Everyday life in Sevilla was wonderful. How could we NOT love living in the land where the Siesta was invented?! What I didn’t realize before moving to Spain, however, is that the Siesta isn’t widely used for sleeping. Instead, between the hours of about 2 and 5pm, most people close down their businesses and use it as a time to eat, drink, and enjoy the company of loved ones. What a wonderful part of Spanish culture – I can definitely get behind the hang-out-with-loved-ones-everyday thing! It was fun to see big multi-generational families hanging out in the January sunshine, sipping beers on the piazza while the kids ran around playing. Why can’t we do that in the US in the middle of the day on a Thursday?!

Things that surprised us in Spain:

• No one works at coffee shops. Ever. It’s downright impossible to find a place to hunker down with your laptop to do a couple hours of work while sipping on a latte. We were spoiled in Chiang Mai.
• It is acceptable to do shots of vodka before noon at your local neighborhood cafe, provided that you accompany it with a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.
• Almost all businesses (except tourist-oriented ones) are closed on Sundays. Even major grocery store chains.
• The coffee in Spain was SO disappointing. No bueno. We were spoiled in Chiang Mai. (Noticing a theme?)
• Clothing is remarkably cheap compared to the US. Kevin bought a high-quality lightweight duck down jacket for just $40!
• Alcohol is incredibly cheap! Delicious bottles of temperanillo can be had for just 2 euro. A glass of Vino Tinto de la Casa (House red wine) at a restaurant will usually run you just 1 euro! Beers at the grocery store are usually south of a Euro, but are not delicious in any way shape or form. And a love affair with Spanish Wines was born…

So what was daily life like for us in Sevilla? Read on for info on where we lived, what we ate, and what we did with ourselves all day.

Where did we live?

Our Airbnb Rental Apartment

Sevilla was our first venture into rent-an-apartment-blindly-on-Airbnb-for-a-month-without-seeing-it-first world. We were a little nervous because Airbnb can be a bit hit-or-miss; we’ve definitely had some interesting experiences in the past…

In Amsterdam in 2012 we accidentally booked a place at the end of a dark alleyway, located next to a halfway house, and which had dirty sheets and a gross bathroom. There was also the Singapore Chinatown debacle of 2014 where we stayed in a room that was more prison-cell than chic-hotel and shared a teeny tiny bathroom with 12 other people.

Sometimes interesting Airbnb experiences are great, though. We rented a private room in Koblenz, Gemany in 2012 from a fantastic couple. Our hosts Michael and Henrik came to breakfast on our last morning wearing their leiderhosen outfits! It. Was. Amazing. We really loved having them as hosts, though we never did figure out how to use their bathtub/shower…

In spite of the risks, we think month-long rentals on Airbnb are definitely the way to go, because they can be waaaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper than hotels and hostels. The downside is that you’re completely locked in to the apartment once you hit that “book” button. The “long term” refund policy is enforced on all Airbnb rentals that are 4 weeks or longer, which means there’s no way to back out of a 1-month without losing at least 4 weeks worth of money. So it’s important to choose wisely!

We really lucked out this time in Sevilla. I was able to negotiate our monthly rate down even further from what was on the Airbnb site – we saved over 150 euros this way! Our apartment was extremely comfortable, had a great kitchen which we used a LOT, and was in a wonderful neighborhood.

We stayed at our Airbnb for 30 nights for €697 (about $800 USD at the time), which works out to a little under $27/night. Curious what $800/month gets you in Sevilla, Spain? Here’s a video tour of our apartment:

The Neighborhood

We were a 15-minute walk North of the tourist hotbed. This is PERFECT when you’re staying somewhere for a month. No one should stay in the epicenter of the tourist zone for more than a week because things are more expensive, and it insulates you from a lot of the best cultural experiences. For example, outside the tourist area, it’s not as common for restaurants to have English menus, but I 100% guarantee you that the food is better! Also, I am thrown into an anti-tourist rage when people are constantly bumping me with their selfie sticks. Here are a few snapshots of the neighborhood we called home:

Apartment Downsides

The TV in our apartment was no spring chicken, so it didn’t have an HDMI input. That means that we had to watch this year’s Super Bowl on Kevin’s tiny Macbook pro monitor! It was sad to watch it that way (made even sadder by the last play of the game – BOOOO) but we made due.

