Ok, let's get back to Sevilla information :) (For more basics, see here.)
A lot of people in Spain, and in Sevilla, speak English. But they will appreciate it so much if you at least try a little Spanish from time to time. Even if you know Spanish already, there are some words/phrases that are used in Spain that are different from other Spanish-speaking areas. Here are some things to know:
- "Hola." Obviously. If you've never heard a single Spanish word before, this means "hello." You will also hear "Buenos días/buenas tardes/buenas noches" (good morning/afternoon/night) or, just simply "buenas."
-"Gracias." Thank you. Or, as the Spaniards say it, "grathiaaah."
- "Adios," or "goodbye." Again, with the Spanish accent, they pretty much drop the "s" so they say it more like "adioooo." You may also hear "Hasta luego," or simply "hasta" (see you later).
- "¿Qué tal?" which means "how are you?" They teach you in Spanish class that this means "what's up?" to which you would think you should respond "nada" or "nothing" like we would in English. Whatever the actual translation is, the response is always "bien" (good). Well, unless you're not bien. But no one really wants to hear that. You may also hear "¿Cómo estás?" or "¿Qué hay?" Same response all the way around.
- "Por favor" and "de nada" (please and thank you, respectively).
- "Dónde está....." which means "Where is....." The most important one of course is "¿Dónde está el servicio?" (Where's the bathroom?). You can ask for the "baño," but Spaniards don't really use that word. Signs will either point to "servicios" or "aseos," never "baños." Women's bathrooms will either have "mujeres" or "doñas" on it. Men's usually will have "cabelleros" or "hombres." Just say "SERVICIOS?!" if you are in desperate need and can't remember the whole sentence.
- "Vale." You will hear this word more than anything. It means "OK." They say this at least once per sentence, I'm pretty sure. If someone asks you a question, you can just respond with "vale." Well, first you should make sure they aren't asking you to do something crazy. Just don't say "OK." That makes it obvious you are American.
- "¿Cuánto es?" or "¿Cuánto vale?" means "How much is it?" You are always taught in Spanish class to ask "Cuánto cuesta," or literally, "How much does it cost?" You will never hear a Spaniard say that. "Cuánto vale" can be used for things that are more valuable or precious. If you are asking how much a rosary is in a convent, for example, use "cuanto vale" to show respect for the item. But "cuanto es" will get the point accross!
- "Cerveza."
Now, here are some do's and don'ts for Sevilla.
DO carry a map with you. At all times. But,
DON'T carry it around in plain sight and rely on it too much. Nothing points out "tourist" like walking around with your nose in a map or guide book. Also,
DO know how to read a map. I'm not sure why this is so difficult for most people.
DO be prepared to do a lot of walking. I mean a lot. On that note,
DO bring super-comfy walking shoes. This will probably make it obvious that you are a tourist, as Spaniards don't wear tennis shoes or Tevas, etc. But you don't want to be in agony from all the walking. Sometimes comfort really is more important than being fashionable.
DO expect to do a lot of walking. I know I already said that. I want you to understand.
DON'T expect dog owners to pick up after their dogs. So,
DO expect there to be poop everywhere. Watch your step.
DON'T take your eyes off the road. Besides the poop everywhere, the cobblestone streets are uneven and easy to trip on. Also,
DON'T listen to music while walking. The streets are very narrow. You need to be able to hear if a car is coming (or a bike) or you will get run over. If you have headphones in, you won't know what's coming behind you.
DON'T expect a stranger to volunteer to help you out if you are lost. They think they will be insulting you if they come up to you and say, "do you need help?" So:
DON'T be afraid to ask for directions/help. They have probably noticed you are struggling and look lost. They will be more than willing to help and are super friendly if you just say "Perdona, ¿dónde está....?" (excuse me, where is....?).
DO try tapas. Try a lot of them. Also,
DO try jamón iberico. Even if it looks gross, just try one little taste. You cannot miss the country's most iconic food (see here for more).
DO see a flamenco show. It's amazing. In my opinion, anyway.
DO see the main sights: the Cathedral, Alcázar, Museo de Bellas Artes and Plaza de España. (There are plenty more to see!)
DON'T eat while walking around. Just don't do it. If you must eat out in public, at least sit on a bench or something. The Spaniards will scoff at you if you are eating while walking in public.
DON'T expect spectacular service from waiters, salespeople, etc. They don't get tipped, so they don't feel the need to impress you. On that same note,
DON'T tip. Unless it was spectacular service. I mean, really outstanding. Also,
DON'T let someone convince you it is "normal" to tip. Tell them you know they are lying, take your money and run. Not really, but...kind of. (I have a terrible history with taxis. See my Madrid story.)
DON'T pick things up and touch everything in stores. Clothes, fine. Everything else, just look. If you really want it you can pick it up. But you'll usually get some nasty glares or comments if you are too touchy.
DON'T get drunk and rowdy in public. Or in private, but mostly in public. It's fine to drink. And drink a substantial amount. But do so slooowwwly, over the entire night. While hanging out with friends. Not because you want to get wasted and hit on Spaniards. Or Americans. Or anyone.
DON'T talk about bullfighting or about either Sevillan fútbol team (Betis or Sevilla). You will inevitably insult someone who is on the other side of the issue.
DON'T expect to blend in. Every local will know you are a tourist. No question.
DON'T let the gypsies hand you their bundle of herbs or spices or tree branches or whatever they are. They are trying to get money out of you. Don't talk to them, just keep walking. Avoid them at all costs. (Or else it will cost you. baahahaha).
DO buy nun goodies.
DON'T miss the nun goodies.
