New year new me (Seville.2)

Hello friends, fans and acquaintances!!!
I am writing this whilst on the plane to Seville!

Last year I flew with Monarch but today things have taken a turn for the worse and we are flying with Ryan Air. The Ryan Air experience seems to mainly involve the air stewards walking up and down the aisle trying to sell you raffle tickets and hot dogs and automated messages from Ryan Air telling us about the hot dogs and raffle tickets. I asked one for a napkin 50 minutes ago and she said she'd be right back but I guess she was inundated with requests for raffle tickets and hasn't found the time? I'll keep you updated.

You're only meant to bring 10kg of hand luggage on Ryan Air flights. I have 15 but nobody's weighed me so they have no idea! When I was boarding the plane I acted like my bag was very light so they wouldn't be suspicious, which was a real challenge. Thankfully I actually have an A Level in Theatre so at least I was qualified for the situation.

So I'm going to Seville for another work experience programme, this time with DSC Regen which is based in London. We've been doing Spanish lessons and training this week and we had to stay in London. Walking through London with all my luggage was a harrowing experience, not only because of the weight if it all, but because people kept getting up in my grill. I ran over two people's feet and one dog. People in London have a dead zombified look about them on the commute, even if you try to catch their eye and smile they just have none of it. I do like the tube though, especially the bit where you get to stand in line and beep your card, it makes me feel like I'm living in the future!!!

I'm travelling with a big group of people from all over the place. The programme is themed "Community Development" so we're all going to be working in organisations that are trying to save the world and stuff. I'm going to be saving the world by teaching Spanish children about the environment and conservation. There are a LOT of vegetarians in the group. For lunch I bought myself a mango and slaw noodle salad to try and fit in. It was disappointing. I feel this is going to be my fate for the next three months. New year, new me! Sarah version 2015!! Though, I think I'd find it hard to be totally veggie in Seville as the Spanish people have so many wonderful ways of preparing pig!

Here are things I'm excited to do in Seville:

(Finally) visiting the cathedral and the Giralda
Eating ice cream
Eating at.... La Azotea, La Brunilda, Cristina&Co, and lots of wonderful new places.
Seeing more flamenco
Meeting up with friends
Going to the modern art museum
Enjoying the weather as it gets warmer
Exploring new parts of the city
Not be robbed (TOUCH WOOD!!!)

Its a bit sad going back as most of my amazing friends that I had before won't be there. I liked them all because they never judged me for how much I ate, peed and listened to chart pop music. What if my new friends aren't as understanding?! What if they peer pressure me into listening to alternative music or cycling?! Its a scary situation but only time will tell.

Saludos for now, amigos.

Update: An air steward has just offered to sell me a raffle ticket again.

I met my ROBBER!

If you know me, you've probably endured one story or another about how I've at some point lost something valuable and ended up in a weird and complicated situation as I try to get it back. It seems to happen to me on the regs, and I'm always only partly to blame! This season's ridiculous situation has just been resolved, so I thought I'd share with you the complex and emotional roller-coaster of...

THE MYSTERIOUS INCIDENT OF THE BLIND MAN AND MY PHONE

For the sake of accuracy, I should probably clarify that the Blind Man is the man who fixed my blind (he's not blind). One night about a month ago, I shut my blind (with *apparently* too much enthusiasm) and it got stuck. In a vain attempt to help me, my friend tried to fix it (with too much enthusiasm) and it broke in half. This led to me living three long days in darkness before I summoned the courage to tell my landlady, who told me I had to pay to fix it.

So she rang up the man (= the Blind Man), and he came to fix it. He wasn't blind, he just fixes blinds, and to be honest he wasn't really a man, he was a teenager. When he was done I paid him and wished him a happy weekend, all smiling and waving and seeing him out the house. Then, after he left, I couldn't find my phone. Now as I say, this happens a lot, so at first I didn't suspect the grotty little blind man, I just assumed I'd left it somewhere around about the house and I started searching. But when I couldn't find it in any of the obvious places I started to suspect Foul Play.

If you've ever had something stolen then you know its very upsetting, especially if you don't know if you've lost it or not. Especially when you're like, who would actually steal an iPhone 3? When you are working? From somebody's bedroom? Its just too risky, right? You'd have to be a total buffoon to do that. For some reason I'd assumed this guy wasn't a total buffoon, so I couldn't believe he'd steal it.  I searched for like two weeks and cancelled the phone and got STRESSED and cried a bit and then got a bit angry and wound myself up and said, right, I'm going to make my landlady call this guy and get my phone back! And then when I actually spoke to my landlady I totally chickened out because - and this is one thing I've learnt from this experience - I do not think I like confrontation. So I ended up having a lot of those conversations where you start out by saying "I THINK SOMEBODY ROBBED ME!" and you end by saying "well, maybe I just lost it somewhere and its my fault probably." Because imagine accusing somebody of robbing you and then finding the very same phone under your pillow three weeks later after he's lost his job and you've lost your dignity?

