The Feria de Abril

Well, I said a little while back that I would write up my experiences of the Feria de Abril in Seville for those of you that may be wondering what it’s all about.  It also gives me a chance to take a break from writing library related posts for a bit and publish a post on something different.  They do say variety is the spice of life.  And hey, who knows, maybe someone will read this post and develop an interest in libraries and the lives and loves of librarians.  We can but hope.  So, the Feria…

La Portada - the main entrance to the Feria

Ferias are held across Spain throughout the year.  They were originally market fairs, but over time have become more about drinking, eating and dancing.  The Feria in Seville is perhaps the best known and largest.  It is held annually, two weeks after Semana Santa (or Holy Week) and lasts 6 days, from Tuesday to Sunday.  Following the sombre processions associated with the Holy Week, the Feria provides a chance for Sevillianos (and tourists!) to let loose and have a good time.

The streets of the Feria

The Feria de Abril occupies a part of the city that is essentially open ground for most of the year.  There has been talk of it being moved to another part of the city to make way for flats or housing, but for now the Feria remains in its usual space.  In terms of size, the Feria is spread over 450,000m², across 15 streets and comprises 1,047 casetas (small stalls with tables, chairs, a wooden platform for dancing and, most importantly, a bar serving food and drink) – some public, some private.  Private casetas are normally operated by groups of private individuals and you are only able to gain entry if you are family or if you are invited.  Fortunately, my father-in-law is part of a group that operates a caseta, so I am allowed entry!  If you are unable to access a private caseta however, there are numerous public casetas operated by professional associations, political parties, trade unions etc.

My father-in-law's caseta

La Portada

At the entrance to the Feria is the ‘Portada’ – a colourful archway that towers above the surrounding casetas.  The portada is slightly different each year, usually commemorating an anniversary of an event linked to Seville or to Spain in general.  Given how it dominates the Feria, it is a handy reference point when you are making your way around the streets and casetas.  Believe me, with the amount of people there it is very easy to lose track of where you are!

It’s not just the Portada that is colourful, vibrant colour hits you wherever you look.  The women dress up in their traditional flamenco dresses (every year there is a slightly different style of dress in fashion – at least so I am told!) in every colour you can possibly imagine.  The casetas are equally colourful as are the paper lanterns that hang overhead.  After the piety of the Semana Santa, it is as if the people of Seville have cut loose in a veritable explosion of colour.

Paper lanterns line the streets

In contrast to the women, the men tend to wear either the traditional ‘traje corto’ or a suit (although there are a number of people who just wear t-shirt and jeans – given the temperatures Seville experiences, who can really blame them?).  Of those that do wear a suit, some also wear either a silver tie pin or a lapel badge in the shape and design of the year’s Portada.  Personally, I tend to wear a shirt and jeans most of the time (I’m not really a suit person and I find it awfully uncomfortable when wearing it for long periods) but on occasion I do wear a suit if I know that I am not likely to be there all day and night – that would not be tolerable!

A Feria tie pin

In general, people tend to arrive at the fair in the afternoon after finishing work.  School children are lucky enough to get the week off so they can also join in the festivities – lucky buggers!  During the morning the site can be rather like a ghost town with barely a soul around, save for the street cleaners and those replacing damaged paper lanterns.  It is not unusual to arrive at the fair early afternoon and stay there right through until the early hours of the next morning, before starting all over the following day throughout the week.  As the evening draws on and more people finish work for the day, the site starts to fill up and the streets become full of people eating, drinking and generally having a good time.

There are a number of stalls selling toys and sweets

One of the most important aspects of the Feria is the Sevilliana.  Sevilliana is a type of dance that, as its name suggests, originates fromSeville.  Normally there is a small raised platform in the caseta for people to dance on and people get up throughout the day (when they are feeling brave enough) and dance Sevilliana.  I can’t pretend to know all the steps so I won’t even bother trying to explain it (or even sharing a video/photo of me attempting it!).  Handily, however, I shot a short video of genuine Sevillianas which is much better than me tying myself in knots trying to explain it.

I have to say it is a pretty impressive sight, seeing a group of Spaniards dancing Sevilliana.  One of the most wonderful moments at our wedding was when the Spanish contingent (some 100 or so) took to the dance floor and danced the Sevilliana.  The non-Spanish guests could only watch in awe.  It was certainly a sight I am unlikely to forget.

Toast topped with salmorejo, serrano ham and a quail's egg

But it’s not just the dancing that makes the Feria such a wonderful experience.  The food is also fantastic. Seville is widely acknowledged as the home of tapas and there is always a fantastic range of dishes on offer.  The best thing about Spanish food is that it is very simple food using the very best ingredients.  Probably my favourite dish this year was Serrano ham on small slices of toast, topped with a quail’s egg – absolutely delicious, I couldn’t get enough of them!  Another favourite of mine is salmorejo.  Salmorejo is basically a cold soup made using bread and tomatoes and normally topped with boiled egg and Serrano ham – again, simple ingredients that make the most delicious dish.  As well as serving as a soup, it is also used as a base for things such as pan de la casa (toast, a layer of salmorejo finished with a slice of Serrano ham).  All this great food is washed down with either manzanilla (a type of sherry) or a mixture of manzanilla and lemonade (a rebujito).  Normally I don’t go for sherry, but sherry over there tends to be a bit drier than the sickly sweet stuff we get over here (the stuff your grandma would love).

Manzanilla - normally served in an iced bucket

As well as the tapas and sherry, another staple of the Feria are churros.  Churros are basically a fried dough (sometimes known as a Spanish doughnut) and they are normally served with a cup of thick, hot chocolate.  Very nice, although perhaps not so good for the diet!