We went on an overnight internet blackout since the game started at 12:30am in Spain, and watched it in the morning the next day.

We had some Spanish-inspired snacks. Chorizo and Manchego Cheese stuffed mushrooms (it doesn’t get much more Spanish than that):

What did we eat in Sevilla?

One word: Chorizo. We’ve learned a lot about grocery shopping since we left the US in April 2014. First of all, everyone will look at you like you’re a lunatic if you ask where the Grocery Store is. The rest of the world calls it a Supermarket. Secondly, the rest of the world doesn’t tend to stock as many non-local products. In Spain, you’ll never find a store stocking fruits from South America like we do in the US. Heck, you’d be hard pressed even to find imported Italian Sausage or cheeses from Switzerland. People just tend to eat a lot more locally. So we did as the locals did, and used Chorizo in nearly all of the meals we cooked at home.

Also, oranges in Spain are SO cheap. The going rate seems to be 5 kg for just 2 euros, that’s just $0.20 USD per pound! So this was the typical scene in our kitchen:

Info on Spain’s Ham Culture

Spaniards are absolutely fanatical about pork! We ate so much cured meat during our time in Sevilla that I was afraid I might be slowly pickling myself with salt. All over Sevilla, you’ll find charcuterie shops like these, selling different forms of cured pork:

Now that I’ve talked pork culture, I should tell you about some of our favorite restaurants in Sevilla. In somewhat random order, here are the best places we visited:

Best Tapas Everrrrrr: Eslava Tapas Bar

After eating at a few tapas bars, you start to realize that everyone’s dishing out mostly the same thing: heavy meats, cheeses, and breads. You start to long for something different and out of the ordinary, maybe something other than sausage and pulled pork. Eslava fills that void perfectly! Without being ridiculously expensive, they serve up artful, delicious tapas that even the biggest foodie in the world would love. They were hand down the BEST tapas we tasted in Spain. If you visit Sevilla without eating at Eslava, you are making a huge mistake.

Pro tip: tapas are served in the bar area only. Check out their location and current hours here, and arrive a bit on the early side to avoid crowds.

Best Tapas Atmosphere: Bodega E. Morales

Bodega E. Morales serves tapas in a back room full of giant Adobe jugs, and their food is both reliably delicious and cheap! Pick your tapas from the chalk board (check out the sign just over Kevin’s left shoulder in the photo below); most tapas are 2-3 euros.

Most Hipster: El Pespunte

Aside from feeling like we had totally teleported to a hip bar in Portland, El Pespunte had the most delicious cured meats we found in Sevilla. They also had a delicious house white wine.

Unanimously Best Wine Ever: Bodeguita Antonio Romero

We’ve all heard of “Love at first Sight”. In Sevilla, Kevin, our visiting guest Greg, and I discovered a new phenomenon called “Love at first Sip”. The house red they were serving the day we visited Bodeguita Antonio Romero was the lovely beauty pictured below. This wine from Northern Spain was the perfect red, with a perfect vanilla finish. We looked all over Sevilla to try to find a whole bottle; eight grocery stores and two specialty wine shops later, we were still empty handed. Word on the street is that you can indeed find it in Seattle for a somewhat hefty price. It’s also served at Eslava Tapas Bar in Sevilla.

The Only Spot with Authentic Paella: The Calle Feria Sunday Market

Upon arriving in Sevilla, we were sad to realize that paella is mostly a Southeast spain thing, much more common in the Valencia region than it is here in Andalusia. Being the stubborn food lovers we are, we were determined to find a good plate of Paella in Sevilla. Many touristy restaurants do serve it, but after a disappointing experience which involved previously-frozen-then-microwaved Paella, we were discouraged.

That’s when we discovered the Calle Feria Sunday Food Market! This is probably the only place in Sevilla where you can get a small plate of fresh Paella. For just 3 euros, you get a plate AND a beverage. We didn’t realize it would come with wine, so we ended up having a few unplanned glasses of Vino Tinto before our afternoon 6-mile run. That wasn’t very fun, but boy was it tasty!

