Semana Santa in Sevilla

Ok, this DOES look weird when you first see this right outside of our apartment:


Each church or brotherhood has these guys in robes and hoods. Some churches have upwards of 3000 of these guys marching through the streets of Sevilla 24/7 all week long complete with Marching Bands and two floats (more on that later).


I took this shot from our balcony. This guys seems to have a date!



Brotherhood of the White coats meeting. Don't really know what they were talking about! Probably the parade route they had to take!


Heading home after a long day of marching?



This is one of the floats. The parade route for this church went right in front of our apartment. Thousands of people line up at all hours of the day and night to see these processions. There were many times when we were walking in the city that we ran across a procession and could not get back to our apartment. Each church or brotherhood has two floats and they march to the main cathedral in Sevilla and then back to their church. Some routes took over 14 hours to complete!


Another view of the float from our balcony. There are 16 to 30 guys under the float carrying it around. Thy typically go in 1/2 hour shifts as these things must be quite heavy. What a strange gig!


Each procession has a marching band playing behind their first float. Some of these marching bands were quite large with over 300 musicians!


Most of the marching bands were brass bands, but this one had woodwinds and a very large sax section!



Carrying the crosses in the procession!


This cafe is directly under our apartment! Quite loud! But they close at midnight and our apartment has sound proof windows that keep the noise out quite well.


We also visited the main Cathedral, which has Christopher Columbus' tomb. He wanted to be buried in several places in Spain. Rumor has it that his index finger is here in this tomb. Gotta love that!


This is the view from the bell tower in the church. You climb ramps up to the bell tower instead of stairs. Back in the day, the monk that rang the bells road a donkey up the ramps each morning to ring the bells! The bull fighting stadium is in the distance. We did tour that...after the tour I have no intention of going to a bull fight. They start on Easter Sunday and run every Sunday for 24 weeks.



Ethan, Tobi, and Paige look up in the Cathedral!


We also went to a "real"Flamenco show and it was fantastic! Loved it!


More Flamenco!

More later....

Madrid and Our Kids Visiting 3/13-3/20

Ethan and Paige joined us this week!

I always try to look for strange and interesting things on our travels. Ethan and Paige flew in to see us and we picked them up at the train station in Sevilla! We also spent a day in Cádiz, which was about an hour train ride away.


It was a nice day, although with the ocean breeze bit cool at times. ( I know, we are suffering so much!)


My work on my Sabbatical :-)


Paige by a fort that we visited by the ocean.



Park in Cádiz. Very cool plants and trees!


Ethan and Tobi Selfie in Cádiz


Ethan pondering his rough life!



Tobi, Ethan and Paige at the top of a tower in the heart of the city.

We hopped on the Fast Train (165 MPH) and then we spent two days in Madrid, which was OK. Not a fan of the city. This is my third time there. Too crowded and full of tourists! We went to the Prado and could barely move with all the people. Still found some cool stuff though!


This you just have to LOVE! Only a true Star Wars junkie would appreciate this cake!


And no candy shop would be complete without a Darth Vader made of Chocolate!


I ALWAYS love street performers and these two didgeridoo players were GREAT! Something you don't see everyday!


Here is another thing that you don't see everyday! This is a turtle park right in the middle of the Madrid train station! NICE!!!!!


We always try to find the parks in the cities that we visit and I must say that Madrid's park was a bit nicer than our park in Sevilla! No we did not row a boat!


Tobi sitting on the steps to the rowing pond!


We were there on Palm Sunday and witnessed this in front of the Madrid Cathedral, which I actually really liked. It was bright and cheerful, unlike most of the churches that we visit around Sevilla.


We ended our park tour here in the Greenhouse. Very nice! We then said goodbye to Ethan and Paige and put them in a Taxi to the airport to head back to Boston. Hard to say goodbye, but they were ready to get back to their lives in the states. We then got back on the fast train and headed back to Sevilla.

Next....The WEIRDEST festival in Sevilla! Pictures to follow next Sunday!

More company this week. Tobi's friend Christine and her daughter Sarah!

Out and about in Sevilla

This is at our favorite cafe/bakery in Sevilla. We go there every afternoon for cafe and Sussos. So much so, that our waitress now says "the usual?"

Some of the many treats at our favorite bakery, which is located in what we refer to as the "family square". There are always a boatload of parents and kids around this square, which also has a playground. It is fun watching all the activity.

