An unexpected end...

So here I am, writing this post wrapped up in a duvet in my parents house, London, with the rain beating against the window. A far cry from where I was this time last week, with friends, sunning ourselves in Retiro Park, Madrid.

Please excuse my absence up until now. My time in Seville, unfortunately, came to a rather unexpected and abrupt end last last Friday. With many things still left to do and see and friends to go back to, I'm sure it won't be the end of my story there, but for now my Spanish adventures are over.

With a million and one posts still in the pipeline from my time there, encompassing not only Seville but also Córdoba and Madrid, there will be plenty of sunsoaked posts still coming your way over the next few weeks.

Excitingly, I am in the process of booking up a month in Moscow and I hope you guys will stick around for our trip back to the Motherland!

So whilst one door closes, another one opens. 

The suitcase is stowed...until we pack up and wander to the next town of course

Seville Street Art 2

Some more weird and wonderful street art, stumbled upon near La Plaza de Armas bus station. Its clear that this area near the river is home to the street culture of Seville, not only in terms of its decoration, but also as home of the skate parks by the river - frequented at all hours of day and night.

Street art of the artistic process (of the more conventional brush kind). Trying to show that, although unconventional, spray art is just as worthy.

The one above is one of my favourites, Rather politically committed don't you think? Such a shame a rookie decided to make his mark on top of the central figure.

Whoever this guy is, it looks like he doesn't want to be messed with. 

Before coming to Seville, I didn't think graffiti art was my thing, but the more I find, the more I like it. 

Next stop, a street art tour of Berlin? 

Semana Santa - a mini guide to the famed pasos

So Easter Week, or Semana Santa as we know it here in Spain, was a wonderful blur. My family were here visiting and our time was jam-packed with sightseeing and tapas pit stops interspersed with occasional lounge by the pool.

Seville is home to some of the most famous of the Spanish holy week processions, famed the world over for the hauntingly dressed penitents. They accompany floats weighing up to five tonnes, which boast irreplaceable figures of the Virgin and Jesus, as they walk the streets.

The official start of holy week is Palm Sunday, when the first of the official processions leave their respective churches en route to the cathedral. Processions are marathon affairs with some stretching to 12 or 13 hours, often marching the streets through the night to avoid the heat.

Taking heed of the warning of my students and colleagues, I knew that the centre would be unnavigable with swarms of people, bus diversions and main tourist sights either closed or at gridlock. As such, I suggested to the family that Sunday be a more tranquil affair. I thought the best place to get away from the hustle and bustle would be at El Parque de María Luisa and La Plaza de Espana (which I first discovered here). As a tourist attraction in its own right, there was no need to scrimp on the Seville experience at the expense of the Easter festivities.

I made a lovely picnic spread to enjoy and, after a wander round the plaza to see the mosaics, we set it out, ready for a mid morning graze. In the distance we could hear the beats of a processions marching band, the sun was shining and all was merry with the world.

It was soon clear that the band wasn't so far away...in fact it was heading straight for us. As crowds began to form in the road leading past the Plaza, we were about to have our first Semana Santa experience as La Paz (the peace) procession marched right past our picnic spot.

My sister and I made it (at a jog) to a spot right on the side of the road and held our ground for the full 2 and half hours the full parade took to pass. What resulted was a very sunburnt nose, some beautiful pictures and this mini guide to the Semana Santa processions of Seville.

 The first section of the La Paz procession was mounted.

This was our first glimpse of the nazarenos, the name given to these hooded figures. If any of you have seen the first scene of 'The DaVinci Code', the nazarenos feature in Robert Langdon's symbols lecture, in which they are wrongly identified as members of the Klu Klux Klan. They are in fact religious penitents, who represent the first level of religious promise within the processions.

