March, 2017; Sevilla, Spain
Dan & Betsy, 4 year old son, 2 year old daughter
Here’s a nice follow-up to Sunday’s post Travel Principle: Get out of your comfort zone.
The morning after our potty catastrophe near miss, we loaded up all our luggage and boarded a high-speed train to Sevilla. Dan sent our Airbnb host a quick text of our arrival time and she responded in kind and then asked if we were interested in seeing a flamenco show that night?
Our day to that point (8am):
Wake up. Go to the bathroom. Eat breakfast. Wash dishes. Brush teeth. Pack luggage. Double check apartment for belongings. Go to the bathroom again. Walk (briskly) to the train station. Wait in security. Board train. Go to the bathroom again.
What still remained:
Ride for 3 hours. Get to apartment. Unpack. Go to the bathroom. Get groceries. Prepare for next day in Sevilla.
…and now you think we want to go to a flamenco show?
Actually, we were hesitant because we had read how it’s kind of a tourist trap, and we were worried it might be cheesy and not kid-friendly. We should probably pass.
“No problem,” she said. “If you change your mind, it’s a friend of mine performing, tonight at 19:00 (7pm). I think the kids will love it. Just let me know and I’ll make the reservations for you.”
7pm? That’s helpful. Kid-friendly and a friend of yours?? Shoot, why are we missing a chance to experience flamenco dancing in Sevilla?! (17€ ($20) per ticket).
We try to take a bias toward action in this unsure moments. We still weren’t completely sold, having unpacking, groceries and various bathroom runs with the kids still in our immediate future. But off we walked into the beautiful Sevilla evening, on our way to seeing our first flamenco show.
Showtime
The venue was intimate and comfortable. Maybe 40 folding chairs surrounding a small elevated stage. The lights dimmed and a handsome bearded man with a guitar came on stage, took a seat, and explained to the audience what flamenco is, why it is important to the people of Andalucia and that he would be joined by another man who would sing and finally a woman who would dance. But first he was going to play a few songs that are meaningful to him. (He gave this overview in segments, first in Spanish, then in English).
He then played some amazing songs on his acoustic guitar. After a few he was joined by a man who explained a bit more about his role in the performance keeping time and singing a song of sorrow and lost love. Soon the woman joined the men on stage dancing in tight twirls, rapid stomps, with dramatic fury.
It was simple, interesting, beautiful, and kind of classy. Especially for this family of 4. It was fantastic and the kids loved it too. Days later our son was still in search of “more flamenco dancing, dad.” Lucky for him we caught a public display at the Plaza de España.
Can’t believe we also missed it just because it wasn’t on our itinerary or we weren’t sure we’d like it.
Dan & Betsy
Family Conversation topic: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr. (often misattributed to Mark Twain)