Sevilla's Best Kept Secret

Orange blossom season is here, an ephemeral window of the captivating scent of azahar in the city

If you’re new here, hola & bienvenid@! I grew up under California’s golden sun, but Spain’s own warmth has been home for most of my adult life. I write tapas-sized stories and reflections about life here, small bites of Spain to give you a taste of what makes this place so special.

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Nowhere on Earth is more enchanting than Sevilla during orange blossom season.

The city hums with the sweet smells of orange blossoms. You open a window and the aroma sneaks through. The air is incensed with azahar (orange blossoms), quiet whiffs that leap around the vibrant old Spanish facades, gently calling your attention.

Citrus. Florals. Honey.

Recollections from springs of years prior unfurl as the scent wraps around you. A rush of joy. Almost Pavlovian.

For a few weeks, Sevilla becomes a fragrant utopia.

For those fortunate enough to live here year over year, the sugary smell is a calming reminder: spring is here yet again.

Possibility. Warmth. Newness.

Memories surface. Costaleros in the street, prepping for Semana Santa. The changing of armarios (the twice yearly ritual of changing out the seasonal clothes in your closet). Cañas fresquitas on Mateos Gagos street. Sunlight until 9pm, 10pm, 11pm…

Magic dances in the spring breeze.

You need not seek out the orange trees in Sevilla. They’re everywhere, orange-tree-lined streets are the soil from which the city rises. Ubiquitous emblems of the city’s essence. Silent witnesses that selflessly share their bounties with Sevilla’s inhabitants.

Nature’s fleeting gift. A friendly nudge towards presence and appreciation, soaked in citrus and sun.