Nazarenos can be any age (check out the little cutie above!). Nazarenos often give sweets or stampitas (little cards featuring saints) to children. So far from being an intimidating presence, they are often a child's favourite part of the processions. All nazarenos, with the exception of the very small, carry candles (in one of three sizes). The nazarenos of La Paz carried both white and red candles. The candles are lit in the night time parades and La Paz was featured in the newspaper the following day as the white robes of its penitents were stained red with candle was throughout the evening. It looked like a murder scene...much more sinister than how they look in my snaps (taken between 1.30pm and 3.30/4pm).

 Stampitas attached to the candle of a female nazareno.

Carrying a rosary on procession.

With such a jubilant atmosphere with children calling out for sweets, its often hard to remember that nazarenos are penitents seeking forgiveness from God. Some choose to punish themselves more by going without shoes. Though its rare to see in the south of Spain, some penitents in the north go as far as to chain their feet together as well - Semana Santa is serious business.

 Next came the first float featuring Jesus carrying the crucifix guarded be a centurion.

 You know I mentioned these floats can weigh around 5 tonnes? Did I mention they are carried from beneath by men?! Here they are at rest underneath the float (paso).

 This gentlemen is the director of the paso. He gives the orders of when to lift and when to rest. You may be able to see, if you look closely at the float, a golden knocker in the shape of a bridge with a tower at either end. At the knock of the director, the costaleros (the carriers of the paso) not only lift, but they jump to a standing position with the weight of the float on their neck and shoulders. It really is a sight!!

 Following the first paso came the penitentes, who, as you can see, wear the same hooded form as the nazarenos but without the pointed top.

 These are a step up from the nazarenos in the religious promise stakes. They carry weighted crosses for the duration of the parade. Though most only carry one, depending on the level of penitence a penitente can carry up to four crosses at one time.

A beautiful end to the procession came in the form of the second paso, that of the weeping Virgin. Sheltered by a canopy of white lace, she was truly beautiful.

La Paz was an unexpected but welcome step in to the world of Semana Santa. If you're ever in Seville for Holy Week and want a low key but impressively large procession, make sure you stop by La Paz as it passes through the park. You won't be jostling for room and once you've had your fill of the action, you can simply retreat to the grass for sunbathing. 

Have you ever witnessed a Semana Santa procession? What did you think of it?

Basílica de La Macarena

Basílica de La Macarena.

Home to the famously beautiful Macarena Virgin of Hope.

La Macarena is the patron saint of bullfighters, and her statue here in the basilica is the representation of a sorrowful yet hopeful virgin Mary.

She is one of the central attractions of the Semana Santa Madrugá parade on Good Friday which walks through the night, ending at around midday the following day. Participants often shout 'Guapa' at the statue as it passes - 'beautiful', 'gorgeous' - and they aren't wrong...

The statue, wreathed in gold and decorated with five diamond and emerald brooches (donated by the famous bullfighter, Joselito El Gallo), is truly breathtaking.

La Basílica de La Macarena,

Calle Béquer, 1

The Flamenco Diaries Part Two

Part two of my GoLearnTo course! If you missed part one, never fear, links are here!

As buses from my little village to Seville are nothing short of a nightmare, I had to leave at 9am to ensure I got to class by 11am! I chose to see the silver lining to the cloud and add something sweet to my wait on the Alameda, treating myself to a breakfast that I've long had a love affair with...

CHURROS: literally fried dough, freely available for dipping in super-thick hot chocolate.

Probably not the healthiest way to start a morning of exercise but ho-hum! Who can argue when they are made freshly in front of you?!

yes that's a portion for one, and yes it was only 1.50€!

Filled to bursting, with some left over for snacking, I waddled my way back to school. 

For our first class, we switched teachers for an hour of technique with Lydia. Of course, we couldn't get down to work without an impromptu photo session first...

 Canadians left, Brits right, teachers centre stage (where they belong!)