So finally I ended up at the agency who arranged my accommodation, and they rang the blind company (which incidentally is called La Casa de Las Persianas in Santa Cruz and I'm not going to recommend them or warn you away from them, I'm just gonna tell you the FACTS!!). The man at the agency told me I had to be 100% sure that this chico had stolen the phone, to which I replied, "can we be 100% sure of anything in life?" This was a question which had really been bothering me in relation to the phone loss. However the man at the agency wasn't keen to delve into any philosophical reflections on the matter. He rang the company and said "she is 100% sure he took the phone. She's going to report him to the police unless she gets it back today."

Now, I was doubtful about the whole thing but it turned out, two hours later I got a phone call from a lady with an Andalucian accent thicker than your mum's chest hair, and she said they'd "found the phone". Turns out that she was the owner of the blind company, and cute little boy who fixed my blind is her son. So instead of going to watch the latest Hunger Games film with all my friends, I ended up in the most socially awkward situation to date, which was waiting at a cross roads in Seville  by an old Roman aqueduct to meet the mother of the person who robbed me. How do you think I acted in that situation? Did I give her a good what-for? Did I question her morals? Did I insult her son? Turns out I hid all my valuables and then cheerfully said "thanks!" and smiled and ran away. Not really a Boss Bitch way to deal with things but at least I had the phone!!

I would have considered the whole thing basically sorted by then, but when I got the phone home and charged it, I realised that this BOY, who claims he "found the phone on the street", had thrown out my SIM card, deleted every single thing from my phone except for one photo of a vintage car (Weird.) and had been using the phone for his own Instagram, Twitter, Whats app, texts, games... basically everything apart from Facebook which he had left logged into my Facebook. He'd added his photos, his contacts, had been chatting to his friends and girlfriend via what's app, emailing his teachers and using his Instagram. The audacity!!! On MY PHONE I have what's app conversations between him and his girlfriend! I don't know why I wasn't expecting this, but it was like until that point I kind of thought he had just accidentally taken the phone. And when I realised he had purposefully taken it for his own personal use, I. was. so. mad! I had lost everything that made the phone valuable to me, including photos from graduation and one of my mum in a onesie with a face mask on. Those photos are irreplaceable!! And no, obviously didn't have them backed up. You know why? Because I'm a total buffoon!

And all this after how stressed I'd been, and how it had cost me money to cancel the phone and contact my family. The inconvenience!! The injustice!! And I'd PAID him for his services!  So I started to think, what should I do? I put a status on Facebook asking my morally rigorous friends, do I forgive or seek revenge? Only one person said forgive. Everyone else was quite enthusiastic about the revenge. But revenge isn't very Christian, and it's also probably illegal, so I decided to explore other options. My landlady was a bit worried about the whole thing, and volunteered to take me to the shop to get my money back for the blind repair.

This is how I ended up in the New Most Awkward Social Situation Yet... when we got to the shop, the mother was there again, and she was very unhappy. She pointed at me and called me a liar, which was frightening, and made me question if I was wrong or not. Apparently he'd told her this elaborate story of how he'd found the phone, and I think she had chosen to believe it, and there was such a mix up of the truth and confusing half-truths and lies that I was getting confused. But I reminded myself, its YOUR phone (actually, its my sister's lol) and he destroyed your intellectual property and presumably swallowed my SIM card! So I said that I wasn't lying, and she rang her son and he came over.

This was the best bit of the whole experience, because I got to tell him off. I told him all about how awful it had been, and he looked at his shoes and tried to give some chicken liver excuses that were total bullshit and I felt like I'd really got it off my chest. But he wouldn't pay me the money back, and neither would the shop owner. In the end I saw him a couple of days before Christmas, after I tracked him down on what's app. He gave me a bit of the money back and said he didn't have anymore, and I felt sorry for him because it's Christmas and maybe he needs to buy Christmas presents. Also he was acting a bit pathetic and he can't spell in Spanish.

Overall meeting my robber was quite a positive experience as I felt I could explain to him what he'd done, and maybe he won't do it agian. But I still have all his info on my phone...

