Beautiful Seville

I was super excited to return to Seville, which I had been to once before, years and years ago (about 20, I believe) with my mother and brother. I remember it being a vibrant and colorful city, full of ceramics and Flamenco, although it has definitely become more modern, I wasn’t disappointed. Seville is such a vibrant city where the locals really seem to take time to enjoy life! On Saturday, we enjoyed hanging out in a square close to our apartment and watched big groups of friends sitting at tables eating, drinking and having fun. There was a soccer match going on (Barcelona playing Madrid-a big rivalry) and everyone seemed to revel in the competition.

The following day, Sunday, typically is the day for family, again we saw large groups relaxing in the square taking time to enjoy the company. It was lovely to feel the emotions of this city with such a big heart. We stayed in the old quarter where small cobblestone streets wind their way by Flamenco shops, antique shops, ceramic stores, clothing stores, cafes and more. The Flamenco stores carry Flamenco dresses of all fabrics and colors. Some are quite expensive and beautifully made. In April, there is a huge Flamenco festival that takes place and it seemed like everyone was getting ready for that. It was nice to see so many fabric stores, as they seem to be dying out in the States. There is still a huge presence of traditional craftsmanship in this lovely city. We very much enjoyed getting lost in the streets of Old Seville.

We did find our way to a wonderful Flamenco Show with live guitar that moved us all. We cheered with the locals during the soccer matches and drank and ate tapas in the squares. We toured the Alcazar, a stunning example of Moorish architecture, with its beautiful gardens, while in contrast viewed the thoroughly modern Metropol Parasol Marbol, designed by the German architect Jürgen Mayer-Hermann. Seville is definitely a city of old and new, for me the old is what I like most in this tradition rich city.