DON'T expect huge, super-fancy hotels. These buildings are old. Like, older-than-the-USA old. They don't have giant rooms or super updated bathrooms. But they are nice and well-kept (for the most part). Just don't complain if its not 3000 square feet. You don't need that much room, you should be spending your time out in Sevilla anyway. Also,
DON'T expect HBO and ABC and English-speaking television. In Franco's time (we'll have a history lesson later. Maybe.), English TV/movies were not allowed. Everything was dubbed. While Franco's no longer around making everybody miserable, it is pretty impossible to find any English-language TV shows. And there are only one or two theaters which play "original-format" films. Again, you should be out exploring the city anyway, and not watching TV. So don't complain if you can't watch your favorite shows because they are in Spanish.
DON'T eat the oranges off of the trees lining the streets. They weren't planted for food, they were planted so they'd look pretty and smell nice.
DO try all kinds of food. Even if it looks weird or you aren't really sure what it is. Even if it involved sea snails or fried squid eggs. (But NOT if it includes mayonnaise soup.)
DON'T expect gigantic eggs-bacon-and-hashbrown breakfasts. Have some toast and coffee and fruit and you'll be fine until lunch. Where you should expect a giant meal.
DON'T eat lunch before 2pm or dinner before 7pm.
DON'T expect to get any really great beer. You will have one option most of the time. Cruzcampo. And it's not real great. You might be able to get some other variations in a few places, but don't expect it. Wine, on the other hand, you'll have a million options.
DO expect to hear some "piropos" (cat-calls) from Spanish men on the streets.
DON'T respond-you will only make it worse. Just keep walking. They are harmless and only want to get a reaction.
DON'T expect air conditioning or central heat. I guess maybe some nice hotels have it. Not many other places though.
DON'T be afraid to take photos. I know this may contradict everything I've said about trying not to seem touristy. But you will want to have photos of everything. Just take them. BUT,
DO respect places of worship, other people, etc. when taking photos. Turn the flash off when its not completely necessary, don't take pictures of strangers without asking them, don't think you deserve to be the front of the line or have the best view just because you are taking a picture. These things are common sense, people. If you are going to be a tourist, then:
DO be a considerate tourist, one who gives your home country a good name.
DON'T expect to be able to buy anything during the siesta (about 2-5pm every day) or on Sundays. Nothing will be open.
DO take advantage of the siesta. Nothing like the city closing down to prompt you to take a nice nap.
DO go to Triana to see all the ceramics. There are so many stores with so many beautiful things.
DON'T think someone is going to rob or rape or kidnap you. Sevilla is pretty safe. As long as you are not dumb. But, on that note:
DON'T completely trust strangers. If a bunch of people come up and try to talk to you, keep a close eye on your stuff. I don't see this happening in Sevilla, but you never know. I had a friend who almost got robbed by a 3-person team in Barcelona because they were all distracting her in different ways (including discretely spraying liquid makeup all over her, offering to help clean up, asking for directions, etc.). She's smart so she didn't get robbed. But many people are way too distracted to notice what's happening. Also,
DON'T take your eyes off your stuff when you are in a crowded bar. Don't take with you more than you need, and keep it close to your body. Don't set your purse on a table, etc. If you do that, you deserve to get robbed. That's just foolish. Finally,
DON'T walk around all by yourself late at night. I'm not gonna lie, I did this a few times and was just fine. But its pretty stupid. Just stick with your group or take a taxi (they are easy to hail and pretty cheap within the city center).
DON'T try to bring back something prohibited to the USA. Including plants, fruits, etc. Go here to see what is allowed and not (more to come on this later).
DON'T expect super-clean public bathrooms. Well, actually, don't expect public bathrooms at all, really. If you are out walking around and need the toilet, find a Corte Ingles supercenter and find their bathroom. Or go into a local bar, order a cerveza and use the toilet. But they are usually pretty gross. There is very rarely toilet paper and often no toilet seat. Bring kleenex with you (you can buy it for cheap at the chino stores) and get used to hovering over the toilet...
DO pack to take with you:
-comfortable walking shoes. I know I mentioned this a million times. My poor feet hated me for not taking more comfortable shoes.
-If you are going in summer, take very light, breathable clothing. It's freaking HOT.
-a good camera. So many beautiful things to take pictures of!
-sunglasses. With all the walking you'll be doing outside, you'll want some.
-if you will be there for a long time, bring some comfort foods that you can't live without. Some people freak out when they find that peanut butter is not available or is super expensive overseas. If you can't live without it, bring some with you.
-a nice going-out outfit. Spaniards like to dress up to go out. If you are trying to get into a club, you will not make it in in jeans and sneakers. Bring a cute dress and heels (or flats...) if you're a girl and some slacks and dress shoes if you're a guy.
DON'T bother bringing:
-too much! Pack light. I am terrible at this, but just know that you will most likely buy a lot of souvenirs. So you want room to bring them back. My recommendation is to pack some toiletries and snacks that you will use up while you are there. Then, you will have the room that was taken up by those things to fit souvenirs. Plus you won't have to spend travel money on those things.
-a computer, if you are taking a shorter trip. You don't want to have to worry about losing it, breaking it, lugging it around, getting it stolen, etc. But if you are studying or will be there for a longer period of time, it will be nice to have.
Showing posts with label Sevilla. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sevilla. Show all posts
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
La comida
I should be doing homework or cleaning or cooking or something. But I just saw some of the new Sevilla students through facebook and heard stories and now I'm sad and reminiscing. So instead, I'm blogging. Plenty of time later for homework....
I love to eat. If you couldn't tell this from my previous blog posts (of which I think about 90% mention food), you will now know. I was nervous going to Spain, because I had heard not-
so-great things about the food from friends who had studied there before. But apparently I picked the right area to travel to, because the food was much better than I had been led to believe it would be. My friend Annie studied in Segovia (closer to Madrid-in the middle of the country) and she says that literally 90% of the meals she was served consisted of pork. Not that I have anything against pork, but I like a little variety. There is plenty of pork eaten in Sevilla too, as evidenced by the jamón legs hanging in stores and in kitchens. But fortunately my host mom preferred to cook other things.
