Features > The Pleasure Activist
by Doug McClelland
(posted July, 2007)
Seville and Granada
The beautiful, historic city of Seville is the capital of the southern Spanish province of Andalucia. The population of the greater urban area is roughly 1,300,000, ranking it as the fourth largest city of Spain. The city is more than two thousand years old and preserves the traces of the passage of the various people who occupied it. Spain is in the Euro currency zone, but the general cost of living is less than you’ll find in countries north of Spain.
The city has a hot climate and this has allowed an open-air culture to develop, with a lot of socializing taking place in the many plazas and sidewalk cafes. In the extreme part of the summer the hottest temperatures in Europe have been recorded here, at 52�C (126�F) in 2004, so many visitors come in the spring or fall. Tapas is the local manner of dining, the nibbling and sharing of numerous small dishes ordered one after the other. You can while away the warm evenings sampling tapas with the excellent local beers and wines.
I have three suggestions for tourists to take in. My number one suggestion is to visit in the week leading up to the Christian holiday of Easter in the spring. The celebration is called Semena Santa (Holy Week) and is an amazing party for Christian and Pagan alike, with long parades that go all day and all night, many times a day; followed up by lots of drinking, dancing, and fucking. Although I’m not a Christian, I love big, old churches and Seville has the biggest -- and the Cathedral is my second suggestion. The city's cathedral was built from 1401–1519 after the Reconquest of the area by the Christians, on the former site of the city's mosque. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world in terms of both area and volume. The Cathedral reused some columns and elements from the mosque; most famously the Giralda tower, originally a minaret, was converted into a bell tower. You can climb to the top of the tower for beautiful views over the old city. Thirdly, the Alcazar facing the Cathedral is the city's old Moorish Palace; construction began in 1181 and continued for over five hundred years, mainly in Mudéjar style but also in Renaissance. Its gardens are a blend of Moorish, Andalusian, and Christian traditions and the complex is beautiful.
Seville is a bit more traditional and conservative than some of the bigger Spanish cities but Spain has very progressive laws. In 2005 full gay marrige was approved by parliament. In 1999 the age of concent was raised from 12 to 13 (you read that right, but there are perameters to that until the age of 16). Society as a whole is very accepting.
I stayed at Casa Cretip, a well-located gay hotel. I could walk to everywhere in the old city, and the bars. It was 60 Euros per night for a double and the place was clean and air conditioned. My only complaints were that the hot water was limited and the maids didn’t work on a schedule that suited someone getting home from the bars at 5 am. It was recommended to me by the owner of one of the bars, and they are specifically marketing to Bears. The other gay hotel is Aireseville Guest House [Web site not loading as of posting time] at 90 Euros per night.
Although the gay scene can’t compete with Madrid or Barcelona there is lots of fun to be had. The center of the action is the area around the Alameda de Hercules, a plaza in the old city. The edges are lined with outdoor cafes, many with mixed clienteles. It’s the place to go and hang out in the evening and do some people watching. Later, after midnight, you can move on to the cruising bars and clubs in the nearby streets Trajano and Amor de Dios.
The best thing about gay life and cruising in Seville for me is the beauty of the men and their friendliness. The locals have what I think of as the classic Spanish look: dark complexion, and beautiful jet-black hair. My favourite bar is Men to Men, located at 38 Trajano, just off the Alameda de Hercules. It opens at 10:30 pm but like all the bars here it does not start getting busy till well after midnight and hits prime time from 2 am onwards. Men to Men calls itself a Bear bar because that is what the sexy owner Javi wants to attract. But I would say it attracts a broad selection of butch guys in cruising mode to its large main room. On the mezzanine there is an area showing porn videos and in the back there is a dark room, plus large locking cabins. My preference was to pick up a guy in the cruisy main floor and head to the locking cabins. Lube and condoms are available from a vending machine. I was able to score this way every night I went (three times over one week, including a Tuesday). I loved this place! Another Bear bar called El Hombre y el Oso (Man and the Bear) is located at 32 Amor de Dios. This appears to be a tiny bar when you enter; a small narrow room dominated by a long bar. But up a flight of stairs on the second floor is a porn room, and further up on the third floor you’ll find cruising and cubicles. If dancing is what you like, the Disco Itaca, at 31 Amor de Dios, has a back dark room as well as a dance floor, and attracts a younger crowd than the other two bars.
