The View Worth Vertigo in Seville

Submitted by Zubin Hussain on the 2015 summer session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures…

I’ve always been a bit afraid of heights, but today in Seville was one of the few times in my life that I thought climbing 34 ramps and dealing with the vertigo I always feel when I’m high up was worth it. Being able to overlook all of Seville and see the incredible variation in architectural styles throughout the city, from thousand year old brick and stone structures to modern hotels and skyscrapers to beautiful monuments, was a truly awe-inducing experience. Being up there reminded me of the concept of the melting pot – when a place has a mix of many different peoples, cultures, architectural styles, etc. – something I learned about in my first ever Spanish class in the 6th grade. It’s phenomenal when a single, relatively tiny place like Seville can have thousands of years of history that includes so much war and occupation, but also so much love and cooperation. The historical buildings and monuments of the city are a testament to the ability of mankind even and I felt privileged to experience the slight nausea I did to be able to see it all at once from the top of the Seville’s Cathedral.

Seville Panorama Zubin Hussain 15J Granada sm