Malaga and Seville: Semana Santa Edition

Why Andalucía, why? My dearest España, why have you betrayed me this Semana Santa with such cold and dreary weather?! I was supposed to be sipping strawberry daiquiris on pretty beaches surrounded by hot Spanish guys, but instead you had me out here in the same denim jacket I’ve been wearing for five days straight and nasty feet from stepping in mud puddles because I mistakingly only brought sandals. Sigh. I had high hopes for you, but I must not blame Mother Nature, as she is responsible for blessing us with Earth’s flora and fauna we are not worthy of.

If you’re a language assistant, you get a week break during Spain’s Holy Week, otherwise known as Semana Santa. During Semana Santa, the entire country of Spain celebrates the upcoming Easter with elaborate religious parades, otherwise known as processions– and the cities are nearly shut down during these events. While I tried to convince my wallet to give me permission to go to Greece or Malta during this break, she unfortunately did not grant me permission because she is still disappointed in me for losing three iPhones in the span of four months. So Malaga and Seville’s shitty weather was punishment for my irresponsibleness. However, I loved both Seville and Malaga, and the overall vibe these two Andalusian cities were giving me, and it’s making me even more excited to move down south for the next school year!

Seville

Where I Stayed

I stayed at the Oasis Backpackers’ Palace in the city center of Seville. Not to be confused with Oasis Backpackers’ Hostel, the palace hostel is bigger and even more fancy– probably the nicest hostel I’ve stayed in while in Europe so far. I’ve stayed in a few big hostels before, and sometimes it’s a bit hard to make friends since everyone comes with friends and usually does their own thing, but luckily I met people staying in my dorm to explore the city with. The hostel has five floors, including a bar and a rooftop terrace with a pool! If going to Seville during the Spring or Summer, you definitely want to check out this hostel because unfortunately there is no beach.

What I Did

I admit, I had tons of plans for my Seville itinerary, but I ended up doing literally nothing the entire three days because I was burnt out from my Lagos trip and too tired to navigate all of the processions. What are processions, you may be asking? Processions are elaborate floats depicting images of Christ, with Jesus and Mary being the most fancy. Seville is famous for holding the biggest and baddest processions of all Spain and it was interesting to watch.

By the way, this is not the KKK. I’ll admit they had my African-American ass a bit shook, but the people in capes are actually Nazarenes, brotherhoods of the Catholic religion.

My main sightseeing location was the Royal Alcázar of Seville, one of Spain’s many royal palaces. This is probably the first thing you should do when you arrive to Seville. I did not know that Game of Thrones is filmed here!

And of course, what’s a European city without its Cathedral.

Again, the procession crowds and closed-off streets made it almost impossible to explore the city the way I wanted, so I will definitely come back. I went to a few bars and did a pub crawl, but that was pretty much it for the nightlife I was able to partake in. Hopefully I can visit Seville sometime in the near future because it’s always described by others as being the “real Spain”.

Malaga

Where I Stayed

Another Oasis hostel, I stayed at Oasis Backpackers’ Malaga. This hostel was smaller and not as nice as the one I stayed at in Seville, but it was easier to meet people here since the kitchen and common rooms were quite condensed. One thing I like, everyone went out with each other on the pub crawl, so I really got to know a few cool people compared to Seville.

What I Did

I had such high hopes for Malaga and was ready to bask in 75 degree weather, but it unfortunately rained a majority of my trip. The beach is a twenty minute walk from the center. I did not get in the water, but there were lots of bars and restaurants along the shore.

Along the way there is a the Park of Malaga that is great for taking photos!

Other than that, I didn’t do much in Malaga. I partied the three nights I was there, so I spent my days hungover and stressed out because my video camera wouldn’t upload onto my laptop. I visited the Picasso Museum to pretend like I was cultured, but I was lowkey bored.

Also, the city streets were closed at certain times like Seville because of the processions, and I honestly did not have the energy to explore like I wanted to. But I will be back, and I’m HOPING I get placed here for the next school year because I did not feel stressed out walking in the center, worrying about being pick-pocketed like I do in Madrid.

The Final Verdict: Skip Seville, Go Straight to Malaga!

I’m not religious whatsoever, so although witnessing the processions was a unique cultural experience I am thankful to have seen while in Spain, I felt a bit guilty binge drinking the entire Holy Week. I am disappointed that I did not take advantage of my time in Seville because there were so many attractions, restaurants, and bars to go to, but I felt rushed. At least for me, I wanted to chill at the beach all day, shop a little bit, and go out at night, so that’s why I would reccomend Malaga (or any other Spanish city with a beach) over Seville if you’re spending your Semana Santa in Spain.