Here are some things that you should definitely eat while in Sevilla/Spain:
-Tortilla española. Get any thought of flat, boring, flour Mexican tortillas out of your brain. This is a dish made of eggs, potatoes and onions. I don't like onions. I don't really like eggs. But I love tortilla española.
-Patatas bravas. This is a traditional tapas dish and is made of fried potato wedges with a sauce on it that is a bit tomato-y and spicy and I don't know what else. But its delicious.
-Jamón. I don't actually really like it all that much. But you have to try it as the country is known for it. If you just can't handle eating it on its own, get a jamón bocadillo (sandwich) as its quite good in that form.
-Tostada. Just plain ole toast. Go to a bar/cafe and order tostada for breakfast. You can get it with butter (mantequilla), jelly (mermelada), tomato, olive oil (aceite), jamón, etc. I don't know what it is, but the bread is so good and it just makes a perfect breakfast.
-CHURROS
. Again, these are not Mexican churros. They are deep-fried goodness. You can get it with chocolate (which you should, the chocolate is to die for), but honestly I preferred to eat them just with sugar sprinkled on them. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
-Boquerones. Fried little fishies. Like sardines or anchovies or something. You just eat the whole thing, bones and all if they are the small ones. Can hardly tell there are bones. If they are larger, you might want to avoid the bones as they are kind of unpleasant. I was pretty scared to eat these at first, but because my friend Sofie swore they were the best thing ever, I tried them. And love them.
-Paella. Sevilla isn't number one for paella. But you still must try it. Rice, seafood, meat, yum. Just whatever you do, don't go to one of the places that has a sign outside the door showing all the kinds of pre-made paella junk they have. Go to a place that serves it "casera" style (home-made). Get a tapa portion if you're nervous, although sometimes that means its kind of old and not as fresh. Just try it.
-Gazpacho. Cold tomato/cucumber/veggie soup. Sounds gross, but its quite refreshing on a hot day. You can eat it just plain, but my host mom served it with diced cucumber and hard-boiled egg, which made it even better. You can also try salmorejo, which is just a thicker, smoother version. I never actually tried that but heard it was good.
-Pork. It is so good there. Try "solomillo" which is a cut of the pork (don't ask which cut, I have no idea)-you can get it with whisky sauce which is really good. "Pluma" is amazing too. It's so tender and delicious. Maybe a little fatty, but that's what makes it so good.
-Bacalao. Cod. I don't like it. But it's everywhere and worth a try I think. Make up your mind for yourself. The fried version isn't half bad. But if you are served a whole cod with onions and tomatoes, that was cooked in the microwave by your host mom....well, that's not my favorite.
-Patatas fritas con huevo-French fries with an egg. They love their eggs in Spain. It sounds weird, but is oddly good.
-Croquetas. Deep-fried goodness. Its like a little ball of mush that is deep-fried. You can get spinach ones, ham ones, cheese ones...try one of each.
-Cheese. Manchego cheese is delish.
-Pastries. Try any kind that strikes your fancy. And eat them often.
-Ice cream. You can get fig, chocolate, nutella and everything in between.
-Arroz con leche. Basically rice pudding. Cinnamonny and sweet and so good.
-Soup. I don't know if its any good in the restaurants. But if its anything like my host mom's, you will never want to eat anything else in your life. Made with all kinds of meat (don't ask whats in it, just eat it), they make the soup and then take the meat out to eat later. My soups would usually have some sort of beans (garbanzo, giant other kinds, lentils, whatever) and veggies and yummy meaty broth. I want some right now. (The meat that it is cooked with on the other hand...I'll pass. Although you really should try it at least once, it's not nearly as bad as it looks.)
-Espinacas con garbanzos-garbanzo beans with spinach. Eat it with bread or just plain. Pretty delish and a traditional Sevillan dish.
-Oranges. Eat all the oranges you can. Don't stop eating them. (As long as you don't try the ones growing on the street-I hear those will make you sick...).
-Convent sw
eets. Go into every convent you can find and get dulces ("sweets"). Especially magdalenas-sweet muffiny things. Don't skip the magdalenas. But also try other things, whatever looks good.
These were some of my favorite things. Try them all, and try them often. But really, just go into pretty much any eating establishment and try whatever they've got. I pretty much guarantee it will be amazing.
Oh but we aren't done yet. Here are some things to drink.
-Cruzcampo. Sevilla's beer. Its actually not that great, but you've got to try it. Each area of Spain has their own beer. Cruzcampo is pretty much all you can get in Sevilla, but you can find other things here and there. Make sure its really cold. You can order a "caña" (small glass), botella or jarra-giant glass. Or you can go buy a 40 at a grocery store.
-Manzanill
a-white wine from Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Our friend Gerardo's hometown is known for this wine and he had us try some. It was delicious. It's possible I just liked it because I had already had a lot to drink. But either way, I'd drink it again.
-Rioja-red wine. There are a lot of versions of Rioja, but they are all supposedly pretty good. Not a big red wine fan, but some of it really is good.
-Tinto de verano. You can get this at any bar and it is red wine mixed with fanta. Literally. Y
ou can get it with "casera" which is just sparkling water, or with lemon or orange fanta. It sounds gross. But is quite delicious and refreshing. And doesn't even taste very wine-y.
-Agua de Sevilla-I don't really know what it is, but is a giant "jarra" (pitcher) of a mix of all kinds of things. With whipped cream on top.
