April 2026
This city was visited as part of a Spanish tapas tour in the style of Erasmus: Madrid, Granada, Sevilla, Córdoba, Barcelona
Sevilla seemed strange right away. First of all, we had been planning our accommodations for several months before the trip. Sevilla turned out to be twice as expensive as everywhere else. We couldn’t figure out why for a long time, but somewhere halfway through the trip, it became clear
Sevilla greets you right at the train station with huge highways outside
You walk for about fifteen minutes under the scorching sun; there isn’t a single tree, but there is the noise of 4–6 lanes of traffic
On your last breath, you somehow make it to the center
At first glance, the center seems pretty normal, though it does stink sometimes
Then you get to the very heart of the city and realize why hotel prices are so sky-high. It’s all about football. Football is, of course, a cultural sport, so I’ve never seen such a mess in my entire 35 years
You could totally put pictures like this in Russian newspapers in articles about a decaying Europe. Or you could say, “This is how they live now that refugees have flooded in. We really shouldn’t let anyone in here at all."
Also, as we’ve already learned in other articles about Spain, an old Spanish tradition is driving through terrifyingly narrow streets in a taxi. Blocking the entire road, not letting anyone pass—and everything’s fine, no pasa nada
As I was walking around the city, I realized that it’s not just about football
The next day, the Sevilla Feria was set to begin. It’s a festival where all the men dress up in men’s costumes, while the women dress up as MILFs, and they just wander around this beautiful city of highways
On the other hand, if you can make it past the ten-lane roads, you can end up in a really beautiful park
But credit where credit is due. Sevilla had a certain southern charm; even under the scorching sun, you can feel that the city has its own character
We arrived at a square designed to showcase all of Spain’s major cities. So, each bench had a drawing, apparently telling a story about each city
I also saw some street flamenco; to be honest, there wasn’t much to watch, but I did notice one interesting technical detail. You always have to watch where the performers’ eyes are directed. That way, you can tell who exactly in the group is setting the rhythm. Sometimes it’s the dancer’s feet, sometimes the guitarist’s hands—in short, it’s always different, even if the songs seem exactly the same
It turns out we were in a military zone
And this is what Granada looks like—perhaps the most beautiful city in Spain that I’ve seen so far
The historic center isn’t that big, and the regular city center looks just like any other city center
For some reason, it was in Sevilla that I saw a lot of advertisements on the rooftops
I was on my way to my favorite Mercadona store to buy a Spanish tortilla; nobody has thought about pedestrians in this city yet
We also decided to visit a neighborhood where ordinary people live. It’s okay, but nothing special
Prices aren’t higher or lower, and the food isn’t tastier or worse. You can live here, you can eat here. Patatas bravas are really just plain old potatoes
But the main thing about Sevilla is that almost all restaurants have trash cans under the tables where you can throw away any kind of trash
Sevilla in the evening was nice because even more people were out on the streets walking around
Some Catholics were partying harder than anyone else
In the photo, it might seem like everyone is dressed up, but I think that’s specifically because of the holiday. In reality, I’m a bit disappointed in the Spanish appearance; I always thought there were only handsome guys, lovers, and hot Latinas here. In reality, many have weight issues; Paris and Prague are way more beautiful overall than all of Spain
The photo captures the vibe a bit, but it doesn’t capture the noise. The noise the Spaniards make is something very special—you don’t find anything like it anywhere else (play it in the background)
We also visited a mosque and some cathedrals, but there’s not much to say about them. Everything is just the same as everywhere else in this part of the country
Ceilings, tiles, walls, courtyards
By the way, the cathedral offers views of Sevilla, but I didn’t see anything special from them
Holy water is sold in the cathedral restroom, but it’s actually Coca-Cola
The cathedral is just a cathedral—it’s beautiful, but only fans will appreciate it
It’s pleasant to walk around the center of Sevilla, but that’s about it
You couldn’t guess where I was just from this one photo
The unique features were actually in the small details, but perhaps many of them were just part of the holiday atmosphere
And the main feature of Spain, of course, remains the huge lines for the train, because they absolutely have to check your luggage—just in case there are underwear in it
