Category Archives: sevilla

a day off…

02 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by in sevilla, work

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Really there is no such thing as a DAY OFF for me. Often people say to me… you need to DISCONNECT, you need to take some ME TIME, you need to RELAX. And while I appreciate – and can even understand – their concern, actually, I’m good. In fact, I’ve never been better. Because the very naïve comment I made back in my early twenties, when asked what I wanted to do with my life – “I’m not really sure WHAT it is, but I just want it to be what I would do anyhow when I get up in the morning” – has actually come to be true. This is my job. And it is also my life.

So on this particular day off – which for me means I don’t have any food tours booked – I went out about midday, after answering emails and finishing up some details for my accountant, and thought it would be nice to have some manzanilla at La Azotea… you know, so I could do #manzanillamonday on Instagram… and so we did that.

Then it was home again, to try out a new “smashed potato” recipe I’d found online, which turned out to be amazing. And my friend Peter @SVQConcierge came over to have lunch and also hang out and Netflix with me and the cats.

After that? Peter went home but I still had a bit more stuff I wanted to do. Some photo editing, a few more emails to answer. And then it was time for bed. So yeah, I guess there never is anything for me as a TOTAL DAY OFF. But I don’t even think I’d want one. My work, my life… it’s all the same thing.

casa montalván

29 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by in hotels, restaurants, sevilla, sevilla staycation, spain, tapas, tapas bars

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A Friday afternoon stroll to Triana to look for a new food dish for Morcilla (don’t ask) turned into a delightful surprise visit to brand new tapas bar and restaurant Alfarería 21. This is part of a larger project by Paco Arcas, who owns the nearby Las Golondrinas bars, which will include a boutique hotel. The entire project comprises 3-4 buildings and I was first shown around the site a few years ago, before construction had begun. Then in March Paco took me on another tour of the site and the transformation was stunning.

Anyhow, it turned out that the Alfarería 21, housed in the old Casa Montalván ceramics factory, had just opened the previous day and so of course I couldn’t resist stopping for a couple of tapas and a chat with Paco. The menu is still provisional and so changes will be made, most likely to include separate menus for the bar area downstairs and the first floor restaurant. And the hotel is due to open soon. The rooms I saw in March were gorgeous – can’t wait to go on an overnight “staycation”. More photos below…
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greed

20 Wednesday Jun 2018

Posted by in andalucia, sevilla, spain

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Here you see the landmark Edificio La Adriática in Avenida de la Constitución, now reduced to housing cheap & cheesy souvenir shops. Below was once a traditional family-run shop in Calle Francos that is now a tacky “express market” catering to the tourists living in all the holiday apartments in the area. It’s bad enough that we’ve already lost Barrio Santa Cruz to this sort of crass tourist-focused commercialism, but now it’s spreading further afield. There is almost no more affordable decent housing in the Casco Antiguo. Likewise, independent shops have been closing in droves, only to be replaced with shit like this.

Yes, tourism is one of the most important industries in Sevilla. Heck, it is also (in part) how I make a living. But by destroying the centre of town like this, what will be left to attract people here? Before long what was once one of the most charming and beautiful cities in Spain will soon become a wasteland filled with tacky shops, awful bars and restaurants, and streets filled with huge tourist groups. Wait… soon become? It’s already happening. Shocking that the local government is just looking at the short term profits. You’d think the Spanish would have learned by now that if you over-fish an area then soon there is nothing left. I hope there is still time to turn this terrible greed-fueled trend around.

tbt – the dude in a sunbeam

14 Thursday Jun 2018

Posted by in cats, sevilla, throw back thursday

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This photo was taken in March 2016. It was the first time I’d seen The Dude since the previous winter started and my heart leapt when I found him basking in a sunbeam on a warm spring morning.

Most of you know by now that The Dude has “retired”. He was taken in by a lovely and caring neighbour at the beginning of this past winter and, given his present frail state, would not have survived otherwise. I’m going to visit him and Beatriz again tomorrow.

tuxedo needs a forever home

13 Wednesday Jun 2018

Posted by in animals & pets, cats, sevilla

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Hey Sevilla! This little tuxedo cat is presently being fostered by a friend and is looking for his forever home. Honestly, if Casa Azahar wasn’t already at peak cat capacity (I always say that I am one cat away from becoming a Mad Cat Woman) I’d be seriously tempted. The laundry hamper pic says it all. Anyhow, if you are interested, or know someone who might be, just get in touch.