Category Archives: andalucia

los reales alcázares

26 Friday Jun 2020

Posted by in andalucia, culture, sevilla, welcome

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alcazar 2020 (1)
Last week I went to the Alcázar with my friend Corinna, the first time either of us had been there for ages. Thing is, it’s free for Sevilla residents but it’s always so bloody crowded that we usually just can’t be bothered. But as they had just reopened the palace and gardens, and it was before foreign tourists were allowed to arrive, we took advantage. And it was lovely. There were a few people, mostly Spanish, but no tour groups, and we often found ourselves with nobody around us in the gardens. Heaven.

Here are some pics…

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death takes a holiday

15 Monday Jun 2020

Posted by in andalucia, coronavirus, sevilla, sevilla shutdown, spain, tourism, travel

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plague holiday
So remember when I was mostly concerned about tourists from the EU Schengen countries (and frankly, also from Spanish virus hotspots like Madrid and Barcelona) suddenly being allowed to travel freely throughout Spain from July 1st? Well it turns out those were the days!

In a blink of an eye the Spanish government caved once again and now we are opening our borders to Schengen countries NEXT MONDAY. That’s right, the very day that we are released from lockdown after 100 days. Without giving us any time at all to adapt and see how we do here with implementing the “new now” regulations as well as dealing with our own homegrown Covidiots. Like, we now have to deal with untested asymptomatic carriers coming here ON FUCKING HOLIDAY from day one. But okay, at least this new deal excluded tourists from the UK (aka Plague Island) so I thought that was at least one less worry. Except now it looks like it actually may become a worry, and a big one.

Ah who am I trying to kid? Of course our government is going to cave again and allow UK tourists in. Bear in mind there will be no testing or quarantining involved with anybody coming here. Just a quick temperature check (useless for infectious asymptomatic carriers, approx 40% of people who test positive for Covid), fill out a form, and welcome to Spain. The only question now is when? Also next Monday? Or will they stick with the original (still way too soon) date of July 1st?

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lockdown: day 6

19 Thursday Mar 2020

Posted by in andalucia, casa azahar, coronavirus, sevilla

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Shit, I don’t actually want to do “lockdown” posts every day, but there’s not really a helluva lot else going on atm. Though I do have some news! The other day I posted this photo of my street guy Nico on Instagram and Twitter, asking people who had to be out (to shop, walk a dog, etc) to keep a look out for him in my street and maybe give him some spare change. Thing is, I wasn’t even sure if Nico knew what was going on, and it was so sad to watch him sitting out there with hardly anybody walking by. And then the next day he vanished and I didn’t see him for three days. I wondered if the city councel had done a “clean up” and moved the street people somewhere else, and I was worried.

And then this morning, there he was again! So I called out for him to come over and as he stood below my balcony I tried to suss out how he was doing. I asked if he had food, or if he needed food… and it was so hard to understand him. Even my neighbour Antonio (who was out on his balcony across the street) couldn’t make out what he was saying. So I told Nico I’d be right down.

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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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