It's a gorgeous day here on la terraza, which is great timing for La Feria because it's been so rainy and grey the last few days. People spend so much time preparing for this week that a wash-out would've been a huge bust, so "gracias a Dios" (thank G-d).
Friday didn't get started off quite like we had anticipated... Laura and I made a joint decision the night before that we didn't really feel like going to el Museo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum) because only 10-15 people were going and we would've had to leave the house by 9... and it was just a lot of religious artwork-- I think we've had our fix for now. So, en vez de (instead of) getting up, we slept in, had breakfast, and decided to make it into el Centro before la comida. I already had my traje de flamenca (Flamenco dress), gracias a Cristinita (thanks to granddaughter Cristina)-- fuschia with big white lunares (polka dots), but Laura was still on a mission. We went in and out of a few stores looking for a dress, but nothing was quite right. Fortunately, after la comida, Vicky offered to take us to this cool store, de segunda mano (second hand), that had a ton of dresses to choose from. The thing about these stores is that they acquire very nice dresses that may have only been worn once, and they sell them for 30 euros and less! Well, it was a rainy icky day, and maybe no one was really in the mood to fall in love with a dress so we didn't spend much time there. The woman promised they'd be getting more in the next day so we said we'd regresar (return). Since it was still on the earlier side and we didn't have anywhere to be, Vicky escorted us into this little coffee shop. She's a regular there-- we could tell the owners knew her very well! It's a barrio (neighborhood) we'd never been to, and it seemed a little less high-class than Heliopolis but it was definitely nice. Vicky ended up treating us to coffee and a yummy little postre (dessert--cake), and it was all very delicious! After that, we wandered around a little more and Vicky took us into one of her favorite tiendas (stores): the 2 euro shop! Everything was 2 euros, including pretty scarfs, jewelry, broaches, etc. We didn't do much damage there but it was such a fun concept!
Friday night was another noche divertida (fun night). For the second consecutive week, we got on line for Boss, zipped our lips, smiled, and entered without a problem! Manolo was obviously still trying to fathom the fact that we left the house so late (he says that sometimes, he can't tell if we're leaving for the night or coming back). I think that night was definitely our BEST one in Seville! Again, the club played a great mix of music and it was filled with people between our age and 28-ish. By Saturday, the whole dress situation was figured out (Vicky was nice enough to take us back to that little dress place and Laura found something she liked).
Our experience at the mercadillo (flea market) on Sunday was verrry interesting. Vicky, once again, offered to escort us-- we've all been bonding so much lately! She says it makes her feel really happy because she's going through a difficult time now, apparently (personal). It rained on and off throughout the morning, so it's a good thing we had our rain boots and jackets. So the mercadillo consisted of lotssss of tents and connecting tables with STUFF. Everything, anything, ranging from shoes to clothes to jewelry to food to ANIMALS-- yes, there were bunnies being sold for a euro, and it was everything in me to be strong. The people selling all the goods were clearly gitanos (gypsies), which have some trademark features we were told to look for. The market was LOUD, as each vendor was screaming at the top of his or her lungs to try to get you to buy stuff "TODO UN EURO UN EURO UN EURO," which eventually blended into one long word. We stopped off at a couple different booths selling accessories for la Feria. We ended up color coordinating with our dresses, and bought beaded bracelets and necklaces, big earrings, a big flower for the top of our heads, and a special mantón (shawl) to wear over our shoulders. By this point, we had already purchased our shoes (wedges resembling espadrilles) so we were officially ready to go!
And Monday night was when it all began! We got a call from our newest friend, Carlos, who offered to drive us all over to los Remedios, the site of la Feria. He showed up in an outfit very typical of how Spanish men dress for the occasion: a sharp black sports jacket, dress pants, and a tie (he spent the night complaining about the tie). Laura and I didn't break out the dresses just yet, as we were advised by the whole family that the women wait until the first official day to begin their 6-dress rotation. We ended up parking in a municipal lot and took a shuttle bus over to the Feria grounds. It let us off in the center of a HUGE carnival with ferris wheels and other rides, games, and stands with churros con chocolate. We were kind of rushing though because it was 5 minutes to midnight, and the point of getting there BY midnight is to witness the lights ceremony: el alumbrado. We made it just in time to enter by the colossal "monument," changed annually, which was waiting to be lit up. When the clock struck 12, that structure lit up and set off a kind of domino effect throughout the streets, lined with lanterns connecting the casetas (tents-- described in previous posts). The people cheer from their private casetas as the wave of light hits their property. We spent a lot of time walking around, peeking into the different tents. The streets smelled of pescaito frito, the traditional fried fish eaten by all the wealthy caseta inhabitants the first night of Feria. As the night went on, people started clearing the tables aside and made way for the dance floors to start dancing "Sevillana," fueled by the music of private bands. All the bartenders were busy mixing up the typical drink: rebujito, made from Manzanilla wine and 7up. Carlos led us over to his tent and we ordered our rebujitos, passing the night away...
Naturally, we had a LOT to tell Ana the next morning, when she came out with her usual, "cuéntame algo." It's amazing how much enthusiasm she has for us experiencing this festival, when she is always very quick to dismiss it-- "no me gusta la Feria para nada, para nada." (basically: I hate it). I would guess it's less of a matter of hating the actual fiesta, and more of a dislike for investing the energy in dressing up and standing among crowds, drinking and dancing. I think she and Manolo have been out of the game for quite some time, so it's no surprise... but she LOVES watching the coches de caballo (horse carriages) walk right in front of the house the whole week. Her family, in general, is not very invested in this week-- one child and family went skiing, another went south to the beach, etc. But they depend on us to sacar fotos (take pictures)!
And believe me... WE DID!
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