Category: market

Market & Tapas Tours

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One of the best ways of getting to know a new culture is through its food, as I have discovered over and over again with my Sevilla Tapas Tour guests. Then in September I started doing Market & Tapas Tours and they have proved to be quite successful as well. These morning tours start off with that most typical of Spanish breakfasts – churros and chocolate – and then I take my guests to two of Sevilla’s best food markets, one traditional and one modern (in fact, the newest and the oldest markets in Sevilla), where I talk about the fresh fish, meats and produce on display, and of course we sample some of the culinary delights on offer along the way. At our second stop we finish off with a delicious snack of fresh seafood tapas at a delightful market tapas bar. It’s great fun.

Market & Tapas Tours are available Tuesday – Thursday, 11.00 am – 2.00 pm.

If you’d like more information drop me a line at:

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El Jueves Street Market

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Go down to Calle Feria on a Thursday morning and you could be in for a big surprise, as a long section of the street and some side streets are taken over by the stalls of the El Jueves (Spanish for Thursday) market. Officially it’s an antiques market, but though you can find antiques here, the range of things on sale here is much wider and more eclectic. Ceramics, paintings and furniture jostle for attention with second hand books and toys, watches and accessories, CDs and recycled fixtures and fittings. Looking for a pepper mill to match your salt cellar? A lava lamp? A console for your old video-games? You just might find them here. If not, never mind, half the fun is in the browsing, or sitting in one of the local bars with a coffee and toast watching the bustle outside. And you never know when you’re going to stumble on that unmissable bargain or the perfect souvenir.

[click on images to enlarge]

El Jueves must be one of the oldest still-existing markets in Europe, dating back to the 13th century, just after the Christian reconquest of the city, and there are rumoured to be one or two items that have shown up every Thursday since then.

A Night at the Opera

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I’d been meaning to go to Sevilla de Ópera in the Arenal Market ever since I first heard about it from Claudio, owner of the Adriano Hotel, and was introduced to its organisers, opera baritone Luciano Miotto and producer Paco Oliva. Then last Saturday I was invited to the final show for this season (it starts up again in September).

Sevilla is often advertised as the “city of opera“, and is famous as the setting for operas by Bizet (Carmen), Rossini (The Barber of Seville), and Mozart (The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni).

Sevilla de Ópera put on a small show (the one we saw featured three singers and a pianist) that aims to make opera more accessible to the public. Their concept is based on a typical tablao de flamenco, a bit like dinner theatre, though you can also just go and have drinks. The difference here is that, although there is some basic scenery, there is no actual stage – or rather, the entire room is the stage – and the performers come and go using various entrances, interacting with the audience. I think it’s a great way for people to get a first taste of opera without feeling intimidated, and the market setting adds to its “everyman” appeal. But the quality of the performances ensures that well-seasoned opera lovers will enjoy it too.

Gianpero Ruggeri, Sachika Ito & Luciano Miotto

I’m not exactly an “opera buff” myself and wasn’t sure what to expect, but the show turned out to be hugely enjoyable, with scenes from the Mozart and Rossini operas and other songs (traditional Spanish and a couple of zarzuelas) performed with skill and gusto. And the encore, Rossini’s Duet for Two Cats, was delightful – a humorous piece with “meow” as the only lyric. Very frustratingly, my attempt to video it for posterity (and for my friend Sledpress) on my iPhone proved unsuccessful but Luciano told me I could find them performing it on YouTube. Enjoy…

[youtube=”http://youtu.be/2c6xvPPRTW4″]

Looking forward to the new season in September!

Sevilla de Ópera

Christmas Camels

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Spotted yesterday under the Setas.

The camels were being groomed and prepared for the opening of the Encarnación Christmas Market (today) and will be available for rides until January 5th. They also add a very authentic look to the large Belén (nativity scene) being constructed. More pics from the market later…