TIPS: Arrive right at 2pm on Sunday afternoon and wait for the Paella to be ready. It sells out lightning fast, so you need to be on time. The market is located here, and the food court area is in the backside furthest from Calle Feria. Buy your tapas tickets from the cashier (he’ll also give you your beverage of choice), then give the ticket to the food booth to get your food. On sunny days, there is usually live music!

What did we do all day?

We had to shift our schedule drastically in Spain. GONE are the days of being in bed by 9pm, asleep by 10pm, and up by 7am. In Spain, things happen later in the day. Lunch is never before 2pm and dinner is never before 8pm. To think I used to eat lunch at 11am in Seattle! Madness. We started going to bed at midnight and sleeping until at least 8am. It was a wild ride.

A typical day in Spain went something like this:

• 08:30 – Wake up, have coffee
• 10:00 – Breakfast
• 12:00 – Go for a walk
• 14:00 – Have lunch
• 16:00 – Run a few miles on Sevilla’s great riverside bike path
• 17:00 – Snack (because WHO in their right mind can last from 2pm to 8pm without a snack?!)
• 20:00 – Cook and eat dinner, drink some Vino.
• 24:00 – Bed time. Listen for the regular guy who walks past our window playing flamenco music on his guitar.

Most of our remaining time was filled with working. Right now, “work” for us is studying, blogging, reading coding books, and getting ready for interviews. We sprinkled in some sightseeing here and there, went on lots of walks, and spent some serious time people watching. If this is what retirement feels like, I am IN.

Ask anyone who has ever visited Sevilla what you MUST do while you’re there, and they’ll unquestionably tell you to go see a Flamenco show. For some people, this is THE reason to travel to Andalusia, and Flamenco in Sevilla is undoubtedly the best. With dozens of shows to choose from, there’s something to fit everyone’s tastes and budgets. Whether your’re looking for a big dinner-and-a-show production, a simple hour-long show, or are hoping some impromptu Flamenco will break out in a local bar, you can find it in Sevilla. In this post, I’ll tell you about the two ways we experienced Flamenco in Sevilla.

What in the World is Flamenco?

This is Flamenco:

This is not Flamenco:

Now that we have that straightened out, here’s a little more background. Flamenco is a music-and-dance art form, rooted in Roma and Moorish cultures. Most shows consist of a male and female dancer, a guitarist, and a man or woman singing. The outfits are beautiful, the footwork is amazing, and the guitar playing is spectacular.

What I didn’t expect, though, was the emotion that would radiate from the dancers. When you’re not gaping at the lightning fast legwork of the dancers, the passion and emotions they project fill the room and leave everyone in a state of breathlessness. I’m not kidding – the show left me breathless; I actually had to remind myself to breathe!

Because of its roots in Moorish cultures, Flamenco songs remind many people of the Muslim call to prayer. The Muslim culture that was part of Spain so long ago has really left its mark here – I think that’s one of my favorite things about Spain. It really sets it apart from the rest of Europe and creates such a unique culture. Flamenco is an important part of that culture, and is something that is not to be missed!

Impromptu Flamenco at La Carbonería Bar

We visited La Carbonería Bar a few different times while we were in Sevilla in hopes of catching some impromptu Flamenco. Based on the somewhat chilly welcome tourists receive at La Carbonería, I don’t think the bar employees are very happy that they’ve started showing up in guidebooks. If you stop in and ask about Flamenco, they’ll undoubtedly tell you it’s not going to happen. But if you come in on a Friday or Saturday night at about 10pm, grab a big pitcher of Sangria (a whole Liter is just 9 euros!), and hunker down in the corner, you might just luck out and get to enjoy some music.

(Sidenote: I’m sorry these photos are so terrible. I didn’t to be “that” tourist running around to get a better angle on the photos. I love you, readers, but I try to avoid giving a bad name to tourists when possible.)

We enjoyed listening to a guitarist and singer from about 10-10:30pm. But at 11pm, things really got going! The musicians started up again, and local women who had come to hang out in the bar took turns dancing. An older guy who uses a cane for walking even hopped up and showed off his dance moves. Luckily, the cane he was flinging around wildly didn’t put anyone’s eyes out. Any night of Impromptu Flamenco comes with inherent risks, right?