Bunuelos and hot chocolate - bunuelos are similar to churros

I hope this post has given you a taste of what the Feria has to offer.  I absolutely love it and looked forward to it every year (although, due to volcanoes and babies, this is the first one we have been to for three years!).  If this does convince you to join the festivities in the near future, do let me know and we can hook up and I’ll show you around!  At least there will be one private caseta you will be able to get into!

If you want to see more photos, you can view the full set on Flickr.

The Metropol Parasol, Seville

I haven’t forgotten that I was going to write up a post about the Feria, that is on its way once I sort my photos out (I insist on putting them all through Photoshop before I even consider sharing them).  In the meantime, I thought I’d share my thoughts on another part of my trip I was looking forward to: visiting Seville’s new Metropol Parasol.

Under construction....

I have been periodically taking photos of the site during its construction for a little while now, making sure I take a look at the site on each visit to the city.  As well as looking forward to the Feria, I was also quite excited to see what the completed structure would look like.  Probably more excited than the people of Seville – who, apparently, have given it a mixed reception (my father-in-law is not keen on it at all!).  I guess this perhaps unsurprising given that Spain is undergoing an economic crisis (the phrase ‘the crisis’ is often used by Spaniards to describe the current economic situation) and money would probably be better spent on other projects in the city.

The completed structure

The structure itself is pretty impressive.  It is both the largest wooden structure in the world and the largest structure in the world held together by glue.  Yes, the only thing that keeps it together is glue.  Given the temperatures Seville experiences during the summer, the glue had to be tested thoroughly to ensure it was up to the job.  It’s quite amazing to think a structure of this scale could be held together by glue.  Particularly when you consider that there is a rooftop platform to enable visitors to take in a view of the city.  I’m not sure I would feel confident enough to go onto the roof – and that’s not even taking into account my fear of heights!

Underneath the construction there is a small market offering a wide range of fresh food (I saw the most enormous fish I think I had ever seen on one of the stalls).  There are also places to eat and drink dotted around as well, with a small tapas bar at one end of the market.  Above the market on the main floor of the Parasol there is a fairly decent space that has been designed to enable live performances and, below the market, you can view the remains of an old Roman House (discovered a few years before the site was built).

The market underneath the Parasol

I have mixed feelings about the Metropol to be honest.  A part of me loves it for the photographic opportunities it provides and for the welcome shade it offers from the searing Sevillian heat.  A part of me thinks it is a little out of place in a city such as Seville – an old, historic city with little in the way of modern architecture in the main centre (you can see where it is sited on Street View here).  I remember commenting at the time that I felt it would be more at home in a city like Valencia.  That said, it certainly provides an interesting talking point in the city and I’m sure it will divide people for many years to come.

If you want to find out more about the Metropol Parasol, this article provides more information about the structure as well as some fantastic photos.

A Trip to the Library

Today I finally took the time to check out the public library here in Seville.  I have been coming here for around six years now and, until now, I had never been (not helped by the fact that my wife – a Sevilliana – didn’t know where it was!).  So I decided to have a look around and see the similarities and differences with my library back home (which is perhaps unfair as this is one of the largest cities in Spain), particularly in terms of layout and facilities.

After obligingly dumping our bags in the lockers provided, we took a stroll into the main library area.  One of the things that struck me straight away was how clean everything looked.  This was perhaps helped by the fact that the fixtures and fittings were all white (which is presumably a requirement given the fact that Seville hits the 40° mark in the height of summer).  Back home, we have wooden shelving that probably dates from around the 60s.  Although, this is an unfair comparison due to where the library is situated.  It certainly looked quite impressive on first glance, with plenty of seating, as well as a variety of newspapers and magazines for the public. 

There were also a couple of things I noticed that are part of what we are currently trying to achieve in our library.  Firstly, the general shelving.  For a long time, our shelves have been jam-packed with stock that barely shifts.  There has been a general reluctance to weed stock effectively and this has had a knock-on effect with presentation standards.  As a result of a major re-organisation we have managed to get our shelves to be a little more spacious and, consequently, making it easier for users to find the books that they want.  We have particularly tried to keep top shelves free wherever possible to enable us to present front-facing stock, as well as ensure that as much stock as possible is within easy reach of the borrower.  Although our shelves don’t quite look like those pictured from the public library in Seville, the layout is not entirely dis-similar.

As well as the shelving, I also noticed that they had one main desk for dealing with new joins, issues and discharges.  I am of the belief that, from a customer point of view, this is preferable to the layout at my current library of a main desk at one side of the library with an attached enquiry desk, and a reception desk near the front door.  Personally, I believe this leads to confusion as a member of the public unfamiliar with the layout is not really sure where to go.  The reception desk deals only with issuing library cards, the enquiry desk with ordering (as well as the obvious!) and the counter deals with issuing and discharging.  Meaning that should a customer wish to join, take out some books and order a book, s/he would need to approach three different desks, each time being re-directed.  Not exactly an efficient service.

Finally, and most surprising, was the difference regarding public access PCs.  Due to my particular interest in the digital divide and access to information, I was surprised to see only ten computer terminals in the public area that were for general use (ie not simply for the library catalogue).  This surprised me because we have as many in our library, and yet our library is significantly smaller.  In contrast to my library, there was no children’s terminal in the children’s area whatsoever (although the children’s library did look quite good – if a little sterile with all the white).  I’m not sure if this is because computer terminals were trialled and were not overly successful, or whether there hasn’t been the will (or financial capability) to install computer terminals.  Whatever the reasoning, it was a little odd to see that a large public library, within one of the largest cities in Spain, has such limited internet provision.

Anyway, having completed my mission to visit the local public library, I can now enjoy the rest of my holiday and forget about libraries for a while longer.  I’ve got some sun to catch and some beer to drink!