Category Archives: sevilla

alexandra del bene

17 Saturday Aug 2019

Posted by in art, books, friends, sevilla

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I first met Alexandra del Bene in March 2011 (wow, so long ago!) while out on a walk when I spotted her painting the shutters of a bar and I stopped to talk to her. Since then she has not only become THE urban artist in demand by local bars, shops and restaurants who don’t want their shutters tagged and defaced by graffiti bandits, she has become a successful artist with exhibits here and abroad, as well as becoming a published author with her book 6 Años Pintando Sevilla. And since that fateful day she has also become my friend!  🙂

So the other day, just like the first time we met, I was walking past a bar and saw her hard at work. But this time inside. I had seen some previews of her latest challenge on Instagram, but omg, in person it was just stunning. And it’s not even finished yet. Alexandra was hired to paint a fresco ceiling in the abacería section of El Rinconcillo, originally founded in 1670 (in the same family since 1870). So I went inside for a chat and helped with a couple of things (so now I can officially say I assisted in this amazing work 😉 ). The bar reopens next Friday, August 23rd, and I’m going to be there.

living the vida local

15 Thursday Aug 2019

Posted by in sevilla, tourism

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A couple of weeks ago I got into trouble on Instagram when I posted that toilet brush photo with the hashtag #livinglikealocal, which resulted in me losing a whack of followers. This was to do with the ongoing ISSUE of over-tourism and how so many travel agents and websites are promoting the concept of LIVING LIKE A LOCAL.

This is both a misleading and, well, impossible concept to achieve. And it’s not even a desirable one. Because the truth is that locals are not actually out all day drinking on sunny terraces and eating tapas. Because we have jobs. We have our daily chores. And we actually cannot afford to go out every day, so many evenings and weekends are spent at home Netflixing with homemade snacks and a nice bottle of wine. Sorry guys.

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blood!

14 Wednesday Aug 2019

Posted by in cancer, casa azahar, home, hope, hospitals, sevilla

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WARNING: although this looks like a Jackson Pollock (it’s actually BLOOD!) the rest of this post might be a bit TMI for some of you. Nothing gross or anything, just, you know, perhaps somewhat more info than you may want to know about. So you have been warned. And it’s totally fine if you don’t want to carry on reading…

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san lorenzo 2019

10 Saturday Aug 2019

Posted by in culture, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars

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Since my first ever San Lorenzo day celebration six years ago this has become an annual event for me. Ramón and Mari Carmen of the Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo host the celebration on August 10th, in honour of the patron saint of cooks and chefs, and namesake of both their barrio and bar.

As always, a variety of grilled flesh were on offer throughout the afternoon, along with a typical white wine punch from Huelva called ponché alosnero. I particularly liked the boat full of nécoras (velvet crabs) on display though I cannot eat them whole as instructed by Ramón. It was also a clever way of incorporating their August beach theme with the saint day celebrations. Good times.

The martyr San Lorenzo was put to a slow and painful death on top of a large gridiron with live coals beneath it and, the legend concludes that, after enduring the pain for a very long time he made his famous cheerful remark, “I’m well done. Turn me over!”.

two years on…

07 Wednesday Aug 2019

Posted by in casa azahar, cats, home, sevilla

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So it has been just over two years since I moved to the new Casa Azahar, which is officially the 5th Casa Azahar in my 26 years living in Sevilla (if you count moving across the hall from number 2 to number 3). I spent 1 year in Casa 1, 18 years in Casas 2-3, 5 years in Casa 4 and now 2 years in Casa 5. I have fond memories of all my homes here, even though Casa 4 ended on a sour note with the landlady. But each time I changed homes it was for somewhere better.

At first I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the present Casa Azahar. It was smaller than the previous two, so some serious downsizing was required, which in retrospect was probably a good thing (though in the end I also had to buy some new furniture). And I knew the cats would miss having stairs to play on. But it was attractive, had good light, and was in a good location, so I decided to go for it.

And now, two years on, I can’t imagine ever wanting to live anywhere else. I’ve never felt so at home before and every day I feel delighted and grateful to have this comfy-cosy place to live in. I really love it here, crazy downstairs neighbour notwithstanding, and okay, the kitchen could do with some love. Though the BEST LANDLORD EVER did replace the old cooker with an induction one and install the oven I brought over from the previous place. He also installed all the light fixtures I’d bought after moving in, and quickly replaced the A/C unit when it died. In fact, he has always been amazing about everything.  So I really hope I can continue living here for a long time to come.

Anyhow, I thought it would be fun to make a present day photo collage just like the one I made after I first viewed the apartment. This time with furniture and… cats! (you may have to zoom in to spot them)

Where was the best place you’ve lived?