-Fresh-squeezed orange juice. See above note about oranges. This stuff is to die for. A lot of bar/cafes (they are usually one in the same) have orange-squeezer things. And they will serve you up a fresh glass of orange juice with a packet of sugar, just in case you like it sweetened a little.
-If nothing listed above strikes your fancy, you can always order a Coca-Cola or a "vaso de agua" (glass of water). We aren't in a third-world country here. Its okay to drink the water. If you just ask for "agua" you will get charged for a bottle of water. If you ask for a "vaso de agua" they will bring you a nice cold glass of tap water, which tastes just fine.
Now that you know what to eat, let's talk about where.
For TAPAS:
-Eslava. Super busy but oh so good.
-Los Coloniales. There are a couple of them in Sevilla and they have some amazing stuff on the menu. Think roquefort cheese with blackberry sauce. Or "calamari del jardín," tempura-d peppers, onions, etc. that look like calamari.
-Los Claveles. My friends went here once and made quick friends with the owner, Santiago (I think, I only met him once). From then on, every time we would walk by he would call out their names and wave. Adorable. Oh yeah, they also have good food. Try the cheese with "cabello de ángel" (angel hair), or a sweet sauce made by the nuns consisting of some sort of squash. Weird, but good.
-El Rinconcillo-the oldest bar in Sevilla. We're talking like 400 years here. You've got to go try it.
-Levies-bright and fun and a little bit touristy looking, but with lots of locals also, its got a good menu.
Bars are always packed in the evening. You may have to eat standing at the bar or outside or at the tall tables they have around. Don't be afraid to just push your way in and grab the first spot you can find. The waiters won't waste their time talking about specials and how your day was. They'll ask what you want and if you aren't ready, they'll come back later. But don't be put off by that. Just figure out what you want and ask for it.
For a full meal:
Well, I pretty much only ate meals at home. So if Angeles Navarro Garcia invites you to her house for lunch, DO NOT PASS IT UP.
Otherwise, here are some of the places we ate:
-ConTenedor. So. good. We had tea here a few times but did go in for dinner our last night in Sevilla. And then wondered why we hadn't eaten there before. It is so amazing and the menu changes quite often and the staff is like a little family. Delish.
-Nomada-for pizza. And amazing desserts.
-Restaurants at the Feria food market. Get the freshest fish around. Try boquerones here.
That's pretty much it as far as "meals" go. But usually we would just go order enough tapas to make a meal. So, again, go into any bar you stumble across and order a few (or 10) plates of tapas. That way you get to try lots of little different things for cheap and figure out what you like.
Drinking
I didn't go "out" nearly as much as the rest of the group. So I'm sure they have better recommendations. But I think most of the bars in Sevilla are pretty legit. Just wander in (or push your way in), order a cerveza and have fun. Just expect it to be smoky and crowded. But that's why its fun, right?!
Bars:
As stated above, Rinconcillo and Los Claveles are both great. So is:
-Anima-for some "vino caliente" or hot wine. So good. I can't even explain what it is, and it isn't anything Spanish at all (the owner is Austrian), but is amazing.
-Indie bar on Calle Betis (across the river) for some chupitos (shots) and fun music.
Discotecas
Well...I never went to one. Tried to a couple times. Ended up either getting lost, getting there to late, or changing our minds. But I kept hearing people talking about "Buddah." By Plaza de Armas mall/bus station. Sounded pretty cool, everyone seemed to have fun there. If you are a guy, do not try getting in if you are wearing jeans and sneakers. You've got to step it up a little. And girls, put on a cute dress or a nice top and heels and you'll be fine.
Tea.
-Douchka. Don't ever go anywhere else. Order the Boolywood
tea. Eat the sugar cubes plain. Enjoy the little pastry goody that they serve with it. Stay for hours. Go back day after day. Love.
-Also, order "te con leche" at a bar. You might get tea with a little pitcher of steamed milk to pour in as you wish. OR you might get a glass of steamed milk with a tea bag in it. Either way, its good.
Sweets
CHURROS
-Go to the place on Calle Cano y Cueto. We walked by this every day on our way to the university. And every once in a while got a package of churros. Actually we only did this twice. But they are the best churros ever. Its a tiny little place, and all they do is sell churros and chips. It's sandwiched in between two big restaurants and is easy to miss behind all the umbrellas and tables. But find it. Get the little churros, not the big ones. Otherwise, churros just about anywhere are pretty good. Sprinkle some sugar on them and enjoy.
PASTRIES
-Calle Santa Maria la Blanca has the best pastry shop ever. Its really close to the churro place. Get them both in one day if you're feeling the need for sweets. It's called like Doncella's or something, from what I can read off of the photo I took of one of the sweets we got there. Its usually crowded with people getting their bread for the week. But squeeze in and get a pastry. You'll be glad you did.
CONVE
NT GOODIES
-Convento de Madre de Dios. Get the magdalenas. Get 5 bags of them. Eat them all in one sitting. Preferably with a cup of coffee or tea. These things are so good, you just can't miss them. They are sweet muffin/cupcake things that are so plain and simple yet so amazingly delicious. They come in a bag of 10 or 12 for 4 euros, and if you're lucky you'll get them when they are warm. Pretty much all the convents sell magdalenas. But I tried three different ones, and this is just the best. Also good are the "bocaditos de almendras" and the something-"arabes." But I guarantee you won't try anything you don't like.
ICE CREAM
-Rayas. They have a million flavors. And they are all amazing.
-There is also a place in the Feria market that is "organic" and is possibly the best ice cream in the world. So fresh and flavorful and just amazing.
STREET GOODIES
-Go to any little stall on the street (they are all painted green and sell magazines, newspapers, souvenirs, goodies...) and get a 1 euro bag of gummies. Avoid the banana-flavored ones.
-Also go to a street vendor and try some roasted chestnuts. You have to peel them apart to eat them, but they are so good. They are giant, so don't get too many!