Here’s a little video snippet I took during one of the songs. It helps give you an idea of what you might expect late at night at La Carbonería:

While this definitely wasn’t as awesome as a paid Flamenco show (half the fun of Flamenco is the costumes!), it’s a great way to spend a Friday or Saturday night and get a taste of Flamenco, especially if you’re on a budget.

A Flamenco Show at La Casa Del Flamenco

We went to the excellent show at La Casa Del Flamenco. I can’t rave enough about this show! At 18 euros per ticket, it’s a little pricey but worth every penny! (PRO TIP: during the winter months, there will often be a gal near the Alcazar handing out flyers with a promo price of just 15 euros. Look for her!)

La Casa has several different groups of four artists (two dancers, a guitarist and a singer) that alternate performances throughout the week, but I’m certain they’re all excellent. The male and female dancers at our show killed it – I can’t believe how fast their feet can move. I’m also pretty sure that the guitarist should be dubbed a guitar magician or something. The passion for their craft was very clear in their performance, and I loved every minute of the hour-long show.

Typically, La Casa Del Flamenco shows run each day at 7pm, with an additional show at 8:30pm every now and then, especially during high season. It’s a good idea to book tickets in advance, and show up at least 30 minutes before showtime to try to get one of the best seats in the house.

Perhaps the best thing about La Casa Del Flamenco is their tiny venue. With just three rows of chairs, there’s hardly a bad seat in the house. Still, everyone pays the same price, so if you can arrive early to snag a front row seat, you’ll find it’s worth it!

Sevilla is an absolutely fantastic place to be based for a few weeks! In addition to its wonderful churches that I wrote about in my blog post last week, it is packed with other fun sights. Our three favorite Sights in Sevilla (coming in behind the Cathedral, of course!) were the Royal Alcázar (Sevilla’s Moorish Palace), the Plaza de España (a fun outdoor area where people relax and socialize), and the Bullring.

Royal Alcázar

I’ll be honest, we mostly wanted to visit the Alcázar because some scenes for next Season Game of Thrones were just filmed there. In fact, filming wrapped up just a couple months before we arrived in Sevilla! Fellow Game of Thrones fans, keep your eyes peeled during Season 5 episodes set in Dorne’s Water Gardens. Those scenes are Sevilla’s Alcazar!

Even if you aren’t a huge Game of Thrones fan, the Alcazar will still knock your socks off. (I’m being very literal. I am literally wearing only one sock at this moment.) Between the beautiful gardens, the amazing history, and the opulently decorated rooms, you’ll find something to enjoy.

The Alcazar was originally a 10th century Moorish palace, and is the oldest palace in Europe that is still in use! The Alcazar feels a bit like a miniature version of the Granada’s more famous Alhambra, but along with less fame comes fewer crowds – music to my ears!

Tourist Tip: The Alcazar has free entry every Monday for the last hour it’s open! (Hours vary between Winter and Summer, so be sure to check their website.) The line can get quite long for free-hour even in the Winter, so we recommend you arrive early if you’re planning to make that your only visit. If you love palaces, it’s worth it to just pay the full €9,50 to go in during non-free times. Otherwise, you might find yourself wishing you had more time to explore!

By far our favorite part of the Alcazar was the gardens:

Plaza de España

I’m calling it. Plaza de España is the best place in Sevilla to catch a sunset. According to the travel books, it might also be the best place to be conned or pick pocketed in Sevilla, so bring your paranoia along with your picnic.

The Plaza de España is a big square and ring of buildings that were built next to a cute Park for a 1929 international fair. There’s a big, beautiful fountain in the center of the square:

Also, you can easily hire yourself a horse and carriage ride from here:

You can also rent a boat to paddle around the small man-made moat/river, or you can just climb the stairs, enjoy the sunset, and laugh at other tourists trying to paddle around. We watched a group of three ram their boat into the wall repeatedly. Sigh.

The highlight for many at Plaza de España is the amazing tilework on the buildings.

