I finally saw the Metropol Parasol tonight, and it's amazing. It's said to be the largest wooden structure in the world and looks like a giant waffle. They also call it Las Setas de La Encarnación which means Mushrooms of the Encarnación Square. I was telling my host mom recently that I wanted to go see it soon, and to my surprise she had nothing good to say about it. Like a lot of other Sevillans, she feels that the enormous modern structure has ruined the area, one of the most historical areas of the city. She said she didn't like that the modern structure was placed right in the middle of the medieval streets and buildings and that it was a disgrace. Apparently a lot of residents feel this way, and don't like the fact that a huge mushroom has been placed in the middle of their very old and very traditional city.
I thought it was beautiful, and one of the coolest things I've seen in Sevilla. It was designed to offer shade from harsh Sevillan summers and make the square more accesible. La Encarnación used to be a parking lot, and in my opinion this is a whole lot better than a parking lot. You can go underneath the structure and see carefully preserved Roman ruins, and then you can walk on top of the structure and look out at the city. The architect drew inspiration from the vast vaults of Sevilla's Cathedral and wanted to make a "cathedral without walls".
