To Hispalis and Back Without the Flu

This afternoon, after lunch at Mesón Olalla next to the Metropol Parasol, Jerry and I finally went underground to pay a visit to the Antiquarium Sevilla, the new museum space created beneath the public market and Metropol Parasol. It was the first time we used our residency cards, which get us in to local attractions free of charge!

Later in the day, those cards also got us FREE flu shots.  Jerry and I were slammed simultaneously in 1990 with debilitating cases of the flu.  I would get hit hard every year, but was always used to having Jerry there to take care of me.  (He's a great nurse.)  We've gotten our shots ever since.

BREATHTAKING MOSAICS.

THE REMNANTS OF ONE OF SEVERAL HOUSES.

But, back to antiquities.  The city had plans to build a large parking garage on the site until exploratory digging (they are very careful to check before anything new is built) led to the discovery less than 10 years ago of ancient ruins dating back to the time (around 150 BC) when Sevilla was known as the Roman city of Hispalis and the Emperor Tiberius was in power.

TOUCH-SCREENS WITH ANIMATION THAT "REBUILDS" ANCIENT HOMES AND STREETS.

ALL BENEATH THE CONTEMPORARY METROPOL PARASOL AND PUBLIC MARKET.

The design is another brilliant juxtaposition of the old and the new in this amazing city.  The antiquarium opened in April and is spectacular, although clearly not completely finished — no brochures; no gift shop; an empty gallery soon to be filled with household goods found at the site; nothing yet in English, German, French, Italian, and other languages for international visitors.

FROM 150 BC. THE LARGEST ROMAN FISH SALTING VATS (SALAZONES) FOUND IN SPAIN.

MOTION-SENSITIVE LIGHTING. GLASS FLOORS TO EXPOSE FOUNDATIONS AND SEWER SYSTEMS.

Included in the museum are breathtaking mosaics beautifully preserved.  The Antiquarium takes us through time from the very ancient Roman ruins to more modern areas dating from the 2nd century AD and on.  The most recent structure found here is a 12th-century house from the time of the Moors.

MORE BEAUTIFUL, AND PAINSTAKINGLY PRESERVED, MOSAIC WORK.

HEADING BACK OUTSIDE.