67. Sun 16/4/17: La Esclavina, Arenal, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5%

Outside the market, Arenal is bustling and excited about the upcoming toros. La Esclavina is a nice high vault ceiling bar just off the main drag. The decoration consists of loads of little framed/autographed photographs of toreadors, and huge posters Outside the market, Arenal is bustling and excited about the upcoming toros. La Esclavina is a nice high vault ceiling bar just off the main drag. The decoration consists of loads of little framed/autographed photographs of toreadors, and huge posters advertising festivals of yore.

At the bar folk are busily preparing for their day – eating tapas and exchanging brightly coloured tickets

Thankfully, on the telly, they’re showing Valencia v Sevilla (football).

1314. Thu 16/6/22: Casa Diego, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5.0%

Most every other bar on Plaza de la Alfalfa has been smartened up, the area seems to have undergone a phase of gentrification recently – good luck to ‘em – but there remains something endearingly shambolic about Casa Diego.

It’s mid-afternoon.

This would have been report no 1313 had we not walked off in a huff a little while ago – having sat at a table outside and been ignored. We’ll give it another go though (we have a sentimental attachment to the place), maybe we need to go to the bar.

We go to the bar. There are plenty of staff around, but they seem preoccupied. The old boy in the kitchen is moaning about something or other to a party of customers sat on a plastic table over the way. A waiter is flitting around, taking orders and passing them onto the young couple behind the bar. They seem oblivious to him – and more intent on flirting with each other.

We manage to catch their attention to get served. We sit at the bar – marvelling at the feverish inactivity behind it. The other establishments on Plaza de la Alfalfa are packed; they’re slick operations these days. There are no crowds here, and it’s far from slick – we far prefer places like this.

The weather, though – it’s still WAY TOO HOT

929. Fri 24/1/20: Bar Santa Ana, Triana, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5.0%

Packed, it was, earlier – full of kids doing flamenco with far too much youthful exuberance/enthusiasm. Far quieter now. It’s around 9pm.

Our digs are a minute down the road, so we pop into our favourite bar even though we’ve had more than enough Cruzcrappo.

My notes have nothing of import to report other than that the bar is “ace”. Hopefully I managed to take a few nice photographs.

Our heads in the morning confirm that we overdid it somewhat on our first night away.

1336. Sun 19/6/22: Lonja del Barranco Market, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5.0%

Cruzcampo tank, no less; in this trendy market refurb on the Seville side of the river. We have something to eat – two little open sandwiches, which cost E4.50 a pop. Rip off.

Big telly with football on. Tenerife v Girona. I’m guessing this is a La Liga relegation play-off – the clues are in the tears of the Tenerife fans as Girona go 3-1 up.

It is a play-off match. Girona stay up. There are a good few Girona supporters there – have a look on a map, it’s flippin’ miles and miles away.

We don’t hang around.

1326. Fri 17/6/22: La Madrid, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5.0%

This corner bar, at the back end of Plaza Neuva, has been a mainstay of our Sevillian visits over the years. It’s the first time it’s been called “La Madrid” though – it was “Bodeguita Cerrillo” until recently.

It’s my birthday, up until midnight, afterwhich it isn’t.

This is our last (nostalgic) bar visit before we stagger back to our digs.

I sit inside the bar, on a stool, at the window. Steph sits outside, on a stool, at the window. The gym over the road is still open and, ridiculously, there are still people up there working out. Blimey… must be shift workers.

My notes end, yet again, bemoaning how HOT it still is at this time of night. We’ve moaned about the weather before but, blimey, it’s been way too warm in Seville this trip.

1325. Fri 17/6/22: Casa Morales, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5.0%

It’s 11:30pm, and it’s still too hot.

Casa Morales wasn’t open yesterday, but tonight it is.

Tonight is/was my birthday, and I’m rather inebriated.

Casa Morales is busy, but slowing up – as are we. It’s getting late. We stand at the bar.

Casa Morales is one of the best bars in Seville. It’s a gem, it really is. Second oldest tapas bar in Seville… unfortunately my notes for this visit are increasingly incoherent. We were passing, on the way home, and just popped in ‘cause the place was open.

I need to get to bed, really.

1327. Sat 18/6/22: Cerveceria Internacional, Seville

Beer: Paulaner 4.9%

Get up late. My birthday was yesterday. We overdid it somewhat. I’m old enough to know better. We spend the morning and early afternoon half-heartedly stumbling round Arenal in the silly heat.

Eventually we end up here. Inside is air-conned and lovely. It’s the local beer enthusiast emporium and, as is the way in these places, the choice is both expansive and weirdly limited. There’s a lot of choice, which doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything one really wants to drink.

The Paulaner is lovely, ‘cause it’s lovely, but context seems everything (to my rather anal reasoning). That annoys me. Why should Paulaner seem out of place here – when I’m fine with it in The Bear Club in Luton? Why should be beer brewed in Leicestershire seem right at home at The Brickies? It. Just. Does.

Fascinating selection, too much choice.

This all seems overly, peevishly, critical: at the time I’m sure getting out of the heat was lovely – the beer was fine… I do wonder why a beer enthusiastic bar would have a “AB Budweiser” ad on the wall. Belies a lack taste and judgement, dunnit? But this is a fine establishment – please don’t be put off by this hangover stymied write-up.

1313. Thu 16/6/22: La Bodega de la Alfalfa, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5.0%

Just arrived from Cádiz.

Corpus Christi is a religious (mini) festival happening in Seville. It’s no Semana Santa, but there’s reasonably big crowds and temporary structures and virgins with babies on gilded stands – and the bars in Alfalfa Sq are packed. The Square, Stephanie suggests, has become gentrified. I agree. It is a lot brighter and cleaner, and seemingly more affluent, latterly.

We manage to get a table in LBdlA.

While it’s nice to get out of the sun, it’s far too hot and crowded in here. The Cruzcampo, as its wont  at times like this – is surprisingly refreshing.

Despite the heat I like to think, in my guayabera and folding Panama hat, I cut rather a dash. I glance over to a table over the way, where I’m sure the group of local lads are enjoying a laugh at the sight of the overweight sweaty English tourist sat two tables away. Bloody foreigners.

1322. Fri 17/6/22: Bar Santa Ana, Triana, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5.0%

It’s 3:45pm on my birthday afternoon. We’ve been out, dined on snails and suffered in the relentless heat. At Bar Santa Ana we prop up the bar.

Staff seem as perturbed by the excessive heat as we are. News on telly is of the excessive heat: they’re getting thunderstorms in Galicia, lucky sods. No such luck here.

We have a couple then make our way back, through the furnace and over Triana Bridge, to the relative cool of our digs.

1339. Mon 20/6/22: El Arenal, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5.0%

The bar where, my notes confirm, the penny dropped about TOro TV. It’s not just a selection of bullfighting clips we’ve happened upon (to our displeasure twice or thrice this holiday): it’s a dedicated television channel. Pubs in Blighty have Sky Sports on all the time – (some) bars in Seville have TOro TV on all the time. It’s abhorrent stuff – as outlined in previous write-ups.

El Arenal, right outside the bullring – and full of bullish memorabilia – is bound to have TOro TV on. And on it is. My notes moan about it. My notes moan about the heat and the beer quality and IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO. That’s ok, we’re leaving tomorrow. I’ll have to work out a way to deal with TOro TV in the future; averting eyes, I suppose, would seem a sensible start.