06 Monday Mar 2017
Posted in food & drink, friends, gastronomy, london, tapas, tapas bars, tapas tours, travel, trips
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It was great catching up with Mary & David from London Walks yesterday. I first met them when they visited Sevilla two years ago, and this time I got to take them out on a proper Sevilla Tapas Tour. Happily they were up for anything, so we were able to squeeze into one of my fave places that I can’t usually go to on my tours, as it’s too small and crowded for most people’s idea of comfort. If I have time I hope to go out on one of their London walking tours when I am there next month.
09 Thursday Feb 2017
Posted in food & drink, gastronomy, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars
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Stuff like this just makes my day. After a couple of hours sorting out “papeles” at the social security office for my online digital certificate, and then setting up appointments for blood tests and my next oncology appointment, it was definitely BEER O’CLOCK. But then I remembered reading about a place I’d never been to (yep, there are still a few of them out there) so Peter and I walked over to the Abacería Puerta Carmona. I had only expected to have a quick beer and go home, instead we met a lovely guy called Chía who offered us manzanilla en rama and mango vermouth… and well, we had to stick around after that. Tried a few tapas, had a great time. Love my job. 🙂
04 Saturday Feb 2017
Posted in sevilla, tapas, tapas bars
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Diego, Antonio, Pepe (2012)
Pepe, Julio (Diego’s son), Antonio (2017)
So as most of you know, I’ve been running this food website for about ten years now, called Sevilla Tapas… 😉
But what you may not know is that I don’t actually make a bean off that site. It started off as a labour of love, and has remained so. Also, I don’t get offered free meals (as many people suppose), which means I actually pay for every tapa and every glass of wine you see posted. And all of that is fine because I think it is what sets me apart, and it also means that Sevilla Tapas has become my online portfolio, showing that I am far more than “just another tapas tour guide”. It also means that I am free to post my own opinions.
And very often it enriches my life in other ways. Like when I went back to El Cairo five years after my first visit (hey, there are more than 3,000 tapas bars here – I do my best!). As usual I got to talking to the guys behind the bar, who looked familiar. So I got out my iPhone and looked up my previous entry for El Cairo and the guys loved it. Especially Julio who saw his father Diego in my 2012 pic. So he very happily posed with the same two barmen as before, Pepe and Antonio, and that encounter totally made my day. Love my job.
21 Saturday Jan 2017
Posted in friends, getaways, madrid, markets, spain, tapas bars, twitter, twitter friends
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This was absolutely the highlight of my Madrid Getaway… FINALLY getting to meet Lee @sheleebeelee! We’ve known each other for years, meeting first (I think) on Twitter, via our mutual pal @raincoaster. Since then we have stayed in touch via Facebook though, for some duh reason, I forgot to get in touch during my summer 2014 Madrid visit. So when I went back last July I was looking forward to getting together. Unfortunately Lee was having some serious health problems, and I wasn’t able to see her.
This time, although still undergoing treatment and recovery, she was well enough to meet up on my final afternoon in Madrid. I popped over to her apartment after checking out of mine, left my bag there and visited for awhile with Lee and the charming Toni (her lovely golden cat). Then I went for a stroll through nearby Antón Martín market before meeting Lee again and going out to Tandem (another spot I didn’t manage to get to last summer).
Lunch, as you can see, was amazing. But the company was even better and the time flew by far too quickly. By 5 pm I was back on the AVE heading home to Sevilla (and an evening tapas tour!), and feeling ever so thankful that the internets had brought Lee and I together. Hope to see you again soon, sister! xx
16 Friday Dec 2016
Posted in andalucia, christmas, food & drink, friends, Malaga, malaga getaway, spain, tapas, tapas bars
It was almost exactly two years ago when Victor and I last visited Janet Mendel in Mijas, so another day trip to that pretty village (and Janet!) was in order. We left Málaga at midday under mostly sunny skies but shortly after meeting up with Janet the skies opened up and we took shelter – where else? – in the nearest bar.
Actually this segued into a three-stop tapeo, led by Janet, dodging the raindrops along the way. We weren’t so lucky at our last stop however, when as soon as we were ready to leave THIS happened…
But our hero Victor borrowed an umbrella from the bar (ours were all at home – duh) and went to collect the car, and on the way home we were rewarded with a spectacular rainbow.
It was great spending the afternoon catching up with Janet (thanks so much for taking me Victor!) and hope we can all get together again soon. Perhaps in Córdoba?
casa azahar 