Tour Guide of Sevilla
As Americans our lives have been notoriously paved by misconceptions about misunderstandings. However, I have always been proud to call myself someone who does not fit this stereotype; someone who knows the real story everywhere he travels. Upon entering Spain and Sevilla in particular, I realized that, on the contrary, I was entering one of the most misunderstood places in Europe. My hope is that as I walk you through my encounter with Sevilla, from our first dance by the Guadalquivir, to our final masquerade on Calle Betis, that you will help me break this stereotype of misunderstanding we hold so true. It will be difficult as Spain’s far different from the rest of Europe, but it is worth a shot.
The first thing I would recommend to anyone going to Sevilla is to get a good map and simply walk around the city. Take a few euros for a quick tapas or two if you find a promising spot, but simply walking around the city it is very easy to get your bearings and get oriented quickly. La Giralda tower is a great meeting point and sits at the center of the city. You could start there and walk to the river. Walk down the river, cross the bridge into Triana and double back to La Giralda. Complete this simple route and you will have a good base from which to base all directions build a good schema of landmarks. Once you have a foundation of how the city is laid out it will then be easy to venture to places such as Alameda plaza or farther back in Triana where the good tapas lies, as you will most certainly be invited out off the beaten path once you make a few local friends.
Sevilla has a culture centered around family values and socializing. It is a beautiful way of life and the envy of other European nations. The local people especially in Triana take the laid back way of life to new heights. When acclimating yourself the to the city and the people, especially if you want to meet people, it is essential to go out for tapas in key parts of the city at key times. Sunday evening is the optimum time to have a true tapas experience as the streets are littered with families (from the new born grandchildren to the oldest patriarchs) everywhere in the streets out for a few laughs accompanied by delicious food and drinks. However, almost everyday between six o’clock and nine o’clock you will always find people in the streets enjoying a few refreshments and laughs following work.
My personal favorite part of Sevilla for the social tapas aspect is Triana. Calle Betis is always a good bet. It is a great place to meet people in the dozens of Tapas bars scattered across the riverbank. It is also a great economic option: if you are trying to have fun night out with out blowing your bank account, simply purchase a few cheap drinks from the local “Chino” and head down to Calle Betis to near Puente Triana (one of the bridges connecting Sevilla and Triana). Here on any given night you will find dozens and dozens of people enjoying the moonlight and the river view. It is a great place to practice your Spanish and enjoy a relaxed night. More often than not a few people will have guitars and be playing music that adds a nice flame of tranquility to the river atmosphere, but more often than not this ends in boisterous chants of Sevilla FC or Betis (the two local football clubs). Even if you are not if you are a heavy spender I would highly recommend a night of riverside fun at least once during your time in Sevilla. Calle Betis is a great location for this as well as Toro del Oro (the old Arab watch tower) on the opposite side of the river, also right on the riverbank.
Another great spot, where young people tend to congregate, is Alameda plaza. This is a must see and I can only hope that you will trust me when I say Alameda holds the ticket to whatever Spanish experience for which you are searching for during your time in Sevilla. Unlike the area around La Giralda or the Santa Cruz quarter you will not find restaurants or bars outnumbered with tourists and overpriced menu items. Alameda is a congregation spot for young people, particularly the artsy community. On any given night the streets in this area are filled with young people on the edge of creative progression. You can look around and breathe in the creative freedom that Picasso and Dali could only dream of. In addition to this since there are very few vacationing westerners to be had, food and drinks here are some of the most modestly priced in the entire city. In the summer there will be concerts or art shows in Alameda plaza once or twice a week. Once again, this is a great place to meet people, especially if you are interested in getting in touch with the arts scene or you are a music aficionado. Even, if you do not fit into the either of the previous categories Alameda is a fun place to see some interesting characters and get in touch with a truly Sevillan culture.
In terms of getting to know the historical context of Sevilla (which is rather important when attempting to engage the culture as a whole) some “must-sees” are the alcazar palace, the inside of La Giralda, the Plaza del Toros, and the old Santa Cruz quarter. It is also important to see these places at the beginning of your journey, preferably in the first two weeks. These sights together create a background of the Jewish, Arab, and Catholic presence that still creates a mosaic of culture in Sevilla. With this foundation you will come to appreciate the cultural anecdotes that you will encounter in places like Calle Betis or Alameda that much more.
Between all of these ventures, make sure you find some down time to allow what you will be learning everyday to soak into your brain. The best place to do this is on the Sevillan riverbank between Puente Triana and Plaza del Arams. This soft pedestrian friendly grassy area is the perfect grounds for reading, writing, napping, or having a picnic with friends. In my own travels I would spend an hour or two each day in this area gazing into the river, wondering of times when Spanish stallions ran free or Arab traders sailed up and down the Guadalquivir with shipments of silk from the Orient. No matter how you play it the riverbank and the combination of the shady trees and soft grass is a perfect place to relax in a truly Sevillan setting. So grab a bottle of Tinto de Verano (a summer cocktail) and your journal and head down to the river. People in Sevilla have been lounging on these same river banks for thousands of years. Its only sensible to for us to do the same and preserve the Spanish spirit that despite dictatorship and inquisition lives on in these places today.
