Seville (Spain): the continuation of our adventure

I told you about our first days in Seville. The more I spend my time here, the more I love the city and Spain. The city is big enough to get lost in its small streets, but small enough to do everything on foot

gastronomy

We continue our gastronomic discovery. There are so many good tapas bars that we can’t get enough of them

We finally discover the Antigua Abaceria tapas bar in San Lorenzo, recommended by our airbnb owner. The atmosphere is very local, there are always people, the decoration is from another time. We are placed in the kitchen so we see the cooks preparing the dishes and the waitresses getting busy. It’s delicious, but the portions are too small => it’s very expensive if you want to eat your fill

We also tested the tapas bar: Duo Tapas, spotted by chance on Google Maps. It must be very well rated or be listed in a French-speaking tourist guide because there are only French people around

However, we made two beautiful discoveries, one at El prégon, a Peruvian restaurant where one has the impression to be transported to Cusco

There are also “real” restaurants, like this one, but the prices have nothing to do with tapas bars (i.e. the same prices as in Paris)

In unpretentious local tapas bars, you can easily get by for 17€-20€ for two. And in slightly more refined tapas bars, between 25€-30€ for two – drinks included

Soccer match

As Sevilla has a very good soccer team, JB went to a Sevilla vs. Leganes game with a victory of the locals (2-1). Unlike Argentina, this time we have both the atmosphere AND a high level of play

Tickets can be bought online (for about 30€/person)

Plaza de Espana

This is the most beautiful square in Seville! It is a little far from our home, we took the bus to go there. Conceived for the Ibero-American Exhibition of 1929, the square forms a half oval, symbolizing Spain welcoming with open arms its former colonies

The fountain in the middle is superb. One crosses then small bridges to reach the palace

Ceramic benches lean against the palace and represent the regions of Spain

It is here that a scene from Star Wars, episode II: The Attack of the Clones was shot

Arena of the Real Maestranza de Caballería

I really wonder what we’re doing here, in this place of animal suffering. But JB insists too much

We are each given an audio guide. A person from the “museum” accompanies us, just to tell us which key to press. The audio guide explains the origin of bullfighting, which is basically an equestrian training for the military. And then human stupidity took over and now we find ourselves with guys on foot killing a brave beast – for no reason at all

20 minutes later, we finally visit the arena. We stay there for about 10 minutes and then we leave

In my memories, the visit to the arena in Madrid was much more interesting

Hotel Alfonso XIII

JB and I are used to squatting in the bars of 5 star hotels. So when we were told about the Alfonso XIII hotel, we hurried to go squatting his bar. There are two bars and it’s the one inside that you have to squat

At the moment we go there, there are people in costumes (probably for the shooting of a movie). It feels like we’re in the middle of shooting Pride & Prejudice

It’s so beautiful !!!!!

Besides, the staff is used to seeing people squatting, you can go in just to take a picture

Photos in bulk

We’re still in short-sandals at the end of October. It is even too hot sometimes

We aren’t in a specialized store, no, just in a Mercadona supermarket

I love the Mr. Wonderful brand, every time I go to Spain, I spend hours in front of their stand at Fnac or El Corte Inglés

Tapas, tapas and tapas !!! <3

There areorange trees all over the city. The oranges fall all by themselves on the sidewalks, but no one picks them up to eat because they are bitter. Orange trees are planted mainly for the smell of the flowers. If you pass through Seville between November and February, be careful with oranges, getting one on your head isn’t very pleasant

What bothers me in Seville is the dirt on the sidewalks. I don’t know if it only concerns my neighborhood (less touristic than others), but there are dog droppings EVERYWHERE! Many Sevillians have dogs (very big dogs even), but not all of them pick up the droppings. And I don’t feel like they regularly clean the sidewalks – technically it must be difficult because the streets are very small and the sidewalks are often hidden by two rows of cars (bcp parking problem in Seville)

Furthermore, there are no garbage cans in our building. To dispose of waste, you have to go to a specific place (one street away from our apartment), which has 3-4 big, smelly garbage cans – and garbage cans buried underground for sorting. In short, for cleanliness, it’s not as dirty as Marseille, but even Paris is cleaner

Apart from that, I have nothing to say about Seville. Ah yes, the men watch everything that moves, do catcalling – the “Hey Mademoiselle” – piropo in Spanish, much more than in Paris, but less than what I noticed in Bucharest in Romania

The Piropo

You will likely encounter a cultural phenomenon called the piropo (something like a catcall). What this means is that, if you
are a woman, you may get shouted at on the streets of Spain. “Eh, guapa, ven aquí…” It is almost always harmless, but it
can make you feel uncomfortable nonetheless. The best way to deal with a man who shouts a piropo to you is to just ignore it
him and keep on walking. Remember that piropos are only annoying shouts. Physical contact and/or incessant
harassment is never okay and isn’t acceptable no matter where you are
Things to remember when it comes to piropos
– They’re inevitable. Some are worse than others but all are annoying
– Forget your manners; it is best not to make eye contact and smile at strangers on the street, especially to strange
men yelling at you on the street
– Keep on walking and don’t respond. If the person is persistent, say “Déjeme en paz” or something similar
– It’s a part of the culture, so the men don’t necessarily think that what they’re doing is offensive
– If a piropo turns into physical contact or you experience any other uncomfortable incident, talk with Spanish Studies
staff; always feel free to call the emergency number.

Source: A survival Guide to Seville