Sevilla

Sevilla is located in Southern Spain and is the capital of the Spanish province by the same name. Originally founded by the Romans, Sevilla was conquered by the Moors. The Catholics later took control of the city and it eventually became the royal home of the King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Christopher Columbus is memorialized everywhere and the cathedral houses his tomb. However, many places boast that they are the final resting place of the famous explorer. According to DNA testing, Sevilla has less than 10% of his remains. The Moorish influence can certainly be felt as you walk through the city. The colors and tile work throughout the city are beautiful. The streets are narrow and the most confusing we have encountered yet. The design was from a defensive perspective as well as to help keep the city cool in the summer heat. Our introduction to Sevilla was one of confusion and frustration. The city streets are incredibly complicated and change names at every plaza, of which there are many. The street signs are also posted half way down the block. Melissa and I got incredibly lost. A very kind couple took pity on us as we walked back and forth in the dark with our massive packs getting increasingly irritated and tired and discouraged. They did not speak English so we pointed to the name of the street we needed on our directions. They led us to a hotel where we got a map and then they led us to a street, which ended up being the wrong street. Even the locals don't understand their streets! We were very thankful for their help and the map. It was so amazing to see just how kind people are.

Sevilla has several beautiful parks. One park has beautiful flowers and trees from around the world, originally planted for a world of flowers event planned for 1929. Although the fair was a massive bust (apparently people did not want to travel to Sevilla to look at flowers when the stock market crashed) the gardens are still quite enjoyable. Sevilla planned another fair in 1992 which was much more successful, especially since people were already in Spain for the Olympics. Sevilla is also home to the 3rd largest cathedral in Europe. It was originally a mosque and the Catholics simply put a cross on top of it and expanded the building.

Bullfighting and Flamenco dancing are integral parts of the culture. The bullfight season has drawn to a close but we were able to enjoy Flamenco. Our hostel organized a Tapas and Flamenco night which was quite nice. Our hostel "guide" for the night was fairly useless. She provided no information on the dance culture and told us to either hurry up or slow down or stop and then to hurry up again on our way to the venue. We had to find our way back to the hostel through the maze-like streets because she was distracted making out with a man she met at the bar. Really, we just needed her to find the place, so it all worked out quite well. Flamenco is a beautiful and passionate and intense dance. It consists of a man and a woman dancing, a singer, acoustic guitar music, clapping, stomping and cassanets. The dancer will set the tempo and the others will join in, improvising clapping rhythms. The singing is low and soulful. The music will vary in tempo before reaching a powerful climax. The show´s final act was a juerga, or an informal jam session where the performers´ friends were invited to the stage to participate in a dynamic and powerful conversation that consisted of dancing, singing and clapping. Flamenco's complexity is impressive and I found myself wishing that I could understand everything that was going on. At the same time, all of the people who joined in the juerga were in their early 20s and the incredible art form seemed much more accessible, which only made it more beautiful.

Like all things, our Flamenco experience was colored by the people we were with. We reunited in Sevilla with a young Canadian couple we had met in Barcelona. We also met David and Lindsay's friend Liz, a California nurse they had met in Nice. We shared a table with three women in their 50s from Toronto. One was especially obnoxious and according to David, personified Toronto. (Apparently not all Canadians are equal.) Barb insisted on sitting right next to the stage and proceeded to move her body in the best manner to obstruct as many people's views as possible. She was phenomenally ethnocentric and was annoyed that she could get kicked when her crossed her legs over the stage. When she was not satisfied with how much sangria was in her already full glass, she tipped it up, unapologetically spilling the majority of the communal pitcher. Later, in an attempt to get more wine soaked fruit from the bottom of the pitcher, she banged the pitcher, cracking the glass. I feel that there is a lesson there...

Sevilla is also known for its night life. Melissa and I were feeling a bit lame that we had not yet gone on a bar crawl. We thought that it would be more fun to go with our new friends. The bars do not even open until quite late, so we pregamed in at the hostel bar on happy hour sangria. We then went to several different bars. From the bars, you migrate to the dance clubs. In fact the dance clubs open when the bars in Colorado Springs close. We definitely missed the smoke free zone of American night life. One bar was so smokey that we sat outside. We went to a reggae dance club that was filled with the haze of all kinds of smoke. The bar scene is the same everywhere. There is always the girl dancing and looking for worth in the attention of men, guys looking to get laid and men who believe that their penis grants them all sorts of rights when in the company of the fairer sex and then there are the token awkward people. We bailed early. The thought of going out and getting completely smashed, reeking of smoke and the hangover that follows all seems like a terrible idea. The pub crawl just made us realize that we are old. But then again, I have never been a big partier. They say that you learn a lot about yourself when traveling. And they would be right. Sometimes you just learn what you already knew.
Things I Did Not Expect When I Woke Up
Sevilla Edition
- Climb 34 ramps to the top of the cathedral bell tower (they built ramps for their horses instead of steps that they would have to climb themselves. I personally don't know any horse that would go in that bell tower though)
- Enjoy a chocolate mouse created by a hostel roommate who was conveniently a pastry chef
- Watch a stereotypical gay man from San Francisco dance down a street with flamenco and wedding dresses displayed in shop windows.
- Meet a Canadian more excited about soccer than hockey. 
- Refer to manikins as landmarks.
- Crave a Starbucks and the drink sizes available (Yup, I have sold my soul).
- Catch a glimpse into actual Flamenco culture as young Spaniards clapped and sang and created a unique medley of sounds.
- Watch a Spainard´s drink for him while he joined in the clapping and singing of the flamenco juerga.