I can just smell the incense and hear the processions coming! What excitement fills the crowded streets in Spain. Here comes the exquisite processions with the men holding the display for us all to see. The music gets louder and louder and the streets fill, and our mouths become silent in awe of what we see before us.
This is the week, or Holy Week I had celebrated in Seville, Spain in 2019. A huge and crowded festival followed by breathtaking processions. It filled the streets; the crowds were everywhere and made it hard to see. The trick was being in the right place at the right time.
This was my first time to Spain, and I fell in love with the town and the country. I enjoyed the food and had some favorite dishes. I liked the paella of course, but found out that is only for lunchtime (sad) and a spinach dish with chickpeas. Also, tapas is a great way to try lots of food and spend time with your friends. We ate tapas numerous times throughout this trip.
Immediately we decided we were in love with Spain. It is a beautiful and extremely picturesque country; the streets are beautifully paved, with pops of red and pink everywhere. Flamenco dancers bring in the crowds while you are going for a stroll in the park. It is easy to walk everywhere and take all the photos you want! I found for the locals to be friendly, maybe they were looking forward to the processions of Semana Santa just like me. My friends and I stayed in a dormitory hostel and Spain has very good hostels, clean, trendy, terrace view, and many people to meet. We spent the first half of our week in week in Seville, the other part in Malaga, and lastly ended our trip in Seville again for Easter.
In Malaga, we arrived on the day of a special procession that started at midnight and went until maybe four in the morning. We decided to stay up into the late hours watching the processions and trying to navigate around in a new city. In the town of Malaga there were parks everywhere, street art, musicians playing beautiful melodies, and people to see everywhere. In Malaga we watched the processions, walked around, ate delicious food in the parks, had tapas at night, went to a famous viewpoint, and relaxed on the beachfront. We collected shells, had great conversations, and enjoyed the nature and views of Malaga.
The processions were filled with dramatic music, the smell of incense, and the crowds all gathering to see. It was amazing, there were tons of men holding the display and they all walked in order which created a unique sway to add to the drama. There would be people in the processions who carried candles, bells, or were playing music. I saw the kids collect the wax from the candles to create the biggest creation of wax to compete with their peers.
Procession, Seville
Procession, Malaga late in the night
There honestly is so much to do in Spain. Other places I had seen was the Alcazar Palace, tapa bars, and the Picasso museum. The Palace is a popular tourist attraction and we waited in line forever to just get to the door. It was worth the wait and if you have a tight schedule I recommend you buy the ticket beforehand. The Picasso museum was in Malaga and was very amazing to see. The art was beautiful and we got to learn about Picasso's life.
I want to visit Spain again as I had an amazing experience with Semana Santa. I enjoyed the food, the walking culture, the parks, the picturesque towns, and just amazing Spanish culture. I loved the sights, parks, and flamenco dancers. I have to go and see more of the cities in Spain and will definitely come back again someday.
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