Donde vives?

How do you say “amazing hosts” in Spanish? We stayed with some when we first arrived in Sevilla. Lino, who is in Brad’s program at UCLA, graciously offered us housing at his family’s home in Sevilla. When you’re in a strange new place, breaking bread with a family in their home can truly warm your heart and lift your spirits.

With Livia and Lino before our first meal in Sevilla.

Lino’s parents are professionals who work hard, but know how to relax and enjoy a 3-hour lunch in their beautiful jardín (garden). Lino’s Mom owns her own company and travels all over the world. She speaks excellent English, which was a relief for me. Lino’s Dad and sister (Livia) speak a little English too. So, with my tiny bit of Spanish, we all got along splendidly.

Speaking of Lino’s darling sister, she just turned 11 on Sunday! And, we were invited to her birthday party – what a treat. The party involved several rambunctious 11-year-olds, soccer, swimming in the pool, a huge pan of paella, a piñata and perfect weather.

When Brad and I arrived in Sevilla, we needed an apartment, bank account, cell phones, internet connection and a street map. Lino did not balk for one second at how high maintenance we were. He had already arranged for us to see 3 apartments the first night we were in town! Then, when we decided on an apartment, he went with us to the real estate agency to be our advocate throughout a very convoluted process.

Supper in our piso: manchego cheese, chorizo sausage, bread and wine
We may only have 2 electric stove burners, no oven and no microwave. But, we have a washer/dryer!!!

A blanket for the bed will definitely be our next big purchase . . .

Our little piso (apartment) is quite lovely and it is in “El Centro” – the center of Sevilla! We are a 1 minute walk from the river (Guadalquivir) and a 15 minute walk from the cathedral downtown. The cathedral is the 3rd largest cathedral in the world and it is situated right next to the archive (Archivo de Indias) where Brad is researching.

On the left, the cathedral; on the right, the Archivo de Indias

Sevilla is a beautiful city with beautiful people. We have yet to do the tourist thing, but, by not having a car, we are discovering many hidden treasures throughout the city. I learn a lot about Sevilla simply by going to put more euros on my cell phone, finding a shortcut through a plaza or shopping for milk.

At the Plaza de España
Items for sale at a souvenir shop

Speaking of shopping, another quirky thing about Spain: no concept of customer service. The silver lining is that no one is speaking to me in Spanish when I step into a store. In the U.S., a retail person might say, “Now you lemme know if there’s any I can do ya’ fer, honey!” If someone said that to me in Spanish, I would be dumfounded and have no response. But in Spain, they just tell you how much you owe for your purchases. Now if I could just learn my numbers, I’d be set . . .