Seville or Sevilla?

My ears are accustomed to the English pronunciation and spelling of Seville. As it turns out, the Spanish refer to their gorgeous city as Sevilla. The “ll” pronounced as a y for those who are unframiliar with Spanish pronunciation. I am no expert. I’ve been in Spain for more than 2 months and my Spanish is dire at best. But at least I try. And most people are more than willing to help, especially when asked how to properly pronounce or say something. Though getting it to stick in my brain is the difficult part. Apparently my skull is pretty thick.

A trip within a trip

To properly experience the magic of Seville, we decided to spend a few days in the city. Traveled out from our temporary Spanish home in Benalmádena with a few friends and rented a place. One simply cannot experience the splendor of Seville in a single day. You will need more time. As a disclaimer, Seville has been one of my favorite cities in Spain. I loved it. Seville gets a glowing review and two thumbs up from me!

Féria de Abril

Our group of four had exactly one set of dates that worked for everyone for this trip. Which conveniently coincided with Seville’s Féria de Abril. This “April” fair happened to be in May this year. Dates for the fair generally start two weeks after Easter Holy Week. And we all know Easter moves around every year, it falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after spring equinox. Easy peasy. I’ll stick to looking at a calendar to tell me when all those events occur. The fair itself lasts six days. If you are in the area, it is worth checking out. It’s a huge celebration, though certainly different from any fair I’ve ever experienced.

What is the Féria de Abril? In loose terms, to the best of my limited understanding, the fair is a celebration of Andalusian culture, drink and food. It’s one of Seville’s most important events. Everywhere you look ladies will be dressed in Flamenco dresses. The later into the day you get, the more extravagant the dresses seem to be. They are gorgeous. And apparently made out of some pretty thick material that felt a tad scratchy to me. The women are all gorgeous. The men look dapper dressed in various styles and colors of suits.

In the actual fairgrounds, hundreds of tents, or casetas, are set up. While most are private, there are quite a few public tents. Each casetas is sponsored or owned by an organization or group. Generally to enter a private one you would need an invitation from a member. Pretty much not going to happen as an outsider. However, the front of each tent is open and you can clearly see within. There will be loads of tables set up. People laughing and drinking within. Sometimes they have live bands and dancing. The later into the day it gets, the rowdier the crowd within. I do not mean drunken rowdiness. I simply mean that the level of excitement ramps up through the day and evening. Everyone is smiling and having a blast. Truly, the Spanish always seem to be having a good time. And when they are celebrating? The joy is infectious. Even though I have no clue what’s going on.

For those of us who aren’t members of a party, the public tents are easy to find. Most advertise public on their banner. There are also maps showing which are open to all. They are often larger tents and I noticed some were sponsored by counties or neighborhoods.

Let’s carry on to the streets between and around the tents. There will be loads of people on the sidewalks. It will likely be crowded. The streets themselves are brimming with horse drawn carriages, generally filled with revelers in all their splendor. Horses prance down the streets with men or women in traditional garb astride their backs. Ladies are generally riding side saddle. Drinks are brought out whenever they “pull up” to a tent.

At any moment, in or outside of a tent, a dance may break out. Flamenco on full display. It is beautiful. We wandered for quite some time within the relatively organized chaos.

For those wanting more, there is a rather large area containing rides. These rides range from being acceptable for young children to no way in heck am I getting on that thing. I’d black out or vomit. I’ve blacked out on a roller coaster before. Never lost my lunch, thankfully. The more spinny the ride, the more I love it. Doug not so much.

When hungry there are tents filled with a variety of food options. Beer and wine are available all over the place. My favorite fair food was the donuts. Little donuts you cover in sauce. Choose your sauce. White chocolate, chocolate, Nutella, simple powdered sugar. White chocolate won out. Yum. And I normally only go for dark chocolate.

Royal Alcazar of Sevilla

While every town in Spain seems to have some sort of Alcazar, fortress or castle, this one is a must see. Plan accordingly. Entry requires a ticket with a time slot.

This Alcazar is massive. I believe it began as a Moorish citadel and over the years and various conquests was built up, expanded and eventually turned into a palace and vast gardens.

Within the palace, there are quite a few rooms to see. You can wander around and get lost within. The tile work is extraordinary. Some tiles are painted with images of people. Watch the expressions, they are often hilarious. I especially appreciated the bags drawn under their eyes. Looked like the characters were having a rough day. Besides tiles, there are some pretty magnificent tapestries that cover entire walls. Impressive.

Stepping outside, there are patios and gardens all over. Fountains here. A maze there. Pools of tepid (do they ever clean that water?!?) water filled with fish swimming lazily around. And there are peacocks of course. The gardens themselves take an eternity to explore.

Wandering the streets

Seville is a resplendent city. There is beauty everywhere you look. From narrow streets lined with shops and homes to parks and sculptures. We wandered the streets and admired everything.

The Plaza de Espana was one of my favorites. Built in 1928 for the Worlds Fair, this relatively new plaza is in a semi circular form. It has a moat where boats may be rented to paddle around. There are four bridges crossing the moat. The building itself houses tiled alcoves representing each Spanish province. It’s gorgeous. Today the building houses government offices. Not so exciting, but you can ascend the stairs and view the plaza from the platforms above.

If architecture is your thing, your heart will sing in this city. I loved gazing upon all the buildings. Some have retained the old Moorish window boxes where the ladies of the house could view the outside world without being seen. Beautiful carvings but I’m rather glad I can just go outside instead of hiding behind screens and ornate carvings.

Cathedral of Seville

Once again you will need a ticket to enter this cathedral. This one is massive. Seville seems to have a go big or go home mentality. Truly. It is supposedly the third largest church in the world. If the exterior does not impress you, nothing will.

Inside the cathedral you will find sky high ceilings adorned in intricate carvings, held up by vast pillars. There were even a few sneaky birds flying within. Old paintings hang on the walls, in need of a good cleaning. Stained glass decorates the windows high above, filtering speckled light within. The tomb of Christopher Columbus is prominently displayed. You can even climb the bell tower. Round and round you go until reaching the top. Great views up there. Added bonus, you’ll get a great check on your heart when the bells clang. I nearly had a heart attack. By the looks on everyone else’s faces, I was not the only one. But it’s quite interesting to see those huge bells up close.

Dining

Seville did not disappoint with its culinary experience. Granted we splurged a bit. Restaurante La Cochera del Abuelo is on a quiet street in what appears to be a house. they use fine china for place settings. While there are only a few offerings on the menu, each was divine. If they have veal cheeks on the menu, try them. So good.

Bar Dos De Mayo is a popular Spanish Tapas place serving all the usual suspects in a fun environment. Try a few and share as you will. El Pasaje is a lovely Spanish restaurant that’s quite inviting in its decor and is just a few streets away from the cathedral. I highly recommend the fish confit. Marabunda was around the corner from our place and was a delight. I was craving vegetables and they have a roasted squash salad that was perfect. Everyone else got meat forward dishes and seemed to love them.