Rick

I am planning to visit my daughter who is studying semester in Cordoba. However, I can only visit her the week of Easter. Is this an inconvient time for tourists to travel to Spain? Will the major sights be closed or over run with crowds? I am not Christian so the feasts and parades are not religiously meaningful to me. <BR>Thanks for the help.

Charlee

Holy Week -- Semana Santa -- is an interesting time to visit Spain. It is packed with tourists, especially in the South, so I would enourage you to make hotel and plane reservations as soon as possible. Many things may be closed during that time, particularly on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, but the Semana Santa events may compensate. <BR> <BR>I am a Christian, but not a Catholic, and I find the feasts and parades fascinating from a cultural rather than a religious perspective. You will be close enough to Sevilla to see the most impressive Semana Santa displays. The Maundy Thursday parade is the most emotional, and it usually doesn't begin until early morning (2:00 am) on Friday. <BR> <BR> If Holy Week is the only time you can travel, I would encourage you to come and see a uniquely Spanish experience. <BR>

michele

Holy Week is stunning and moving. I travelled with two non-Christians and they were awed by the spectacle and history. It is, however, CROWDED ! and some things are closed, particularly on Holy Thursday-Good Friday.

susan

A few places may be closed but most will operate on holiday hours. Be sure to check if say a museum is on holiday hours. A friend and I got locked in a museum in Cordoba during Feria. Luckily we found an open window and yelled before we knocked over a Visigothic angel. <BR>Spring is a lovely time in Andalucia. Go for picnics, head out to Medina Azahara. Drive to Carmona and Ecija. There's a large national park near Cordoba and it's beautiful. Go hiking. <BR>Marvel at the flowers on the floats and inhale the dripping beeswax. <BR>Watch a night procession enter the cathedral. The flickering candle light on the walls is striking. Particulary when viewed from the balcony of The Red Horse restaurant. <BR>Listen to the bells ring out just after midnight.

graziella

Please GO.... <BR> <BR>...I agree with Susan on the whole, and in particular the Caballo Rojo in Cordoba is a great restaurant,...great food....Buena Suerte. Graziella

Maribel

I wholeheartedly agree with the previous posters that viewing the processions of Holy Week in Andalucia is a fascinating and often very moving experiece, even for a non-Catholic or non-Christian. As Charlee has told you, the Maundy Thursday processions (which often start at midnight and end in the wee, wee hours of the morning) pack the most emotional impact. <BR> If you're lucky, you will witness a "saeta", a soulful, haunting, spontaneous burst of religious song from someone viewing the procession on an apartment balcony as a float carrying a statue of a Virgen or the Crucifixtion passes by. The beautiful "saeta" is filled with religious fervor and sung in a flamenco style-a spontaneous outburst by someone overcome by the religous experience. A great saeta can be something that you'll never forget. I love viewing the Holy Week processions (my Spanish husband is Catholic; I am not), as they are filled with pageantry and emotion that move you even if you are of another faith. <BR> If you now know the dates of your visit, please make your hotel reservations! Seville will be packed-hotels booked to capacity particularly from Thursday to Sunday, and Cordoba fills up quickly as well.