On the ground level, dozens of alcoves are covered in elaborate tilework scenes representing each of Spain’s many provinces. If you’re in Sevilla and it’s a nice sunny day, pack a picnic and head over to the Plaza de España to relax and people watch, you won’t be sorry.

Plaza de Toros (Bullring)

This was the last touristy outing we had in Sevilla, and man would we have missed out if we’d skipped it. It wasn’t bullfighting season in January when we were living in Sevilla, so there were no actual bullfights. To be honest, I’m not sure I would want to attend a bullfight now that I know the sequence of events of a bullfight that ultimately culminates in the bull’s bloody death. However, I didn’t have any problem visiting the ring itself and learning about bullfighting in their small museum.

The Plaza de Toros is the 2nd oldest bullring still in use today. It took 120 years to build, and was finished in 1881. It costs 7 euro to visit (though you can go for free on Mondays between 15:00 and 19:00). A paid visit to the Bullring comes with a guided tour of the ring itself, as well as the museum. Our guide was fabulous, spoke perfect English, and made lots of jokes. She showed us around the ring, took us through the Museum, told us all about the history of bullfighting, showed us the Bullring’s Chapel, and ended the tour at the horse and bull stables.

Quick note: this post is coming out of sequence. We left Sevilla almost 2 weeks ago, so I’m stepping up my posts to 2 per week until I get caught up. I’ll be posting on Tuesdays and Fridays for the next month or so.

Having grown up in the US, I’ve always had a negative attitude towards graffiti. In most US cities, graffiti is considered an eyesore and is unquestionably illegal and frowned upon. At best, a witty graffiti artist might give you a chuckle by tagging a building with a clever cartoon. At worst, it can be an indicator that you’re in a dangerous neighborhood. I was surprised at how different things are here in Spain – Graffiti in Sevilla is considered an art form!

We came to love the bike path along Sevilla’s beautiful Guadalquivir River, and grew especially fond of the graffiti that seems to cover every square inch of the walls that run along the path. From what I can find on the interwebs, graffiti is indeed illegal in Sevilla, but it seems that this particular law is generally ignored by the locals and unenforced by police. Whole families bring spray paint cans along with their picnics on Saturday afternoons so they can work on their latest graffiti projects.

I took my camera along with me one day when I went out for a run – here are a few of my favorite pieces of Graffiti in Sevilla.

Graffiti as Art

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plain Jane Graffiti

Sevilla also has its fair share of just “vanilla” graffiti. Some if it is inspirational:

 

Sometimes the plain Jane graffiti made me a little sad, because people defaced some of Sevilla’s amazing old doors. If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for giant, old doors. Shame on whoever decided to tag these ones:

 

 

 

 

The Attack of the Hot Dog Artist

Sometimes, graffiti is just hilarious. There is an elusive graffiti artist scampering all over Sevilla plastering it with HOT DOGS. Yes, hot dogs. Here is some of his/her work:

 

Once I started watching for it, I found hot dogs all over the city. Rarely would we go more than a day without spotting one in a new location. It was absurd, and amazing.

 

We Want to Hear From You!

I hope you enjoyed a quick tour of Sevilla’s fun graffiti. Have you visited a city where graffiti was a big part of the local culture? Leave us a comment and let us know!

I’m not sure how or why my obsession with old churches in Europe in began. Maybe I like old churches because I have the soul of a very old woman (this is a running joke between Kevin and I because of some of my more quirky tendencies). We’re not sure how else to explain my affection for TV shows like Matlock and Wheel of Fortune, or my deep desire to be asleep by 10pm.

To indulge my grandmotherly ways, we visited a handful of the Churches of Sevilla during our month living here. I strategically spaced them out to avoid giving Kevin church fatigue, which I believe is a real condition that can only be remedied by dark chocolate and red wine. (Thankfully, there is plenty of both of those things available here in Europe.) We visited Sevilla’s biggest and most famous church, the Cathedral, made a stop at the Church of the Savior which holds a much-revered statue of Christ, and we went to the Basilica de la Macarena, home of the Macarena statue that has ties to that annoying song that we’ve ALL danced to…

Cathedral & Bell Tower

Sevilla’s Cathedral is a beautiful monster of a building. In fact, it’s the third largest church in the world, coming in behind St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and St. Peter’s at the Vatican in Rome. Like so many of Spain’s churches, it was built on the site of an old Mosque that stood in this spot until the Spanish Reconquista roared through Spain, kicking out all the moors. When plans for the construction of this Cathedral began in 1401, builders announced their plan to build a cathedral so big that “anyone who sees it will take us for madmen.”

