Sevilla tiene un color especial

La feria de Abril is a celebration of spring unlike no other unique to Spain and largest in Seville.  It is what I have been waiting for all semester.  This year was the 300^th celebration of La feria in Seville and I am so happy to have been a part of it.  The celebration officially starts Monday night with the illumination of la entrada (“entrance”) at midnight and continues for a week.

There is an area in Seville known as the feria grounds when the festival takes place each year.  During the off season, the neighborhood is deserted.  The streets of feria are lined with decorated casetas (“huts”), some public but many private.  Each caseta has its own kitchen, bar, bathroom, and dance floor.  Some of the larger ones even have stages to host bands throughout the week.  My dad and I were very lucky and had access to three private casetas which we could enter at any time.  Two of them were owned by friends of Charo and the third belonged to los bomberos (“firefighters”) who we had made friends with on Sunday before the start of feria.  The people in each caseta were all very friendly to us but the firefighters were especially welcoming.  When they learned my dad is also a firefighter, we were flourished with free food and drinks for the rest of the night.  It was extremely generous and I know my dad was glad to see that the firefighters in Spain are known to have the same warm and hospitable attitude as the firefighters in the United States.

Walking into the feria grounds is like walking into another dimension of time.  No cars are allowed on the streets, only horses and horse drawn carriages.  All of the women are dressed in beautiful flamenco dresses, each one different from the next.  I have fallen in love with flamenco dresses because the fish tail style is flattering on every type of body.  Since each dress is unique, they cannot be compared.  Each woman adds personality to her dress by accenting it with big, bold jewelry and sporting a matching flower in her hair.  Before heading to the feria grounds, my dad and I stopped to have a cervecita ("llittle beer") with Charo so that she could see my outfit.  She was very impressed, especially with my hair.  It was very "sevillana" and I was happy that it made her smile.  I could tell she was proud of me.  

The first night all of my friends were dressed up.  We had a great time and felt like we fit right in.

In each caseta, we were surrounded by nothing but flamenco dancing.  “Sevillanas”, a famous flamenco song and dance, seemed to be playing nonstop.  We had the opportunity to try some flamenco ourselves, although it is a hard dance to master.

Much like Semana Santa has its traditional dessert, La feria has a traditional drink.  It is called rebujito and during La feria it is rare to see anyone drinking anything else.  Rebujito is a mixed drink of 7-up and manzanilla.  It is sold in each caseta but a lot of Spaniards also buy both the soda and alcohol to make the drink themselves. 

As I said before, La feria is unlike anything I have ever experienced.  Each caseta is like a wedding reception and all together they make the biggest, classiest, most-Spanish party I have ever attended.  It is a festival to not be missed and one I would definitely attend again.

Wednesday was my dad’s last day in Seville before heading back to the States.  We spent the day in Italica, a small town outside of Seville with old Roman ruins.  Even though I had been to Italica before, I knew my dad would enjoy seeing the old amphitheatre and Roman mosaics.  We had a lot of fun together and I enjoyed spending time with him.

We were tired when we came back from Seville and decided to pass on feria because we both had to be up early.  Instead, we went to Rinconcillo to have pigs’ cheeks one last time.  At the bar we met a couple from England who were on holiday in Seville.  I was able to give them some advice about the city and answer some of their questions.  They were great company and we held great conversation all night.  Even though we had planned to retire to bed early, we ended up chatting with them pretty late.  I didn’t mind at all because I was able to spend more time with my dad and could put off saying goodbye as long as possible.

My dad's Spanish twin we found at the bar!
My dad even has a shirt almost identical to the one his twin is wearing!

Needless to say, the night eventually came to an end and so did my dad’s vacation in Seville.  I was so sad to see him go which is just a small indication of how much fun we had together.  I don’t want to leave Seville but I can’t wait to see my parents again when I return to the U.S.  I already know that it is going to be a bittersweet goodbye when I leave Spain in June.

Me Visitan Mis Padres

The long awaited visit from my parents has come and gone.  It was so amazing to see them; I missed them more than I had thought.  It was a lot of fun to show my mom and dad around Seville and I was happy they could experience the Spanish life.  The night before they arrived felt like Christmas Eve, I couldn’t wait for them to get here.  When we met up at the airport I was so excited to see them, I couldn’t stop smiling.  We took the shuttle to the Macarena, an area in Seville just outside of the center where my parents had rented out a piso (“apartment”).  After they were settled in, we ventured out to a restaurant near Las Setas and my parents tried their first tapas!  They fell in love with the food (and the beer) immediately.

As a welcoming surprise, I took my parents to a flamenco show across from the University of Seville.  We ordered tapas throughout the night and tried a good variety of different dishes.  Spanish food and Spanish music was a great way to welcome my parents to Seville (not to mention, we had front row seats!).

I was my parents’ tour guide all week, showing them the different sites in Seville and telling them a little bit about each one.  I was so proud to show them the city I have been living in for the past four months and the beauty that it holds.

Plaza de España

Real Alcazar

Las Setas

Dad enjoying the tapas at Bar Alfalfa

We also spent a lot of time exploring the different restaurants, in search of the strangest, tastiest tapa in the city.  My dad enjoys trying new foods, and Seville definitely has a lot.  My parents’ favorite tapas bar, by far, was Bar Alfalfa, which also happens to be my favorite!  I am convinced that there are no better olives in all of Seville than the ones that are served at Bar Alfalfa. 

We also loved Rinconcillo, the oldest tapas bar in Seville and rumored to have created the idea of the “tapa”.  A dish that we loved was the pigs’ cheeks.  Believe me when I say it tastes better than it looks.

