A Week of Leisure

We covered so much of Sevilla on foot and by bus in the last few days that we are becoming intimately familiar with its tiny streets and the lovely old mansions, palaces, buildings, and parks.  This city seems to reflect old Spanish culture more than any other Spanish city we have visited.  Here the architecture is unmistakably Spanish.  Many, many buildings are painted in traditional colors of white and deep yellow with red accents—not my favorite color combinations but pretty just the same.  Add balconies, window boxes with radiant geraniums, and wrought iron window trim, and anyone just dropped here could recognize Seville by these elements alone.

I read a thought-provoking introductory passage to an exhibit in the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions visit to Maria Luisa Park that asks, “Can Cultural Heritage Be  A Tool of Social Transformation”  Here’s an excerpt of the narrative:   “Our world today is permeated by the globalization logic of the market, which aims to impose a single cultural model.  This homogenizing process displaces traditional knowledge, threatening to eradicate countless ritual, productive and expressive activities, and their underlying biocultural systems.”  —– Please think about that and let that soak in a moment.

Its exhibit illustrated the cultural diversity of Andalusia and the preservation of its intangible heritage.  Tradition is strong here.  It is reflected in the music, in the Flamenco, their celebrations, their festivals, and of course the food.  Andalusians are a proud bunch.

I am all for progress!  A good friend once said to me, “I love seeing people spend money.”  The phrase meant the world is spinning around and going forward.  I agree.  But I was moved by the concept of the homogenization of cultures.  Why do we seem to insist on that?  For example, church revivals seem no longer important – does any church still hold them?  Sunday dinners have almost gone away.  Where are In the past few days we have explored several Sevilla museums and parks.  They are fantastic but more about that later.  We found all the important markets and shopping areas.  News Flash: Ladies’ tan athletic shoes and black & tan ones are the new things. . . at least in Europe. 

We navigated our way to the two bus stations and the train station in preparation for some upcoming day trips via bus and train.  And we saw a superb Flamenco performance last Friday evening,   It was even better than the show we saw in Madrid a few years ago.  There were only four performers, a soloist, a guitarist, a male dancer, and a woman dancer.  In the one-hour show, the soloist sang loud and strong laments and kept time clapping while the guitarist played intricate music as if he had twenty fingers.  He alone plucked complicated, romantic. and enchanting music from his one guitar.  The dancers . . . oh the dancers!  Wearing beautiful flamenco dresses with great ruffles that lady could kick up those immense ruffles up to her shoulder on a turn.  She charmed us, persuaded us, seduced us, and made us cry.  Then the man showed us his bravado, and also his tender side.  As this tall, slender proud man danced, he clicked the heels and toes of his boots in time to the music.  It made us admire and want him then made us sad and broke our hearts. Flamenco!  Amazing Flamenco!

And in addition . . . every chance we got, we simply stayed at home and enjoyed this almost perfect weather by the pool listening to great books.  This time of year, a day is finally warm at 11 am and starts cooling down at  2 pm.  Ahhh!  Jackets are needed in the morning, short sleeves at noon, and jackets again by five.  Natural air conditioning!