Tips that will help you have a better idea of what Semana Santa is.

If you want to experience something completely different yet extremely fascinating, Semana Santa (Holy Week) is what you are looking for. Each community around Spain has its own way to celebrate this week, but you will definitely feel the real passion and the essence of the festival in Seville. Here are some tips that might help you understand Semana Santa a little better:

• Semana Santa is the staging of the passion of Jesus Christ. Therefore, each church builds beautiful ‘parihuelas’, which carry the most beautiful statures.
• Each brotherhood has to walk from their church, to the Cathedral, and back to their church again.
• Don’t be afraid of the ‘nazarenos’. These are people dressed up with tunics of different colors depending on the brotherhood they belong to. They wear a peculiar mask that covers everything except their eyes and it looks as if they were wearing huge cones in their heads.
• ‘Nazarenos’ are the penitents that walk besides the ‘parihuelas’. It is considered a truly honor to do this; therefore, ‘nazarenos’ are proud of themselves. This opportunity is not available to everyone; it only passes from generation to generation.
• ‘Costaleros’ are the ones that carry the ‘parihuela’ with all the weight of the statue in their shoulders and back. This is a very demanding and risky labor; ‘costeleros’ have to be prepared and willing to work as a team.
• Be prepared to see millions of people. A lot of tourists come to Seville specially to witness the Semana Santa. Streets and hotels in Seville will be completely full and it will be hard to get from one point of the historic center to the other.

It is very important for you to have an open mind to be able to enjoy the Semana Santa as much as possible. It is something you don’t get to see every day. 

Music: the most fascinating art

Human beings consider music the most fascinating art. It is known that music can manipulate people by changing their moods; it all depends on the type of music used. Sometimes we don´t even know or realize we are being manipulated and that is what makes music so fascinating.

Throughout time, scientist and specialists have discovered and demonstrated that music is not only a group of notes, but that it goes beyond that. It actually has a great impact on human beings. Did you know music is now considered a great tool to help students learn faster, and even help them retain information for a longer time? It helps us open our mind and activate our creative side. Music can also increase our concentration and our productivity.

Hotel Amadeus, a charming and romantic hotel, focuses on classical music. The goal is to play music that will provide the guest with the most relaxing and calming experience ever. What´s even better is that you can also appreciate Spain’s most famous music, flamenco. Avenida de la Constitución, one of the most important avenues in Seville, is located at a walking distance, and you will be able to see many artists playing or dancing flamenco music. For instance, a Bulería will more likely cause a need for you to dance and celebrate with friends. Give music a chance and just go with it.

History and Curiosities of the Center of Sevilla

The thousands of annual visitors that come to the Andalusian capital ready to enjoy the Torre de Oro of the RealesAlcázares, most often make reservations at a hotel in the center of Sevilla. Why? Because this allows them to better get to know the historic region, where you will not only find the most significant monuments but also a multitude of other curiosities and legends.

Therefore, it is the perfect way to discover the unique charms of the historic region: 

• The center has the honor of not only being one of the biggest in all of Europe, but also one of the most valuable artistically speaking, since you can find buildings such as the Archivo de Indias or the Giralda.

• One of the curiosities that tourists staying in a charming hotel can discover is the group of peculiar objects that are hung in the Patio de los Naranjos of the Cathedral. It consists of a crocodile, an elephant tusk, a giraffe bite, and a baton. These three objects were gifts from an Egyptian sultan to the King Alfonso X, who wanted the king’s daughter to marry his firstborn. The baton is the one that the Spanish monarch’s ambassador was sent with, and carried to African lands to decline the marriage.

It is worth it to visit the street Candilejo where there is a bust of King Pedro I, with a unique history behind it. One night, the king killed a member of the Guzmamens family, with an old lady as a witness. The authorities in charge of the case commanded that there would be order and justice, ordering that a bust of the head of the guilty be erected on this street, but it could not be revealed for some time.