Maybe I’m tired or uninspired or expect too much, but Seville, Spain has got to be one of the most serious places I’ve ever been. After a day of cranky shopkeepers, hotel receptionists who don’t look up from their computer screens, and cafe employees who treated me with suspicion, this morning, I went out looking for anything light-hearted, funny, or happy. Here’s what I found in three hours of walking around:
A woman smiling at her baby;
Two young men, obviously tourists, giggling;
The picture above. Figaro!
I’m on my way north.
Camino Milagro 
Great photo. If I was in that city and needed a haircut, that’s where I’d go!
Definitely!
Oh how disappointing! I felt that way in Siena and Bologna–it’s always sad when you are blind sided like this–love the woman smiling at her baby!
She was a ray of sunshine! As was the barber shop. It made me laugh
At least you found the barber! Maggie
I burst out laughing when I first saw it. What a relief to laugh in that city
Rossini would be proud of that pic. Did you ever “Figaro” out why all the glum countenances? (Sorry for the horrible pun)
I ran into a somewhat similar series of grumpy folks on my first day in Spain which happened to be in Madrid. At the time I attributed the grumpiness to my visit coming at the tail end of the long tourist season with local folks just plain burned out. But it turned out to be just a one day phenomena and the rest of my trip was filled with delightful interactions.
I’m not sure but I think it was gender based….
Sounds depressing. I wonder if Seville is always like that.
Yah, it might be me. Sometimes my cheerfulness and patience “take a break” when I’m traveling alone for extended periods. But I don’t think it was me that time.
That’s really sad, Kim. In 2016, los sevillanos were super warm and friendly to us. I wonder if the pandemic and now the war have just exhausted everyone?
Because most of those who were unfriendly to me were men, I think some of it has to do with being an “unaccompanied” older woman. As for the general feeling, you are probably right. The economy is still bad here.