A Strange Weekend in Seville
Yes, we did. Our family traveled hundreds of kilometers to Seville as life ground to a halt in Spain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before detailing our bizarre weekend, I want to describe our thinking heading into the trip. I do so, not to defend our decision to travel, but to record for my own memory and to communicate to others how we were processing these unprecedented times.
I am writing this post in late April, but we left for Seville on March 13. To understand our perspective at the time, one has to travel back to the days before the world shut down and daily life changed at a drastic rate. The overall attitude in Southern Spain seemed to be that, while the situation was escalating in Madrid, daily life should be able to mostly continue as normal. Conversations were about whether Spaniards would be able to continue their customary warm greetings, with kisses on both cheeks, not about whether we were on the brink of a worldwide lockdown.
On Friday morning, I went to the school where I volunteer once per week. Once there, I learned that all schools in Andalusia, the state in which we live, would be closed for two weeks. Later, I received an email that the Alcazar palace in Seville would be closed and our reservations would be refunded. However, the flamenco show that we planned to attend on Saturday night was still playing. We had to leave for our bus fifteen minutes after I returned home, so Becky and I didn't really have too much time to discuss the situation, other than that we both wanted to keep our plans to travel to Seville.
Some might still be wondering why we would take the risk to travel to Seville. Sharing some thoughts on risk is relevant here. First, there is no such thing as a risk free position. We can try to make wise decisions and reduce risk, but it is impossible to completely eliminate it. Second, I recognize that people are comfortable with different levels of risk and that I am probably on the higher end of that scale. After all, this whole sabbatical adventure - in which I left an enjoyable teaching position, we rented out our house to strangers, and we entered a new country and culture - required taking some risks.
When calculating the risks and benefits of traveling to Seville, I thought of them in two categories: risks to our family and risks to others. I reasoned that the risks to our family were close to zero. There were very few COVID-19 cases in Andalusia and every member in our family was low risk to have severe complications if we were to become infected. I also felt that the risks to others were low enough to allow us to travel to Seville. At that time, only 0.005% of people in Málaga province and 0.001% of people in Seville province had confirmed COVID-19 infections. I felt the chance that we would spread the virus during our trip was very low. I would not be offended if someone told me that we made the wrong decision and am open to the possibility that my calculus was off, but that is what I was thinking at the time that we made our choice to travel.
With that in mind, we arrived in Seville late on Friday evening, there was no sign that the country was on the verge of a shutdown. There was plenty of activity to be seen as our taxi dropped us off at our AirBnb apartment near the city center. As we went to bed that night, we were still ignorant of what has about to happen not only the rest of the weekend, but in the coming weeks.
The next morning, we were having difficulty turning on the stovetop range, so we had to contact our AirBnb host. She let us know that someone would come to look at the stove, but also that the government had just announced a state of alarm for the entire country. She said that people were supposed to stay in their homes, but there were still plenty of people out and about.
We figured that we didn't come to Seville to sit in an apartment, so we might as well go out and see what we could of the city. We walked through the city center towards Parque de Maria Luisa, home to the historic Plaza de Espana and several fountains. Though we didn't know if it would truly be possible, we enticed the girls with the possibility of playing in the fountains. We experienced a few starts and stops, but finally made it to the entrance only to find the gates of the park firmly locked. We were dismayed and disappointed, as were several other groups of tourists.
With no other choice, we regrouped, made a quick change of plans, and walked back towards our apartment along the Sevilla-Bonanza Canal. It was a beautiful, sunny day and lots of people were still out walking or riding bicycles along the water. The girls found some small fountains near a restaurant to play in and some sculptures to play on.
After making it back to our apartment, I decided to go out for a run to see more of the city. As I wound through the narrow streets of Seville, the locals were still congregating at local cafes and bars. With map in hand, I purposely lost myself in the heart of the city and then enjoyed the challenge of finding my way back home.
We were glad that the flamenco show was still going on as planned. Teatro Flamenco Triana was located in one of the old neighorhoods of Seville, which we felt added to the authenticity of the experience. We were the first ones in the theater and there couldn't have been more than 10 people when the show started. Don't worry, we were definitely following the social distancing guidelines. The show was incredible! It consisted of a male dancer, a female dancer, a singer, and a guitarist. The skill and passion with which they played and danced was amazing. The rythmic pounding of the dancers shoes was a little loud for Evelyn, but she liked to watch the female dancer whip the train of her dress and her shawl. Lydia fell asleep halfway through the show despite the loud dancing and singing. It was definitely one of the best things that we have seen in Spain.
When we arose the next day, the atmosphere in the city was very different. The streets were much more deserted. Police were starting to question people who were out and about. We had hoped to rent bikes for the day and ride along the canal and river that wind through the city, but all the bike rental shops were closed. We were concerned that the authorities might stop regional bus travel if we waited until our planned departure on Monday, so we decided to leave a day early. The bus ride back was a bit eerie. There were probably no more than 12 people on the bus, evenly spread throughout the seats for social distancing.
Although we were disappointed to have our trip cut short, we were thankful to make it back to our apartment. We couldn't have imagined getting stranded in Seville and needing to scramble to find housing accomodations. Although, we were not looking forward to starting the lockdown on Monday, we were thankful to be at our home in Spain with its sunny terraces.
As we prepare for the end of the lockdown in Spain in mid-May, we are hopeful that we will be able to return to some sense of normalcy. Yet, we know that in some ways the warm, vibrant Spain that we love won't fully return before we have to leave at the end of June. Sadly, it seems that in some ways, this trip to Seville will end up being our last dance.