And boy howdy, madmen they were. The sheer awesomeness of the Cathedral is tough to describe in a blog post, so you’ll have to go visit it yourself. It’s amazing just to be inside such a massive building, imagining the engineering feats it took to build a structure like this so many years ago.

The Altar adds to the wow factor of the Cathedral – it’s the largest altarpiece ever made. It definitely is blingy, ornamented with a ridiculous amount of gold leaf. It took three generations to complete, and tells the story of Jesus and Mary with 44 different carved scenes. It certainly does make you feel small!

If all of that isn’t enough for you, Sevilla’s Cathedral also allegedly holds the remains of Christopher Columbus. Because his body was moved around so much after his death (it started in Valladolid, Spain, moved to Sevilla, then to the Dominican Republic, then to Cuba, then finally back to Sevilla, wow), some people doubt that the remains are actually his. A DNA test was performed to give “some evidence” to substantiate that the remains are indeed Christopher Columbus’. I’m not sure what percentage sure we are that it’s actually Columbus in there, but “some evidence” was good enough for me to be excited to see the tomb.

Our favorite part was climbing the Giralda bell tower. The climb is made easy by the fact that there are hardly any stairs, just one long spiraling ramp! The tower was formerly the minaret of the mosque that previously stood here; the ramp was chosen instead of stairs so that someone could ride a donkey up to the top of the tower five times a day to give the Muslim call to prayer. The views from the top are absolutely beautiful, well worth the climb.

 

If jewelry is your thing, the treasury is home of the world’s largest pearl!

Tourist Tips:

• It costs 9 euro to get in. This ticket includes admission to one of Sevilla’s other churches, the Church of the Savior (described below).
• It’s worth the effort to also visit the Cathedral during Mass (for free), when you can hear the organ played by the Cathedral’s talented organist. Check their website for updated times, but when we were in town, Mass was held every day except Saturday at 10am, with an additional 1pm Mass on Sundays. They shoo you out pretty quickly after mass, so we recommend also paying to visit. Otherwise you’ll miss most of the best sights!

Church of the Savior

If you’re already planning to visit the Cathedral, it’s worth making a stop at the Church of the Savior since it’s included in the Cathedral ticket price. In fact, you can buy the 9 euro combo ticket here, which always has shorter lines.

The Church of the Savior is Sevilla’s 2nd biggest church, and is decorated in the Andalusian Baroque style. Baroque doesn’t exactly jive with my personal decorating tastes. It’s a bit, um, ornate for me. The cathedral was absolutely dripping with silver and gold leaf, and everything that could possibly be covered with ornate carvings was packed full of ‘em.

Why visit this cathedral? It’s a great chance to see one of the floats that is carried in each year’s Holy Week Parade.

It’s also home to the famous Christ of the Passion statue. Pilgrims and Worshippers come from near and far to pray here and kiss his heel.

Also, there is a statue of an angel with a sword and shield, standing on top of a DRAGON. A dragon! Clearly you must visit.

Basilica de la Macarena

There is a rivalry in Sevilla unlike any others, the rivalry of the Virgin Marys. There are two top contenders, La Esperanza de Triana, who lives in the Church of Santa Ana, and Virgen de la Macarena, who lives in the Basilica de la Macarena. According to Rick Steves, it’s customary here upon meeting someone to ask which Virgin Mary they favor. I’m going to have to practice my Spanish skills a bit more before giving that a go so I don’t ask someone “who is your favorite virgin?” No bueno.

Now let me blow you away with another piece of trivia. The band that sings that catchy 1990s hit that we’ve ALL danced to, the song we all think we know the words to but totally don’t, is from Sevilla. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the Los del Río band members were allegiant to the Virgen de la Macarena because of the name of their huge hit song, “The Macarena”.