THE MORALS OF THE STORY (For anybody who's made it to the end)
1. Don't leave your valuables out when strangers are about
2. Don't trust anybody

Tara

xx

Christmas shopping in Seville: Mucho Más Ke Market

Mucho Más Ke Market, Sevilla

Christmas shopping while you're abroad can be a biiiiit stressful, especially when you're like me and you find picking an ice cream flavour a terrible ordeal, meaning that picking gifts for other people is an experience more harrowing than the Hunger Games. Additionally is the major problem that everything you buy has to fit in your luggage to go home, which is particularly concerning seeing as when I came out to Seville my luggage was already 3kg over. My good friend here the other day was like, "I don't understand how you were over the limit!" This was probably in reference to the fact I wear the same clothes every. single. day. I really  blame the huge amount of moisturiser I have to lug around with me. 

However, Seville actually has a wealth of wonderful shopping opportunities, and I decided I may as well try to enjoy the shopping experience. So yoday i went waddling over to the other side of town to visit the "Mucho Más K Market" market, which opened in Seville today. Its meant to be an alternative to the average Christmas market. Seville is a pretty traditional place, but there is also a bit of a bohemian vibe here and there and there are a lot of young artists and craftspeople around and about.

The market hall is full of scaffolding so you feel like you're in the middle of a get-in at a theatre. The scaffolding is full of plants, which makes you feel like you're in the last section of IKEA where they sell bamboo and vases. Overall its a very pleasing effect. Its not a massive place but there's a small bunch of stalls selling your average alternative crafts, like quirky silver jewellery and indie illustrations printed onto every day items. Some things are slightly overpriced but I did buy a couple of things which MUST REMAIN SECRET as they may or may not be Christmas Presents!!!

My colleague told me about the market. If she hadn't, I don't think I ever would have found it. Its not signposted and its almost impossible to find (mainly because its in Seville, and everything in Seville I'd impossible to find!) If you want to go then I suggest you head to the indoor market on Calle  Feria. If you're coming from the mushroom, turn right just before that market. You'll end up on called arrayàn and the market is on the right.

#christmasshopping
#hohoho

Flamenco Nights: El Museo del Baile Flamenco, Sevilla

We decided to go to a flamenco show at the Flamenco Museum during VIP´s visit to Seville because one of my (many, many) mates works there. For a while he'd been telling us the show was really good, but I was wary of forcing VIP to go as you have to pay entry. But in the end, we thought it was a good cultural experience and couldn't be too bad...

The museum is the only one dedicated to flamenco in the world, and every night they have one or two performances. I'd been walking around all day and was suffering from what-I-call-a-life-threateningly-awful hangover, so I'd say my enthusiasm for the concert was LOW. Even so, when we arrived the space was so atmospheric I decided I better make the most of it and treated myself to large white wine. The museum is more modern than I'd expected, and the stage is in the centre of an indoor patio, surrounded by traditional arches. The audience sit around the stage so that wherever you are its very intimate.

They described the show as "Flamenco Moments", and I suppose its like a beginner's guide as it was very accesible and showcased a lot of different aspects of flamenco. There are lots of different types, but generally flamenco involves a guitarist and a singer, who clap and stamp rhytms along to the music, and then a dancer (usually female). Like most folk music, the songs and dances tell stories. When I first heard it, the voice really reminded me of Indian or Arabic music, as its very influenced by Andalcia's arabic history. 

They have different performers every night, and I don't know if we were just very lucky, but they were fantastic. The guitarrist, Diego Franco, did a solo in the middle of the show where he sat alone on stage, in the spotlight, and played some traditional Spanish guitar. Now this is going to sound a wee bit over-dramatic, but I literally had tears in my eyes because it was so good. It was just so emotive! The whole style of flamenco seems to really capture emotion and then express it. I was amazed by the female dancer, Rocio Alcaide, who didn't smile when she was dancing but looked like she was suffering some terrible trauma while she stamp-stamped her wooden shoes on the floor. It. was. amazing.

 We were all taken by complete shock, and were on the edge of our seats for the whole thing. I'm now so keen to learn more about flamenco and see more of it live. The museum has a mainly tourist audience, and I would like to see a show with Spanish audiences as I know they are much more vocal during the dances. This is definitely a must-see in Seville; I felt like I got a glimpse into the soul of the city.

