16 Monday Jun 2014
Posted in food & drink, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas tours, work
It’s not often I post a photo of myself online but this was such a “feel good” moment that Peter happened to capture at the end of a Sevilla Tapas Tour that I decided not to worry about all my chins showing. I really do have one of the best jobs in the world. 🙂
14 Saturday Jun 2014
Tags
Andalucia, azahar spain, blogs, facebook, trip planning, twitter, website
I have been very busy! The first step of getting my Trip Planning biz up and running meant having rethink my “brand” and, while I am still going to continue with azahar-sevilla.com and Sevilla Tapas, I felt some restructuring was needed so the new venture would not be city specific. Thus azahar-spain.com was born. The new domains have already been purchased and now I just (just!) have to get the new website and accompanying blogs set up. Most of the initial content is ready to upload but I want to talk to my SEO guru first to make sure I structure it correctly.
The easiest step was creating new social media accounts for the blogs, so please go ahead and follow/Like them. Thanks! 🙂
Twitter: @AzaharTapas | @AzaharTravels
Facebook: AzaharTapas | AzaharTravels
02 Monday Jun 2014
El Rincón de la Memoria y La Libertad, Plaza Encarnación Sevilla.
I’m often surprised by the things you don’t see when you don’t pay attention. Like the other day while on one of my usual ways home I noticed this small olive tree for the first time, growing in one of the planters next to the “lone mushroom” in Plaza Encarnación. And then I saw the plaque, quoting Mahatma Gandhi – “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way”. Then I noticed the date on the plaque: March 11 2014, the 10th anniversary of the Madrid train bombings.
Apparently this lovely memorium was sponsored by City Hall and the Alberto Jiménez-Becerril Foundation, the latter founded to help victims of violence. City councillor Jiménez-Becerril and his wife Ascension Garcia Ortiz were murdered by ETA terrorists while walking home on January 30, 1998, just around the corner from where I lived. The week before I’d met the wife and their three children at the English language school where I was working at the time, so that is a very strong memory for me. And so now I will always notice this olive tree on my way home and hope that it grows well and strong.
29 Thursday May 2014
I’ve known Gabriella (@tenedor on Twitter) for years and we’ve often talked about me going up to visit her in San Sebastian (which may actually happen this summer). But then she was suddenly in Sevilla and so of course we had to meet up and go out on a “tapeo extremo”. It was a fabulous afternoon – also the first long outing I’ve done without crutches in six weeks! – and we really hit it off. I was introducing Gabriella to the various bar owners as the “Shawn of San Sebastian” except she is actually on a whole other level as you can see by her website: Tenedor Tours.
Of course at the end of this fabulous tapeo I got to come home and put my feet up for the rest of the evening while Gabriella had to get back to work with the clients she had brought to town. Really hoping to get a chance to do pinxtos with her soon and, who knows, maybe drop in on the Arzaks. But mostly it would just be fun to hang out with her again. The list of fabulous people I’ve met via Twitter continues to grow…
26 Monday May 2014
Just before leaving Vinoble we went to the Consejo Regulador area and I got to sign my own “official” barrel, announcing my Introduction to Sherry tours event for International Sherry Week! 🙂
casa azahar 