Category Archives: spain

adiós pasos largos

26 Wednesday Aug 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, friends, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

Last Sunday I was out for a walk and, well, FUCK IT WAS HOT, so I thought I’d take a detour on my way home to see if one of my fave places Taberna de Pasos Largos was open for a cold beer (as it used to always be open on Sundays). Well, not only was it closed… IT WAS GONE. I mean, totally gone. Empty. And my heart broke a little, once again.

The toll of this fucking virus can be seen everywhere, but in my own world I am (so far) mostly affected by the restrictions it puts on me, including having lost my job and only source of income, as well as the loss of so many wonderful bars and restaurants. And this time I lost something very special. I don’t even know what to say, other than I will miss Paco, Pepe and Isi very much. Yes the food was great, the wine too, but I will mostly miss just being there with them. So sad.

Paco & Pepe

Isi

Isi

irony

20 Thursday Aug 2020

Posted by in sevilla, spain, tapas bars, tapas tours

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

Oh the irony. First of all there will be no work for me in 2020 so thanks for rubbing that in. Secondly, if this award is so exclusive then why is everyone (and l mean EVERYONE) posting it in their social media?

It’s clearly a crass and obvious way for Trip Advisor to get free publicity from everyone using their platform. They lowered my rating two years ago because l wouldn’t pay 25% commission to use their booking system. Now I’m suddenly an exclusive award winner? Fuck off.

mask with a message

14 Friday Aug 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, sevilla, spain, tapas bars

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

stop

Went out for a cold beer at La Bodega Alfalfa today and noticed that Javier was wearing a different mask than the rest of his colleagues. At first I thought it was the (now) usual wait staff mask with the name of the bar embroidered on it. But then I saw it said STOP RACISMO. Javi told me his wife had bought a set, including ones that said BLACK LIVES MATTER and I CAN’T BREATHE. He then proceeded to explain to me who George Floyd was and how those had been his last words. And I said, yeah I know.

Imagine time travelling back a few months and telling Mr Floyd that soon there would be a Spanish barman speaking his name and standing by him. I mean yes of course, all the protests, all the everything, would have blown his mind I’m sure. But it touched me today to see this one personal protest still happening, far from where it all started. Well done, Javier!

san lorenzo 2020

10 Monday Aug 2020

Posted by in culture, history, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars, welcome

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

san lorenzo 2020

Today is the Día de San Lorenzo. In case you don’t know, the martyr San Lorenzo was put to a slow and painful death on top of a large gridiron with live coals beneath it and, the legend concludes that, after enduring the pain for a very long time he made his famous cheerful remark, “I’m well done on this side. Turn me over!”.

This is the first time in over five years that I haven’t attended the hectic San Lorenzo Day festivities at the Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo. Because of Covid, Ramón and Carmen took the decision not to reopen their bar until September. In any case, this celebration is not one that lends itself to social distancing. The place is packed all afternoon long, standing room only, with Ramón passing around platters of grilled flesh (sardines, chicken legs, sausages, etc) with everyone drinking a punch from Huelva called ponche alosnero.

It’s always a crazy time and I miss it.   ❤

travelling abroad in the time of coronavirus

03 Monday Aug 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, sevilla, sevilla shutdown, spain, welcome

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

covid testing

It turns out that you can get a Covid test in Sevilla at any private clinic / lab. It costs between 50-70€ and you get the results in five hours. Question. Why doesn’t our government set up a booth at the airport so arriving UNTESTED tourists can be tested and, by the time they have settled into their hotels, they will know if they are carriers or not and if they need to quarantine? Why is the focus on tourists getting tested after they get home again?

Continue reading →