We left Seville on Saturday. The train journey to Jerez de la Frontera is only about an hour. We arrived more than an hour early to the Santa Justa station. As we waited, we could see that the previous train from Seville to Jerez was still in the station. It remained so. A few moments before it was time to board our train, I got a text from Renfe, the trainline. It said that due to an “operational incident” (uh-oh) our train was going to be combined with the previous one and we should not worry, but simply follow the directions of the conductors. Oh, by the way, it said, make really sure you get on the second train, not the first. That was pretty useless since there was no way to tell which was first and which was second. When we got down to the platform, the two trains were literally being connected to one another. Not reassuring.
But we found our seats. We were surprised to see just how dry and barren the land between Seville and Jeez was. This is a trip we have taken several times and we were sad to see the condition of the land and the large number of businesses which seem to have closed.
But our adventure was just starting. “Adventure” may be overstating things, but our reception was unexpected. We had agreed with our friend Pedro that we would rent his very nice apartment again this year and that we would arrive on31 October and stay for a week. He was going to meet us at the train station in Jerez. We got off the train and went outside—it is a small station. No Pedro. I said we would wat a few minutes. No Pedro. I called him and said we were at the station “¿Hoy?” (Today?) Yes. But you are not arriving until tomorrow, he said. I am in Gibraltar now. It will take 2 hours for me to get back. So we got a taxit to the area and had a nice wait at a café a block or so from the apartment. Pedro was very apologetic when he arrived. He had checked his messages and had seen that we were indeed going to arrive on 31 October. No real harm done.
It has been interesting to be in Jerez while thee is no Flamenco Festival going on. There is a completely different atmosphere. The weather has been very pleasant. We usually come at the end of February, so that is a change. But there are no crowds. We can walk all over without dodging people. On Sunday, many of the shopls were closed, which is normal. But today, Monday, is a holiday and many of the shops were closed again. WE have been able to walk down the shopping streets and sit in the plazas without feeling rushed.
On Sunday we went to the Alcázar (the old Moorish fort) where a religious procession was being staged. A statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe was being moved from one place to another. The ritual dates back to the 1500s, but hasn’t been observed for the last hundred years or so. There were people dressed as soldiers and people in cavalry uniforms riding horses. There were people dressed in religious clothes and a small band playing period instruments. I could tell they hadn’t done the ritual for some time because the participants didn’t always know when to move and in which direction to go. But again, no crowds and I was able to get good pictures.
After the procession disappeared around the Alcázar, we walked to Plaza Arenal where we sat to eat a mid-day meal. We had a great view of the plaza and its fountain. Most of the people around us seemed to be locals—or at least Spanish. Shortly after we ordered, the procession came through the Plaza, this time with a much larger band and percussion session. We could not have asked for a better first day Back in Jerez.
Today, Monday, we took a morning walk. Again the conditions were good and we have been here often enough that we can walk around without getting lost—mostly. We had a nice lunch with our friend Amarita. We had a lot of catching up to do.
As much as we enjoy visiting Jerez for the Flamenco Festival, this change-of-pace visit at a different time of year is just what we wanted.
I added pictures to the pictures page.
