Sevilla basics

So, because I spent 3+ months in the city, I decided I'd do a little guide on it. So if any of the five of you who read this decide to visit Sevilla, you'll know where to go and what to do...Or if/when I go back, I'll remember what I like and don't like :)

This will be done in parts, otherwise it will be too long. So first up is the general info on the city. Enjoy!

Sevilla is the capitol city of the Andalucían region of Spain (southern part of the country, near Portugal). It is within about an hour from both the sea and the mountains. It is Spain's like fourth-largest city or something like that. Maybe if I'm going to do a guide I should research my statistics a little. Whatever. Its big, but not giant. That's technical, right? Andalucía is known for flamenco, bull fights, pork and its lovely weather. Plus I'm sure a lot of other things.



The city itself is split into a few main areas or neighborhoods. Kind of like Portland, I guess. There is of course the centro (center, if you couldn't figure that out) where a lot of the main sights are; there is Triana-on the "other" side of the river, full of local pride (where you will finds shirts and signs saying, "República independiente de Triana"-Independent republic of Triana); Nervión, La Macarena, Puerta Osario (where I lived), Los Remedios...plus a few more neighborhoods. More on the sights and best points of the neighborhoods/cities to come.

WEATHER
Sevilla summers are hot. No, you don't understand. It's like you just-fell-into-the-fires-of-hell-hot. 115 degrees Fahrenheit on a good day, hot. So hot that the entire city completely shuts down during siesta time (from about 2:00-5:00 or 6:00). If at all possible, avoid the city in the summer, especially July and August. But if not, do NOT leave your house/hostel/hotel/whatever between the hours of 2:00 and 7:00 pm. You will regret it if you do. Unless you are going to Rayas to get some ice cream, then it might be worth it if you get enough ice cream. Except you have to gobble it down super-fast so it doesn't melt.



Winter, on the other hand, is quite nice. Well, compared to Oregon winters anyway. It is cool, but rarely gets super-cold, usually staying above 40 degrees even during the coldest months. And it doesn't rain too much. When it does rain, every single Sevillana gets out their umbrella (which can make it kind of awkward to walk down crowded sidewalks as everyone runs into each other with their pointy umbrellas). While the weather is mild in winter, houses don't usually have much in the area of heat (See above. Not that they are better-prepared for the hot weather, but they don't have much need for heated homes during most of the year). The old buildings have tile floors and let me tell you, they are like ice (which is nice if its August and you can sleep on the cool tile floor...). Little cloth slippers or just socks will not keep your feet warm. Either stay huddled underneath the heated dinner table, or get yourself a good pair of hard-soled slippers (you can get them for about 5 euros if you didn't bring a pair with you.). Your feet will thank you.

A lot of umbrellas.

PEOPLE
The people in Sevilla (and Spain, in general, from my experience) are pretty fantastic...once you get to know them. They aren't always the most outwardly friendly and warm at first. You may have to make the first move and speak first, but they will be nice once you get them to open up. They like their fútbol (soccer), wine, food, language, culture and weather. Sevillanas think they live in the greatest city in Spain, possibly the world. And they have a pretty good argument.

TRANSPORTATION
Sevilla is a relatively good-sized city, but easy to get around in and most of the main tourist sights are pretty close together. There are a few options for finding your way around:
1.) Walk. Bring comfortable walking shoes, because most likely you will be doing a lot of this no matter what. And watch out. You often share the road with cars, so you have to jump out of the way if you see/hear one coming. This was by far my preferred method of getting around in Sevilla (well, pretty much the only method I tried). It is easy to traverse by foot, as long as you don't mind getting lost now and then.

2.) Sevici-the city's bike-rental system. You have to put down a deposit of 150 euros, but you get it back as long as they get the bike back at the end of your stay. You pay as you go-I think you pay by the minute or something, can't quite remember. It's a fantastic and very popular option and the city is relatively bike-friendly. If you consider sharing the tiny, narrow roads with other bikes, cars and pedestrians alike, and riding a bike down uneven cobblestone streets "bike-friendly."


3.) Bus. The bus system is pretty good in Sevilla, but it just won't get you everywhere. The narrow streets were certainly not made for big buses.
4.) Taxis. They're everywhere. If you want to pay a lot, go for it. I have a terrible tendency to get ripped off by taxis, so I have all but sworn them off. But if you have extra money to spend, go for it.
5.) Horse-drawn carriage. If you want to be an even more obvious tourist, go for it (trust me, you're obvious anyway. There's no avoiding it.).


6.) Find a handsome Spanish man to take you around on the back of his moto. Find one for me, too, while you're at it.
7.) Skateboard. Just kidding. Don't you dare. Leave it at home.

To get OUT of Sevilla (if you insist on doing so), there are a few options. Flights within Europe are super cheap on airlines like EasyJet and Vueling (and RyanAir if you are really, really desperate). BUT, only Vueling flies out of Sevilla. Well, so does RyanAir but its just really not the best. The airport in Sevilla is small, so flights out of it are not the cheapest. Its usually cheaper to get to Barcelona or Malaga (by train, bus or even air), then fly from those larger airports.



Depending upon where you are going, the train and bus are also excellent options. Trains leave from the Santa Justa station and are operated by Renfe. The website is sometimes impossible to purchase through, so its often easier to just go to the station to buy your ticket. Renfe's AVE high-speed train will get you to Madrid in 2 and a half hours, much better than the 8 hours it used to take. But its not cheap (I paid 80 euros one way when I first got there). It might actually be cheaper to fly sometimes.