We call this our "room of requirement" from Harry Potter. These bike stations are all through Sevilla. For 39 Euros you can rent the bikes for a year. You simply enter a code and you are good to go. It seems that every time we are tired of walking, we stumble upon a bike station and get to ride home!

This is Tobi atop the Parasol, which is located in the center of the city. The locals refer to this as the mushroom. You take an elevator to the top and can get great views of the city and country outside the city! 

This was at a Roman themed market outside of our new apartment (we have to change apartments on Friday March, 18th, Tobi's birthday). These are giant Paella pans loaded with seafood. Of course we stopped and ate there!!!

Our entire family has always loved Calamari (octopus) and this does not get much fresher than this. Maybe a little too close to the food source?

Not quite sure what to make of this dude! He was a walking advertisement for the Roman market. I should have taken a video of his dancing. Something to behold....

Ethan and Paige arrive today for the week! Can't wait! More later! Weather here is starting to warm up. Each day into the low to mid 70s. Everyone we talk to says that you don't want to be here in the summer. Last July they reached 120 degrees! Ouch! The streets here are sheltered by very tall buildings for a reason...to keep the sun out! Much cooler when walking on the streets. We still have to wear a jacket even when it gets into the 70s! Weird!!

Sevilla (and my solo stay while Tobi was away)

Some Observations on Sevilla:

Here are some photos from our apartment rooftop in Seville, where we hang our wash to dry. We are in the Jewish Quarter of Seville, which is the oldest part of town. My observations about Seville so far:

Love the slow pace and relaxed vibe of the people,
Smoking is a sport here along with sitting, talking, and drinking beverages of all kinds (FYI the legal smoking age here is 13!!!!!
Siesta is a serious thing! 2:00-5:00 break..smoke, visit, drink, dine, and relax!
I REALLY LOVE this place! Glad that we are hanging her until May!
We found a churro stand right around the corner from our apartment, which I am sure we will be returning to on a regular basis.
Orange trees EVERYWHERE! I saw a woman get smacked on the head by a falling orange at the churro stand this AM. LOVE IT!
Ordered my first breakfast speaking Spanish today. Did OK, but got fried eggs and not scrambled, but other than that, success!

Here is the rooftop of our apartment where we hang our wash. We are living in the Jewish Quarter of the city, which is the oldest part of the city.

More views from our rooftop.

Busking on the Streets of Sevilla

At least I know that if we retire here, I can have a gig! Although I might be playing somewhat hipper tunes than these guys. I am still toying with the idea of taking my horn and playing for money on a street corner... We also found an Apple computer Store. So I can survive here 

These guys were fun, although I would have to play some hipper tunes.

Dinner and our Street

I should be ashamed to admit this, but this was our dinner last night after walking through the city for about 2 hours. And no, that is not coffee. It is a cup of liquid chocolate. Churros con Chocolate. Oh the shame of it all 

There is a churro stand 30 seconds from our apartment. That could be bad.....

View of our street. The trolly runs through the center of town and only goes about 2 miles total! We were told it was for the older shoppers.

Oranges in Seville:
We were sitting in this cafe having a coffee and an Asian gentleman asked us (in English) if it was OK to pick and eat the oranges (they are everywhere in Seville). We said no, and that we were told it was illegal to eat them and that they are quite sour. We also told him that the city of Seville is under contract with England to send the sour oranges to England for their marmalade. His response: "OK, I will just eat a few and that will be OK." Our response....??????

Solo Americano, Game of Thrones, and Tobi!

Tobi had to return to the states for work related stuff, leaving me alone for 6 days in Sevilla. Wish me luck! With my VAST mastery of the Spanish language, I may be surviving on Cafe Solo and Churros!

Here is a shot of Tobi in one of the MANY gardens in Real Alcazar, which is in Sevilla. Game of Thrones films there. I believe it is the Kingdom of Dorn. 

More Alcazar, one of my favorite places here.

It is the little things in life, like going to the bakery down the street, ordering a specific type of bread, having the lady actually understand you, and going home to EAT that bread! OK, so yesterday in the AM was an experience. Now granted, I don't understand a lot of Spanish, but...This weird little dude approached me in the park wanting something as I was taking pictures of the flora and fauna. I did say " I am sorry, but I don't speak Spanish. However, the hand gestures were VERY OBVIOUS! Yes, he wanted me to be his "boy toy". I sized him up, figured that I could take him or at least outrun him. I then Flipped him the bird and said "comprendo?" I think he got it because he took off. I have to remember that I am in a city after all. But really! 9:30AM on a Sunday morning in a VERY family oriented park???? I then went and got my cafe solo and watched some of the Sevilla Marathon that was taking place yesterday. All in all, an interesting day in Sevilla! And to think if Tobi were with me yesterday AM that guy probably would have left me alone. Is it sad that I need my wife to protect me.....

