The Paseo, Seville, Andalusia, Spain

This could become a habit, the evening paseo, we so enjoyed our first occasion. This one is also on a weekday evening.  I suspect the weekends will be jammed with folks by comparison.  The city life here is so vibrant - people walking and talking, motioning and laughing, all with a passion specific to the Seville culture. The French call it "joie de vivre," I'm not sure if the Spanish have a similar term but, they certainly have the attitude.



I feel dowdy in my faded black jeans among all these dapper and well dressed Sevillianos.



The shop windows are filled with dramatic and eye-catching clothes for both women and men. Although I'm not much of a shopper (and certainly no fashionista - my LL Bean fleece is definitely out of place here), the posted prices for most things seem generally reasonable.



Every corner brings a new vision - and people everywhere on another weekday evening. Note the clock shows 10pm local time - time to find some dinner.



This dapper dude at an outdoor cafe is enjoying coffee and a cigarette - a popular combo here.  No smoking permitted inside restaurants/bars but, it is permitted at the outdoor tables. It is cold enough for hats, coats, and scarves (50's F) but no one wears gloves.



This watering hole was jammed with hundreds of twenty-somethings drinking beers and chatting away, solving all the world's problems as only the idealism of youth can do.



Here's one of the few thirty-somethings (in the blue coat) also having a beer with the youngsters. Some of you will recognize her.



I enjoyed the ambiance of this corner area.  And an image catching two people walking perfectly in step can seldom be repeated -  they are so perfectly aligned it looks fake.



The entire range of humanity from babies and toddlers to the most senior are all out and about in the evenings. Kids seem to be in tow with their parents regardless the hour. Observing parenting I see clear differences from the American culture: parents here are attentive but more passive, seldom prone to yell at their kids in public, more inclined to give them free reign to learn about life, less fearful something "bad" will happen. I like it.



This dramatic wooden structure is the Metropol Parasol located in La Encarnación Plaza. It is one of the largest wooden structures in the world. Controversial for it's modern appearance in the old town section of Seville, the building is popularly known as Las Setas de la Encarnación (Incarnación's Mushrooms).



For dinner, we managed to score the table at the end of the bar which gave me a good vantage point of the whole restaurant. Yes, more tapas.



Later, walking home, I liked this photo over the bar in a closed restaurant showing bulls in a pasture - much better for my vegan sensibilities than seeing them in a bullring fighting for their lives.