Author Archives: azahar

lockdown

14 Saturday Mar 2020

Posted by in sevilla, spain

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Spain is now officially on lockdown for a minimum of 15 days, though it may be longer. A lot longer. So after one last quick outing to get more cat food earlier in the day (I wasn’t as well stocked as I’d previously thought) I am now housebound for the duration. Have to say I was very disappointed to see so many bars still open, with one owner saying that until they were strictly prohibited from opening (rather than the “express recommendation” issued on yesterday) they wouldn’t close. But even worse were the idiots INSIDE THE BARS… I mean what were they waiting for? I felt guilty enough going out again for the cat food, how did they justify sitting around (not a safe distance apart) just to have a tapa and a beer? Anyhow, all bars have now been forced to close.

At home have spent much of the day cooking up some of the food I bought yesterday: chicken & veg garam masala, meatballs, marinara sauce (with added sausage and veg), all now frozen in single meal sized packets. Tomorrow will do something with garbanzos and spinach, basically trying to cook and freeze all my fresh vegetables as they certainly won’t last 15 days.

Meanwhile am hoping that the “cold” I picked up while away this week is actually JUST A COLD. I keep reading conflicting info about coronavirus symptoms, so I’m going to stop reading them now and just hope for the best. No fever (as of yet) so that’s a positive sign. It’s going to be a very weird time. Thank goodness for the internet. I’d hate to be going through this without all you guys.  🙂

These are the only shops and services allowed to be open (dry cleaners?) though for the most part it only seems to be supermarkets and pharmacies opening at the moment.

  • food
  • beverage
  • essential goods
  • pharmacy
  • clinics
  • optical
  • orthopaedics
  • hygiene products
  • hairdressers
  • newsagents
  • gas stations
  • tobacco
  • technological equip
  • telecos
  • pet food
  • online shops
  • dry cleaners
  • laundries

momentos coronavirus

13 Friday Mar 2020

Posted by in sevilla

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After arriving home from the Axarquía it became clear that shit was getting real re: the coronavirus (aka covid-19). I went out in the morning to stock up and stay home, stopping by a couple of my bars to see how they were doing and what their plans were. Usually on a Friday afternoon these two bars would have been heaving, but they weren’t even half-full. Schools, museums and parks had already been closed and everyone was waiting to hear what would be decided by the city council about bars and restaurants (Madrid had closed theirs the day before). Later that evening they had their answer when the Ayuntamiento issued an “express recommendation” that all bars and restaurants shut down until further notice.

Meanwhile, I came across these sights while out shopping. Honestly don’t understand why anyone drinks from public fountains at any time, but seeing this group of elderly folks taking turns made me shudder. Other signs of the times were seeing the cosmetic testers covered in plastic at El Corte Inglés, LUSH inviting passersby to stop in to wash their hands, an almost empty meat section at the CI Supermarket (though I did get toilet paper!), and a used medical mask, possibly contaminated, left on the street by some asshole. I mean, WTF?

A country-wide lockdown similar to Italy is expected over the weekend.

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axarquía getaway day 3 – capuchinas viejas

12 Thursday Mar 2020

Posted by in alternatravels, getaways, Malaga, malaga getaway, wine

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After the charming village setting of Dimobe and Viñedos Verticales, and the sweeping views stretching out below the elegant slate structure that houses Betomiz, I didn’t know what to expect next when Susana, owner of Bodega Capuchinas Viejas met me near Málaga to take me out to their cortijo near Antequera. Unlike the other two places I’d visited high up in the Axarquía, Capuchinas Viejas is located on a sprawling 20 hectare estate, where they grow both olives and grapes, for their own use as well as to sell.

The García Segura family has owned the estate since the beginning of the 80s, when Susana’s father purchased an abandoned monastery, and it remains very much a family-run venture, with respect for both the land and local traditions.

I was quite awestruck as Susana let me inside through the front gate (the place is surrounded by giant Mastiff guard dogs) and then continued to open massive door after door that opened onto magical courtyards and gardens, a bird coop that houses peacocks, gorgeous event rooms, the bodega itself, and family apartments. This is clearly a labour of love.

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axarquía getaway day 2 – part one: bodegas bentomiz

12 Thursday Mar 2020

Posted by in andalucia, getaways, Malaga, malaga getaway, wine

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Nothing quite prepares you for your first look at the modern and minimalist slate structure that is Bodegas Bentomiz. It looks like it has risen up from the very ground surrounding it and inside it is both functional and attractive, with massive windows everywhere letting in lots of natural light. Spectacular views of the mountains and the sparkling Mediterranean are everywhere you look.

After the wonderful day spent out in the vineyards and at the bodega at Dimobe in Moclinejo Victor brought me back to Málaga where I had arranged to meet up with winemaker Clara, co-owner of Bodegas Bentomiz, which she runs with her husband André, who is not only the resident chef, but also the architect who designed the building (and several others nearby). Clara had been in Madrid and was arriving in Málaga by train in the evening, and had very generously offered to take me out to their installation just outside Sayalonga, as well as inviting me to stay the night.

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axarquía getaway day 1 – part 2: bodegas dimobe & viñedos verticales

11 Wednesday Mar 2020

Posted by in andalucia, getaways, Malaga, malaga getaway, spain, tourism, wine

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Victor & me at the end of a spectacular day
saying goodbye to Málaga from the Parador Hotel Gibralfaro

First off I have to say that each of the three bodegas I visited in the Axarquía over two days were all completely different and totally wonderful experiences. First up, after a hearty pre-bodega breakfast at El Roper in El Palo, Victor and I made our way to the ridiculously pretty white village of Moclinejo, high up in the mountains. There we were greeted by Juan Muñoz Anaya and Vicente Inat, two winemakers who work together at Bodegas Dimobe, as well as working together on a separate project Viñedos Verticales. Dimobe was founded in 1927 by Juan’s grandfather and he now runs it with siblings Antonio and María Luísa. In 2015 Juan and Vicente founded Viñedos Verticales, a “sister winery” project which uses the same installation as Bodegas Dimobe in Moclinejo, and with different vine plots and grapes they are creating something that is both old and new.

Just to confuse you further, Vicente is also the winemaker at Bodegas Descalzos Viejos in Ronda, which I had visited a week earlier, and his wife Ana (who I got to meet later in the day after lunch) is the winemaker at another Ronda winery I visited, La Melonera. This was something I got used to over my two weeks of visiting Málaga wineries… that everyone not only knows each other, they sometimes work together and more often than not are very supportive of each others projects. It’s actually a lovely thing to see. Especially in Ronda the whole winemaking scene is quite new, starting sometimes in the 1980s, and everyone wants to see the region doing well. But I digress…

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