July 25 - Flamenco Rock

On my way to school today, we stopped by the post office so I could mail my ballot.  The post office closest to our house closes at 2:30 during the summer, but the big one downtown is open all day.  They are both clean and modern.  You have to choose from a touch screen what service you need before the device will assign you a number,  luckily I can read the few words required for that transaction.  Then you wait (for us it was about 2 minutes) until someone who provides the service you want is available.  The woman who helped us was efficient and very nice.  So, I have now voted in our primary.  Still no ballot for Albert....

After school, Albert and I went down to catch some of tonight's entertainment.  In the 80's some bands in Sevilla experimented with combining traditional Flamenco music with rock - the result is very lively and with a clear Spanish influence.  Tonight's band was one of the bands from this period.  We stayed and listened to a few songs before Albert headed back and I went for a walk.   You might notice that the audience was full of folks our age who remembered this 80's music as their music.

People in Sevilla definitely prefer to eat outdoors.  The cafe right across from Santa Ana church was absolutely jammed outside - no empty tables and people standing along walls of nearby buildings drinking and waiting for tables.  The inside was deserted.

At 11 pm, the party was just getting started.  One of the emergency crews even had time to practice taking each other's blood pressure.  My guess is that in years past, when it is really hot during festival week, they are really busy (like the crews in the University of Miami football parking lots) - but the weather is cool and the crowds (while huge) are pretty mellow.

In a few minutes (at midnight) there will be a procession to the church to start St. Anne's feast day, but I just came in - so I will let the crowds still on the street enjoy that without me.