The performers we saw were Diego Franco, Rocio Alcaide, Jorge Canastero and Juan Polvillo,

www.museobaileflamenco.com/

Best Tapas of Seville: Bodeguita Ojiva

Recently I've been telling myself I need to eat at home to save money. It hasn't been a resounding success. Yesterday I compromises by instead of eating in a tapas bar, I had a tuna empanada from a fancy bread shop and then went home and ate a bag of chocolate coins. (They were both delicious. No regrets). And today I was wondering back to the flat planning the lunch I was going to cook and just happened to find myself inside Bodeguita Ojiva ordering their special of the day...its friday so it doesnt matter, right?

This little bodega (just off Puerta de Carmina on Calle San Estaban) has often caught my attention on my way to work, as small chalkboard outside advertises its special Guacamole Tapas. I'd never ventured inside though, partly because I never meet my friends this side of town, and also because I wasn't sure whether to trust a place that has had the same "special guacamole" on offer for the entirety of my time in Seville.

In the end I was pretty impressed. Its a tiny bar, with cute chairs outside that just manage to get a dapple of sun despite being in one of Santa Cruz's narrow pedestrian allies. My seat looked onto busy San Estaban, but the hubbub of traffic and families walking home from school made me feel pretty cosmopolitan. When I ordered, the friendly waitress asked, "you want a beer with that, right?". And I replied, "yes. Yes I do."

What to eat: the hot tapas are different every day, apparently. Today there were three choices. I went for the Carrillada con puree de papas. I was expecting pork cheek but it tasted more like lamb, served with pureed potatoes. The meat was in a deliciously gravy with onions and, surprisingly, raisins. This gave it a Morrocan kind of feel. It was was really, really good.

Not so great: they do a choice of breads with different toppings and sandwiches. I obviously had to get the guacamole. It was very smooth, served in toast with chopped tomato and onion. Yeah, it was all right, but not worth going out of your way for. Next time I'll try something more unusual topping, like salmon orange and nuts.

I didn't save any money. The menu is £2.50 and up, but it was tasty food and stylishly presented.

Best Tapas of Sevilla: La Azotea

When VIP was visiting from the UK, I made sure we tried all the traditional (and delicious) tapas you just have to eat when you come to Seville.. spinach and chickpeas, pork cheek, steaks in whiskey sauce, salmorejo soup etcetc. But when you've had a lot of that type of typical food, it can all become a bit... uninspiring. On our last night, I was planning to go to Eslava so we could try some more modern tapas. But unfortunately, Eslava is apparently shut on Sundays.

I knew the one place where there would definitely be open restaurants would be on Calle Mateos Gago by the cathedral, as this is the tourist hotspot. So we reluctantly wandered over there; not that enthusiastically because I knew we'd end up picking from a load of restaurants that all offer the same sort of thing. And that's when we stumbled across La Azotea, looking a bit quirky and unique.

I didn't know it at the time, but Azotea is a chain of four restaurants in Seville, all offering different menus designed by their individual chefs. It's priced higher than most tapas restaurants - most dishes were 4 euros and above. But the dishes were imaginative, unique and really well executed. It is so worth the extra money. We ended up ordering far, far more than we could eat and couldn't even contemplate deserts. Even with drinks included, however, the meal for two came to 35 euros which was excellent value considering the quality of the food. Additionally, the waitress gave VIP a free glass of wine as he offered to move to make more room for other guests.

What to eat: EAT EVERYTHING! We started with a tomato salad, served with basil jellies and lemon sorbet. It looked amazing, and as the sorbet melted it became a zingy dressing for the salad. It was fantastic.
Additionally I tried the best croquettes I've had yet. They blew my mind. There was no dough, but instead shredded pork mixed with small beans, It was served with a sweet chili sauce, my mouth is watering just thinking about them!
From the temting specials we chose some deliciously tender pork loins which I would love to eat again.
Finally, it sounds boring, but the patatas bravas were in a whole new league.

Not so great: It was quite busy in the restaurant - though, for a tapas bar, not outstandingly so - and it was clear the waiters and waitresses got a bit overwhelmed. It was often difficult to attract their attention and they forgot to bring us water. However they were very cheerful so that was nice.
Also, the restaurant looks great - that's what attracted us into it. But I had to sit on a stool! You seriously need a back on chair when you're eating that much!

I'm keen to go to one of the other branches of this chain, as I'd be interested to see if it would be different with Spanish customers around you instead of tourists, who often find the tapas concept a bit challenging. But more than that, I seriously need to eat those croquettes again. The tagline for the restaurant is "fall in love with tapas again". I did.

Photo source: Azahar Sevilla, who also has some photos of their food. I was too busy eating.

