Category: spain

360º Setas

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[click on image to enlarge]

This morning I took another trip up to the top of the Metropol Parasol to try out my new iPhone app that allows me to take 360º photos… I think I need more practice but this was the best of the few I tried out.

I also saw that they have finally put up info boards that explain what you are looking at from the main outlook points. They also now have pay-per-view telescopes that warn you not to look directly into the sun (duh).

A tip – do try to get there just after opening time (10 am) as it is lovely and cool and there is nobody else around.

Semana Santa 2011

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only in Sevilla…

Next week is Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Sevilla, starting on Palm Sunday, April 17th. For those who haven’t experienced, or don’t know about it, it’s all about the processions – more than sixty of them during the course of the week, including those of the Madrugá on the Thursday night through to Friday morning. Each procession carries statues of the Christ and the Virgin from its home church to the Cathedral and back again, accompanied by nazarenos and penitentes carrying candles and crosses, and the distinctive music of the Semana Santa marching bands.

Because this is the largest and most elaborate celebration of its kind in the world, people come from all over Spain and even further afield to see it. With such large crowds, especially in the centre and around the cathedral, it is almost impossible for the residents to live normal lives, and for the last 18 years I’ve spent most of Semana Santa pretty much trapped in my flat just up the street from the cathedral. But this year I will be spending it in my new home near the Alfalfa for the first time, and I really don’t know what to expect in the way of crowds and inconvenience.

In retrospect it seems almost prescient that I took this video last year of the Santa Cruz procession, which plays my favourite marcha, the haunting La Madrugá by Abel Moreno. Little did I know that it was going to be the last time I would watch it go past below my bedroom balconies…

Guest Writers

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I was thinking that it might be fun to open up the blog a bit and invite guest writers to send in occasional blog posts. This would not only provide my readers with different perspectives on Sevilla – I think it would also inspire me to post more often as well (!!).

So if you live in Sevilla, or have lived/visited here, and have a story or experience you’d like to share, then please get in touch about writing a guest post for the Sevilla Blog.

Also, if you provide a local service that you think would be interesting for English-speaking visitors (other than tapas tours, that is  😉 ) you could write a post about that too.

 

Please send your guest post proposals to me at the email address in the sidebar.

And if there is something specific you’d like to read about, leave a suggestion below.

Barrio La Alfalfa

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[click on image to enlarge]

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here and the main reason for that is I’ve spent the past three months looking for, moving into and getting settled in a new apartment. For over 17 years I lived on calle Mateos Gago, 16 of those years in a corner building where I had lovely balconies and a fabulous view of the Giralda tower. When I found out in December that my landlord wouldn’t be renewing my contract I was devastated and convinced I couldn’t be happy living anywhere else but on MY street. How wrong I was!

After much searching I was getting quite discouraged and then one day a friend of mine noticed a for rent sign up on a building just off the Plaza Alfalfa and gave me a call. I went to have a look and it was love at first sight. It’s much bigger than my old place and has a huge terrace, and after a month of unpacking and organising it’s starting to actually look like a home. Though it’s felt like Home since day one.

I’m also loving the barrio. The whole style here is different from the barrio Santa Cruz. More homey, no tourists or souvenir shops. In fact, it’s full of wonderful – and useful! – shops, like bakeries, supermarkets (3 just off the plaza, one with a fab fish section), a gourmet butcher, florist, “euro shop”, convenience store, pharmacy, fruit & veg shop, a place that makes churros & crisps, and lots of little boutiques. There are also lots of tapas bars full of locals. The Plaza itself – about a two-minute walk from home – is always bustling and was recently pedestrianised, making it a pleasant place to sit out in the sun and enjoy a beer and a tapa.

I’m very pleased with the new barrio. It feels very comfortable and more “authentic” to where I was before. And I can still see the top of the Giralda tower when I look out my bedroom balcony…