However, the best food we ate all week was at my home.  Charo invited my parents to have lunch at my homestay so that they could get to know each other.  The food was absolutely delicious and I was proud to show my parents our house.  I am so happy that everyone got along well, and enjoyed each other’s company!

On Tuesday we went to a bull fight, something my Dad had been looking forward to ever since they bought their plane tickets.  I had been looking forward to going to the bullfight too, because I hadn’t been to one all semester.  We brought my friend Jackie with us and although the bullfight was very striking and graphic, I am glad I was able to experience it.

Thursday morning we went to the market on Calle Feria which conveniently was just next to the street where my parents were staying.  I had not been to the market before and I was glad to finally be going.  The market was like a big giant yard sale, filled with an endless amount of knickknacks from colorful beaded jewelry to old antique Spanish artwork.  Since it was the Thursday before Feria, there were many flamenco skirts are dresses for sale and Jackie and I were able to buy skirts that fit the both of us very well and only cost a couple of euros!  We were so excited to have outfits for the Feria!

There is also a food market on Calle Feria that we went to a few times to buy fresh meat and vegetables.  I hadn't known about the market before, and am so glad to have found out about it with time left in the semester to go back!

My parents and I took a day trip to Ronda, a gorgeous city in the province of Málaga, and brought my friend Leah along with us.  Ronda is a gorgeous mountain city, filled with white roofed houses and fields of olive trees.  We spent the day exploring the city, touring a few of the famous buildings and churches, and taking heaps of pictures.  At the end of the day, we stumbled upon a wine tour and spent our last hour taste testing the native red wines and learning about the wine making process.

Since my mom had to return to work, and couldn’t stay with my dad to celebrate the Feria, her last day in Seville was Sunday.  We spent the afternoon walking around the Feria grounds, watching the Spaniards set up for the weeklong festival about to arrive.  Afterwards, we had a relaxing dinner by the river.  We ended the night with a horse-drawn carriage ride around the city, a great send-off for my mom.  My dad and I were sad to say goodbye to my mom, but I am so grateful she was able to visit me in Seville.

Semana Santa

The population of Seville seems to double or even triple during April because of the festivals that make the city famous and that I have been anxiously waiting for all semester.  The month starts with Semana Santa (“holy week”),a celebration of the resurrection of Christ Jesus, and ends with La Feria, a celebration of the arrival of spring.

Seville hosts the largest Semana Santa celebration in all of Spain, attracting people to come see from all over the world.  The streets are filled and it’s seemingly impossible to go about one’s day-to-day activities.  Charo and I headed to her beach house near Cadiz to escape the chaos for a few days.  The forecast predicted rain, and we knew the festivities were going to be cancelled and we would have better luck coming back to Seville for the end of the week.

As we had predicted, the sun followed us to Cadiz leaving nothing but rain in Sevilla.  Unfortunately, the festivals were cancelled in the city, but we were happy to have nice weather to relax on the beach.  Charo’s beach apartment is right on the shore and has a beautiful view of the ocean.  It was the perfect location for some time away from the hustle and bustle of Seville.  Although it was too cold to swim, I spent most of my time relaxing on the beach reading and listening to music.  I can’t imagine a better way to have spent my week off.

Charo introduced me to her friends who also live in the Port and they were all very friendly to me.  We went out to lunch together a few times and they ordered me typical sea food like gambas (“shrimp”).  Per usual, the food was delicious!  Charo and her friends also taught me how to dance flamenco.  It is a lot harder than it looks!

On Friday morning we drove back to Seville for the celebrations of Semana Santa.  Every day during Semana Santa, there are various processions dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Jesus.  Each procession is organized by separate cofradías (religious fraternities) and marched from their prospective church to the cathedral and back to their church.  Each cofradía carries a unique paso (or float) during the entire procession, which can last up to thirteen hours.  The floats carry old statues of various religious figures, some of which date back to the 17^th century.  The processions pass by very slowly because the floats are difficult to carry and because there are so many participants.  Both men and women of all ages can participate; even children are encouraged to join in!

To foreigners, the sight of a cofradía may be alarming at first because the outfits worn by participants resemble those worn by the Ku Klux Klan.  However, the “nazarenos”, religious outfits, were designed before the start of the KKK and the cofradías have neither affiliation nor history of affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan.  At first, it was difficult for me to understand why the nazarenos are worn.  I have since learned that the hooded robes are worn to disguise the participants, many of who are participating to serve penance.  As anonymous figures, only God can know who they are and they will not receive any other form of praise or congratulations for participating.  Many participants are very serious about staying anonymous and will not remove their caps from the time they leave their house headed for the church to the time they return at the end of the ceremony.

The cofradias do a great job incorporating children into the ceremony.  Since the costumes can be frightening, each member carries with him caramelos (“candies”) to hand out to the children.  The children also collect wax from the candles to make their own souvenir balls.  It seemed like a lot of fun!

Semana Santa was a very cultural experience for me.  The ceremony in Seville was unlike anything I have ever experienced before and the unique ambiance is hard to describe in words. 

I also had the opportunity to attend mass at the Cathedral for both Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  I went to mass on Sunday with my friend, Emma.  After the ceremony, we treated ourselves to an Easter brunch of coffee and torjillas, the typical French-toast-like treat of Semana Santa.  We had fun spending the morning together, wondering what our families were up to back in the States.

That afternoon, I took a long siesta since there wasn’t much going on.  Charo woke me up with a surprise merienda (“snack”) and we ate pancakes together!  It was a lot of fun and I was so excited she had made me a little something for Easter.  We spent the afternoon together, laughing and sharing stories.  Like always, we had a lot of fun together.