I am writing this post in late April, but we left for Seville on March 13. To understand our perspective at the time, one has to travel back to the days before the world shut down and daily life changed at a drastic rate. The overall attitude in Southern Spain seemed to be that, while the situation was escalating in Madrid, daily life should be able to mostly continue as normal. Conversations were about whether Spaniards would be able to continue their customary warm greetings, with kisses on both cheeks, not about whether we were on the brink of a worldwide lockdown.
On Friday morning, I went to the school where I volunteer once per week. Once there, I learned that all schools in Andalusia, the state in which we live, would be closed for two weeks. Later, I received an email that the Alcazar palace in Seville would be closed and our reservations would be refunded. However, the flamenco show that we planned to attend on Saturday night was still playing. We had to leave for our bus fifteen minutes after I returned home, so Becky and I didn't really have too much time to discuss the situation, other than that we both wanted to keep our plans to travel to Seville.
Some might still be wondering why we would take the risk to travel to Seville. Sharing some thoughts on risk is relevant here. First, there is no such thing as a risk free position. We can try to make wise decisions and reduce risk, but it is impossible to completely eliminate it. Second, I recognize that people are comfortable with different levels of risk and that I am probably on the higher end of that scale. After all, this whole sabbatical adventure - in which I left an enjoyable teaching position, we rented out our house to strangers, and we entered a new country and culture - required taking some risks.
When calculating the risks and benefits of traveling to Seville, I thought of them in two categories: risks to our family and risks to others. I reasoned that the risks to our family were close to zero. There were very few COVID-19 cases in Andalusia and every member in our family was low risk to have severe complications if we were to become infected. I also felt that the risks to others were low enough to allow us to travel to Seville. At that time, only 0.005% of people in Málaga province and 0.001% of people in Seville province had confirmed COVID-19 infections. I felt the chance that we would spread the virus during our trip was very low. I would not be offended if someone told me that we made the wrong decision and am open to the possibility that my calculus was off, but that is what I was thinking at the time that we made our choice to travel.
With that in mind, we arrived in Seville late on Friday evening, there was no sign that the country was on the verge of a shutdown. There was plenty of activity to be seen as our taxi dropped us off at our AirBnb apartment near the city center. As we went to bed that night, we were still ignorant of what has about to happen not only the rest of the weekend, but in the coming weeks.
The next morning, we were having difficulty turning on the stovetop range, so we had to contact our AirBnb host. She let us know that someone would come to look at the stove, but also that the government had just announced a state of alarm for the entire country. She said that people were supposed to stay in their homes, but there were still plenty of people out and about.
We figured that we didn't come to Seville to sit in an apartment, so we might as well go out and see what we could of the city. We walked through the city center towards Parque de Maria Luisa, home to the historic Plaza de Espana and several fountains. Though we didn't know if it would truly be possible, we enticed the girls with the possibility of playing in the fountains. We experienced a few starts and stops, but finally made it to the entrance only to find the gates of the park firmly locked. We were dismayed and disappointed, as were several other groups of tourists.
 |
| Parque de Maria Luisa was locked upon arrival. You can see an abandoned scooter in the background. |
With no other choice, we regrouped, made a quick change of plans, and walked back towards our apartment along the Sevilla-Bonanza Canal. It was a beautiful, sunny day and lots of people were still out walking or riding bicycles along the water. The girls found some small fountains near a restaurant to play in and some sculptures to play on.
 |
| Evelyn and Lydia enjoyed playing on scultures on a sunny day in Seville. |
After making it back to our apartment, I decided to go out for a run to see more of the city. As I wound through the narrow streets of Seville, the locals were still congregating at local cafes and bars. With map in hand, I purposely lost myself in the heart of the city and then enjoyed the challenge of finding my way back home.
We were glad that the flamenco show was still going on as planned. Teatro Flamenco Triana was located in one of the old neighorhoods of Seville, which we felt added to the authenticity of the experience. We were the first ones in the theater and there couldn't have been more than 10 people when the show started. Don't worry, we were definitely following the social distancing guidelines. The show was incredible! It consisted of a male dancer, a female dancer, a singer, and a guitarist. The skill and passion with which they played and danced was amazing. The rythmic pounding of the dancers shoes was a little loud for Evelyn, but she liked to watch the female dancer whip the train of her dress and her shawl. Lydia fell asleep halfway through the show despite the loud dancing and singing. It was definitely one of the best things that we have seen in Spain.
 |
| Pictures were not allowed at Teatro Flamenco Triana, but the female dancer is the one who performed during our show. |
When we arose the next day, the atmosphere in the city was very different. The streets were much more deserted. Police were starting to question people who were out and about. We had hoped to rent bikes for the day and ride along the canal and river that wind through the city, but all the bike rental shops were closed. We were concerned that the authorities might stop regional bus travel if we waited until our planned departure on Monday, so we decided to leave a day early. The bus ride back was a bit eerie. There were probably no more than 12 people on the bus, evenly spread throughout the seats for social distancing.
 |
| The normally bustling central commercial district in Seville was vacant on Sunday morning. |
Although we were disappointed to have our trip cut short, we were thankful to make it back to our apartment. We couldn't have imagined getting stranded in Seville and needing to scramble to find housing accomodations. Although, we were not looking forward to starting the lockdown on Monday, we were thankful to be at our home in Spain with its sunny terraces.
As we prepare for the end of the lockdown in Spain in mid-May, we are hopeful that we will be able to return to some sense of normalcy. Yet, we know that in some ways the warm, vibrant Spain that we love won't fully return before we have to leave at the end of June. Sadly, it seems that in some ways, this trip to Seville will end up being our last dance.
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