Let me further blow your mind by linking you to the song’s music video. Since it was a hit before Youtube was born, I had never seen the music video! Disclaimer: I take no responsibility if watching this video causes you to get sucked into Youtube and waste hours watching 90’s music videos.

In all seriousness, this church is a fun visit since it’s free. It’s worthwhile if you combine it with a stroll on the nearby riverside walking path. However, I’m pretty sure I had more fun watching the Macarena music video than I did visiting the Basilica.

Tourist Tip: It’s free to visit the church (open daily 9:30-14:00 & 17:00-20:30), but costs 5 euro to visit the treasury, which holds some of the most impressive Holy Week Parade floats.

We Want to Hear From You!

What’s the most awesome church you’ve visited? Westminster Abbey in London? The Cathedral in Cologne, Germany? Let us know so we don’t miss it as we bounce around Europe!

Sevilla, Spain has an absolutely fanatical parade culture. A few nights ago, Kevin and I were having dinner and heard some woodwinds playing outside our 2nd floor apartment window. We popped out onto the balcony and saw a parade float slowly making its way past our window carrying a statue of Christ’s crucifixion! What a surprise.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Sevilla’s Parade scene. We’ve been in this lovely city now for a month, and have seen no less than four parades. You can almost taste the energy that has already started building for Sevilla’s big parade extravaganza during Holy Week. For the entire week between Palm Sunday and Easter, 60 neighborhood groups (called hermandades or cofridías) parade from the churches in their neighborhood’s to Sevilla’s cathedral with floats decorated in some aspect of the events surrounding Christ’s crucifixion.

No Pickup Trucks to Be Found Here

Parade floats here are a lot different than floats back home. Instead of a Ford or Chevy pulling a big flat-bed trailer with wheels, the floats here are CARRIED by groups 30 to 50 men! The floats for holy week are incredibly ornate, and ridiculously heavy. Some floats weigh in at two tons! They’re decorated with flowers, candles, gold, silver, and usually carry a statue from one of Sevilla’s many churches.

These big groups of men have started training for this year’s holy week. Because the parades occur every day, sometimes for up to a dozen hours, it’s really an athletic endeavor. The float bearers all wear towels on their heads to cushion them from the crushing weight of the floats, and they typically switch out carriers every 20 minutes. But some men carry the float until they collapse as a way to prove their deep faith.

Our Peek at Holy Week

We feel like we got a little peek at what Holy Week in Sevilla is like. When we heard the woodwinds playing the other night and ran out to watch, a religious parade was out in full force. Dozens and dozens of people led the parade, carrying huge wax candles that are as tall as they were! During Holy Week, the people carrying candles are called “penitents”. They wear hooded robes to keep their identities anonymous, and walk in the parade carrying candles (and sometimes even crosses) to perform their penance publicly. They weren’t hooded in our parade, because I’m pretty sure it was just a “rehearsal” parade for Holy Week.

After the penitents came a line of clergymen. Some of them were carrying thuribles, which is the container used to burn incense and releasing the smoke. (Someone correct me if I’m wrong. I grew up Methodist.) Our apartment smelled like incense for HOURS. I think it added to the experience.

Finally, the star of the parade came by: a float carrying a statue of Christ’s crucifixion. It is NOT what I expected to see from my window on a Saturday night. And I’ve seen a lot of things from our window. Groups of young Spanish kids that all look like the spitting image of Justin Beiber? Sure. The same sassy woman pulling a roller bag who is ALWAYS yelling at one of our neighbors? Yes. Random flamenco musicians walking past at midnight strumming on their guitars? Happens all the time. Vans full of nuns? To my delight, this is a regular occurrence. But a statue of the crucifixion now takes the cake. It was an honor to witness part of Sevilla’s wonderful religious traditions – how lucky we are!

Parade Practice

We’ve seen big groups of men training/rehearsing for Holy Week several times now. Check out the photo below of the group that came by our apartment just this past Sunday. By my count, there are 30 men carrying that float. They added weight by piling cement beams on top of the float. Look at the towels they use to cushion their heads. They were playing music so that they could all march in perfect unison to the beat. What dedication they have!

