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Tag Archives: getaways

lustau & albalá

28 Friday Dec 2018

Posted by azahar in friends, gastronomy, getaways, restaurants, sherry

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

albala, getaways, jerez, jerez getaway, sherry

Day two of the Jerez Getaway with Pam & Gord started off with a WHACK of hot crispy fried churros in front of the Central Market. After that, following THE PLAN IS THERE IS NO PLAN format we had been going with, we decided to see if we could go to Lustau for their Copa en Mano bodega visit. And there was still places available! So off we went after a quick visit to the market and cathedral.

I really enjoyed the concept of this tour. Usually people visit a bodega and then have a tasting at the end. With this one visitors start off with a glass of manzanilla and then taste their way around the various Lustau bodegas, finishing with sweet wines and then a bonus vermouth tasting in the shop. So it was a lot of fun, and we tasted some very special wines which I don’t think are included in the regular visit. And then it was time for lunch!

My friend Tomoko met us at Lustau, since (no plan, right?) we still weren’t sure where to go. From there I called one of my favourites, Albalá, and was told they were fully booked, but if we showed up we could go on a waiting list. Well, good enough for us! And sure enough, after a quick taxi ride, and about ten minutes after arriving and enjoying a drink at the bar, we got a table. Food was amazing, company even better. And afterwards we walked back into the centre for a penúltima. Then it was time for me to go. I didn’t have a return train ticket, leaving it open since THERE WAS NO PLAN. In the end I left Jerez at 7.15, and was home, unpacked, showered and with a load of laundry on by 9 pm. With my cats! It was a great getaway.

 

bilbao bites

28 Tuesday Aug 2018

Posted by azahar in getaways, travel, trips

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Tags

bilbao, bilbao getaway, getaways, spain, travel

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Travelling in August, and especially arriving on a Monday, is not great for finding places open. At least half of the recommended pintxo bars on my list were closed for holidays. Perhaps because of this we found the food a bit uninteresting (and very mayonnaisey!).
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We fared better at Casa Rufo (below), a restaurant that was recommended by my landlord. Cosy ambiance, great staff, delicious food and wine… AND we got to sit down. 😉
766EA1CD-BD95-4FB7-A23A-466B9893843A

postcard from bilbao

27 Monday Aug 2018

Posted by azahar in getaways, travel, trips

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bilbao, bilbao getaway, getaways, spain, travel

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Wish you were here!

bilbao & san sebastián getaways

16 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by azahar in getaways, spain, travel, trips

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

bilbao, getaways, san sebastian, spain, travel

So it won’t be long before I head out on my second week of summer holidays. This time to places I have NEVER been to before. Bilbao and San Sebastián. Well, okay, back in May 1992 I did pass through San Sebastián on my way to Spain from Bristol, but we couldn’t find anywhere to spend the night where we could safely unload all the crap in our car (all my worldly belongings), so we moved on.

Fast forward 26 years and I will be visiting these two fabulous cities with friends and also with a lot of great local advice as to what to see and – of course! – where to eat. All those little black stars you can see mapped out are recommended places to eat. And yeah I know, won’t get to most of them, but I love having that comfort factor, knowing I don’t ever have to experience a bad meal somewhere.

The other stuff – monuments, museums, etc – are much easier to sort out. And it looks like I’m even going to be going up a fucking funicular in Bilbao (eek!). But I am really excited about this GETAWAY because they are places I don’t know and have always wanted to visit.

Meanwhile, don’t worry about the cats. A cat-loving friend is coming to spend the week at Casa Azahar and make sure everybody is sufficiently fed and cuddled. And my friend is also looking forward to a WEEK WITH CATS.

Does anybody else have any late-summer travel plans?

with gayle in granada

17 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by azahar in welcome

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Tags

getaways, granada, granada getaway, granada tapas tour, tapas

E3907C28-E25C-4BFA-84CC-44AE10E9FB15Back in February I finally met Gayle from @GranadaTapasTours in person when she visited Sevilla with her family. So it was great to meet up again on her home turf last night and be taken out on a private tapas tour.

We stopped in at four fabulous bars that I’d never been to before, and each one was unique (and delicious). Of course Gayle personally knew the owners and told us the history of each bar and also some interesting anecdotes and info about Granada. Thanks for such a fun evening Gayle!

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