Blog Seven – Sevilla

Published by Alastair Reid on September 28, 2018September 28, 2018

Sevilla [25-28th September]

We’d both been to Sevilla before, but not together, so we were really looking forward to getting back to the heart of flamenco country. The train ride down from Madrid was First Class on the high speed AVE, which meant the Sala Club lounge before departure, leather aircraft style seats and a nice lunch on the train, and a fast journey!

Finding the apartment was easy, and it turned out to be every bit as good as the photos – absolutely new, in a sort of neo-Mudejar style – with pretty much everything we needed for a three night stay in the Alfalfa quarter of the city.

We only planned one actual visit to a well-known attraction – the Real Alcazar palace, ten minutes’ walk away in the Santa Cruz district. An hour queueing in upwards of 35C, half of it in the blazing sun, did little for the general mood, but the Alcazar was well worth the wait. It’s right up there with the Alhambra in Granada, and the Bahia Palace in Marrakesh, in terms of the spectacular architecture, and the Alcazar also has extensive and beautiful gardens.

It was also teeming with Japanese tourists, as was the rest of the city. The one most noticeable difference from when I was last in Sevilla early in 2000 is the huge increase in the number of tourists milling around the old city, many from the Far East. All varieties of bars and restaurants are rammed during the evening as are all the major attractions during the day, so we escaped onto the river for a breezy and relaxing boat trip, taking in the sights of the old city on one side, and the fishermen’s quarter of Triana on the other.

Young Japanese couples on their honeymoon also seem to frequent Sevilla, where they can be found taking endless photos of each other. When we went up the quite spectacular Parasol for its panoramic views over the city, one such couple had their friends not only taking stills and video, but also flying a drone above them, no doubt also videoing their joy and happiness. The drone sounded like having your dentist flying just above your head, so these appear to be yet another means of destroying any peace and quiet which might otherwise have prevailed.

Pairs of attractive young Spanish women also appear to be given to draping themselves around tourist spots, to provide nice backgrounds for endless selfies and new shots for their glamorous profiles. They then seem to resent anyone else impinging on the scene, which does seem a little selfish, to go with the self-obsessed.

We managed to take in two very different flamenco performances on consecutive nights. The first was in La Carboneria, a rough and ready establishment with no entry fee, cheap drinks and no air conditioning. The audience was sweltering, never mind the performers, who were capable, but fancied themselves a wee bit too much, banning photos and shushing any noise. Michael and I had twice tried and failed to find this place 18 years ago – Google Maps won through on this occasion.

On our last night, we saw a much higher standard of show in the Casa de la Memoria, five minutes from our apartment – great dancers, brilliant guitarist, and at least a five minute slot to take the odd photo!

Sevilla is still a great city to visit, with really interesting sights, fantastic bars and restaurants, and a huge buzz, though it’s still uncomfortably hot even towards the end of September. A bit like Edinburgh, the sheer volume of tourists can become a bit overwhelming and frustrating, but then we are contributing to that, so I guess we can’t complain too much.

My dozen favourite images from our stay in Sevilla are included in the gallery below. Click on a thumbnail to see a bigger image.

Image Gallery