Category Archives: sevilla

asian confusion

25 Monday Aug 2008

Posted by in food & drink, friends, sevilla

≈ 7 Comments

My dear friend Pipocas took me out for a very nice Sunday lunch yesterday. The original plan had been to go to the new Italian tapas place that I recently discovered, but it turned out that during August they close on Sundays, so instead we went to an Asian fusion restaurant that I’d read about. I’m always keen to try out recommended international restaurants here because after 16 years even the very best tapas can get a bit tedious. And so off we went, promptly getting lost and having to look the place up on Pipocas’s crackberry. But we eventually got there and it looked quite promising. . .

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piel de sapo melón

24 Sunday Aug 2008

Posted by in food & drink, sevilla, spain

≈ 15 Comments

Or ‘toad skin’ melon – my latest food passion!

Remember way back in March when I solved my fruit dilemma by making fresh fruit purées? Well, that all went by the wayside when I went into hospital in May and somehow I never got back into the habit. Then the other evening I was out for a walk with Nog and I was so hot and tired and wishing I could have an icy cold granizada de limón … and suddenly I thought of melons. Lovely crisp and juicy piel de sapo melons. And so I told Nog that we had to get to a supermarket immediately.

And I was right. It wasn’t cold but it totally quenched my thirst and tasted so fresh and delicious … and well, I’ve been eating melon daily ever since. The trick is to find one that is perfectly ripe and, since I have no idea how to do this, I ask someone at the fruit stand. Personally I don’t think they know either but they’re quite good at looking like they do.

Am thinking melon would also go well in a frozen vodka drink …

viveros casa batlló

21 Thursday Aug 2008

Posted by in animals & pets, home, photos, plants, sevilla, spain

≈ 10 Comments

Yesterday I went back to the viveros to 1) find out the name of my mystery plants and 2) get some baby cacti for the bathroom. Nog and I took the rental bikes and when I stopped to take a photo of the entrance I noticed for the first time that it was called Casa Batlló, just like my favourite house in Barcelona.

As soon as I walked in the woman who sold me the Portulaca (which is indeed its proper name, and does not start with a ‘b’) looked up from cleaning a window and said to me by way of a greeting – “It was an orange one!”. Ha! And I told her the second ‘yellow’ one she’d chosen for me also turned out to be orange and we had a good laugh. Guess you had to be there. Anyhow, I then asked about some baby cacti and chose three – again, one euro each. Weirdly, the man who showed me the cactus section (I think the husband of the woman I’d been talking to) also showed me a type that he said people buy to put next to their computers because they absorb static or something? A quick google has come up with this. Maybe I’ll get one next time. Meanwhile, here are the three I bought (well, two cacti and a succulent) …

Afterwards I wandered around the viveros looking for gatitos and found way fewer than on my previous two visits (figures, since I wanted to take pics of them). And it turned out that the proprietors were also camera shy – a real shame because they were both so charming and would have made for a great photo together with their plants and cats. Perhaps I’ll be able to convince them next time (I have a feeling I’ll be going back again).

Below are a few pics showing the general ambience of the place, including a few cats…

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casa de pilatos

19 Tuesday Aug 2008

Posted by in friends, home, photos, sevilla, spain

≈ 6 Comments

On Tuesday afternoons between 1-5 pm the Casa de Pilatos (House of Pilate) has free admission. So after spending a lovely couple of hours this morning with Pipocas and the Kidlet – finally back from holidays – I met Nog to have a wander around and take a few photos, especially of the fabulous azulejos (ceramic tiles) …

~ Casa Pilates azulejos photos 46-75 ~

And below are a few more pics of the palace …

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italian tapas

02 Saturday Aug 2008

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

≈ 12 Comments

A new discovery – Tre Fratelli

I meant to go back to bed after the cats got me up way too early this morning (and after playing a few rounds of email Scrabble with alejna) but in the end I just read a bit and then Nog & I went out for an nice morning walk. My main objective, other than getting some exercise, was to take more photos of azulejos – you can see the ones I found today over here.

While we were out I spotted a new (well, new to me) Italian restaurant and noticed that it also had a list of tapas on a chalkboard outside. Italian tapas? It sounded almost too good to be true. And so after we’d finished our walk and had done a few chores at home, Nog invited me out for an Italian tapa lunch.

This time there was no overly generous soul bringing us extra drinks and another plate of food after we were already full. Though I did have a very nice glass of red wine. And we shared four tapas. And it was perfect. See for yourself . . .

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