Category Archives: coronavirus

freedumb

10 Monday May 2021

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freedumb

Spain’s state of emergency officially ended at midnight on Saturday, a day earlier than originally planned, and predictably streets throughout the country filled with drunken assholes celebrating their freedumb into the wee hours. It is to weep. Lots of tweets from health care workers expressing everything from fear to heartbreak to rage.

The most important changes are the end of the curfew, extension of opening hours for hospitality, allowing large group events, but all of these still require that people wear masks (inside and outside) and maintain social distancing. Which is the ONLY reason I’m going anywhere in the next couple of weeks. The government says they are adopting a gradual de-escalation with the goal of returning to “normal” by July. Because hey, it worked so well last time. Gawd help us…

adiós bodega san josé

27 Tuesday Apr 2021

Posted by in coronavirus, covid, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars

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I wish this would stop. I mean, I know nothing lasts forever but there are just too many wonderful tapas bars shutting down. The latest tragic loss is the amazing Bodega San José, which I really only got to know a few years ago. This time it’s a combination of landlord greed and Covid that made the Bueno family decide to shut its doors after almost 80 years, though the bar itself is much older. When the family first came to Sevilla from Santander they opened a few locations, the first one being El Punto in Puerto Osario, which closed in 2007. Bodega San José was the last one standing.

Anyhow, I just found out about this today after that lovely photo of Nicolás Bueno and his mother Rosario (who worked in the bar until the final day, making her amazing boquerones en vinagre) popped up this morning in my Instagram memories and so I put it up in my Stories. Then I got a message from someone telling me the bar was about to close. In fact, the final day of the lease is April 30th but then I found out the bar stopped functioning on the 18th. I had just been there a couple of days before and was happy to see Rosario there, but nobody mentioned anything about closing. So this has come as quite a shock today. I went over to see for myself and saw the doors shuttered and everything gone from the outside, the signs, everything. So much loss this past year.

no feria

16 Friday Apr 2021

Posted by in coronavirus, covid, fiestas, sevilla, spain

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The Plaza San Fransicso is all dressed up with nowhere to go after the various “no Feria” activities were (thankfully) cancelled this week. Starting Saturday, and throughout the following week, there were supposed to be flamenco fashion shows along the Avenida, various outdoor concerts, private group lunches in selected Casas Palacios, and yeah, even bullfights. Which leads me to ask… what the actual fuck were these people thinking?? It’s a fair. Yes, it’s Spain’s biggest Feria and, no, we didn’t get to have one last year, and it turns out we don’t get to have one this year. But so what? Because it’s just a fucking fair.

Don’t get me wrong, I love so many of our festivities here, and have also been missing them. I’ve lived in Sevilla for almost 30 years, so these have become a part of my way of life. But I mean… PANDEMIA, guys. And so, taking into consideration those who have lost their jobs, businesses, homes – their lives! – I don’t think it’s not a huge ASK for still healthy people to just say, hey no problem, we’ll do it next year. Something to look forward to.  🙂

wall of hearts

15 Thursday Apr 2021

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You know what – goddammit – they aren’t just fucking numbers. They are people who got sick, who died. They are also people still suffering from long Covid, even if they didn’t happen to be people you personally knew. I honestly don’t understand why it has to happen to someone you know before you take this to heart. Are you that self-centred, selfish and borderline narcissistic? Whatever happened to empathy? Social conscience and responsibility?

Anyhow, we are going back into Level 3 here in Sevilla, predictably after the Save Semana Santa Shitshow that happened here a couple of weeks ago. They say the numbers are rising? Actually, the sick and dying are rising. Don’t forget that. All of those people had lives, families, loved ones. Just like you. And just because you’ve been “lucky so far” doesn’t mean you haven’t infected others. I’m so angry today I could spit. Just stay the fuck at home. Follow the rules. NOBODY needs to take a fucking holiday during a pandemic.

one down, one to go…

12 Monday Apr 2021

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So after spending all day in a total tizzy (my vaccination appointment wasn’t until 5.30 pm) I made my way to the health centre, bared my chubby arm, got the jab, and then went for a cold beer. Peter had met me there on the off chance that someone might not have shown up for their appointment and he might luck out and get his too. But it turned out that they were calling people by year of birth and he is just a couple of weeks away from his. It was actually very efficient. I was called within less than a minute of arriving, then was told to wait for 15 minutes before leaving. I waited half an hour just to be sure – I once had an anaphylactic reaction after a chemo infusion (after I got home!) and don’t ever want to experience that again.

And so that’s one down and one to go. On July 1st. Guess I should know soon enough if I am going to have any nasty side effects. So far so good… 🤞