Oh what I would do for some Spanish food right now. I know I'm leaving out a lot. But this is the best of the best from my experience. So enjoy! I will add more to this as I think of things!
I love to eat. If you couldn't tell this from my previous blog posts (of which I think about 90% mention food), you will now know. I was nervous going to Spain, because I had heard not-
so-great things about the food from friends who had studied there before. But apparently I picked the right area to travel to, because the food was much better than I had been led to believe it would be. My friend Annie studied in Segovia (closer to Madrid-in the middle of the country) and she says that literally 90% of the meals she was served consisted of pork. Not that I have anything against pork, but I like a little variety. There is plenty of pork eaten in Sevilla too, as evidenced by the jamón legs hanging in stores and in kitchens. But fortunately my host mom preferred to cook other things.Here are some things that you should definitely eat while in Sevilla/Spain:
-Tortilla española. Get any thought of flat, boring, flour Mexican tortillas out of your brain. This is a dish made of eggs, potatoes and onions. I don't like onions. I don't really like eggs. But I love tortilla española.
-Patatas bravas. This is a traditional tapas dish and is made of fried potato wedges with a sauce on it that is a bit tomato-y and spicy and I don't know what else. But its delicious.
-Jamón. I don't actually really like it all that much. But you have to try it as the country is known for it. If you just can't handle eating it on its own, get a jamón bocadillo (sandwich) as its quite good in that form.
-Tostada. Just plain ole toast. Go to a bar/cafe and order tostada for breakfast. You can get it with butter (mantequilla), jelly (mermelada), tomato, olive oil (aceite), jamón, etc. I don't know what it is, but the bread is so good and it just makes a perfect breakfast.
. Again, these are not Mexican churros. They are deep-fried goodness. You can get it with chocolate (which you should, the chocolate is to die for), but honestly I preferred to eat them just with sugar sprinkled on them. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.-Boquerones. Fried little fishies. Like sardines or anchovies or something. You just eat the whole thing, bones and all if they are the small ones. Can hardly tell there are bones. If they are larger, you might want to avoid the bones as they are kind of unpleasant. I was pretty scared to eat these at first, but because my friend Sofie swore they were the best thing ever, I tried them. And love them.
-Paella. Sevilla isn't number one for paella. But you still must try it. Rice, seafood, meat, yum. Just whatever you do, don't go to one of the places that has a sign outside the door showing all the kinds of pre-made paella junk they have. Go to a place that serves it "casera" style (home-made). Get a tapa portion if you're nervous, although sometimes that means its kind of old and not as fresh. Just try it.
-Gazpacho. Cold tomato/cucumber/veggie soup. Sounds gross, but its quite refreshing on a hot day. You can eat it just plain, but my host mom served it with diced cucumber and hard-boiled egg, which made it even better. You can also try salmorejo, which is just a thicker, smoother version. I never actually tried that but heard it was good.
-Pork. It is so good there. Try "solomillo" which is a cut of the pork (don't ask which cut, I have no idea)-you can get it with whisky sauce which is really good. "Pluma" is amazing too. It's so tender and delicious. Maybe a little fatty, but that's what makes it so good.
-Bacalao. Cod. I don't like it. But it's everywhere and worth a try I think. Make up your mind for yourself. The fried version isn't half bad. But if you are served a whole cod with onions and tomatoes, that was cooked in the microwave by your host mom....well, that's not my favorite.
-Patatas fritas con huevo-French fries with an egg. They love their eggs in Spain. It sounds weird, but is oddly good.
-Croquetas. Deep-fried goodness. Its like a little ball of mush that is deep-fried. You can get spinach ones, ham ones, cheese ones...try one of each.
-Cheese. Manchego cheese is delish.
-Pastries. Try any kind that strikes your fancy. And eat them often.
-Ice cream. You can get fig, chocolate, nutella and everything in between.
-Arroz con leche. Basically rice pudding. Cinnamonny and sweet and so good.
-Soup. I don't know if its any good in the restaurants. But if its anything like my host mom's, you will never want to eat anything else in your life. Made with all kinds of meat (don't ask whats in it, just eat it), they make the soup and then take the meat out to eat later. My soups would usually have some sort of beans (garbanzo, giant other kinds, lentils, whatever) and veggies and yummy meaty broth. I want some right now. (The meat that it is cooked with on the other hand...I'll pass. Although you really should try it at least once, it's not nearly as bad as it looks.)
-Espinacas con garbanzos-garbanzo beans with spinach. Eat it with bread or just plain. Pretty delish and a traditional Sevillan dish.
-Oranges. Eat all the oranges you can. Don't stop eating them. (As long as you don't try the ones growing on the street-I hear those will make you sick...).
-Convent sw
eets. Go into every convent you can find and get dulces ("sweets"). Especially magdalenas-sweet muffiny things. Don't skip the magdalenas. But also try other things, whatever looks good.These were some of my favorite things. Try them all, and try them often. But really, just go into pretty much any eating establishment and try whatever they've got. I pretty much guarantee it will be amazing.
Oh but we aren't done yet. Here are some things to drink.
-Cruzcampo. Sevilla's beer. Its actually not that great, but you've got to try it. Each area of Spain has their own beer. Cruzcampo is pretty much all you can get in Sevilla, but you can find other things here and there. Make sure its really cold. You can order a "caña" (small glass), botella or jarra-giant glass. Or you can go buy a 40 at a grocery store.
-Manzanill
a-white wine from Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Our friend Gerardo's hometown is known for this wine and he had us try some. It was delicious. It's possible I just liked it because I had already had a lot to drink. But either way, I'd drink it again.-Rioja-red wine. There are a lot of versions of Rioja, but they are all supposedly pretty good. Not a big red wine fan, but some of it really is good.