To our horror, the first thing Lydia asked us was which style of palmas we'd learnt in our final lesson yesterday and whether we could repeat them for her!! Turns out those were the rhythms that we were going to translate in to footwork today...whoops! Luckily, she was also a fan of diagrams and soon her white board filled with memory jerking scribblings of yesterdays compás and palmas! Soon enough we were double stamping with the best of them and styling our arms, wishing we were swishing around in voluminous, spotted dresses.

After a quick break and a cuddle with Lydia's little Yorkshire terrier (in for one day only unfortunately!), we switched back to Carmen's room for an intense two hours of choreography. Combination, watch, repeat, again, on the other foot, whilst standing on your head! It was quite a bit to take in, but soon we had our own mini routine going, showcasing all the things we'd learnt.

At the end of the morning, the lovely Carmen presented course certificates to us all with kisses on both cheeks! We asked her rather cheekily if we could film her doing the routine, so we could practice at home. She tried to convince a couple of us to do it with her to show you all the wonderful cannon she'd put together, but we were all too shy....

Here is the master at work (I'd love to see her dance something other than our baby flamenco routine - I bet she's feisty!):

Free from 2pm until 9pm, we had the afternoon at our leisure. The other members of my group dashed off to squeeze in the cathedral, the alcazar, the bullring and a mountain of other sights. Thankfully Seville is a pretty compact city and nearly everything is walkable. I, however, took an amble around the streets nearby (stumbling across La Basilica de La Macarena...photos to come tomorrow!) and took a long tapas lunch at Eslava (which also has a post in the pipeline! phew!).

With a few hours left to kill, I decided to wander towards La Casa de La Memoria (our show venue for the evening) as the surrounding streets are filled to the brim with flamenco dress shops with accessories galore. With the famous Feria de Abril just round the corner and a question mark over my outfit, I thought it would be a great opportunity to try some on!

You know you've got flamenco problems when skirts block your every exit!

I had a rummage through the racks and picked out a rather colourful floral number in my normal clothes size. I dragged it to the changing room (my god those things are heavy!) and pulled the curtain shut. Surprised that it wouldn't go over my bum, I had the bright idea of putting it over my head.... BIG MISTAKE. Not only did the dress not fit, I was now stuck in it! Let me tell you, there is nothing more terrifying than being jammed in huge swaths of paisley fabric when shopping alone, with no one to help you escape. After a few minutes of panicking, I told myself to breathe and managed (thank the lord) to wriggle my way out Houdini style! Turns out everyone takes a size up in flamenco dresses (who knew?!)

Defo need some stomach sucking in knickers with this!

This coral number is my favourite, but with a 220€ price tag it had to go back on the shelf! The cheapest flamenco dress I found was and 150€ and some go up to 700/800€ a pop...worth noting that these things are rarely worn twice! Astounding - going to have to be a cheapy flamenco skirt for me I think!

After some cafe hopping, it was show time. Thanks to our impeccable English-ness (read earliness) we were first in the queue and managed to snaffle front row, centre stage seats.

A very intimate gathering (they aren't kidding when they advertise limited seats!), every stamp of the dancers feet and every piercing high note the singer hits reverberate off the walls. 

What I liked most about the show at Casa de La Memoria was that everyone got their chance to shine, the singer, the guitarist and the individual dancers. I loved that there was very little pomp and ceremony, just commitment to art. If you want to see girls in brightly coloured spotty dresses parading around then this isn't the show for you. Its gritty and passionate with not a polka dot in sight. If you want flamenco posers, you can find them in most bars in town. Casa de La Memoria amazed us with their artists - expect to fear getting kicked in the face, and feeling the occasional bead of sweat being flicked your way if you're near the front (all part of the experience of course).

I will certainly be taking visitors here to catch of a glimpse of the authentic flamenco and the fiery gypsy spirit.

Final thoughts on my GoLearnTo experience? Worth its weight in gold! It was a very well thought out package with authenticity and quality clearly in mind - no tourist trash here. Would I book again? In an instant! In fact their website should come with a warning: IT WILL SUCK YOU IN. 

