November 4, 2013, by Guest blog

Seville – everywhere you look there is something beautiful

When Karl Pilkington travels to India during ‘An Idiot Abroad’ he complains of neck ache because he is constantly turning around to look at all the different things going on around him. After the first couple of days in Seville I could definitely see where he was coming from. Everywhere you look there is something beautiful, no matter the time of day. From the buildings to the trees, the numerous squares, the sky, the lights, the food, the river, the people, the language.  Everything is absolutely magnificent and there is no escaping the different historic influences that have shaped Seville in to the stunning city it is today.

Before coming to Seville I assumed that the traditional Spanish stereotypes were just that, stereotypes. However, after my first few weeks here I have found out that the majority are still pretty prevalent in society. I thought the siesta only happened during the sweltering heat of summer but it turns out the majority of shops, especially the smaller businesses, will close in the afternoon all year round even in the city centre. I also presumed that the beautiful Spanish fans were souvenirs for tourists but everybody actually has one because the heat continues right until October.  Thanks to the great weather it means that the Sevillanos spend the majority of time socialising outside until the early hours of the morning. I was not expecting the Spanish daily routine to be so far removed from the British one but everything opens and closes late. Unfortunately that means that no coffee shops are even close to being open when I leave to go to work at 7.30am. One of the most positive aspects of life in Seville is the spontaneity. Often I will be walking along the street and there will be a man singing a traditional song with a guitar and someone will start dancing flamenco.  It’s the little things like that, that have given me a great first impression of Spain.

However, getting settled in Seville has not been completely smooth. I felt frustrated at times with the relaxed Spanish mentality when I have been trying to accomplish important tasks such as opening a bank account or trying to find out about bus times especially with my beginners’ level Spanish paired with the strong southern accent meaning that a sentence became one single word. However, moving to Spain has not just taught me some new vocabulary but more importantly that everything is impossible until it is done.

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Google+
• Share on LinkedIn