Sevilla tiene un color especial

I'll be honest, I didn't love Sevilla the first time I visited my sister in December. She was still getting to know her city and hadn't fallen in love with yet. Together, we explored Sevilla, trying to figure out what we liked about it. And while I was impressed by Sevilla's monuments, I left feeling indifferent, lost in the city´s tourist façade and unable to dig down and discover the heart of the city. This trip though, my sister´s passion for her city was inescapable and highly contagious. For a week and a half, I got to live like a local, going to the movies, picking her up from school, getting dinner with her friends, going shopping, getting ice cream, taking long siestas, and falling hopelessly in love with the city.

If you want some mood music for this post, click play below!

It was a perfect two weeks-we managed to cram in a trip to Granada for the weekend, a trip down to the beaches of Cádiz, and an afternoon exploring the Sevillan pueblo of Carmona, while still having lots of time to explore our favorite parts of Sevilla. 

Thursday morning churros in the Macarena, watching the hustle and bustle of Semana Santa. 

Getting lost in Sevilla´s maze of old streets, discovering beautiful little churches like this one.

Shopping in plazas like this that are off the typical tourist track.

Sunset along the banks of Guadalquivir & the Puente de Triana, in what quickly became my favorite spot in Sevilla.

Post-siesta coffee to wake us up for the all-night Madrugá processions, which begin around midnight and go until noon the next day.

Lots and lots of tapas, of course! Pictured here, garbanzos with spinach and cod from Dos de Mayo.

Snagging a spot in the front row for the Gran Poder procession, with 2400 nazareños walking.

 Getting swept along in the thousands of people escorting the Esperanza de Triana procession across the bridge into the city at 5 am. As the women behind us said, "Lleva todo el barrio detrás" (She's bringing the entire neighborhood behind her.)

Returning to Triana after a good night's sleep to watch the entrance of the Esperanza de Triana.

Shopping for flamenco dresses and shoes. I must have missed that day in big sister training! 

Joining my sister at her weekly flamenco and sevillana lesson at a studio in Triana. It doesn't get any more sevillana than this! 

And on my last night in the city, attending my first flamenco show. I'll admit part of why it took me so long to go was a desire to avoid a stereotypical, tourist experience, since flamenco is just one of Spain's many traditional dances (for example, here in Navarra we have jotas instead). But after spending in an hour in a tiny dance studio in a back street of Triana watching the instructor choreograph flamenco variations on a sevillana on the spot, while singing, snapping, and clapping, it seemed unavoidable. My preparation was complete and it was now obligatory that I see the real thing.

Casa de la Guitarra didn't disappoint. Two guitar solos, two voice pieces, and two dance pieces, featuring the three together.

It was the chemistry between the three of them that was the highlight for me. They each had such a passion and appreciation for the other two artists and clearly fed off of each other. It was really incredible to watch.

Saturday morning came far too soon and I had to say goodbye to my sister, one of my new favorite cities, and two weeks of vacation that had felt like a lifetime to return to real life in Tudela. Sevilla won me over, and I've missed this city all week. Hasta la proxima, Sevilla, sea cuando sea.