Another night, we saw people practicing at midnight! This time, they were using an actual parade float, but most of it was hidden by a white sheet.

Sevilla is Wonderful

We’ve fallen in love with this city for a lot of reasons, and parade culture in Sevilla is definitely part of that. Our first morning in Sevilla, a small parade came right by our apartment and they threw candy to us as we watched them from our balcony! What a fun welcome to Sevilla! Free candy is a guaranteed way to steal my heart.

But the thing I love most about the parade culture here is the sense of community that comes with it. Families fill the streets during these parades – grandparents, great-grandparents, toddlers and babies. Men who have known each other since they were kids carry the floats together, perfectly in sync with one another. Everyone carrying the float shares part of the 2,000+ lb weight. I’ve been so surprised we got to witness that part of Sevilla in January, but I’m so glad we did!

I grew up in Kansas and call Seattle my home, so nun sightings aren’t something I’m very much accustomed to. A couple days ago, Kevin and I were standing in line to visit the Alcazar here in Sevilla, and a van full of nuns came driving across the plaza! Nuns! Driving a van! I’ve seen nuns driving minivans in movies (I didn’t grow up in a barn… I clearly saw Sister Act and its sequel), but something about seeing nuns driving a minivan in real life struck me as so surprising that I couldn’t help but laugh. The next day, we saw a minivan with eight nuns (eight!) driving down our street. Chuckles ensued. And my affection for nuns was born.

So you can imagine that I was delighted when I learned that it’s possible to buy cookies and sweets from nuns at a few different convents around Sevilla. We visited the one nearest our apartment, Real Monasterio de San Clemente, to get our goods.

So, How Does One Buy Cookies from Said Nuns?

It was trickier than I thought it’d be to get convent cookies. We stopped by San Clemente twice to try, and the outer gate was closed both times. I was afraid that my dream of buying cookies from nuns in Sevilla was dead. So I did what any person trying to buy convent cookies in the 21st century would do – I emailed the convent using my stellar new Spanish skills (assisted by Google Translate, of course).

I was surprised to receive an extremely prompt, very friendly email response from Sister Claudia. She informed me that you have to buzz the outermost intercom to get in, and ended our correspondence by sending me God’s Blessings. I exchanged email with a nun, in Spanish. I can check that off of my bucket list.

So we headed back over to San Clemente, buzzed the outside buzzer, and I used my best Spanish to tell the Sister on the speaker that I wanted to buy some sweets. She gave us a bunch of instructions in Spanish that flew WAY over our heads. We walked into the courtyard and there were like eight doors to choose from! Somehow we managed to find our way.

We happened to pick Door #3, which was the correct one leading to the Torno! What’s a Torno? I’m glad you asked. It’s basically a giant lazy susan mounted in a wall, through which the nuns sell their cookies and sweets.

A Torno enables nuns to sell things while protecting their cloistered privacy – in many cases, you’ll never even see the nun helping you! I’ve read that lots of convents have stopped selling cookies; it seems like it’s a dying tradition. So if you’re in Spain and see a convent selling sweets through a Torno, be sure to stop by for some cookies while you still can!

Next to the Torno is a list of prices. Tell the Sister what you’d like, and the lazy susan will whip around with the things you’ve asked for. Grab the sweets, lay down your money, and send it back around. If you need change, it’ll come back to you in a moment. And voila! Magic! Cookies from the nuns.

Why Buy Cookies from Nuns?

If you scrutinized that list, you’ll notice the prices (in euros) are a little bit steep. It’s far more than the 1 Euro we’ve gotten use to paying at our neighborhood bakery for a cookie the size of my face. Just remember, this is a way that the community can support the local convents. It’s sort of like buying cookies/popcorn/wrapping paper from kids to support Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts/Church Groups in the USA. It’s also a fun adventure!

What did we buy?

We snagged a box of Pastas de Almendra (almond cookies) and a box of Piñonadas (pine nut cookies).

We liked the almond cookies the most.

While they definitely weren’t the best cookies in the entire world, I’ve been telling myself that I’m really just paying for the experience, especially as a tourist. Plus, where else can you buy cookies with a cartoon of a nun on them?

The verdict? I’m glad we went!