Category Archives: holidays

on the road…

19 Wednesday Mar 2008

Posted by in friends, holidays, trips

≈ 7 Comments

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[written at 12.30pm yesterday]

Writing to you from the top of a mountain somewhere in the Algarve. Was kidnapped picked-up today by Pipocas and her husband CHUCKY (who doesn’t like having his name mentioned on blogs – this is my revenge 😉 ) and driven up a very long and winding mountain road until I thought I was about to lose my brekky.

Nature all over the place. Meh.

Anyhow, just arrived in Cachopo (our destination for some reason) and next to the wee Museo Vivo – where they sell flax products and also show the flax-making process – I found this free internet access place! Interesting combination of high-tech inside with chickens pecking and clucking around outside the window.

Have no idea what the others are up to right now, but I know the Kidlet (P&C’s 4-year-old daughter) wants to have lunch soon so I’d better get going. I think we’re having wild boar.

Nog’s laptop can’t pick up the wifi connection at our inn, which is totally gorgeous and charming, btw, so I might not be around again till Thursday night.

Having a great time so far! Especially as we are being threatened with being taken over here for a cold beer after we get back to Tavira… 🙂

off to the algarve!

16 Sunday Mar 2008

Posted by in holidays, life stuff, portugal, trips

≈ 5 Comments

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An impromptu holiday trip to Tavira!

When Pipocas and I went out for some much needed cold water after our Japanese luncheon the other day she mentioned that she was going to Tavira during Semana Santa with her husband and 4-year-old daughter and asked if Nog & I would like to come and hang out with them for a couple of days while they were there. And well, I’ve never been to the Algarve and Tavira is very close to the Spanish border (and also accessible by bus) so I started looking into this possibility . . .

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back to the market …

03 Thursday Jan 2008

Posted by in christmas, culture, holidays, retail therapy, sevilla, spain

≈ 1 Comment

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. . . for some last minute prezzies

This weekend (January 5th) is Los Reyes Magos, which is traditionally the day that gifts are exchanged in Spain. As I still had a couple of people to get a little something for I popped back to the Christmas Market this afternoon and bought two very pretty wooden boxes with mosaic lids (blue with yellow stars – similar to the pic above but without the black outlining and ‘face’).

And so I’ve updated the Christmas market post, adding a photo of Fernando wrapping up one of my boxes and posting his website link. There are also a couple of new pics there showing the other side of the Belén and the big tree in front of city hall at night.  Check them out . . .

Christmas Market update

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saturday at the saffron bar

29 Saturday Dec 2007

Posted by in food & drink, holidays, photos, sevilla, spain, tapas

≈ 1 Comment

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And a new tapa experience…

For ages my friend and student iskenderum has been telling me that I MUST go to Taberna del Azafrán (azafrán means saffron) and today was the day. Kind of impromptu as it was around 12 o’clock and I was still in my pj’s so we decided some serious motivation was required to get me dressed and out the door. Being a gorgeous sunny day I suggested we hop on a couple of Sevici rental bikes and finally try out this place. And so that’s what we did, arriving just before 2 and getting the last free table in front of the bar.

So okay, it ended up being a lot more expensive than we’d planned on since at the tables you have to order raciones (you can only get tapas at the bar, which was jam-packed) but we decided what the heck. Especially as we didn’t go to Lisbon. And so we ended up having quite a substantial and delicious lunch. Which would have been really lovely had the waiters been even remotely friendly, which they were not (according to iskenderum this is always the case with the waiters there, but he says the owner is very friendly and pleasant). Anyhow, the food was very nice so maybe we’ll go back sometime and give the tapas a try … and hopefully the bar staff will be friendlier than the waiters.

The best part was the monogrammed plates with a stylized AZ on them. 🙂

Check it out on the Sevilla Tapas blog…