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 Who I am not is below. To read more about
the site and the philosphy, at least what I've left off
in this section, check out my about
this site page. As you've probably seen my name is Jeff
Spielvogel. I am an American who grew up in North Carolina.
After a couple of years studying in New Mexico I made my
way back home to N.C. to finish my studies at the University
of North Carolina with a degree in Middle Eastern and European
History as well as Spanish. I spent several years running
my own business and then joined a local catalog company
where I worked as the Director of Internet Marketing. The
job involved long hours, although with great people, and
I began to put some roots down in my home state. Still,
I wanted a new challenge and had arrived at a point in my
life where I realized that no matter where I went things
somehow turned out ok. In 2003, with that bit of confidence,
I packed up everything (and sold what I couldn't pack) and
moved to Sevilla. I now live in Santa Catalina, a neighborhood
in the center of Seville. I work with Sevilla5.com handling
the hotel reservation business as well as web site marketing
and development for other businesses in Seville. I also
spend anywhere from 20-30 hours per week working on this
site. If you're in Sevilla you may find me wandering around
taking pictures and jotting down notes when not in the Sevilla5
office. You'll often find me with Markus in La Ojiva, or
Javi's Bar as we call it, on Calle San Esteban. Well, the
bar just changed owners, and I think we will need to find
a new place for our "remote office".
How did I come to know Sevilla? I first came to the city
in 1989 to visit my sister and returned again in 1992 for
her wedding. Like so many others I loved the place so much
I wanted to return again and again. So I studied and lived
here in 1993-94 and learned a lot from the student's point
of view. For several years I annoyed my friends always talking
about how I wanted to move to Spain one day. Not having
the resources to do so I made several trips in 1996, 1997
and then twice in 2000, each time for about a month. In
2003 I finally saved enough money and worked up enough courage
to come to Seville to live and see if I could "make
it". So far things are going pretty well.
How and why did I start this web site? I always wanted
to start a web page about Spain, Andalucia or Sevilla but
never found enough time to do it. When considering Spain
as a topic for my page I ran into too many pages out there
covering the whole country. Most seemed to offer a little
of everything but missed the mark when considering the important
details of each region. And while I had traveled to many
of the provinces of Spain, I also missed a lot or did not
have enough time to see it all. When considering Andalucia
I came across a few pages who covered the region well, but
often lacked the detailed information on Sevilla I would
have liked to known when visiting.
When I moved to to the city and began living off my savings
(still using some of that money, but much less!) I decided
to create a page about my life in Sevilla. I started
out by adding my personal pictures and keeping a semi-daily
diary so my friends and others could keep up with my life
and understand why I decided to live in Sevilla. I began
adding some other "useful" information to help
those that might come visit me some day. I didn't want to
create another page with dry, general tourist information
and reviews of expensive restaurants and hotels - the only
ones willing to pay money to these sites who live off of
advertising money. There is little control over the validity
of the information when a site lists any bar, restaurant
or hotel willing to pay them. Many sites also seem to repeat
everything in the off-the-shelf guide books you find in
any store. Certainly there is a need for this information
and it's very useful to take one of these books with you
when you come to Sevilla. Certainly I have to make a living
so advertising and services need to be offered for me to
continue. But I feel an obligation to you, the reader and
user of this site, in listing businesses and services which
are not only useful but also ones I know, like and trust.
I also feel you should be able to learn about the real Sevilla
without buying a product or service from me.
As I widen the scope of my page I do a lot of research
and notice many sites and books list the same places. I
also notice plenty of errors and omissions which are still
out there today: One site mentions that people In Sevilla
tend not to drink beer with their meals. That's news to
me and I'm sure to many Sevillanos. A popular guide
book mentions a certain restaurant where you should expect
to pay 48E for a meal for two. Yet every time we eat at
this restaurant we come away spending less than 30E. A local
tourist magazine writes that it is custom to tip 10% in
restaurants, hotels and taxis. I'm sure the local businesses
appreciate this but it's just not true! Finally, another
site mentions people in Sevilla seem to be angry with each
other a lot, complains about the size and price of Coca-Cola
served at restaurants as well as the lack of English channels
in many hotel rooms. I won't bother to explain my problems
with this one.
Over time my site has grown and grown and become the uncontrollable
beast it is today. But no matter what the changes I won't
lose the personal style of the site. This is Sevilla through
my eyes, and I don't expect everyone to agree 100% with
my opinions or my advice. This information is what has worked
and continues to work best for me and I am confident it
will work well for a lot of you. Please remember I'm not
an expert on it all and I'll happily point to another page
when they cover a topic better than I can hope to. If you
have questions, additions, or revisions I'm happy to receive
your emails and will do my best to personally answer each
one I receive.
Thanks and good luck,
Jeff
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