A Weekend in Seville

When I was on my year abroad, my parents visited me in Austria AND Cuba. Since graduating, however, relations between us have apparently turned sour. While I'm here in Seville they are not visiting me. You may have heard of angry parents changing the locks on the doors when their rogue offspring finally leave. Well it may not shock you to hear I come from quite a DRAMATIC family, and my parents decided to take it one step further and had a completely NEW door stuck onto the front of my house so that there are now two solid wooden barriers barring me from my family home! They  have NOT cut me a key! Christmas is going to be tense (if I ever get inside the building).

But don't fret too much as even though the family have decided to barricade themselves in Wolverhampton until I return, I still had a VIP guest this weekend. I think Seville is probably the perfect city for a romantic get away... lots of winding streets, beautiful views, a passionate culture and a million and one tapas bars where you can drink and share food.

This is the itinerary I organised for our extended weekend in Seville. I thought I'd write it out in case anyone else is planning a visit!

Itinerary for a Romantic Weekend in Sevilla

We spent two nights at my gaff in Santa Cruz, and two in the hotel Sacristia de Santa Ana in the Alameda, which is on the other side of the old town.

Friday
Spend the morning wandering through the enchanting Santa Cruz district, which is the historical area of Seville. BE WARNED, if you don't know your way around, for God's sake take a map and be prepared to get very, very lost. (My colleague who's worked here for 12 years says she still gets lost). Google maps is literally no help. If all else fails, try work out where the river is. If you can get to the river then you can get your bearings.

It was absolutely beautiful weather during our weekend in Seville. If the sun is shining, then head to the Alcázar de Sevilla. This beautiful moorish style palace has awesome architecture and some beautiful gardens, and its very romantic to wander around them in the sunshine, spotting peacocks hiding in the greenery and enjoying the water features.

If you can bare to take yourself out of the sunshine, head to the Cathedral (known as the Giralda) just across the road.

After the Alcázar we wandered through the Jewish quarter to the parks off Mendez Pelayo and had lunch.

After lunch, walk back through  the old town to the Parasol (also known as the Setas, which means mushrooms). You can take a drink at the top or just admire the wonderful views of the city.

In the evening, treat yourself to some high quality tapas and then head out on the town.
In Seville, students go to Alfalfa where there are cheap drink deals and busy bars. Afterwards you can go to the Alameda where clubs stay open til like 6am.

Saturday
Now if you used Friday to its full potential, you will need a bit of a lie in on Saturday. That's okay - you're on holiday!!

Seville Football Game

Treat yourself to a good breakfast. We really enjoyed Catalina&Co (Calle San Fernando).
Helpfully, this is on the way to the Plaza de Espana. If you've never seen this before, prepare to be mind blown. If you've got a bit of spare time then you can hire boats or bicycles and enjoy the Parque de María Luisa which is very stunnig.

In the evening, I really recommend a show at the Museo del Baile Flamenco. Very close by you can eat some traditional tapas, for example at La Bodega just off the Alfalfa. However, if you're planning a fancy meal during the weekend don't get caught out like we did and wait til Sunday, or the restaurant you've picked out might be closed!

Sunday
Sunday is a day of rest in Spain, and nearly all the shops shut, as well as some restaurants during the evening. In the day time though the restaurants and bars are full of families enjoying quality time together.
Take the chance to have a relaxed walk down to the river where you can have a drink in the sun looking at the beautiful views.

This weekend Sevilla FC were playing Granada. You can find out the listings of Sevilla FC and buy tickets online here and for their rivals, Real Betis Balompié, here. Sevilla FC's grounds are by the Nervion shopping centre, we got there on the 32 bus from outside McDonald's at Plaza del Duque. The 45,000 seater stadium was full to the brim with Seville fans, and it was lovely to watch the game as the sun set over the city.

In the evening we'd hoped to go to Eslava, but when that was shut we headed for the area near the cathedral, where restaurants aimed at tourists are open every day. And we totally lucked out with the Azotea resturant serving amazing tapas (my review).

If you've got any energy left (we were exhausted!) head round the corner to the EME Catedral Rooftop bar. This swanky joint has amazing views and AMAZINGLY EXPENSIVE DRINKS.

Monday

On Monday my VIP guest left Seville. We had a bit of breakfast near my house then headed to the Park to enjoy the weather. This is very convenient place to spend any spare time before the flight, as the bus to the airport goes from Prado de San Sebastian which is next  to the park.

It was a wonderfully busy weekend!

BESOS FROM SPAIN xxx