Category Archives: trips

mask upgrade

03 Tuesday May 2022

Posted by in covid, decanter magazine, travel, trips, welcome, work

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mask upgrade

I’ve mostly been relying on surgical masks (made locally) for day-to-day use because I tend to be either outdoors or in well-ventilated indoor situations. BUT… I have a work trip coming up to Barcelona which is both exciting and a bit terrifying. I mean, I haven’t been to BCN since 2014 when I took myself up there for a birthday treat. And I have to say that part of me is really looking forward to being there again, but another part of me is going OMG because, of course, Covid.

Just like the last trip I’ll be taking the AVE fast train direct from Sevilla to Barcelona, a 5.5 hour trip. Which really ends up mostly the same amount of time as flying there (it’s a really short flight). But if you take into account getting to and from the airport, having to arrive at the airport and hour or so ahead of time, and blah blah blah… just no. I really enjoyed the train ride last time. Got to watch a film, read a bit, hang out on social media, and visit the bar car. PLUS I could bring as much luggage as I wanted to.

Of course now the big question is about travelling safely, on a train for all that time. Happily we still have a mask mandate for all public transport, so everyone will have masks on. But it made me think that it was time for a mask upgrade. So I am looking at getting some FFP2/FFP3 KN95/N95 masks for my trip. Still working out what the differences are between them, but clearly they are more effective than surgical masks. Anyhow, wish me luck! My first MAJOR TRIP since March 2020.

córdoba getaway 2022

04 Friday Feb 2022

Posted by in andalucia, getaways, travel, trips

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cordoba 2022 (1)

So the plan was that we would all meet up in Córdoba, poke around a bit, and then head for lunch at NOOR. After a walk to the centre from the train station we made the obligatory stop at Bar Santos for a slice of their famous monster tortilla, then spent some time in the Mezquita. After that we split up because I wanted to see Plaza Corredura, which was more or less on the way to the restaurant. And some 15,000 steps later I was at NOOR. More on that later, but for now here are a few shots of Córdoba.

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bilbao memories

28 Friday Aug 2020

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This photo popped up in my azahar Instagram Memories today, and I actually got a bit weepy. It had been such a great day, checking out the Guggenheim in Bilbao, walking around town, looking for tapas bars that were open (top tip: do not visit Bilbao the week after their Semana Grande in August), later having cocktails on the rooftop of the Gran Hotel Domine at sunset overlooking the Guggenheim and the river. It was part of my first Basque Getaway, visiting Bilbao and San Sebastián.

I guess what got me choked up was the feeling of not knowing if or when this will ever be possible again. I still can’t even get on a train to go to Jerez or Cádiz on a day trip. But today I was whisked back to Bilbao, to the streets, the crazy architecture, the fab pintxo bars, the market, the river, getting lost in a dodgy part of town late at night, the museum of columns. What also got me choked up was that back then, just two years ago, there was no way of knowing what would happen to us in 2020. Hell, same goes for last December, but…

I dunno. Today I saw tweet by the regional government boasting that Andalucía had received the highest volume of travellers and hotel overnight stays in the country during the month of July and had established itself as a preferred destination for Spanish tourists. Meanwhile Andalucía has also registered the highest numbers of the pandemic with 909 cases in 24 hours, including 4 deaths. Coincidence?

I’m just so sad these days. Nobody seems to be in charge. People are doing WHATEVER because there is no direction. And my life… I honestly don’t know. Back in April I was doing okay by not thinking too far ahead, just getting by day by day. But the truth is that I could lose my home and that’s terrifying to me. So seeing these Bilbao pics was so bittersweet. Back when things were good we never thought things could ever change so much, or so quickly.

patrícia & luís

02 Friday Aug 2019

Posted by in tapas, tapas bars, tapas tours, travel, trips

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Last week Patrícia (owner of Singular Trips in Lisbon) got in touch with me, saying that she and her husband Luís would be in Sevilla in a few days and that she would like to meet up. She has been getting requests for tours in Spain and wanted to know more about what I do, etc… and so we met for an afternoon tapeo. Lovely people who really care about what they do, so hopefully we will end up working together sometime.  🙂

london getaway 2019 | day 1

13 Monday May 2019

Posted by in friends, getaways, london, travel, trips

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This is Nicola’s @shedlikesfood lovely apartment, located on the top floor of The House of Many Stairs in Clapton. There are even stairs inside the apartment (!!) as it is on two levels, with the bedroom and bathroom upstairs. To say I am no longer used to climbing stairs is a bit of an understatement, but the only really difficult times were lugging my massive suitcase up and down them (I do not travel light). But as you can see it’s a charming light-filled space.

I arrived at the house around 2.30 pm and got unpacked and settled in. Then it was time to take a walk and get to know the neighbourhood, and hopefully find somewhere for a late lunch. Unfortunately most of the places Nicola had recommended were closed (Monday!) so, after a quick beer in a dodgy pub, I bought a few supplies for the week at the supermarket, picked up pizza, and headed home.

By this time it was already 7-ish and I was exhausted, having accomplished close to 14,000 steps on only one early morning croissant and the aforementioned beer. So I put my feet up, opened the wine I’d purchased at the supermarket, and enjoyed an early dinner of wood-oven baked pizza. And well, there was no way I was going out again. In fact, I ended up in bed by 9.00 and caught a lovely sunset from the bedroom window before hitting the hay and sleeping a full 8 hours (something almost unheard of for me – clearly I needed it).

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