-Tinto de verano. You can get this at any bar and it is red wine mixed with fanta. Literally. Y
ou can get it with "casera" which is just sparkling water, or with lemon or orange fanta. It sounds gross. But is quite delicious and refreshing. And doesn't even taste very wine-y.-Agua de Sevilla-I don't really know what it is, but is a giant "jarra" (pitcher) of a mix of all kinds of things. With whipped cream on top.
-Fresh-squeezed orange juice. See above note about oranges. This stuff is to die for. A lot of bar/cafes (they are usually one in the same) have orange-squeezer things. And they will serve you up a fresh glass of orange juice with a packet of sugar, just in case you like it sweetened a little.
-If nothing listed above strikes your fancy, you can always order a Coca-Cola or a "vaso de agua" (glass of water). We aren't in a third-world country here. Its okay to drink the water. If you just ask for "agua" you will get charged for a bottle of water. If you ask for a "vaso de agua" they will bring you a nice cold glass of tap water, which tastes just fine.
Now that you know what to eat, let's talk about where.
For TAPAS:
-Eslava. Super busy but oh so good.
-Los Coloniales. There are a couple of them in Sevilla and they have some amazing stuff on the menu. Think roquefort cheese with blackberry sauce. Or "calamari del jardín," tempura-d peppers, onions, etc. that look like calamari.
-Los Claveles. My friends went here once and made quick friends with the owner, Santiago (I think, I only met him once). From then on, every time we would walk by he would call out their names and wave. Adorable. Oh yeah, they also have good food. Try the cheese with "cabello de ángel" (angel hair), or a sweet sauce made by the nuns consisting of some sort of squash. Weird, but good.
-El Rinconcillo-the oldest bar in Sevilla. We're talking like 400 years here. You've got to go try it.
-Levies-bright and fun and a little bit touristy looking, but with lots of locals also, its got a good menu.
Bars are always packed in the evening. You may have to eat standing at the bar or outside or at the tall tables they have around. Don't be afraid to just push your way in and grab the first spot you can find. The waiters won't waste their time talking about specials and how your day was. They'll ask what you want and if you aren't ready, they'll come back later. But don't be put off by that. Just figure out what you want and ask for it.
For a full meal:
Well, I pretty much only ate meals at home. So if Angeles Navarro Garcia invites you to her house for lunch, DO NOT PASS IT UP.
Otherwise, here are some of the places we ate:
-ConTenedor. So. good. We had tea here a few times but did go in for dinner our last night in Sevilla. And then wondered why we hadn't eaten there before. It is so amazing and the menu changes quite often and the staff is like a little family. Delish.
-Nomada-for pizza. And amazing desserts.
-Restaurants at the Feria food market. Get the freshest fish around. Try boquerones here.
That's pretty much it as far as "meals" go. But usually we would just go order enough tapas to make a meal. So, again, go into any bar you stumble across and order a few (or 10) plates of tapas. That way you get to try lots of little different things for cheap and figure out what you like.
Drinking
I didn't go "out" nearly as much as the rest of the group. So I'm sure they have better recommendations. But I think most of the bars in Sevilla are pretty legit. Just wander in (or push your way in), order a cerveza and have fun. Just expect it to be smoky and crowded. But that's why its fun, right?!
Bars:
As stated above, Rinconcillo and Los Claveles are both great. So is:
-Anima-for some "vino caliente" or hot wine. So good. I can't even explain what it is, and it isn't anything Spanish at all (the owner is Austrian), but is amazing.
-Indie bar on Calle Betis (across the river) for some chupitos (shots) and fun music.
Discotecas
Well...I never went to one. Tried to a couple times. Ended up either getting lost, getting there to late, or changing our minds. But I kept hearing people talking about "Buddah." By Plaza de Armas mall/bus station. Sounded pretty cool, everyone seemed to have fun there. If you are a guy, do not try getting in if you are wearing jeans and sneakers. You've got to step it up a little. And girls, put on a cute dress or a nice top and heels and you'll be fine.
Tea.
-Douchka. Don't ever go anywhere else. Order the Boolywood
tea. Eat the sugar cubes plain. Enjoy the little pastry goody that they serve with it. Stay for hours. Go back day after day. Love.-Also, order "te con leche" at a bar. You might get tea with a little pitcher of steamed milk to pour in as you wish. OR you might get a glass of steamed milk with a tea bag in it. Either way, its good.
Sweets
CHURROS
-Go to the place on Calle Cano y Cueto. We walked by this every day on our way to the university. And every once in a while got a package of churros. Actually we only did this twice. But they are the best churros ever. Its a tiny little place, and all they do is sell churros and chips. It's sandwiched in between two big restaurants and is easy to miss behind all the umbrellas and tables. But find it. Get the little churros, not the big ones. Otherwise, churros just about anywhere are pretty good. Sprinkle some sugar on them and enjoy.
PASTRIES
-Calle Santa Maria la Blanca has the best pastry shop ever. Its really close to the churro place. Get them both in one day if you're feeling the need for sweets. It's called like Doncella's or something, from what I can read off of the photo I took of one of the sweets we got there. Its usually crowded with people getting their bread for the week. But squeeze in and get a pastry. You'll be glad you did.
CONVE
NT GOODIES-Convento de Madre de Dios. Get the magdalenas. Get 5 bags of them. Eat them all in one sitting. Preferably with a cup of coffee or tea. These things are so good, you just can't miss them. They are sweet muffin/cupcake things that are so plain and simple yet so amazingly delicious. They come in a bag of 10 or 12 for 4 euros, and if you're lucky you'll get them when they are warm. Pretty much all the convents sell magdalenas. But I tried three different ones, and this is just the best. Also good are the "bocaditos de almendras" and the something-"arabes." But I guarantee you won't try anything you don't like.
