El Rio

Torro de Oro (Tower of Gold) on the Rio Guadalquivir

Spending time down by the river here always makes me wistful. I love the water – I love rivers, lakes, streams, fountains and puddles. I’ve always hoped to live by the water. Happily, our apartment in Sevilla is only a few meters away from the Rio Guadalquivir.

After our siesta hour, Brad and I often go to the path along the river; he runs, I walk. At twilight, the river is beautiful. As you walk down the steps from the street level to the river, millions of glass shards littering the concrete sparkle in the sunset. The broken glass is the remnants of botellones, groups of teenagers who congregate by the river at night to drink.

The air by the river is not quite as dry as the rest of the city, and there’s always a slight breeze blowing. The water is relatively still. Large ships stopped coming this far up the Guadalquivir long ago, and the river hasn’t been dredged in ages. The only vessels you see cruising the river are occasional double level tour boats and the slender, quiet boats of rowers. Every now and then, you hear the wet flop of a fish jumping.

The walkway along the river is called “Paseo del Rey Juan Carlos I.” Juan Carlos I is the current (and quite admirable and popular) king of Spain. Many Sevillanos stroll, jog, walk their dogs and bike along the river. Many people also enjoy sitting on the banks of the river to fish, gaze at the river or make out. The city planted countless oleander bushes on the banks of the river – in between the walking path and the water. On the other side of the path, there are intervals of trees and intermittent wide sets of stairs leading up to the street.

I enjoy looking at the graffiti that adorns the tall concrete walls alongside the stairs. Graffiti is a fascinating art form because the artists are ostensibly untrained and some of the art is brilliant. Also, anyone could alter, enhance or deface the images at any time. Much of the graffiti is clearly humorous or serious social commentary or a display of bravado. A few of my favorite images are below.


Some other characters by the river include the resident riverbank cats who often dart across the path in front of you, and the armies of frenzied bats flying, just over your head, at sunset – catching mosquitoes.

The bridges over the river are famous (to me anyway) and we live within walking distance of these 3 pretty ones.

One of the bridges closet to us. It was built for the 1992 world expo in Sevilla. At night, the lights along the bridge make it look as if it’s lit with candelight.

Also built for the 1992 expo – I love this bridge because it looks like a giant harp tilted sideways.

The Triana bridge – the most iconic bridge in Sevilla. Triana is an old, picturesque neighborhood across the river.

Walking along the river is a beautiful way to commune with nature and escape the noisy hectic streets of the city. And a way to check out Spanish hotties who jog there.