. We crossed the bridge and as we started to wander through the old streets there was a tunnel from the times of the Inquisition. The Inquisition was a time when people were forced to become Christians or be sent out of town or killed. Near the tunnel, was a Triana Market. It was a fabulous farmer's market type of place with individual stalls for all kinds of different foods. There was an interesting meat stall that had pig's feet for stews and to use as gelatin, cow's feet (with some hairs still attached), tripe, and some other interesting finds. My friend, Ana, who's Grandmother used to shop in the mercado said many of the places were closing down because of the competition from the larger grocery stores. She also told me that as a child they had no refrigeration, so they went to market everyday so the food would be fresh and not spoil. They had an ice box that someone would come around the streets and sell large blocks of ice for people to use to keep their food fresh. Ana said that the markets were even open on Sunday in this very Catholic community that shuts down on Sunday because people needed it for food. Apparently when Sevilla hosted the world fair in 1992, they tore down and rebuilt the entire Mercado (finding some Roman ruins beneath). The mercado was originally part of a church on the river where the Inquistion trials (and worse) were held. Part of the church is still there, but has been flooded by the river many times throughout history.

Triana Bridge

Back to the ceramics...they took me around the corner to a street that had probably 10 or more ceramic shops. I found a beautiful pot. Unfortunately it was 160 Euros and worse, the shipping was 260 Euros (just for the shipping). I decided to buy some small tiles to make coasters out of instead. I may go back and buy some large finials that people put on top of their roof here. I would use them in my garden instead. They are bulky, but I think that they could fit in a carry on bag on the plane. We will see if I can talk Matt into lugging them home for me after his visit.

Ana and Carolina

Carolina and me


A lot of the old, old homes are decorated with handmade tiles, both inside and out. The inner tiles on the walls kept the homes cooler in the hot summers they have here. Here are some pictures of buildings with beautiful tile work on the exterior....