Back in Sevilla!

 20-Dec-2021

Christmas lights on Avenida de la Constitución, the main street
 that runs in front of the cathedral in Seville.

Yes, we’re back in Seville, and we’re so happy to be here! I’m actually surprised at how excited we are. Part of it is the beauty of Seville: the elegance, the amazing buildings, the stunning Christmas lights. Part of it is because we couldn’t come here last year, due to travel restrictions and Covid concerns; while those concerns are still very much with us, at least we’re moving around again. 

And part of it is more personal: our daughter Nina and son-in-law Riki are here! Their plans keep evolving, but they’re here now, and we are fully enjoying our visits together. 

 

Christmas lights. different neighborhood, different style...

More lights, with the always-impressive La Giralda in the background.

And part of it, it must be said, is the weather. Here in Seville outdoor temps are in the low to mid 60s, almost 10 degrees warmer than Montpellier. It makes strolling around so much more pleasant! Also, we’re strolling on familiar streets, and constantly re-discovering what’s new, and what’s not. “Oh, look, that café is gone, now it’s a laundromat! Too bad! But here’s a new place… and I’m glad the Love Café made it!” All while threading through tiny alleyways, negotiating with cars that force us onto vanishingly narrow sidewalks, and marveling at vast and colorful church facades.

 

A church (??) and... oranges!

We’ve been having lunch a lot. It’s easier here than in France; cafes are ready for lunch starting around 1:30, about the time restaurants in France are finishing up (seriously! We’ve been left hungry in France a number of times because we couldn’t get our lunch act together before 2PM.) We may be done around 3:00, or 4:30…  depending on how long it's been since we last saw our lunch companions! Of course, after a lunch like that we tend to skip dinner. We are not yet into the Spanish habit of eating at 10PM! By then we are definitely finished for the evening.

 

Lunch with Karen & Rich at the Maraville Social Club.

Right now we are looking forward to the arrival of friends Kate and Debra from Montpellier. They’ve both decided to join us here for Christmas, and Paula and I are happily laying out a tour for them. Not that it’s hard; walk down any street in Seville and there are interesting—and often stunning—things to see. And the Christmas lights… ah, now that’s a sight! 

 

Lights in the Plaza Alfalfa.

The famous (?) snail of Seville.

As I write this we are only a few days from Christmas. We’ll be having dinner with our American friends and long-term Seville residents Karen and Rich. (And that “we” includes pretty much everybody we know in Seville, including our friends coming from Montpellier!). Emails are flying back and forth, among the 18 or so of us who will be in attendance, concerning Covid—especially Omicron—safety. Karen has made it clear that dinner is definitely happening: we’re all vaxxed and boostered, windows will be open (and jackets probably zipped!). And we’ll all do a Covid self-test the morning before. Of course, at this late date all of the pharmacies are out of test kits, both in Seville and Montpellier. But we picked up a few before we left France. So, risks have been minimized, and the experts assure us that gathering for the holidays is decidedly necessary for our on-going mental health.

My how time flies... this was written a week ago and we're just now getting it published! We'll have plenty to tell about our time in Seville in the next blog...

Church spires... you never know what you'll find down these narrow streets!

Thanksgiving, and Seville

La Comédie in all it's Christmas glory.

 

Thanksgiving, that uniquely American holiday. And we are never more aware of how unique than when we are away from our home country. Such as we are now, in France. 

This year we were able to have a real Thanksgiving. Last year where pandemic lockdowns limited our get together to a brief, almost clandestine meeting in the streets where we exchanged the neatly packaged dishes we’d each contributed; once back in our own homes we enjoyed a Zoom dinner. It was kinda fun, but it ain’t nothin’ like the real thing! 

This year we hosted nine people in our apartment. They were mostly American ex-pats, although we did have one French guest, our friend Xavier (unfortunately, his wife Sylvie had been called out of town for a professional training; on Thanksgiving!) 

Another one of Mark's long-armed selfies.

Of course, in France Thanksgiving is just another Thursday (or jeudi, as it’s known here). Fortunately, turkey is not hard to find. Bits and pieces of turkey (legs, breast meat) are usually available all year, with whole birds being served only on major holidays like Christmas or Easter. But Kate—who took on the task of finding a bird—had no problem ordering one from a butcher, given a couple of weeks’ notice. (And she reported that when she went to pick it up, she was the first to arrive of some seven Americans who had special orders!) 

We did have a considerable discussion as to the best time to eat, with some favoring early afternoon, and others seeing no reason not to wait until the usual dinner time. We finally settled on 4PM. Apart from that, though, I was surprised—and pleased—to see our diverse Thanksgiving memories were remarkable similar: the family gathering, with those odd aunts and uncles we rarely saw; the mashed potatoes; cranberry sauce; baked yams (although with or without tiny marshmallows is a hotly debated issue). And, of course, the kids’ table. 

Thanksgiving dinner preparations in full swing.

Now, with that special jeudi long past, we have moved on to the Christmas season. The Christmas market has been set up in the esplanade just off the main square, two long rows of pre-fab huts selling jewelry and plush toys and handicrafts, soaps and perfumes. Plus, of course the special seasonal foods, and hot spiced wine to fight off the chill of a Mediterranean December. 

Moving back in time a few hours, I'm thinking: NOW what do I do?!

The Comedie, Montpellier’s main square, has its decorations, and its tree; the streets are adorned with festive lights; and the public PA is broadcasting classic American Christmas carols (something I can do without, frankly). And this year we seemed to make it through Black Friday (yes, the day after Thanksgiving when every store has special sales) without too much trauma.  

Montpellier's Christmas market.

Our friend Kate has been playing around with filters on her iPhone: We very much like the results!

Pleased as we are to see Montpellier putting on her holiday finest, we will soon be leaving. We had established a tradition of going to Seville, Spain, for Christmas and the end of the year. At first it was for the weather—while it never gets really cold in the south of France, we’re spoiled Californians, and anything below 10°C (that’s 50°F) seems like an imposition. But after our first year of exposure to the delights of Seville we were very happy to return because Christmas and New Year are just so great there! The beauty of the buildings, the elegance of the city and the people, and the old-world charm combined with the exuberance of the Spanish have all combined to pull us there every year. 

Well, except for… yeah, nasty old Mr. Covid. But this year things have opened up again (so far!), and we are more than excited to be there once again. Plus, the establishment of a direct plane flight from Montpellier to Seville makes the travel part oh so easy. (Not so the return, though—that will require a flight to Marseille, then a train ride, and may also involve a bus or two).  

This year in Seville it seems we will be accompanied by something of an entourage. Well, not really! But there will be a number of people—mostly Americans—we know here in Montpellier who will be coming to Seville. Not with us, really, but while we are there. It gives us a chance to share what we’ve discovered about Seville, and show off a bit.

And, of course, our return to Seville this year will be considerably sweetened by the presence of our daughter, Nina. She married Riki, a Sevillano, about a year ago, in the midst of the California lockdown. Now they are in Seville. So we are looking at a tremendous family reunion, with Nina and Riki and his extended family!

More from Kate: the package that is this year's holiday centerpiece on La Comédie, and the opera building with the Christmas tree...

        Next up: We're going to Seville! I know we'll find much to report on there.