Christmas in Seville for us it was! The city is firmly in the grip of Christmas fever!! We are staying put for the holidays in Spain. We thought about visiting Federico’s family in Rome, but we left it too late and the ticket prices are simply outrageous, it is affordable, but we will not be gouged! so we said the airlines can suck it 🙂 .
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We will spend a quiet holiday at home in Seville. Save for a Santa Claus climbing a window here and there, you would never even think it was Christmas time. The lights and the hoopla is concentrated in the old center of Seville. We decided to take a camera one evening and show you the sights.
Christmas in Seville is all about street lights and decorations which are truly magnificent against the backdrop of the Alcazar and the Cathedral. I don’t think l would be exaggerating if l said there must have been over half a million people or more milling about the old center. The main thoroughfare of the center is Constitution Avenue.
The giant lit tree that you see in the first picture located at the beginning of the avenue, close to the Puerta Jerez metro stop. It is surrounded by little restaurants and bars and is always a fun place to hang out. The best part is that since cars are no longer permitted to pass through there, people are free to walk down this very wide street. The trams still run through every few minutes.
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There are a total of three villages set up for Christmas in Seville. One is just off the avenue Constitution. The second at the Metropol Parasol (La Seta) and the third is at the park by the Metro entrance (Prado de San Sebastian). We only visited the one by the avenue as we set out late in the evening. We walked for over three hours in the city.
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It wasn’t just because it was fun to people watch and be part of the crowd. It was also because there were so many people, it took twice as long to get anywhere. You could literarily stop walking and be carried along with the crowd. Every so often, we went off the main square for some quiet.
There were a lot of Christmas carolers and singers of all kind entertaining the crowds. Movement of any kind practically ground to a halt anytime you were close to the entertainers. You just had to smile, wait for everyone to take their pictures and then move on.
It really was interesting hearing all the old Christmas carols song in Spanish, with the guitars and drums etc. giving it a sort of salsa-flamencoish (my word) kick was quite delightful. I found myself involuntarily grooving to the beats 🙂 .
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It was really cool checking out the Christmas nativity sets that were all along the village. How many hours must have gone into making all these tiny little sets l can only imagine. I started to understand how it could be an obsession if one collected those nativity sets. There are so, so many and all of them beautiful. So much so that you feel the need to own them all. They are quite pricey though, so l am happy just to look, ooh and aah over them from afar ;-).
What l found interesting was that the stores, like Guess, H&M etc. did not really have any Christmas decorations in the windows either. There would be like a little banner or something saying there was a sale, but nothing like you would see in the U.S. It’s like they all made a pact to let the city shine and not bother with all that work.
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The city did not disappoint, so really there was no need for extra hooplah 😉 . Each street has a different shaped light, trees, bows, and so on, the government buildings too. It was fun to veer off from the bigger streets every so often and discover more lights on the narrow streets.
We saw so many long lines everywhere..restaurants.. bars.. clubs..and for what we figure must be free entry to cultural events. The lines were way too long to be anything that one had to pay for. There was also an ice skating rink set up to entertain the kids, along with a carousel. Long lines there too, but no one seemed to mind.
The best and most wonderful part of this Christmas is the peace of mind. It’s hard to put it in words, but nothing beats the calmness of knowing that there was no nut job with an Uzi waiting to gun everyone down just because he/she was depressed or just plain evil. I think we spotted about eight policemen the whole night that we were out. No kidding…
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Of course, safety can not be guaranteed, you never know where evil lurks unfortunately, but we can not be ruled by fear. Nonetheless, we probably would not have ventured out to something like this had it been taking place in the States. It’s really hard for me to say that, but it is true.
We ended up our night at our favorite tapas place in the center, the Taberna Autentico where we indulged in paella, spinach dip, mini hamburger and yummy potato salad. The metro was so crowded. Insane. I had the last seat before the crush. It stayed that way till we got to our stop. That was the sucky part, we were in a car with like twelve 4-6 year old kids and they were screaming and singing, just being rowdy the whole ride. We took comfort in the fact that we only had to hear them for 10 minutes (which felt like 700!) and the parents had to hear them for years 🙂 .
How is Christmas celebrated in your neck of the woods? Are you decorating at all? Do you go all out or are you more like us – with zip!, nada..no Christmas tree, not even a mistletoe! ? What do you think of Christmas in Seville?
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We wish you all a very merry Christmas. We hope Santa brings you everything on your wish list and then some. Please be safe as you enjoy the festivities. Remember how lucky you are to be alive and healthy 🙂 . That in itself is a gift. We have already started enjoying our Christmas gift to ourselves – flannel sheets :-). It’s freaking cold in Seville at Christmas time!!!!
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Love the pictures and as always the commentary! There’s a sense of unhurriedness in the street shots.
Enjoy Christmas in Seville…and NOTHING beats flannel sheets when its cold!!!
Thank you Missy! :-). You nailed it with the unhurriedness. People were just there to relax, have a good time and watch the lights. Merry Christmas and my love to all. Yep..absolutely nothing beats flannel sheets. We even bought 2 new pillows since you know who has been jumping on the bed when we’re not home, sneezing and licking his paws..disgusting :-).
