This weekend we trekked the 1000 odd kilometers down south to sunny Sevilla, which bursts at the seams once a year during Feria de Abril – a weeklong tribute to flamenco dresses & dancing, food, tradition, flamenco music, and Andalusian (Spanish region) culture. In general, Southern Spain is known for its flamenco dancing, olives, oranges, sunshine, beaches, Moorish architecture, and Arabic influences; all of these things reach their pinnacle for Feria week in April. An entire fairground is dedicated to hold this honored tradition, which has been taking place for well over a century, and throughout the day and night the fair is bustling with girls in flamenco dresses, grandparents out for a stroll, dolled up three year olds with flowers in their hair, and camera-happy tourists like us. The men generally wore suit jackets and jeans, although some did wear the traditional vests and flat-topped hats. Many women still dress up in the traditional flamenco dresses, but they have now deviated from the standard red polka dots to form a startling array of colors, patterns, and textures. It was really interesting to see the different dresses because many of them so clearly tell a story about the wearer: teenage girls were decked out in fushia and lime green polka dots or purple and pink stripes, women usually sported more refined, classical, or elegant choices such as cream with royal purple trim (one of my favorites) or solid crimson or beige with black lace accents, grandmotherly women often had gorgeous old flamenco dresses that had faded with time and were probably sewn by hand, and the youngest of the bunch (anywhere from 2 months to 10 years) ran around swishing the fullest skirts of all with bright polka dots and eye-catching colors! They were all so beautiful and I loved how EVERYONE joined in the celebration. Dressing up wasn’t just for teens or older women or kids or skinny girls or actual flamenco dancers…all women had the opportunity to participate in the event and they all looked so lovely. To top off the beautiful dress, many would pull their hair back into a chignon, place a large decorative comb in the top, and pin a grapefruit sized flower on top of their heads or to the side behind their ears. The dresses were so beautiful and we all turned chartreuse with envy in our jeans and t-shirts! J
The women wore the dresses everywhere (including eating in restaurants, going shopping, getting groceries, etc.) and the result was a cross between a carnival-like feeling and the sentiment of jumping back hundreds of years in time. It was so fun just to sit and have a tea (Arabic style made steeped in milk) or Chocolate with Churros (super thick hot chocolate to dip greasy-amazing-funnel-cake-like churros into) and watch the women parade by in their dresses. We had so much fun picking out our favorite styles and patterns – I think my favorite was when whole families matched. There was one girl (about 9 years old) who was dressed head-to-toe exactly like her mom (from hair to shoes to earrings to flower position) and she was so pleased to be such a big girl – they were both gorgeous and looked so cute sauntering down the street in their matching hot pink flamenco gowns. The fact that feria was going on really made this trip to Sevilla as special as it could be because we had the chance to not only see a beautiful city, but also one of the biggest festivals in Spain and take part in a long-standing Spanish tradition.
Of course because we were there for a flamenco festival, we made sure we saw several true flamenco shows! We had an insider show us this really neat free flamenco bar that had nightly performances, yummy sangria, and the best green olives I have ever had! We went there both nights and were treated to two different performances of amazing flamenco skill and passion. Flamenco is a combination of hand clapping, stomping, singing, dancing, skirt swishing, intricate arm movements, and a variety of instruments (such as guitar, cassanets, flute, etc). The dancers moved with such strength and passion that you couldn’t take your eyes off of them and the control over their feet and hands was amazing; It is such a beautiful dance and so open to the interpretation, whim, and feeling of the dancer that it immediately draws you in.
Although probably my favorite part was probably just the overall atmosphere of feria and the costumes, we also saw a lot of really neat sights in Sevilla. We wandered through the cramped streets of the old quarter (and even squeezed our car through them), saw the infamous bullring, and walked all across our Sevilla tourism map! Sevilla is probably most known for its towering cathedral, which is the biggest gothic cathedral EVER constructed and the third largest cathedral in the world (2nd only to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and St. Paul’s cathedral in London). Its sheer size is staggering, but the best part for me was La Giralda, the bell tower that provided an excellent view of the entire city. We also visited the Real Alcazar de Sevilla, an ancient Moorish palace (built with similar decorations and designs as The Alhambra) and beautiful garden area in the center of the city, which is still the King and Queen’s official residence in Sevilla. This palace has such intricate tiling and carvings literally covering every floor, wall, ceiling, window, and door and it is so breathtaking to see the ways in which simple construction materials were molded to form a palace of such splendor.
Oh, did I mention we drove to Sevilla? As in…in a car! We figured out how to rent a car and get down there and it was so much fun to take a road trip! We ended up with a nice sized (although box-like) car and it was a cozy ride up and back…that’s right, everyone…I drove in SPAIN! And lived to tell about it! The Spanish drivers are a bit crazy and use their horns ALL THE TIME! But after I got used to all the roundabouts, different traffic signs, strange lanes (or lack thereof), and pushy Spanish drivers, I remembered how much I love taking road trips! We had a really great time and the car worked really well for us – although, we did get lost once on the way back home and detoured an hour or so…but, we also stumbled across the town of Avila, home to the biggest fortress in Spain! So that was a pleasant surprise – driving through a massive Spanish fortress at 2:00 in the morning!
Other random Sevilla experiences…
There were constantly Gypsy ladies carrying around some kind of grass/plant that they would try to give to you as a “gift” and then charge you for taking it! Watch out for them – so sneaky!
Feria was so crazy because people were out ALL the time – one morning we got up around 8:00-ish and passed tons of people walking home for the night! We weren’t quite that hardcore, but we did stay out at Feria until 4:00 one night and there were still literally thousands of people wandering around! AT 4:00 IN THE MORNING! I don’t mean kids or teens or young crowds, I mean babies and four year olds and grandparents and moms and dads and families and groups of older women and teenagers – EVERYBODY! It was so interesting to see all of those people meandering around at the fairgrounds in their traditional dress so early in the morning, eating and drinking and playing games and just celebrating being Spanish!
We felt a bit homeless because we were living half out of our car and half out of a friend’s friend’s house, so we definitely got ready in a couple of obliging grocery store or hotel bathrooms, (a friend might have even washed her hair in the sink…) and dozed off in a couple of sunny parks. But it was fun to have our own car and make our own decisions on everything without having to wait around for buses or planes or a huge group of people.
Also, (see photo) I got ESPANA toro underwear! Great souvenir! J
We did the Macarena on Macerna street (picture)!
And of course, tried our hand at our own version of Flamenco dancing in front of the Sevilla Cathedral!
All in all – flamenco dancing, street wandering, getting ready in bathrooms, catching a few hours of uncomfortable sleep at a time, sight hopping, churro eating, sangria drinking, picture posing, fair-ride riding, sun basking, feet aching, paella munching, dress envying – everything, we had a fabulous trip and I loved Sevilla. I don’t know if it was because of Feria and all the Flamenco or because of the great road trip or just the sunshine, but Sevilla was one of my favorite places I have visited in Spain! And when you come to Spain, you should try your darndest to get here for Feria de Abril in Sevilla because it is well-worth the trek, whatever the distance may be!
