Category Archives: sevilla

that view

17 Thursday Aug 2023

Posted by in casa azahar, sevilla

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the view from here

I will never ever tire of – or take for granted – this simply lovely view I have from my “office” at Caza Azahar. There are three balconies here, two face the building across the street but this one looks down a narrow pedestrian street and this is what I see from my office chair when I take a moment to look away from the computer and look out the window. The view constantly changes at various times of day, from bright and sunny to softly lit twilight to the glow of the street lamps. And I love them all.

big tourism

15 Tuesday Aug 2023

Posted by in rants, sevilla, spain, tourism, travel

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big tourism

We’ve had Big Tobacco, Big Pharma, Big Oil, Big Agriculture and now we have Big Tourism, except we keep calling it “mass tourism” as if it’s something just happening to us rather than something planned, controlled and promoted by… ??? I mean we know the culprits behind the other “Bigs”. But who is leading Big Tourism? Anybody know? Continue reading →

ikea delivers!

14 Monday Aug 2023

Posted by in retail therapy, sevilla, shopping

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ikea delivers

Who knew? I mean, of course I knew you could get things delivered, both if you shopped online or in person, but I didn’t know IKEA would deliver small items to your home FOR JUST 3 EUROS. Anyhow, I have used these cotton throws as chair and sofa covers for years but they can only be found at IKEA and, since I haven’t been to IKEA since 2017 (and have no plans to go again if I can help it), it was no surprise to realise that the throws I got six years ago were in a pretty sad state thanks to the you-know-whats.

So I had a look online just to see if they still stocked them (they do) and decided to see what they would charge to deliver and I was (pleasantly) shocked. I don’t know how long this has been going on but the last time I bought anything there it was a minimum 30 euro delivery charge. And so I have a couple of these guys arriving this week and I can finally put the old shredded ones to rest. This could be dangerous.

they’re back!

10 Thursday Aug 2023

Posted by in food & drink, friends, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars

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ana simon sara (1)

What a surprise this was! Yesterday afternoon I was all cosy in my comfy chair reading National Dish when I get a message from Ana (aka Mrs O) saying they were heading to Lisbon from Sotogrande and decided last minute to stop off in Sevilla for dinner and spend the night. Four hours later Ana, Simon, little O and I were perched on bar stools at Cinco Jotas enjoying manzanilla and jamón and waiting for Casa Morales to open (I called ahead to Morales so when we arrived my usual table was reserved for us).

ana simon sara (2)

Their last visit was in November when they came for a weekend with Ana’s family and a family friend, and I was thinking how great it was to see them again so soon. THEN I found out that they are now living full time in Sotogrande and they’ve even started a new business down there called Collect Corner (check it out if you live in the area) and so we’re practically neighbours now. Anyhow, a lovely surprise and a lovely evening catching up with lovely friends in one of my favourite places. Really made my day!

national dish

09 Wednesday Aug 2023

Posted by in books, food & drink, sevilla

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national dish

Look what came today! This was the second book I ordered last week, along with The Book of Sherry Wines, bringing my total book purchases since downsizing in 2017 to a resounding three (the third, well, first one was The Wines of Northern Spain by my friend (and Master of Wine) Sarah Jane Evans.

National Dish is by Anya von Bremzen and looks like it’s going to be delightful. I had a teeny-tiny part in it when Anya and her partner Barry were here doing research in the spring of 2019 and we met up a couple of times, going to a few bars where I introduced her to the owners who agreed to be interviewed. It’ll be hard not to skip ahead to the chapter on Sevilla!

In this engrossing and timely journey to the crossroads of food and identity award-winning writer Anya von Bremzen explores six of the world’s most fascinating and iconic culinary cultures—France, Italy, Japan, Spain, Mexico, and Turkey—brilliantly weaving cuisine, history, and politics into a work of scintillating connoisseurship and charm.