It’s Semana Santa in Sevilla. The city is packed and the narrow streets are full of processions. Dressed in long robes and colorful pointed hats, the local brotherhoods are bringing elaborate floats to the cathedral, some of them walking miles in bare feet just to get there.
Semana Santa in Sevilla
It’s been more years than I care to remember since I last spent Semana Santa in Sevilla.
But while I might not remember how long ago my last visit was, I could never forget the somber, haunting processions of the faithful winding their way through the cobbled streets of the city.
Not least because they all look like members of the KKK. Seriously. It takes some getting used to.
Hotel for Semana Santa in Sevilla
My boyfriend and I arrived in Sevilla on Sunday night, just in time to get caught in a massive procession on the Avenida del Cid in the city center.
Fighting our way to our accommodation at Hotel Alfonso XIII, we walked past long rows of brotherhoods carrying four-foot-tall candles to light their way.
Once we had checked into the hotel and gotten situated in our suite, we started to enjoy our three days in Spain for Semana Santa in Sevilla. Our first enjoyment will come as no surprise: tapas.
Best Tapas in Sevilla
For three nights and three days we sampled some of the best tapas in Sevilla. First there was the excellent Rioja and delicious monteditos (tiny sandwiches) at Bar Hijos de E. Morales.
Then came the patatas bravas at La Cava del Europa, the jamon iberico at Las Teresas, and the bunuelos de bacalao (cod fritters) at Bodega Santa Cruz.
As if that wasn’t enough to clog our arteries, we continued Semana Santa in Sevilla with the inventive tapas of Enrique Becerra, where we had an amazing shrimp, potato, and apple salad followed by fried mussels.
From there we sampled more monteditos at Bodega San Jose.
Mercado de Triana
But the best part of our culinary experience in Sevilla was on our final day of Semana Santa in Sevilla.
After following the bad advice in the Lonely Planet guide that led us to the depressing Arenal food market, we thankfully stumbled upon a great market across the river, the Mercado de Triana.
Inside the large building was row after row of delicious ham, wonderfully stinky cheese, freshly baked bread, juicy Rioja, and everything else a picnic could desire.
We stocked up on some of each and spent the afternoon getting sunburned by the Guadalquivir River while enjoying our small but tasty feast.
Sightseeing in Sevilla
But eating wasn’t the only thing to do during Semana Santa in Sevilla. We also spent our fair share of time sightseeing.
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See
On our first day in the city we visited the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See. The church is famous for being the largest cathedral in the world, but we were more amused by the fact that it used to be a mosque.
After our trip to Damascus the previous week where we had seen mosques that used to be churches, it made us laugh to see that phenomenon in reverse.
We spent some time in the cathedral gardens, where the orange trees were heavy with fruit and sweet-smelling flowers.
We then toured the cathedral, including the Giralda tower of former minaret fame. We passed by the tomb of Christopher Columbus, through the beautiful Gothic choir, and back out into the orange-sweet air.
Archivo General de Indias
From there we went to the Archivo General de Indias, a huge collection of archives from the Spanish colonies in the Americas.
There was a temporary exhibition on piracy in the New World, and we spent a good hour reading centuries-old documents, letters, and maps from the former empire.
Alcazar in Sevilla
Later on we visited the Alcazar, the famous palace in Sevilla. A hodge-podge of architectural styles, the Alcazar’s most beautiful features are its Moorish-and-Renaissance courtyards and its seemingly endless gardens.
Parque de Maria Louisa
Speaking of gardens, we also enjoyed a stroll through the Parque de Maria Louisa during Semana Santa in Sevilla. It’s a huge green space full of spring flowers and small ponds. It showed why this is one of the best spring travel destinations.
There seemed to be construction going on in every direction, but we managed to find some peaceful places to sit and watch the birds fly by.
Andalusian Center of Contemporary Art
On our last day we made it a bit further north to the Andalusian Center of Contemporary Art, a museum housed in a former pottery factory that was itself a former monastery.
The art didn’t particularly thrill us, but the monastery was beautiful and it was a nice way to spend a few hours.
Barrio de Santa Cruz in Sevilla
An even nicer way to spend a few hours were the many hours we spent wandering through the tiny colorful alleys of the Barrio de Santa Cruz.
Processions for Semana Santa in Sevilla
Interspersed among all our eating and sightseeing adventures were the continuous processions of brotherhoods walking determinedly towards the cathedral for Semana Santa.
All throughout the city the smell of incense mixed with the fresh scent of orange blossoms to create the unmistakable perfume of Semana Santa in Sevilla.
Bands that marched with the brotherhoods provided a soundtrack of somber melodies in minor keys.
Semana Santa in Sevilla and Beyond
It was with this scent on our noses and that melody in our ears that we left Sevilla after three beautiful days.
Like the Semana Santa processions, we will continue traveling toward our ultimate goal for the Easter holiday.
Only instead of winding up at the cathedral where Christopher Columbus is buried, we will end up in the New World that made him famous. We’re off to San Francisco tomorrow morning, and I can’t wait to be home.
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