DEAR LESLIE, hola from Spain! I'm having a great time here, my flamenco classes are wonderful, and I've learned a lot. I will miss Seville when we leave, but it will also be good to get back to family and friends.
A few of the highlights, so far:
1). The Shoes. Oh my god. And not just the flamenco ones, which come in every colour and style you can imagine (and yes, I did buy a new pair, in red). There are more shoe stores here than just about any other kind, the leather and suede are fantastic, but then so is the cloth, the canvas, the whatever. And so reasonably priced. I wish my feet weren't so tender - band-aids and moleskin are my friends. But I think that's why I notice the shoes here so much - because I can't wear most of them. Gold and silver lame sandals are also a thing. :-) Anyway, if you come here, save room in your luggage for shoes.
2). The weather, of course. It's mid-October. We finally had a break from the heat (simmering at around 32C+) with some rain today. The air is soft, and the cobblestones gleam in the damp. I know it's been awful back home with snow in Alberta (unless you're a skier, then it's all welcome and good). Personally, I haven't missed the snow. Although, strangely, I have missed Canada. The other day, we were in Corte Inglais, one of the major department stores here, and the muzak was playing Rocky Mountain High by John Denver (and if you want to sing along, like I did, I've included the link here. Go on. Do it. Let's love Canada together.) And even though the song is about Colorado, it brought memories of why I love Canada and the West so much, our mountains, our wilderness, the cold, fresh air - Banff, Jasper, the elk, the goats, the ravens, even the bears. Seville is a such different landscape. Urban, sophisticated, colourful.
3). Which is also why I love Seville. The weather makes it so people friendly here. Everybody lives in apartments, so the plazas and parks are a living, social space. It's great to sit in a square, drink a Sangria, eat a tapa or two, and watch the rest of the world at play. Siesta is still in place, so you need to adapt to that, change your lifestyle to match it. But I like seeing a whole family (including the dog) hanging out in the plazas, eating, talking, playing, even sleeping. (I refer to the little kids here, who might still be out with their parents at 11:00 at night, asleep in their strollers. Babysitters? Who needs babysitters when you have the whole family enjoying a cerveza or two at El Tremendo?)
4). Colour: the one thing I hate about Edmonton is its lack of imagination (mostly) with colour. In my neighborhood, every house is beige, or white, or cream, or pale blue - winter colours and boring. Ditto with clothing choices - we all wear black, or brown, or grey, with an occasional flash of red or blue (and yes, I'm as guilty as anyone. Black seems to be the go-to colour in my wardrobe). Here, mustard yellow is the top choice for clothing and apartment trim, with raw sienna, yellow ochre, cream, and olive green as secondary favourites. All summer colours. Here, the women wear fabrics that flow, float, and drape, while they guys tend to be hip in torn jeans, shirts, and scarves. They have a term for how people dress here: - it's 'pijo' and means 'posh'. If and when I come back to Sevilla (and I pray I do), I'm packing sun dresses and skirts and sandals. We've been here for six weeks now; I packed three pairs of jeans and only wore jeans twice, having to make do with my ugly shorts or yoga pants. And my ugly, black sneakers, too. Mike likes to wear his La Giralda t-shirt he bought in a souvenir shop. Gee, how is it everyone knows we're tourists???
5). Flamenco, naturally: It's everywhere, and it's wonderful. I've seen some great shows with some amazing performers, not the least of whom is my bulerias teacher Ramon Martinez. Yesterday, as I was walking down the Almirante Apodaca, the main street near our place, a taxi was stopped at a red light. The driver was listening to a bulerias, which was blaring from his window. His hands were clapping the compas (the time) as he waited for the light to change.
I could go on and on, Leslie. You would love Seville - the city, its sites, the Catedral, the museums, the flamenco tablaos, and the people - everyone we've met has been kind and friendly, considerate and helpful. If you know some Spanish, a little goes a long way. Being the typical Canadian, I start most of my conversations with an apology - Lo siento, soy Canadiense. Mi espanol no es muy bueno, (I'm sorry. I'm Canadian. My Spanish isn't very good) and people will smile, and often tell me their English isn't very good either, but not to fret. Don't you worry, little Canadian. We Spaniards will make it work. We will help you. We'll get along, just fine.
Signing off for now, Leslie. I hope life is good with you! Say 'hi' to Megan and Cat for me! Besos y brazos! See you soon!
- Susan.
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