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Posts: 1156
Joined: Dec. 6 2006
From: Hamilton, ON
Sevilla or Granada?
So I have a choice to make and was hoping the good people of the foro could assist :) I've been accepted to summer study programs in Granada and Sevilla, each for about a month. I'll be living in the city and taking classes, and then hopefully learning some toque on the side. So I have to choose between the two programs and I'm not sure which. Which city do you all think is a better place, for living, nightlife, scenery, studying flamenco, etc.? Thanks! :D
Sevilla is a lot bigger, and is a major capital of flamenco. You will find probably every style of player/teacher, more variety.
Granada is a gorgeous, but much smaller flamenco community I think. There are some great people there too.
You win either way I think. Consider the size of the cities, that's probably what's going to determine your preference.
I have no idea what you level of Spanish is, but you should be preparing hard, it will make the biggest difference.
Find someone at a local school to begin to teach you both Spanish and flamenco if possible. The more you know before you go, the further you'll get when you're there.
Be ready for the time of your life too.
It was easily the best decision I ever made to go live over there (I was not in Andalucia except for brief visits).
Thanks for the advice! Still unsure what to do here...for the record, my Spanish needs some work but is still at least decent, and the program I'll be doing will be Spanish language + culture classes at one of the universities...
Andalucia is hot in summer, but Sevilla is VERY hot and quite humid. It really drains your energy. Granada can be hot, but it always chills down at night because of the high mountains, making sleeping possible. (If you want to? )
In other periods of the year, I would say Sevilla.
Summer is not so lively in the citys. Students are gone and people go to the cost. But this can be an advantage if you really want to study.
I'd say Granada, but I am biased. I came to study here and ended up staying. The scenery is fantastic, views of the mountains, the Alhambra, great social life, only an hour from the Coast. Its smaller than Sevilla but still there is a good flamenco scene and hanging out in the Sacromonte or at the Eshavira or the Peña, or Emilio Maya's school, you can be sure to meet flamencos. Sevilla is very hot as Anders says in his post but in Granada a cool breeze makes the evenings a delight and it's not unusual to eat at midnight and stay up all night. And if it all gets to hot in the day you go to the mountains. Sevilla is surrounded by olive groves, flat land and olives and more olives which is a bit boring but Granada has forests and hot springs, uh and yes olives.
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