This is in the park where we run every day called Plaza de Espana. GREAT place! I am really going to miss it when we leave Spain! Running through the park every morning is a true pleasure with all the sights, fountains, people, horse carriages etc!

One of the many running trails through the park. It is huge! My route, which is shorter than Tobi's is just under 4 miles. LOVE running here!

Solo Sevilla: Day 5 without my wife:

Good day yesterday. Got to see some street performers including a very good Flamenco Dancer. There was also a sax player with her. He just watched and smoked cigarets (easy gig). He did play on her breaks (although not very inspiring).

These accordion guys were a hoot and pretty good players too! Loved the guy with the fan. They are on the street most every day.

These three-head guys were so funny. When people walked by they would shout out and move. It scared one woman so much that she actually screamed and fell down! You can see her in the corner of the picture! Bystanders thought it was funny...the woman, not so much. I ran in the park with no propositions. All in All a pretty good day!

Solo Sevilla: Day 6 without my Spanish Speaking Wife!

Found Mozart yesterday. Second picture is the Gold Tower on the river, where they collected a River Tax back in the day. Third picture is a street performing duo: violinist playing classical music while a cyclist performs "cycle tricks". Now that is something that you don't see every day! The violinist was quite good and the cyclist, not so much! Also found out that the weather in New Hampshire is not so great today so I hope that Tobi's flight is not delayed. 70 and sunny here today.

Mozart reading a Batman comic book???

Gold Tower. The river is on the other side along with a nice bike path!

Now this is an act that you don't see every day!

Solo Sevilla: Day 7 without my Spanish Speaking Wife

Tobi Gets in today. Although her flight was delayed out of JFK. She is scheduled to arrive at 6:00 PM Sevilla time tonight! I might make it!

The Spanish Siesta is a real thing 1:00-4:00! Loved this shirt! Most everything except cafes close. As far as I can tell, people meet, smoke, eat, and drink for 3 hours before going back to work. And one wonders why the Spanish economy is not a world beater, especially after 4:00!

I am convinced that most of the good street performers do their thing in front of McDonalds or Burger King. These guys were AWESOME and when I went by they were performing "If I Were a Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof!

Cloudy day yesterday. Don't know who the dude on the horse is. He probably invaded some country, killed some people, and kicked some small dogs. There are a lot of statues with guys on a horse waving a sword around this place!

Solo Sevilla: Day 8 WITH my Spanish Speaking Wife!

Tobi made it back! She had quite an adventure with yet another East Coast Storm in the US. She went from Plymouth, to Boston, to NY, to London, to Madrid, and finally Sevilla. A LONG Trip! Yesterday when I was walking home from my morning run I heard English and was so desperate for a conversation that contained complete sentences that I asked these two guys where they were from....Maine! And one of them graduated from University of New Hampshire! Small world!

Yesterday's street entertainment...a puppet show! The second photo is in the center of town, which they refer to as the Parasol, which you can take an elevator to the top to view the city. My best friend and Spanish translator is back!!!!! Let the pfun resume!

Puppet Show!

We did go up to the top! I will post pictures later. Very cool up there!

More Street Performers!

Discovered yet some more new and interesting street performers yesterday while walking through the city with Tobi. The day started with Churros and ended with a Gelato! Gotta love that!

We could not figure out how this waiter did this, but on a break we saw that he had a metal chair and brace that slipped under his pants! Pretty cool concept!

This "Devil" guy was new and not quite sure what to make of it, but he did attract a crowd (maybe Donald Trump supporters) 

smile emoticon

Tobi and I followed this marching band around for quite a while through the twisty narrow streets of Sevilla. There are several large brass marching bands in the city and they were all out at various times during the day. Yesterday was a holiday here celebrating Sevilla's statehood and the town was hopping! We walked over 7 miles yesterday just seeing the sights!

That is it for now! I survived without my wife, almost had a new boyfriend, and did not gain any weight from all the churros that I ate (I averaged 7 miles a day between my runs and walks) I think that may have helped with the no-weight-gain!

I will post more next Sunday!

smile emoticonsmile emoticon