I am literally starting a golearnto travel wish list...

The Ultimate Mind and Body Retreat, Costa Blanca, Spain

Pizza, Pasta and Gelato Cookery Holiday, Sorrento, Italy

Wine tasting weekend, Provence, France

...looks like I'll have to buy a lottery ticket!!

As ever my lovelies, until next time...

The Flamenco Diaries Part One.

So way back at Christmas, my lovely boyfriend Rich got me a wonderful present.

There we are on Christmas Day, complete with a horrendous jumper

 I got for Rich as punishment for being a Scrooge!

He is the worlds most thoughtful gift giver - expert at remembering little things I've mentioned in passing and whipping them out on special occasions, much to my surprise!

As soon as I found out I would be in Seville on placement, I said I wanted to learn flamenco. That was on the 5th March 2013...Richard being Richard, on the 25th December, there in my lap was the confirmation letter of a weekend flamenco course. I was over the moon!!

Booked through GoLearnTo.com, my course included 3.5 hours of technique and compás and palmas (the clapping rhythms that accompany the singer), 2 hours of choreography and entrance to a flamenco show in the evening on the second day.

Starting on friday at 6pm, I went straight from work to the school, Taller Flamenco. It was easy to find, located on Calle Peral one of the streets leading off the Alameda de Hércules (a buzzing hub of tapas bars and children shrieking in the spray of cooling water fans). As I approached, I could hear telling claps and chords being strummed from a flamenco guitar, but couldn't quite work out which building they were coming from as the sound bounced off the other houses in the narrow street. I soon got my answer...

As I was ridiculously early (over half an hour), the lovely receptionist invited me to join a flamenco party that had been in swing since 2pm. As she ushered me up the stairs, offered me a drink and sat me at the table, I realised that the music hadn't been coming from a classroom at all...

...but from the roof. As well as the locals, there were Americans, Russians, Japanese and Germans and, of course, me, the little Brit in the corner, all basking in the sunshine on the terrace. Everyone had nothing but praise for the school and its staff so I was excited to get started.

At five to 6, I wandered back to the office, was presented with my welcome pack (a discount card, a map and a flamenco event/shopping guide) and told to head for Carmen's classroom. With mirrors on two sides, there was nowhere to hide - thankfully as a beginners class they were expecting nothing at all!!

The five of us made a lovely group (two Canadians and three Brits). Carmen was a wonderful teacher, guiding us through our first tentative steps and stamps! There were certainly no photos to document the event - we were all to busy absorbing all the information, brows furrowed in concentration. It was hard to believe that those 'basic' rhythms we were taught make up the fast and furious combinations you see the professionals use -  at 100mph, its hard to distinguish left foot from right, let alone distinguish the actual movements their making.

My only worry about the courses of Go Learn To was that they are clearly intended for tourists. I was worried that we would get a tourist friendly experience (as in 'Well done, you're doing great' when in fact you look like walrus having a fit) rather than an authentic experience where you actually learn something, are corrected on your mistakes and helped to improve.

I needn't have worried about that, I can tell you! Carmen was a hard taskmaster and had us doing thing within the first hour that we never imagined we'd achieve in the whole course! We exchanged pained faces when her back was turned, convinced we'd screw up the latest combination she'd given us, but were usually pleasantly surprised (and if not, we laughed it off!).

After an hour and half of stamping (the poor neighbours), we headed upstairs to our class of compás and palmas. Who knew clapping could be so darn complex?! I mean look at this white board:

 There is our teacher, poised and ready to wipe off the board for a second round of scribblings.

He explained not only the bases and accents of the rhythms but how they combine with the other accompanists (the singers and the guitarists), the hierarchy of accompanists, which rhythms belong to which music style, which rhythm would accompany each stage of the dance...I was almost dizzy!

