Category Archives: spain

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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the alcázar

31 Thursday Jul 2008

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

≈ 10 Comments

aka the royal palace and gardens

The Alcázar (pronounced al-KA-thar ) is about a three-minute walk from casa az. It is also free to residents of Sevilla. I only have to show my ID card and don’t have to pay the 7 euro entrance fee. And yet I can’t even remember the last time I was there. To remedy this shameful situation, Nog and I decided to spend the morning at the Alcázar and it was lovely, especially as there weren’t as many tourists as usual. And so I’m planning to make this a weekly outing. I mean, it’s crazy not to.

I also took some photos and started a couple of new Fotki albums. One for the Alcázar and a separate one for the fabulous ceramic tiles (azulejos). Here are the links – I recommend the slideshow option as the colours show up really well against the black background. Below the links is a bit of a sneak preview. . .

~ Alcázar photos ~
~ Azulejos photos ~

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dust storm!

14 Monday Jul 2008

Posted by in home, sevilla, spain

≈ 18 Comments

It all happened so fast!

There I was curled up in my comfy chair watching House when suddenly all the balcony doors started banging open and shut. I looked outside and saw that the sky had gone all brown and stuff was flying off the neighbouring rooftops. So I ran upstairs to rescue the laundry and by the time I got back I discovered that one of the windowpanes on a bedroom balcony door had shattered and that absolutely everything was covered in a fine layer of dust. f_cross.gif

Well, I think it’s dust. Might be sand. Like the time it rained sand here (what’s known as La Calima) and the next day all the cars looked like they’d been breaded for deepfrying. And okay, it’s not like casa az is ever a dust-free zone, but this is crazy! I could even taste the dust in the air. Ah well, I was looking for a project to keep me busy this week, though this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.

Maybe I should just do a Quentin Crisp?

[photo by Judy Hedding]

¡campeones!

29 Sunday Jun 2008

Posted by in friends, health & happiness, home, sevilla, spain, tapas

≈ 11 Comments

As this was my last chemo-free day for who-knows-when it was a very self-indulgent one. After my usual morning routine and dreaded Bike Ride (whilst watching a chick flick on tv) I spent the afternoon just relaxing at home in very pleasant company and later on in the evening the girls and I went out for tapas. As the European Cup final was being played (Spain vs Germany) there was no problem getting a table at Bar Giralda. Afterwards we took a stroll and went for a nightcap on the rooftop terrace at the Hotel Doña Maria. Above you can see the view from our table.

Then Sevilla won the final 3-0 and all hell broke loose.

On our way out of the hotel I received a text message on my mobile phone from Blues Shark & Sara in London, who had been watching the match there. I hope they won’t mind me quoting it here but it made me laugh and also cry just a little…

Hiya! Just a quickie through the noise to let you know we’re thinking of you and wishing you all the best for tomorrow. Viva España! Viva az!! 🙂

Luckily I have something for them too! This pic was taken from the rooftop terrace. Click to enlarge.

san juan

24 Tuesday Jun 2008

Posted by in holidays, spain

≈ 15 Comments

Today is San Juan , a festival typically celebrated with roaring bonfires on the beach, food, drink and friends. It is also the saint’s day of anyone whose name is John or a variation thereof – which makes it my saint’s day too! Not that I’m religious, or even own up to Spanish people that my name translates as Juan (don’t want them to start calling me Juanita – gaaaa! ), but I’m basically into any excuse to celebrate.

In Spain saint days are considered to be as important, if not more important, than birthdays. Families and friends organise special meals and gifts are given to the, um, ‘saintee’. I’ve never gone that route myself, but I find I am really hoping for some good news from The Team on this San Juan day – that would be the best present ever.