Category Archives: spain

la saeta

15 Tuesday Jul 2025

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

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Believe it or not I actually went out ON A SATURDAY NIGHT last weekend. Got a whatsapp message from my lovely friend Jeanine during the afternoon to say I should stop by her newest venture, Taberna La Saeta. I’ve been friends with Jeanine since we first met back in 2009. For many years she was a driving force behind La Azotea (check her out personally delivering lockdown takeaway – so much heart)  before leaving to explore other adventures. But now she has come back to hospitality (where she belongs) with a new summer pop-up bar at La Saeta.

Taberna La Saeta is a classic “de toda la vida” tapas bar and is in a great location (ie, not far from my house!) and if things work out the pop-up may end up a permanent thing. I hope so! We stopped in for a few tapitas and it was great. Very cosy, warm vibe, great food and also very good wine.

Wishing Jeanine and her partner (and chef) Juan all success and happiness and I hope to soon put La Saeta page up on Sevilla Tapas very soon. If you’re in Sevilla go and visit. Open every evening from 8 pm.

rodamientos

11 Friday Jul 2025

Posted by in casa azahar, home, sevilla, spain

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I learned a new word this week. Turns out my rodamientos are fucked. I mean, they haven’t been working properly for a while now, but it’s getting worse all the time. To wit the shower door doesn’t easily slide open or closed, because those little rolly-spinny thingys on top (I don’t even know the name in English, obvs) stopped, well, rolling. So it’s more like dragging the shower door back and forth. Not ideal.

I’d been putting off mentioning it to the landlord because I really don’t wanna rock the boat there, especially as I’m still waiting to see if they are going to renew my contract this month (though I think by law they would have had to serve notice long before now if they weren’t). Instead I was going to ask my handyman Luis who comes to clean my AC filter to have a look at it. But as Luis has been crazy busy he finally only managed to come this week (usually he comes in May). 

Anyhow, he took one of the whaddaya-call-ems apart and said… oh no, can’t fix this, gotta get new ones. But where? Luis said it might be impossible to find compatible ones as they tend to be specific to the shower door design and this one is at least 30 years old. So fuck, broke down and asked the landlord if he could check to see if this was covered on his insurance and the very next day the insurance guy showed up and said… NOPE. They only cover breakage, not the whats-its. 

But Insurance Guy was kind enough to tell me about a couple of places that make mamparas (another word I learned! sliding shower doors) that might have the rodamientos I need. Bless. Told the landlord I’d check on this Monday because the only one that isn’t out in the sticks isn’t open Saturdays. Then there was the usual back and forth about not wanting to pay for this or that… but curiously no mention of the contract. I mean, if they don’t renew it I think I automatically get another year at the present price, but maybe not? Gaaaah… I’m too nervous to just come out and ask. Anyhow, updates as they happen! 😅

blocked!

09 Wednesday Jul 2025

Posted by in social media, spain

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Whenever I post something about being anti-overtourism on social media I end up getting flack from (some) people calling me a hypocrite because I “live from tourism”. They can’t seem to grasp that being anti-overtourism doesn’t mean I’m anti-tourist. Heck it’s not even the same issue. Tourism is fine, MASS tourism is not.

As you all know, I stumbled into this field in 2009 after my “accidental food blog” meant I was getting to know owners and staff in tapas bars in a more personal way. I’d just got over almost 2 years of cancer hell and was ready to get back to work, but I wanted a change. And this proved to be a great new start.

Since then I have watched in horror as my beloved adopted city (1993) has been overtaken by mass tourism, watched neighbourhoods lose their identities, friends lose their homes and businesses… so much loss so that the rich can get richer at our expense.

I fight this by becoming involved. Yes, I still give my tours and tastings (well only the tastings now since I’ve been on crutches since last summer waiting for a knee op) but they are ethical experiences that are totally repectful to the places we visit. Small groups, usually 2-4, max 6.

The places I take people are like my own home. I love them, they love me. My idea has always been to help people experience Sevilla’s tapas scene the way I do. And help give them confidence for when they are out on their own for the rest of their stay.

How would it help the mass tourism problem if I stopped doing this? While corporate food tour companies continue to drag groups of 10-12 people into small tapas bars or other corporate-run bars, offering… what? I am here to show people the difference, how a tapeo in Sevilla actually is.

I am a member of two non-profit gastronomy associations that work directly with the city tourism department. I have a voice there. I hope in time that I may be able to help make a bit of difference, meanwhile I stay in touch, and they know who I am.

Sorry for the rant, but I get so f*cking tired of people judging me based on… nothing. All of the daily work I do towards looking for solutions re: overtourism is unpaid. Only my tours/tastings bring in some income. And with my small groups, I’m never going to be a rich woman.

Anyhow, I know most of you get it and have been supportive, even if we don’t always agree on everything. But it’s always those one or two negative comments that hit you, especially when it’s completely unfair. And then why block me? Why not just unfollow if you don’t like what I post? And then why write a negative comment and leave it there after blocking me? It hurts. But as a friend told me yesterday, that’s the objective of all bullies. To hurt.