The unobjective doorbell and other Celtic connections

 A short walk but, I hope, an interesting one as we progress along the Avenida de Jerez towards the centre of Seville.


We left Seville, yesterday, making progress in the Age of Reason. Things boomed in the nineteenth, with a ceramics factory being established in La Cartuja and the period 1843-68 seeing a construction boom which included the Isabel II bridge, street lighting and pavements.  The Museo de Bellas Artes opened in 1904 in 1929 the city hosted the Ibero-American Exposition.  Population wise the city grew from 100,000 in 1842 to 684,000 today, with above 20% growth in the 1920s, 40s, 50s and 70s.



We are passing the Autismo Andalucía Federación Andaluza de Asociaciones de Padres con hijos Autistas. https://www.autismoandalucia.org/  You know where you stumble into something and don’t feel qualified to comment. About nine months ago things got tasty.  A concerted one star attack on the place suggested they were not supportive of autistic kids any more. I am not sure I have the sense of the situation to comment, so I will leave a one star review from five years ago.  Marta said ‘They do not have a doorbell.’



On we go to the Estadio Benito Villamarin - Home of Real Betis. Now, you will have worked that the Spanish are a bit keen on football.  The top four urban areas have two or more football teams of note in them. Madrid has Real and Atletico [and Getafe and Leganes]; Barcelona has itself and Espanyol; Valencia has itself and Levante and Seville has itself….. And Real Betis.



Traditionally Real Betis Balompie were the working class team of the city - certainly, that is how the Soviet press framed it. They have a motto ‘Long live Betis, even when they lose!’ This has not always been the case as they won the League in 1935 and the Cup in 1977, 2005 and 2022. 



The club was established in September 1907, just under two years after Sevilla FC were set up. In another one of those British connections the club swapped from playing in blue and white to green and white - which are more appropriate to the region - partly because captain Manuel Ramos Asensio had been studying in Scotland and had established a relationship with Celtic. This may be a myth, but why not.  What is fact is that Irish coach Patrick O’Connell took them to their only League title in 1935.


A quick O Connell aside. He played for various British clubs, including 58 games for Hull City. He managed in Spain from 1922 to 1949, including Racing Santander [1922-29 and 1947-49]; Real Betis [1932-35 and 1940-1942]; Sevilla [1942-45], Barcelona [1935-40] and Real Oviedo [1929-31].


Post Civil War the club hit bad times, heading to the 2nd Division in 1943 and third in 1947. They climbed back to the second in 1954 and the first in 1958.  Since then they have mostly been in the top League, with occasional holidays in the second, such as 2014-2015.


The Stadium gets 28,040 reviews and 4.6 stars.   https://www.realbetisbalompie.es/club/estadio-benito-villamarin/   A day ago Dutch writing gardi gave five stars and opined ‘it was amazing.’  Presumably this might have been in response to Hector Bellerin’s goal in the 4th minute of injury time to force a draw with Real Madrid or they might just have really enjoyed the stadium tour.   Unlike most of the other reviews Pepe was solid in his week old review. Three stars. ‘It is currently undergoing renovations, making an objective assessment impossible.

‘


We are ending today at the Pabellon de Mexico. We have entered Ibero-American Exposition territory.  It is currently owned by Seville University but in 1927 it was constructed to show the best Mexico had to offer, including Mayan and Toltec decorations.  A year ago Loreta noted ‘Well-located. Impressive building with a small yard inside. There are plenty of peacocks.’



Tomorrow, more of the same.













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