The week started off like many before it;

Street musicians

Enjoying the scenes of the city, especially now that they are coming alive with color

Soon hints of Feria started to emerge.

We had a plan. Not knowing what to expect, we made a scouting day trip to Feria so we could get the lay of the land and make the most of our casita dinner reservation later in the week. We knew things would be different as we approached the taxi line and waited 45 minutes for the taxi, horse drawn carriages would go by.

Once in the taxi, traffic was a mix of old and new

And once we arrived, we understood what all the fuss was about.

Féria de Abril dates back to the 1800’s and consists of over 1000 “casitas” or party tents in a 20 acre village. It is a celebration of all things flamenco and the Andalucía culture. It has all the sights (and smells) of another era centered around horses and carriages. When we first arrived in Sevilla, we prepared for Feria by purchasing clothes more appropriate for the occasion.

Some pictures from that day

But the real party is at night

And dinner! First there was a pitcher of the traditional sherry spritz, Rebujito, put before us. I took it on as a personal challenge! Then the food started to flow. Starting with Jamon followed by courses of cheese, salad, peel and eat shrimp, mussels, oysters , a plate of different fried seafood, it was when they were bringing the steak that we threw in the towel. We only had room for postre.

Although we really did not fit in, it was fun and an experience not to be missed.

So how do you follow an evening like that? First you do a yoga class to work through the effects of the pitcher of Rebujitos, then on your evening stroll you find a cocktail bar based on the voyages of Marco Polo. The drinks are inspired by different chapters of the book that chronicled his adventures. Becky had the Chapter One served in a glass globe with a ship in it.

I went for Chapter Forty One. Not sure were he was at that time, but Mezcal was involved.

At this point we are entering our last week with no pending events or real plans. But something tells me we’ll be alright.