Plaza Nueva

Love at first sight.

That certain “je ne sais quoi” that draws you to someone, to something or to somewhere. It's not anything specific, it may be beauty, maybe a fragrance, maybe a vibe, maybe a flow or movement. The butterflies in your stomach, the quickened heart rate. It's intangible but magnetic.

Whatever it is, Brenda felt it the moment we set foot in Seville. In fact, the first signs of infatuation were uttered as our bus entered into the city. Neat rows of palm trees dividing the four lane highway and a sense of cleanliness and civic pride that was somehow lacking in other cities we've visited on this trip. “Oh Roch, it's so pretty!”

As we walked to our apartment we saw scores of the now familiar Seville orange trees laden with their bitter fruit. Bodegas, tapas bars, pastelarias and Mom and Pop fruit stands were everywhere. “Isn't it beautiful? I love it here!”

We arrived at our apartment, checked in and quickly unpacked. It was a tiny place, equipped with a Murphy bed and all the essentials we needed for our seven days here. It was, however , located in the Macarena district, a vibrant and very happening part of the city. A bodega right across the street, a cafe around the corner and the municipal market two minutes away. “Roch, this place is perfect. I could see us spending a lot of time here!”

We set off to explore the old city, a fifteen minute walk from our place. The streets are all narrow and cobbled and seem to be laid out completely haphazardly. Without a map one would get turned around and become hopelessly lost in very short order. Time after time the maze would open up into a plaza with a fountain surrounded by cafes and bodegas whose tables were filled with Sevillians and tourists alike, sheltered from the afternoon sun by parasols emblazoned with the name of the local cerveza, Campo Cruz. The buildings are all decorated in typical Mediterranean colors of powder blue, ochre, and sunshine yellow. The cathedral, awe inspiring in it's size and powerful Gothic design, so brought to mind Batman's Gotham City that I expected to see the Caped Crusader perched atop one of the spires. And refreshingly, unlike Malaga, despite this being Sunday, all the eating and drinking establishments are open and brimming with diners. “Wow, this is so lively compared to Malaga!”

We walked across the bridge into Triana, which was at one time the seat of the Spanish Inquisition. The shops and homes all along the Triana riverfront are picture postcard pretty. The colors are reminiscent of San Francisco's painted ladies, but the architecture is decidedly Mediterranean. “It's soooo beautiful! What's wrong with you? Don't you love it here?”

As we saunter through Triana we find the cafes and restaurants even busier than those in the old town and we discover that each one appears to have a specialty that all the diners have ordered. This cafe had fried sardines, that restaurant served squid, the one over there has paella, and this bodega has Iberian ham. “Roch, you've got to love this place. It's so fun!”

A couple of days later, as I stood window shopping outside a real estate office, I called to Brenda, “Come look at this cute little apartment we can get for only €40,000.00.”

I guess I fell in love with Sevilla too.Read more