It is Feria week in Sevilla, and that means horses, women in flamenco dresses and a lot of dancing. Monday night, the Feria began with the lighting of la portada, or the entrance. Apparently a new one is made every year and this year’s is amazing. We went Monday night to watch the grand lighting ceremony. There were thousands of people there…some dressed in flamenco dresses and the rest dressed up to the nines. With a dress and flats on, I definitely felt underdressed. It was amazing to peek into the little casetas (little houses) and see the lavish dinners and fancy atmosphere. While the casetas occupy one side of the Feria grounds, a mini amusement park occupies the other half. I can only describe this even as a combination of a tailgate-state fair but with people very dressed up. No farmers or fried oreos here. We walked around for a while and marveled at the surroundings. Some people were dancing Sevillana, but unfortunately I did not.
The next day, Tuesday, I had two classes and was then on break! During my Civilizations of Spain class, we took a field trip to a capilla (chapel) inside a hospital. Jose Grillo told us about the paintings in the hospital and the founder. He was quite the Don Juan before he met his wife. When she died, he dedicated himself to helping the less fortunate and put money towards building the hospital. I love how we can learn about something in class and the next day go see an example of it! Later in the day, we ventured to Feria again. More women were wearing flamenco dresses, which were all stunning. I found very few that I did not like. Old, young, fat, thin, all the women looked good. It was like prom-but every year! We rode la noria (I know-it could have broken down any second), which was amazing. We got a great view of the Feria as well as Sevilla. After that, we walked around both sections. Later in the evening, we went into a public caseta and danced Sevillana. It was very fun even if we had to invent a few steps ☺ I guess I should explain a little about the casetas. They are private, the spaces being rented out by a family or company. There are security guards at the entrance making sure no one comes in that is not invited. It is a pretty exclusive event, but I have heard that they have been trying to make it more public. There are a few public casetas with music and space for all to dance. After a few hours of walking around the grounds, I was exhausted and went home to sleep.
This morning, I worked on homework then went off to explore some Sevilla sights with Emily and Ed. In the beginning of the semester, I made a list of things I wanted to do in Sevilla. I have been completing most of them, but still have a few to do. We visited the Alcázar again-the old palace of the kings of Spain. We walked mostly through the gardens, which are incredibly beautiful. The flowers were in bloom and made the gardens even more beautiful with vibrant colors. After that, it was raining a little, so we decided to visit the Alfonso 13 Hotel. It is the nicest Hotel in Sevilla, the once where Tom Cruise stayed (I don’t know what he was doing). The hotel is very grand and impressive. We also walked around outside in the gardens and by the pool.
Ok, that's all for now. I am going to Feria again tonight. Hopefully for some more dancing!!
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