about Spring and Sevici…

I am proud to say that spring has finally arrived in Sevilla. Yes, today was a glorious spring day full of sun, blossoms, and sneezes. So glorious that I decided to jump on my Sevici, which made it even more glorious. What is a Sevici you may ask? Well, it is the sah-weet public bicycle system in Sevilla. With just 15 Euros you get a year subscription to the bike system. The program allows you to take a bike at any Sevici location around the city, by simply swiping your card in the machine. For the first 30 minutes the bike is free and then the next hour you pay .50 cents, then each hour after that you pay one Euro. Not too bad, especially considering you can pretty much cross the entire city of Sevilla in 30 minutes. Please note that there are short-term contracts for five Euros a week, but the prices and fees change a bit. You can see all the information about the bikes on Sevici’s website.

The other cool thing is that whenever you want to see if there are bikes available at a station you can check online! One tip if you do have this bike system or are thinking about using a public bike system (they are also available in Paris, London, Lyon, Barcelona, Stockholm, D.C., and the list goes on!) always check the bike carefully before you take it out for a stroll, chains come lose, brakes fail, and bells sometimes don’t ring.

As for the rest, the famous Semana Santa week is starting tomorrow with Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday…or literally translated, Branch Sunday). There is apparently no other Semana Santa like Sevilla’s Semana Santa and I’m anxiously awaiting the processions, celebrations, and fervor I have heard so much about. Although I am in Portugal for most of the week I have heard that Thursday night is one of the best nights, as the processions start at midnight and promenade the tiny calles leading to the notorious and spectacular Catedral. Well, I arrive back here on Thursday so I will be definitely getting some procession action despite scary kkk costumes (it’s tradition, I know, but still…) and potent incense.

Until then… the beach awaits me.
L

Share!

•