Miko and Me: Party Time

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Party Time

Seville – the land of the Moors, Opulent, Baroque, Labyrinths and most of all FLAMENCO!

Basilica de la Macarena. I'm sorry, from the moment I was in this Basilica, that nasty little ear-worm started up in my head. Curse you Macarena! I was surprised that this church was built in the 1940s. The Basilica seemed like most other Basilicas until you get up to the front. There is a statue up front, the Virgin of Hope of Macarena – a 17^th century statue of the Virgin Mary. She is also depicted as Our Lady of Sorrows, characterized by her weeping expression with realistic crystal teardrops. She is probably one of the most revered figures in Roman Catholicism especially during Holy Week processions. The procession begins at midnight on Good Friday and lasts approximately 12 to 14 hours. Evidently, the statue is put on a massive silver and gold float and decorated with thousands of candles and other massive structures. The whole setup weighs about 4,400 pounds and requires 54 people to carry it.

Virgin of Hope of Macarena

You could climb up into a room behind the Virgin. She was massive and sparkly.

Another glittery Virgin

Wandered around a lot of small little alleys - they were all super clean

Lunch - Shrimp and Artichokes

The Plaza de Espana, built in 1928, for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. You can rent a little boat or take a short carriage ride around the plaza. It might be more famous as a filming location for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. It was Planet Naboo.

I was fortunate enough to be in Seville for the April Fair (Feria de Abril de Sevilla). This is a week long celebration with round-the-clock music, dancing and parading. There are over 1000 party tents put up in the fairgrounds. Most of them are private but there are a few public tents that tourists can go into. Food, liquor, music - 1000 parties going on. Since Seville is the home of Flamenco, the women dress up in their amazing flamenco dresses. During the day, there are daily parades of horses and carriages cruising up and down the streets.