The bus system in Spain is excellent. Sevilla has two main stations, Plaza de Armas and Prado San Sebastian. Your destination will usually determine which station you leave from. Make sure you pay attention when you buy the ticket to which one you'll depart from. This is another time where it may be easier to purchase at the station. But you can go online to check schedules/prices and also buy, from sites like ALSA (super efficient and easy to use) and Damas. I'll put some more information on the best ways to get to certain destinations from Sevilla in a future post. I loved the buses in Spain and pretty much traveled almost exclusively that way.

FASHION
Spanish fashion is something that is kind of hard to figure out. It's a little bit trendy, a little bit grunge, a little bit classy and a little bit funky all at the same time. I don't know how it works. First of all, it doesn't matter what you wear. Even if you shop at the most Spanish of Spanish clothing stores and get your hair cut at a Spanish salon, you will be immediately spotted as a tourist. They have an eye for these things. I don't know if its the way we walk, talk, carry ourselves, etc., but they know right away when you aren't from there. Now, as long as you know that, there is no harm in trying to imitate the fashion of the Sevillanas. Buy yourself some pants that are tight on the calf and baggy in the butt, get some boots or ballet flats (you can never, I repeat never go wrong with ballet flats), and a fun top and you'll be stylin. I don't understand the fit of the pants there (at the time I was there anyway). I tried on multiple pairs of pants and apparently they just don't make normal-fitting ones. And its not just because I don't have a butt, they are made to look that way on purpose. Anyway, clothing is pretty well-priced and cute, so have fun shopping!

SHOPPING
You can buy anything you want or need in Sevilla. Go to Corte Inglés for one-stop shopping. You can quite literally buy everything in this mega-store. Or head to the Plaza de Armas mall for shopping and a movie. Calle Sierpes/Velazquez is the main shopping area in the centro, with stores like H & M, Zara, Mango, etc. Go to Triana for ceramics and amazing locally-made things. Calle Feria for more indie stuff, as well as for the weekly flea market (the "jueves," held each jueves-Thursday). The Feria or Triana food markets for amazingly fresh produce, meat, seafood, etc. Marypaz for shoes (especially if you have big feet...). Near the cathedral for touristy things. Dia or Mas for groceries. Outside of the Museo de Bellas Artes on Sunday mornings for amazing creations from local artists. A "chino" store (mostly owned by immigrants from China who keep the stores open during siesta and sell just about everything) for all kinds of random things that you couldn't find anywhere else. Or for gummies (you can also stop at any street stand for these deliciousnesses). And just wander into anywhere to explore, there's some great stuff!

SMOKING
Everyone smokes in Sevilla. In Spain. In all of Europe. Get used to it. There are some places in Sevilla which are starting to prohibit smoking. But there aren't many of them at this point. Just expect to dine and drink in smoky establishments and to walk in smoke all the time as the people surrounding you are all smoking. To come home with literally everything you own smelling of cigarette smoke (I swear it smells different there-not as bad. But that might just be because you can't get away from it.). If you are a smoker, this will be great for you. If not, well...too bad. Just deal with it.

SCHEDULE
The Spanish day is quite different from the American one. Morning starts out normal enough: get up, get ready, eat breakfast. Then a little later, it's lunchtime. At about 2:00 or 3:00pm. This is the biggest meal of the day, sometimes the only real meal of the day. After lunch, its nap-time: from about 3:00-5:00 or 6:00, the city shuts down for the "siesta." They really believe in this here. Go home, rest, take a nap, whatever, just don't try to go to a store and buy anything-unless its a Chino store. After siesta, the day is yours until about 8:00 or 9:00pm. Then its dinner time, if you're into that kind of thing. Not all Spaniards eat dinner (which makes sense, since lunch is colossal and its really too late to eat by the time the siesta is done), but if you do it will be a relatively light meal, followed by fruit as dessert. Fruit is always dessert. Now, you can relax until bedtime (around midnight), or......

NIGHTLIFE
Spaniards sure know how to party. Even the kids (we're talking toddlers, here) stay out until 1:00am or so in the summer. This is just if they're hanging out in the neighborhood square or a playground. For the older "kids," if you want to go out, don't even think about leaving your house until, at the very earliest, 11pm. At 11:00, you might meet some friends at a bar for a cerveza, or: BOTELLÓN. This is the Spanish version of pre-gaming, and is usually done either at the Torre del Oro (the tower by the river, where every single American tourist goes to botellón, plus a good number of Spaniards), or at Plaza San Salvador (always suuuper-packed at night), or some other place where everyone can just hang out and drink cheaply. Any of these places will be completely full of young people drinking and socializing. Then, at 1:00 or 2:00am, you might head to a discoteca. Don't be scared by that word-it doesn't mean disco-dancing, but a club where you can dance and drink until dawn. Literally. You might head home at about 3:00am, if you're a sissy (like me...), or you might stay out until 5:00 or 6:00am. If you're really hardcore (which is not me, I never even went to a discoteca), you'll stay out until about 7am, grab some (drunken) breakfast and then head home to sleep it off. Wake up at some point the next day and repeat. I am definitely a lightweight when it comes to nightlife, but even I usually didn't get home til 3:00am or so on the few occasions when I did go out (usually to a bar or three with some friends).




Okay, I think that's enough for now :) Next up, what to see and do in Sevilla :)