Sevilla!!!

The Birds and the Bees
The bus to Sevilla wasn’t too bad- only 3ish hours. Or so I’m told; I slept through the whole trip. I did wake up at one point to notice that the movie BEE Movie, dubbed in Spanish, was playing. Right as I was about to fall back asleep we hit a bird and it freaked me out. More than the actual fact that we hit it, Not one single other person even acknowledged it!! I looked around the whole bus but not even the driver flinched. Weird. Then I went back to sleep. I have developed the habit of falling asleep anytime I’m in a moving vehicle (car, bus, plane, train) that is absolutely fantastic and incredibly convenient.
Upon arrival I just took the evening to walk around the neighborhoods near my hotel, the shopping district. One of my favorite stores in Granada was having it’s grand opening here in Sevilla so I wandered in for some free champagne. I ate dinner in a little hole in the wall bar/café along with 9 little old men. We all sat at the bar and occasionally looked around at each other, but I just didn’t have the energy to start up a conversation.

Sevilla

Today started with my interview. We met in a Starbucks (ugh.. I know…) that is basically attached to the massive cathedral (the world’s largest gothic church built in the 15th century has a Starbucks). Upon further inspection there are at least 6 more Starbuckses just in the touristy parts of town that I’ve encountered. I think that was my April Fools Joke. (Granada, I’m proud to say, doesn’t have a Starbucks. Or maybe it does, but it’s far from the city center out towards suburbia). As for the interview itself, it went really well, although the idea of working at a summer camp again elicits a mix of nostalgia and disdain. I always enjoyed it and

 think I would again but I really kind of feel like I’m past that appropriate time in my life and should have a real job. I don’t want to be the post-college kid still going back to highschool parties. Anyway, the interviewer and I got on really well and ended up chatting for quite some time. By the way, does anyone know the standard rules for when in the duration of the interview is best for asking the interviewer where the best local bars are?

After that I walked around some more and have to admit I had a little bit of a cultural misunderstanding. Or maybe just a sign-reading misunderstanding. I came across an antiguedades store and went in to see if they had any sacacorchos (corkscrews) and the owner looked at me like I was crazy. So I thought he just couldn’t understand my accent or something so I went on to describe (with mime) what a corkscrew is. He patiently waited for me to finish and then said something along the lines of, “Yeah, I don’t carry things like that. This is a store for religious artifacts and antiques”. To which I had to reply, “Yes, of course. But how did the 16th century Spanish Priests open up their bottles of the blood of Christ?” And then I ran. No wonder everyone thinks American tourists are a little off.

After that little adventure came a tour of the Flamenco Dance Museum which was really neat, and where I also signed up for a one-time flamenco class. 

Afterwards, I strolled down through the tiny little streets to the Alcazár. It is a 14th century Christian reconstruction of a 10th century Moorish palace that was modeled after the Alhambra for King Pedro the Cruel and his mistress. The royal family still stays here when they vacation down to Andalucía. Similar to the Alhambra, it has incredibly detailed sculpture and carving in its architecture, but differs in that it has incredibly ornate depictions of animals and humans (something not present in Muslim architecture- it is forbidden in the Quran to recreate Allah’s work in art). I spent a good deal of time in the gardens as well, they even had a labyrinth! (Not quite as fun alone as when you have a Marly Ramsour and some Austrian chocolate liquor, but I had a good chuckle nonetheless. Actually, I don’t think there is much in the world that wouldn’t be improved by adding Marly and a little bottle of Mozart.)

After a nice little lunch in the sun and some more strolling I returned to the Flamenco Museum for my dance lesson. It ended up being me, a very tall blonde young man unquestionably from somewhere Nordic and 9 senior citizens (from Italy and Belgium). It was great because the instructor kind of ignored the fact that none of the older folks had a clue what she was talking about or doing so I was able to learn a lot. (Selfish? Yes. Awesome? Yes.) I think she was impressed that Nordy and I kept up so well. Afterwards we all had admission to a show that was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. I was so enamored with the guitar and the dancing and singing that my goosebumps had goosebumps. I may have even teared up. Considering pursuing a career in flamenco.

This town has such a bright feel to it, I can’t really describe it. It’s so ALIVE. It’s so much bigger than Granada, but makes Granada feel just a little darker in comparison. I find myself walking through this city smiling or humming to myself, and actually allowing myself to get lost and just enjoy the stroll (Normally I pride myself on my sense of direction. This is not the city for it.) Don’t get me wrong, I adore and still prefer Granada, but Sevilla sure has me charmed.


SABES QUE…Queen Isabel was a big fan of St. Mary of the Fair Winds (patron saint of navigators and a favorite of Columbus) so she pops up artistically all over the city. Apparently, however, Spanish slang has emerged in the past couple hundred years that creates a little play on words: She could also be called the ‘Virgin of Good Farts’, and I’m sure often is by little Spanish boys.

(also this picture, taken in the Alcazar Admiral's Wing, is the first time Native Americans are portrayed in European Art)