Category Archives: spain

second birthday!

12 Saturday Jan 2008

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

≈ 10 Comments

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It might have appeared to some of you that Nog was conspicuously absent from my birthday post the other day. That’s because he was actually absent or, to be more precise, he was being a grumpy old git. But I wasn’t about to not have a happy birthday just because I was being ignored. And you guys all really helped with that – thanks again for all the good wishes and making me feel special and cared for.f_hug.gif

So anyhow, Mr Grumpy finally came out of his slump this week and said that he wanted to make up for the ‘lost birthday’ and so I’m having a second birthday today. Started off with Nog bringing me arabic pastries in bed with hot coffee. Then he had to go out and give a class so I went to the gym and we both got home around the same time. We had a bit of shopping to do and while we were in the supermarket Nog asked me what we were going to have for lunch. I just looked at him like he’d suddenly sprouted four heads and went off to get some cava. When he caught up with me he said – “Let me rephrase that… where would you like me to take you for lunch?” Yay! 🙂

I suggested we try the dining room at Enrique Becerra (we’ve only ever had tapas at the bar there) but as it was already 2 o’clock and we didn’t have a reservation I wasn’t very hopeful about getting a table. And sure enough, when we turned up the bar was totally packed and we were told the dining room was fully booked. In desperation I said to the maître de … ” oh no! But it’s my birthday!” – and one of the waiters standing nearby stage whispered to him “but it’s her birthday!!!” – and so it was suggested that we be taken up to ‘the office’, which in fact is a small private dining room for two, and totally charming. It really couldn’t have been lovelier. We were very well taken care of by Pablo and Rafa. Pablo even said we could have one of our favourite starters from the tapa menu (the dining room menu is a bit different). And well, the meal was just fabulous!

You can see the pics here … Enrique Becerra (scroll down to photos 18-22)

Not sure if Nog has anything else planned for this second birthday, but if not I’ll happily rewatch the first episode of House (season 4) at 8.30, drink some more cava and maybe enjoy my last packet of Orville’s. Anyhow, I’m glad he’s stopped being an old grumpy boots… and it was very nice being taken out for a birthday lunch. So I guess I can take the ‘looking for a new flatmate’ ad out of the paper now. 😉

 

happy birthday!

07 Monday Jan 2008

Posted by in birthdays, home, life stuff, sevilla, spain

≈ 23 Comments

As it’s now just after midnight and officially my birthday I thought I’d post this before heading off to bed. Boy, compared to last year, turning 51 feels a bit meh. Though this year today is a national holiday (it’s usually on the 6th, but as that fell on a Sunday they moved the holiday over). Of course this is how it should always be 😉 . I never work on my birthday anyhow, but at least this year I don’t have to feel guilty about turning down the always much needed cashola.

And so I’ve been thinking about what it means to be actually in my fifties now. Feels a bit unreal, to be honest. Kind of like something that happens to other people. But of course I’m glad to have made it to another birthday and today, unless Nog has something special planned, I think I’ll just buy a bottle of f_bubbly.gif and enjoy this last day of the holiday season with a good book or a film and some of my favourite popcorn (my friend guspemar picked some up for me when he was in New York last week). And I may even get round to changing the only-a-woman-in-her-50s-would-be-caught-dead-wearing frumpy brass buttons on my pretty new M & S red cardy , so that I can finally wear it.

It’s the custom in Spain (or so I was once told) that the birthday person buys everyone in the bar a drink, not the other way round, so ever since that first birthday in Salamanca that cost me a small fortune, I’ve pretty much stayed clear of bars on the 7th of January. Of course, virtual bars are quite a bit more economical (well, except for the buying a computer bit), so please come in and make yourself at home… and welcome to my birthday! f_magic.gif

The casa az bar is now open!
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back to the market …

03 Thursday Jan 2008

Posted by in christmas, culture, holidays, retail therapy, sevilla, spain

≈ 1 Comment

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. . . for some last minute prezzies

This weekend (January 5th) is Los Reyes Magos, which is traditionally the day that gifts are exchanged in Spain. As I still had a couple of people to get a little something for I popped back to the Christmas Market this afternoon and bought two very pretty wooden boxes with mosaic lids (blue with yellow stars – similar to the pic above but without the black outlining and ‘face’).

And so I’ve updated the Christmas market post, adding a photo of Fernando wrapping up one of my boxes and posting his website link. There are also a couple of new pics there showing the other side of the Belén and the big tree in front of city hall at night.  Check them out . . .

Christmas Market update

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saturday at the saffron bar

29 Saturday Dec 2007

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

≈ 1 Comment

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And a new tapa experience…

For ages my friend and student iskenderum has been telling me that I MUST go to Taberna del Azafrán (azafrán means saffron) and today was the day. Kind of impromptu as it was around 12 o’clock and I was still in my pj’s so we decided some serious motivation was required to get me dressed and out the door. Being a gorgeous sunny day I suggested we hop on a couple of Sevici rental bikes and finally try out this place. And so that’s what we did, arriving just before 2 and getting the last free table in front of the bar.

So okay, it ended up being a lot more expensive than we’d planned on since at the tables you have to order raciones (you can only get tapas at the bar, which was jam-packed) but we decided what the heck. Especially as we didn’t go to Lisbon. And so we ended up having quite a substantial and delicious lunch. Which would have been really lovely had the waiters been even remotely friendly, which they were not (according to iskenderum this is always the case with the waiters there, but he says the owner is very friendly and pleasant). Anyhow, the food was very nice so maybe we’ll go back sometime and give the tapas a try … and hopefully the bar staff will be friendlier than the waiters.

The best part was the monogrammed plates with a stylized AZ on them. 🙂

Check it out on the Sevilla Tapas blog…

christmas market

22 Saturday Dec 2007

Posted by in christmas, culture, holidays, retail therapy, sevilla, spain

≈ 11 Comments

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Went to the Christmas market this afternoon.

We were quite lucky because it was supposed to be raining today (and also for the next 3-4 days) but it turned out to be quite a pleasant day, just a bit cloudy and even sometimes sunny.

I was very pleased to see our friend Norberto there. We met him one magical night when our friend zoomer was visiting and later I got some nice pics of Norberto in his workshop with the façade nicely redone.

To be honest, most of the stalls at the market had a lot of the same-old rather useless hippy-dippy ‘artesan’ stuff, but there were a few I rather liked. I am presently coveting one of Norberto’s serigraphs, especially one with the new matte silver frames he has started using. And I would also love to have one of the carved wooden book lamps. But I know where to find both of these guys should I ever have some extra cashola and feel like treating myself.

Anyhow, here are some photos taken during today’s visit to the Christmas market. It really was a pleasant way to spend the early afternoon. On the way home we stopped off at Fnac and bought a dvd of The Jungle Book … so now off to make a snack, open some wine and curl up on the sofa with Nog to watch it. I’m now ‘on holiday’ until next Thursday and plan on enjoying every minute of it. 🙂

[update: returned to the market here]

Click below to check out the photos . . .

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