There are two Saunas in Seville. The Termas Hispalis is located in the new commercial zone of Seville, at 3 Céfiro Street. It’s a small street near the intersection of Luis Montoro Street and Luis de Morales Street. It is large, attracts the younger crowd, and boasts a sixteen-man giant Jacuzzi. The Sauna Nordik, located at 38 Resloana, and attracts the older crowd of the two. It has a swimming pool, as well as the usual Jacuzzi, videos, etc.
Plaza De Armas Bus Station is cruisy around the toilets, especially immigrant rent boys charging about 50 Euros. The Estacion Santa Justa train station also has cruisy toilets.
If you are going to Seville chances are you will also take in the nearby historic city of Granada. Granada is a university town with a strong Moorish influence.
The great tourist attraction of Granada is the spectacular Alhambra, a palace and fortress from the Moorish period of exquisite design. Once you’ve spent a day wandering the beautiful city there is lots of nightlife for a small city.
There are two small cruisy bars. Ambient XXL, located at 13 Calle Montalban, is small but has a dark backroom. I was there on a weeknight and it was pretty quiet but guys were still checking out the backroom. The second bar is the Tic Tac, located at 19 Horno de Haza, a simple, small cruisy dance bar with darkroom. The El Angel Azul disco, located at 15 Calle Lavadero de las Tablas has strip and drag shows, and a dark room showing porn.
There are also two saunas. The Boabdil Sauna is located at 34 Carretera de la Sierra, at the corner of Calle del Trevenque. It’s open every day except Tuesday from 4 to 10 pm. It’s bigger than you might expect for a gay sauna in Granada, is decently clean, with a mixed age clientele. The best time to go is on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Entrance is 11 Euros. The second sauna is the Geminis located at 2 Calle Santa Cruz. It’s open 4 pm to 10 pm.
The Granada train station (especially around the restrooms) is cruisy, like most European stations. Also the Jardines de Triunfo, a large park that's at the intersection of the city's two largest streets, Gran Via and Avenida de la Constitution is cruisy. In the summer the younger gay men of Granada can often be found sitting in a long line on the wall that runs along the Carerra del Darro, up from Plaza Nueva. Since a couple of the bars are right around here, this makes for a fairly concentrated gay zone that can be cruisy.
Both Seville and Granada are well worth adding to any tour of this part of Europe. Beautiful men, an open society, and a very sex positive attitude.
Recommended in this article (also see the Sex Listings):
Granada:
Ambient XXL, 13 Calle Montalban. Cruise bar with dark room.
Boabdil Sauna, 34 Carretera de la Sierra. Bathhouse with full facilities.
Cruisy toilet at the train station.
El Angel Azul Disco, l 15 Calle Lavadero de las Tablas. Cruise bar with dark room.
Geminis, 2 Calle Santa Cruz. Bathhouse with full facilities.
Jardines de Triunfo, at Gran Via and Avenida de la Constitution. Cruisy park.
Street cruising along the Carerra del Darro.
Tic Tac, 19 Horno de Haza. Cruise bar with dark room.
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Seville:
Disco Itaca, 31 Amor de Dios. Cruise bar with dark room.
El Hombre y el Oso (Man and the Bear), 32 Amor de Dios. Cruise bar with dark room.
Estacion Santa Justa (train station). Cruisy toilet.
Men to Men, 38 Trajano. Cruise bar with dark room.
Nordik Sauna Masculina, 38 Resolana. Bathhouse with full facilities.
Plaza De Armas bus station. Cruisy toilet.
Termas Hispalis, 3 Cefiro Street. Bathhouse with full facilities.
Comments, suggestions, compliments, criticism? You can write to Doug, The Pleasure Activist, at doug@cruisingforsex.com.
Doug McClelland originally entered the adult entertainment business as a centerfold for BEAR magazine, but he soon moved from the front of the camera to behind it. In 1995 he founded chisel.com, one of the original gay porn sites, which in 1996 was the first gay site to netcast live video. He has produced, directed, and occasionally appeared in adult videos. His association with Cruising for Sex began when Chisel became the second sponsor of our site. For the last few years he wrote our advice column called the Guidance Counselor. In the Pleasure Activist column he is our travel reporter, sharing tips and stories from his personal travels.
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