This year, Feria fashion has some interesting trends. The first is black – this isn’t a colour I’ve seen much in previous years, but this year there were a number of black trajes de flamenca. Maybe they’re a commentary on…
How I know it’s spring
So spring started at 6.14am last Tuesday. Here’s how I know my favourite season of the year here in Seville has arrived. It’s all about smells, sounds and colour. Flowers: sweet-scented blossom everywhere – azahar, the orange blossom with pretty white…
Updating a classic
This week, the Alfonso XIII hotel in Seville reopened after a major refurbishment. This landmark luxury hotel, one of the most famous in Spain, had been closed since the end of May last year. When I first heard about the…
Ups and downs
Lately, my life seems to be a series of peaks and troughs. Nothing dramatic, thankfully – no deaths or major illnesses, or serious disasters. Just one of those times when a week without anything going wrong represents an unusual, and…
The royal postperson comes to town: “Is it cos I is black?”
On 6 January the Reyes Magos (Three Wise Men, or Three Kings) visit towns and villages throughout Spain, arriving by helicopter, boat, elephant or camel, depending on the extent of each ayuntamiento (town hall)’s budget deficit. This is the biggest day…