Boondock Puffins

On our second day in Spain, we embarked on a poolside circuit in the baking sunshine… too bad it was an empty swimming pool though so we couldn’t jump in afterwards!

After a repeated avocado on toast breakfast, we piled into the car, played a variety of tunes on the way (including several throw backs, from Rusted Roots to The Who, from The Kooks to Counting Crows – and several Spanish artists thrown into the mix too), and headed on a 4 hour journey to Seville.

Arriving into Seville, we were greeted by 40°C heat. Martin, our host, had planned to take us around the key things to see in one afternoon, but this plan had to be somewhat unceremoniously abandoned as we were all melting in the humidity and heat. We did however enjoy the museum that houses the archives from trips to India. According to the Seville City Guide website, this museum “contains more than 10 kilometres of bookshelves with documents from the colonial history of ‘Las Indias, or the New World’, from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries.” It also states that the building was “originally the trade fair from 1584 for the Consulate of the merchants (Consulado de Mercaderes) for the trade of gold, silver, spices and cocoa between Spain and the ‘New World’.”

We also encountered the Catedral de Sevilla and had a great time walking up the Torre Geralda. Do you know what’s interesting about this tower? It has a ramp the whole way up. 35 separate ramps apparently. When quizzed about this and why it was, we were able to come up with many suggestions but none of them correct. It is, in actual fact, because with a ramp, you can ride a horse up to the top. There are a few different suggestions as to why this was needed, and from what I can gather, it’s either because the sultan wanted to be able to access a good view very quickly, or it could be so that the the muezzin could ride a horse to the top to recite the call to prayer. Either way, it’s well worth the trip into the cathedral, which is an awe-inspiring construction in and of itself, as well as the slog up the tower to see the views from the top. (Note, if you’re planning on visiting, it’s a good idea to book in advance!)

Having seen the aerial(ish) view of Seville, we found our place to stay for the night, hunted down a shop to get me some sunglasses, and then got ready for the Feria. Our Spanish friend had of course not had to come to Spain with only a small carry on bag, so he had a full suit to dress in. The rest of us (the two Tom’s and I) had to make ourselves as smart as possible with the minimal clothing we’d brought with us – the boys wore chinos and a shirt, and I had a patterned jumpsuit. Martin had assured us that it wouldn’t be too out of place for us not to be so dressed up.

When we arrived at the Feria, it felt like he had not been entirely truthful! Everyone there was dressed up to the nines, despite the scorching and stuffy heat of the city, and all the women in particular were in the flamenco dresses so famous in the region.

In spite of feeling slightly awkward about our slight state of undress, we settled in quickly, particularly as Martin had family who invited us into their shared caseta. At the Feria, these casetas are tents set up specifically for the week of the festival, and there are hundreds of them. They create an entirely new small village within the bustling metropolis of Seville and the lights attached to all the tents and the rails in the park create a feeling of timelessness – it is no longer possible to tell how far into the night you are, because darkness has never fallen! Most of these casetas are privately owned by families or collections of families, and you can usually only enter if you know the family who owns that particularly caseta. There are however some public ones that are popular too.

Upon entry into the caseta, we were given a glass of what I enthusiastically assumed was lemonade. It turned out to be a dangerous hybrid of lemonade and wine… something I only discovered after about 6 glasses (in the roasting heat, I was already dehydrated!) and can only assume that it’s thanks to the wine that we were entirely comfortable throwing ourselves into the circle of dancing happening in the caseta. When I say dancing, I should explain that this was not the sort of awkward throwing of limbs at random angles that you would see at a British party. No. This was an elegant affair of a dance that was already known by every Spanish participant… which they assured us was easy to learn but which was categorically not. From what I can remember, the key was that for women there’s a lot of twirling wrist movement with arms moving slowly around from either above your head or around your waist, and for men the cardinal rule was to not allow your hands above chest height. This may sounds simple enough but I would challenge you to find a way to draw more attention to yourself as a foreigner than by participating in a very family oriented, very traditional affair such as this dance. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience, and the ladies in the tent were so encouraging to us – I even got presented with a fan and taught how to use it with extra zeal.

We wondered off to another caseta for supper where we enjoyed a Spanish feast surrounded by people getting up from their dinner and dancing at will. It was packed but, wow, what an atmosphere.

Heading home at 3 o’clock in the morning, we seemed to be calling it a night early compared to many of the other attendees.

It really goes without saying, but if you ever get the chance to go to the Feria de Sevilla, take it without a second thought. Oh, but maybe pack some smart clothes… and ideally learn the dance first!