ICE CREAM
-Rayas. They have a million flavors. And they are all amazing.
-There is also a place in the Feria market that is "organic" and is possibly the best ice cream in the world. So fresh and flavorful and just amazing.STREET GOODIES
-Go to any little stall on the street (they are all painted green and sell magazines, newspapers, souvenirs, goodies...) and get a 1 euro bag of gummies. Avoid the banana-flavored ones.
-Also go to a street vendor and try some roasted chestnuts. You have to peel them apart to eat them, but they are so good. They are giant, so don't get too many!
Oh what I would do for some Spanish food right now. I know I'm leaving out a lot. But this is the best of the best from my experience. So enjoy! I will add more to this as I think of things!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
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 :)
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 :)
Sunday, November 21, 2010
food, part 2
So I've eaten some really good food here. The soup/stew/whatever that my señora makes regularly is amazing. Its always some combination of beans (usually garbanzo), mushy veggies and meat-based broth. Its like heaven-mush. She also makes some amazing chicken. I've had some good tapas when we eat out, including patatas bravas (potatoes with some sort of sauce on them), gazpacho, etc.
I've also eaten some weird food here. Mostly the seafood that my señora makes from time to time. Sometimes I have no idea what it is but I eat it anyway. Like the sea-snail things. And the squid eggs that we ate with Gerardo. I've also eaten plenty of mystery meat. Its all amazing, but I have no idea what kind of meat it is or where on the animal it came from.
Then there's the bad stuff. For the first time I said no to trying something at home the other day. It was oysters. Giant ones. I couldn't make myself do it. She also likes to put onions on my salads which I could definitely do without. She also puts pickled beets on my salads. Which is fine, I can eat them when they are sliced so tiny and mixed with other stuff. But the other day she just gave me a plate of giant sliced pickled beets with onions. I couldn't eat it. They taste like dirt.
But all of this is nothing when compared to the soup I was given a week or so ago. I sat down for dinner like usual. And there was a bowl of soup, like usual. With some veggies and bread and yogurt on the side. Again, like usual. Now, normally the soup I get is like some sort of veggie puree. I don't usually know exactly what it is but it is some vegetable-y goodness. This time though, something was off. The soup was a creamy white color with blobs of something tannish. There have been a couple of times where she plops a piece of bread in the soup. I don't know why, but apparently she decides it just needs something else. So whatever, the tan blobs i figured out. I took a timid bite of the white mushy-ness and it wasn't horrible. But it wasn't really that good either. The texture was kind of weird, the flavor was odd, there was soggy bread in it...After another tiny bite or two, she said, "Do you like the soup?" I was like, "uhh, yeah." She said, "Es sopa de mayonaisa..." I think you can figure out what that translates to. Mayonnaise soup. SERIOUSLY?!?!! If you can imagine combining mayonnaise (which is made with oil, if you didn't know) and like milk or cream or something (which doesn't mix very well with oil), you can imagine the consistency of this soup. Bleh gives me the goosebumps just imagining it. I couldn't eat any more. I ate all the potatoes and green beans. And the whole thing of bread. And the yogurt. And then said, "umm, I wasn't very hungry tonight." So she flushed the mayonnaise soup down the toilet and that was that.
And this is why you shouldn't try to figure out what you're eating.
But then there are times when it turns out just fine. I don't eat out very often here. I love Angeles's cooking and love not having to pay for food. Well, I paid thousands of dollars for this food actually. So I'm taking full advantage of it. But sometimes I want to go eat out and see what the food is like here, besides the food Angeles makes. Well, last Friday we had an opportunity to do just that. We went on a "field trip" with our Teaching Development group. The five us us (minus Charlotte, since she was in Rome. Poor thing.) went to Huelva (about 45 minutes from here) with our professor Jorge and a "teach in Spain" girl, Natalia. Natalia works at this school in Huelva 12 hours a week helping teach English in a variety of classes. We visited the school, observed a class, hung out with some teachers. Then we went to lunch. On CIEE's dime. Natalia had got some recommendations from some of the teachers at the school, so we went to a pretty nice restaurant in Huelva. It was pretty expensive, but hey, we weren't paying....We got some appetizers, the waiter's recommendations. Which consisted of some artichokey-hammy thing. And some sea bass. If you've never had sea bass before, go try it. Immediately. It doesn't even taste like fish. Oh. so. good. Then we all ordered our meals. I ordered some sort of meat. Some things we see commonly on the menu are "solomillo," "lomo," "pluma," and other things I don't remember. I don't know what any of those things are. I think I ordered solomillo if I remember correctly. I didn't really know what it was but I think its sirloin or something. If that exists in pork meat. Whatever, it was amazing. Huelva is known for its seafood, but I didn't feel like getting any fish. So I stuck with the red meat. They brought it out and had me slice into it and tell them if it was done enough. Which it wasn't. I'm pretty sure pork isn't supposed to be pink...or maybe it was beef. I don't know. So anyway, they cooked it some more and brought it back. So worth the wait. It was tender and seasoned perfectly and kind of crispy on the outside. And came with potatoes and peppers. You'd think that was enough. A couple beers, some delicious appetizers, amazing meal. But then there was dessert. They brought us a plate of 4 different kinds of chocolatey desserts. Each one of them was better than the last. Oh but that wasn't it. Next was a shot of basically pure caramel. Our waiter brought us a round of "chupitos"(shots) of some sort of caramelly alcohol. Not exactly sure what it was, but it was so sweet and syrupy and alcoholy....After 2 beers and a shot, I was feeling pretty good. At 3pm. But then our professor decided another shot was in order. Sooooo he ordered another round. Love Spain. So then we all stumbled back to the bus and came back to Sevilla. One of the best meals I've had in Spain!