At some points in the lesson, there was nothing left to do but laugh, as our claps sounded more like a messy round of applause than the rhythm we were trying to follow. I know as a teacher its often laugh or cry...he chose the former and laughed along with us! As our clearly not very musical ears tuned in to the subtleties of the music and our hands turned an alarming shade of red, he was overjoyed when we finally clapped out something coherent in unison!

I will never look at clapping the same way again.

Feeling accomplished, at the end of day one, us Brits rewarded our efforts with a sharing plate of tapas and a well deserved glass of wine...

...anticipating what Saturday would bring.

P.S. Look out for part two, with Saturday's exploits and the flamenco show, coming soon!

Spanish Life Lessons 4

'Life is...

life is music, listen to it,

life is 'carpe diem', seize it,

life is a flower, protect it,

life is dance, dance it.'

This week's life lesson is courtesy of the compás and palmas classroom at Taller Flamenco, Flamenco school...look out for my Flamenco Diaries posts, coming this week on Amble.

Real Alcázar, Seville

My trip to the Alcázar was a pretty spur of the moment thing. Having planned a lazy Sunday in the face of a week of bad weather, I was pleasantly surprised to wake up to sunshine and blue skys. As my previous trip to the Alcázar had been rained off the week before, I took it as a sign and down I went in to Seville on the midday bus.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, a second home to the Spanish Royal Family and a Seville must-see, I had pretty high expectations.

The beauty of the building itself can't be denied and, built in the fourteenth century, it is considered to be one of the best examples surviving of Mudéjar architecture in the world. Mudéjar is a style which has strong Moorish influences. The moors where medieval Muslim conquerors from countries like Morocco and Algeria who were in power here in the South of Spain (and much of the Iberian peninsular) from 719 to 1482. With over 700 years to lay roots, you can see how this Arabic style has permeated so many areas of Spain. 

Arches, natural light, intricate carvings - I just can't get enough of it! I would die to live in a place like this, perhaps a tad unrealistic though, wherever would you buy furniture that could live up to rooms as grand as these. Besides, as the world's oldest royal palace still in use today, I'd have to share it.

The palace facade from the courtyard.

Welcome to the Salón de Embajadores. The ceremonial centre of the palace, clearly built to astound visiting officials. In my opinion its the Alcázar's crowning glory.

Patio de las Doncellas, named after the ladies of the palace who spent much of their time there. Could you imagine a glass of Pinot Grigio with that as a backdrop? Yes please!

Just look at that detail!

The palace gardens: customary orange trees, check! (this is Seville you know, it's not a garden if its not full of these!)

This guy was a real crowd pleaser (read idiot), throwing Cheetos to the huge fish who occupy this lovely corner of the garden. Not sure how their little tummies will cope with those...

Los Baños de Doña María de Padilla.

Under the main bulk of the palace lies this little sanctuary. A cool, shady place to escape the heat of blazing sun which soaks the gardens, these baths have a double function: somewhere to bathe away the heat of the day and rainwater storage. They are named after the mistress of King Peter the Cruel (doesn't he sound like a joy!). 

Overall verdict:

I loved the palace (as you can probably tell I'm a sucker for mudéjar) but I feel it was let down by its overall organisation as a tourist attraction. Short of buying the audio guide (another 5-7€ on top of your already steep ticket price of 9.50€), there is little information available on the best order in which to see things and what you're looking at when you get there! I'd recommend buying the add on if you're a history lover like me because I regret being tight.

I was also unaware that you could buy tickets to see the Royal Family's residential apartments on the Upper Floor (Tours leave every hour, only 15 people admitted per tour), which is something I would have been interested in. Shame the ticket people didn't try and up sell that one! 

Top Tips:

• Buy the damn audio guide even if you resent it.
• Check out the official website before you go to see if there are any special events on (sometimes they do visits by night, which I imagine would be magical!)
• Don't try and do the Cathedral and the Alcázar in one day - if you go round everything properly, it would be overkill! Follow with a chilled glass of white and some tapas!

Until next time,

With love from Seville

xXx