Sevilla, the capital
of the Province of Andalucía certainly is one of the
most beloved places by visitors to Spain. Although today Moorish
influence is architectonically most evident - Andalucía
was occupied by Moors for about 800 years - it has been a cultural
center long before. The fertility of this land and its favorised
climate with mild winters and about 3000 hours of sun per year
(if you ever have visited it in August, where temperatures can
arrive to some 47°C, perhaps you will deny to call it favorised)
made Phoenicians and Carthaginians settle here. Later came Romans,
like almost to any place in Europe, and two of their emperors,
Trajan and Hadrian, in fact were born here.
Also lateron Sevilla was the home of famous and infamous figures
of history, the legendary "Don Juan" started from
here to conquer the hearts of women across all Europe, while
Columbus started from a port close to Sevilla to discover a
new world. Prosper Merimée's "Carmen", who
couldn't make her decision between the officer Don José
and the bullfighter Escamillo - the consequences you can watch
still today in opera houses - was a worker in Sevilla's old
tobacco factory. By the way, this factory serves today as University,
a fact that might give you a glimpse on Andalusian talent for
improvisation.
When you visit this city, you are in the very
heart of Andalusian culture, the center of bullfighting and
Flamenco music. Take yourself time and take life easy, as Andalusians
use to do, and interrupt sightseeing from time to time to have
a few "tapas", those typical "small spanish dishes",
and a glass of Sherry wine in one of the probably thousands
of bars in this city.
Nightlife
The city's warm, dry
climate provides a perfect setting for an outdoor fiesta. Every
Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, thousands of young people
go to the streets in order to "ir de marcha" (to go
out partying).
The average night begins at 11 p.m. or midnight and often starts
with something called a "botellon" in the streets
of El Centro (downtown).
A botellon is a
way to get together with friends to talk, relax, meet people
and get to that just right point, Ruiz said.
It's also a way for Sevilla's youth to enjoy Spain's looser
drinking laws and cheap alcohol, en masse. Thousands of revelers
crowd the Plaza del Salvador, and other plazas throughout the
city, each night of the weekend to enjoy the festivities and
free-flowing liquor; the fact that it's in the streets makes
it more social, everyone's out there to have a good time and
meet new people.
A mixture of Latino, European and American dance pop moves the
sweaty crowds in the clubs of the Centro and Nervion neighborhoods
and moves them all night long. The sun is up before many partyers
even leave the discotecas.
But a true night of
partying in Sevilla isn't over until breakfast the following
morning. As people stumble out of the discotecas, many head
for a cafe or bakery for "churros con chocolate,"
a kind of fried dough stick served with thick hot chocolate.
Only after this, does the night really end and people go
to sleep only to get up and do it all again the next night.
Au début
