Category Archives: getaways

córdoba getaway 2024

04 Monday Mar 2024

Posted by in academia sevillana gastronomy turismo, andalucia, getaways, travel, trips

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

cordoba aagt

A quick overnight getaway (with dodgy knee) to attend the Premios Andalucía Gastronomía in Córdoba, presented by the Academia Andaluz de Gastronomía y Turismo. They actually had activities and events planned for the whole weekend but I’m saving myself for the main event today. Got into town yesterday and, thinking I might not be able to move around a lot, decided to splash out a bit in case I had to spend most of the time at the hotel…

cordoba hotel h10

Actually got a good “winter travel” price for one night so what the heck. It was also Peter’s birthday on Saturday so this trip is his birthday present. During the last Córdoba Getaway (June 2022) we walked through this square on the way to our pokey hotel and I had to stop in and have a look inside… vowed then and there I would stay at the H10 Palacio Colomera one day. Anyhow, more on Córdoba and the event after I get home.

upcoming getaways!

22 Thursday Feb 2024

Posted by in andalucia, getaways, spain, travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

on the road

It’s been quite a while since I’ve travelled anywhere. Out of choice, much like I have barely worked over the past couple of months during the peak of Covid-Flu season. But three things have come up in March that have pushed me to MAKE PLANS.

The first is an awards event with the Academia Andalucía de Gastronomía in Córdoba weekend after next, which will also be a birthday present for Peter. Then mid-March I’m doing a day trip to Jerez to see my friends Julie & Steven who are back in Spain to celebrate Steven’s 80th birthday. The following week I am finally getting back to Sanlúcar de Barrameda after far too long.

Hotels and trains have been booked and I’m actually quite excited now. Of course we will be fully masked on public transport and will test before leaving for each trip just in case. Fingers crossed!

cata magistral lustau

20 Wednesday Sep 2023

Posted by in andalucia, getaways, sherry

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

,

lustau cata magistral

My trip to Jerez last weekend started off with a sherry Cata Magistral on Friday in the patio of the splendid Alcázar, hosted by Bodegas Lustau and presented by Lustau’s master winemaker Sergio Martínez and Carman Aumesquat from the Sherry Council. It was a bit touch and go because rain had been previously forecast but in the end we were able to sit outside in this spectacular setting and enjoy a selection of Lustau wines paired with delicious bites accompanied by a flamenco guitarist. A magical evening.

antequera getaway 2023

18 Tuesday Apr 2023

Posted by in andalucia, getaways

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

antequera (1)

My last trip before Covid lockdown was March 11-12th 2020 when I went to visit some wineries in the Axarquía and also near Antequera, culminating with a visit to Bodega La Capuchina before heading home. Little did I know while I was coming back on the train that evening that the world was about to change.

Then a few weeks ago my friend Jeffrey and family moved to Marbella from LA and since then he’s been foodie-ing up a storm visiting bars and restaurants all around Andalucía. He hadn’t heard of Arte de Cozina (and I hadn’t been there since 2016 with Victor) so when he invited me for lunch I leapt at the chance to go back. As we had some extra pre-lunch time I got in touch with Susana at La Capuchina and she very generously offered to pick us up at the train station to visit her bodega and her assistant Mercedes took us to Antequera in time for lunch, dropping us off right in front of Arte de Cozina.

And what a lunch it was! Our friend Victor was supposed to meet us there but was a last minute cancellation, which was a shame not only because I was looking forward to seeing him again, but also because we really could have used an extra stomach (!!!). Jeffrey and I did the best we could but couldn’t finish everything. Chef Charo Carmona and her somm son Fran took excellent care of us, as they do with everyone, and it was a crazy delicious experience (listed below).

Afterwards we had to find our Victor-less way back to the Santa Ana station by taxi (he was going to drive us) and both of us ended up missing our connections, so a long wait ensued in the most charmless middle-of-nowhere spot imaginable. Even the Sad Café was shut. Oh well… it was still a fab day out. Lots of good memories.

antequera (2)

•Selection of porras: tomato, blanco and orange
•Croquetas de la casa (with ensaladilla): puchero, bacalao, gambas, espinacas y piones, queso de cabra, setas, chorizo
•Baby artichokes with crispy garlic and Pedroches jamón
•Pork-filled calamares a la malagueña with potato purée
•Traditional lomo de orza – a MUST HAVE
•Choto malagueña (baby goat) a la pastoril

el puerto getaway

04 Saturday Mar 2023

Posted by in andalucia, birthdays, getaways

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

el puerto

What a day! Went to the 6th Cuatrogatos Wine Fest in El Puerto de Santa María, which was kind of my birthday present to Peter. I say “kind of” because, although he likes wine he cannot cope with a lot of it. But as this birthday present also included a trip back to El Puerto (after far too long) and lunch overlooking the Cádiz bay it worked out for both of us. I got to check in with a lot of winemaking friends I haven’t seen in ages and it was a lovely day trip for Peter too. We started off with breakfast at a totally traditional bar next to the central market that neither of us had been to before. Then a taxi out to the Hotel Puerto Sherry, which was also somewhere we’d never been to. Anyhow, this was the view from our table at lunchtime, a beautiful moody winter sky. Good times. A few more pics below…

Continue reading →