It seems pretty warm there, that’s the biggest selling point for me! :)) In our city, we have a similar “Christmas Tree” – I prefer them this way to cutting real trees. Ours looks like a two year old started to throw colors and lights, though, so it’s pretty crazy, with one square glowing green, another blue, another red, another blinking madly… it’s insane! The ones in Sevilla seem to have known better 🙂 I also loved the decorations! So much detail and they’re so beautiful! Simply amazing!
Merry Christmas, Kemkem!
Hahah! I can picture the tree in my head.. 😉 . Perhaps they should have had Eric decorate it..he might have done a better job. I have to say, it looks pretty nice in the city center. I love the fact that you just go to one place and enjoy, so safe and so beautiful. I’m glad we stayed in Seville for the holidays. Merry Christmas C!!!!
It was beautiful! I would like to wander those Christmas Seville streets with my hubby. We’d have such an enjoyable night doing exactly what you did. I really liked the nativities. Mine is from Walgreens. Remember Walgreens here. (I’m sure you do.) Ops, I hear one of those kids crying! Must go!
Oh.. I remember Walgreens very well.. :-). I think you and your hubby would really enjoy it. I was kind of surprised that l enjoyed the nativities. It was fun to see some of them, like the lady working, what talent. It was a nice way to spend the evening for sure :-).
You’re making spain a lot prettier and tastier than LA!
Hahhaah!!! Mission accomplished then! 🙂 😉 🙂 .
Your beautiful photos put me in a festive mood and I understand exactly what you’re saying about being able to feel safe while enjoying the freedom of late night walks around a city. Peace of mind and the ability to feel free from fear are much appreciated! Anita
Thanks for the compliment :-). Glad it put you in the festive mood! Yeah..safety is a big one for us. There is no use trying to enjoy yourself when you have so much anxiety. We’ve been out sometimes at 2am..and felt free. We appreciate our current adopted home 🙂 .
Really beautiful Kemkem! Looks very mild – is the weather always that way this time of year in Spain? I think next year we want to come back to South Africa Jan-Mar but need a temperature place until the new year.
The photos are amazing, city looks stunning.
I hope no crazies shooting anybody down anywhere over Christmas. Or running them over on sidewalks. But that might be asking for too much because there are a lot of miserable people who need to share their misery with the rest of the world.
Enjoy the holidays Kemkem!
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks Frank! Yep. The weather is milder compared to other places. Mornings are chilly, about 50 degrees. It warms up to about 70 during the day and cools down at night again to about 45 degrees. It’s usually colder in the house than outside because of the way the houses are built. Very few with central heating, but portable ones are cheap enough and do a great job along with flannel sheets. I do hope it’s a peaceful holiday for the world. There a lot of evil beings out to make sure that this doesn’t happen, but let us keep on being hopeful. I hope you guys have a wonderful holiday!!!
So gorgeous and the crowds!! Lots of beautiful xmas décor here in the UK but alas the mild weather is not being replicated. Grey skies and rain seem to be the forecasted mood for xmas. Still, it’s ultimately about love, hope and yes, peace. Wish you a very merry one.
Merry Christmas to you! I hope you have a wonderful day, even if the skies are not cooperating. It’s sunny right now here, but there is a little chill in the air. Cold enough in the house that we are lighting a fire, so it feels kind of Christmassy..Yep! It’s about love, hope and peace. Enjoy!!!
Happy Holidays! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. I have been suffering from a lack of festive spirit, as an adult I miss the Christmases of my childhood, I never lacked excitement for the season. That said I was thankful to be able to spend Christmas with my family, in the end I guess that is what matters.
Happy Holidays to you Rachael!!! Sorry to hear your festive spirit has been AWOL :-(. I have to agree with you in saying that the Christmas of our youth was much better than now. We used to go to the village where my parents were born and we would number in hundreds for my family. Christmas day was bathing in sections..at least a thousand guests over the day for lunch, dinner. That was fun!!! Enjoy the family :-).
Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays to you and Federico! xxx
I must say that Seville is looking lovelier and lovelier, especially with the backdrop of the castle and the intricate Christmas nativity sets. Very nice indeed!
We normally go for the full shindig as we still have a (tall) but young child and because we’re bi-cultural, we even celebrate two lots of Xmas – One German on the 24th and one British, on December 25th, complete with Xmas stocking lol!
I always tend to forget that the tall young gentleman is a boy after all, despite the height.. :-). I am sure the memories of the holidays will stay with him forever. They are the best. I still long for the childhood Christmas holidays. Glad that he gets to enjoy it twice. Lucky boy!!!! Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to your family.
‘Same here. ‘Hope you eventually manage to get to Rome albeit after the New Year, but it doesn’t really matter when you arrive as the family will be delighted to see you guys, either way!
p.s. ‘Love the new design with the passport, suitcase & plane!
We will get to Rome soon since all roads lead to Rome..haha :-). The design is old..l just rotate them every so often, but thank you m’lady!!!