So, you've seen some of the good, the bad and the ugly that I've had here. I'm sure this won't be my last post about food. I do wish I had some photos to add to this. But usually I'm so excited to eat that I can't wait and take photos first before I dig in. Sooo you'll just have to imagine it :)
There are still some things I want to try while I'm here. Including bull tail, everyone says its delicious. And some real paella. Some more jamón ibérico. More tapas. More helado. More tea. Oh tea. I'm in love with it. I will definitely be addicted when I get back and the first thing I want to do is scope out a tea shop to hang out in in Portland. After getting some sushi...
I've also eaten some weird food here. Mostly the seafood that my señora makes from time to time. Sometimes I have no idea what it is but I eat it anyway. Like the sea-snail things. And the squid eggs that we ate with Gerardo. I've also eaten plenty of mystery meat. Its all amazing, but I have no idea what kind of meat it is or where on the animal it came from.
Then there's the bad stuff. For the first time I said no to trying something at home the other day. It was oysters. Giant ones. I couldn't make myself do it. She also likes to put onions on my salads which I could definitely do without. She also puts pickled beets on my salads. Which is fine, I can eat them when they are sliced so tiny and mixed with other stuff. But the other day she just gave me a plate of giant sliced pickled beets with onions. I couldn't eat it. They taste like dirt.
But all of this is nothing when compared to the soup I was given a week or so ago. I sat down for dinner like usual. And there was a bowl of soup, like usual. With some veggies and bread and yogurt on the side. Again, like usual. Now, normally the soup I get is like some sort of veggie puree. I don't usually know exactly what it is but it is some vegetable-y goodness. This time though, something was off. The soup was a creamy white color with blobs of something tannish. There have been a couple of times where she plops a piece of bread in the soup. I don't know why, but apparently she decides it just needs something else. So whatever, the tan blobs i figured out. I took a timid bite of the white mushy-ness and it wasn't horrible. But it wasn't really that good either. The texture was kind of weird, the flavor was odd, there was soggy bread in it...After another tiny bite or two, she said, "Do you like the soup?" I was like, "uhh, yeah." She said, "Es sopa de mayonaisa..." I think you can figure out what that translates to. Mayonnaise soup. SERIOUSLY?!?!! If you can imagine combining mayonnaise (which is made with oil, if you didn't know) and like milk or cream or something (which doesn't mix very well with oil), you can imagine the consistency of this soup. Bleh gives me the goosebumps just imagining it. I couldn't eat any more. I ate all the potatoes and green beans. And the whole thing of bread. And the yogurt. And then said, "umm, I wasn't very hungry tonight." So she flushed the mayonnaise soup down the toilet and that was that.
And this is why you shouldn't try to figure out what you're eating.
But then there are times when it turns out just fine. I don't eat out very often here. I love Angeles's cooking and love not having to pay for food. Well, I paid thousands of dollars for this food actually. So I'm taking full advantage of it. But sometimes I want to go eat out and see what the food is like here, besides the food Angeles makes. Well, last Friday we had an opportunity to do just that. We went on a "field trip" with our Teaching Development group. The five us us (minus Charlotte, since she was in Rome. Poor thing.) went to Huelva (about 45 minutes from here) with our professor Jorge and a "teach in Spain" girl, Natalia. Natalia works at this school in Huelva 12 hours a week helping teach English in a variety of classes. We visited the school, observed a class, hung out with some teachers. Then we went to lunch. On CIEE's dime. Natalia had got some recommendations from some of the teachers at the school, so we went to a pretty nice restaurant in Huelva. It was pretty expensive, but hey, we weren't paying....We got some appetizers, the waiter's recommendations. Which consisted of some artichokey-hammy thing. And some sea bass. If you've never had sea bass before, go try it. Immediately. It doesn't even taste like fish. Oh. so. good. Then we all ordered our meals. I ordered some sort of meat. Some things we see commonly on the menu are "solomillo," "lomo," "pluma," and other things I don't remember. I don't know what any of those things are. I think I ordered solomillo if I remember correctly. I didn't really know what it was but I think its sirloin or something. If that exists in pork meat. Whatever, it was amazing. Huelva is known for its seafood, but I didn't feel like getting any fish. So I stuck with the red meat. They brought it out and had me slice into it and tell them if it was done enough. Which it wasn't. I'm pretty sure pork isn't supposed to be pink...or maybe it was beef. I don't know. So anyway, they cooked it some more and brought it back. So worth the wait. It was tender and seasoned perfectly and kind of crispy on the outside. And came with potatoes and peppers. You'd think that was enough. A couple beers, some delicious appetizers, amazing meal. But then there was dessert. They brought us a plate of 4 different kinds of chocolatey desserts. Each one of them was better than the last. Oh but that wasn't it. Next was a shot of basically pure caramel. Our waiter brought us a round of "chupitos"(shots) of some sort of caramelly alcohol. Not exactly sure what it was, but it was so sweet and syrupy and alcoholy....After 2 beers and a shot, I was feeling pretty good. At 3pm. But then our professor decided another shot was in order. Sooooo he ordered another round. Love Spain. So then we all stumbled back to the bus and came back to Sevilla. One of the best meals I've had in Spain!
So, you've seen some of the good, the bad and the ugly that I've had here. I'm sure this won't be my last post about food. I do wish I had some photos to add to this. But usually I'm so excited to eat that I can't wait and take photos first before I dig in. Sooo you'll just have to imagine it :)
There are still some things I want to try while I'm here. Including bull tail, everyone says its delicious. And some real paella. Some more jamón ibérico. More tapas. More helado. More tea. Oh tea. I'm in love with it. I will definitely be addicted when I get back and the first thing I want to do is scope out a tea shop to hang out in in Portland. After getting some sushi...
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