Tag Archives: getaways

bilbao & san sebastián getaways

16 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by in getaways, spain, travel, trips

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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

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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!

bodegas la gitana & argüeso

27 Wednesday Jun 2018

Posted by in andalucia, azahartravels, getaways, sherry, travel, trips

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The main reason for the latest Sanlúcar Getaway was to partake of a couple of the free bodega visits being offered during the Día de la Manzanilla celebrations. The first was the Visita Nocturna on Monday evening at Bodegas La Gitana, which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment as it wasn’t the actual Visita Nocturna (which includes tasting VOR and VORS wines). Instead it was just the regular morning tour but held in the evening. Oh well.

The second was a visit to Bodega Argüeso, which I had never been to before. Peter joined me in Sanlúcar the next morning and when we arrived at the bodega I was very pleasantly surprised to see Nuria (whom I’d first met at Delgado Zuleta a few years ago) was now working at Argüeso. The tour was fun and interesting and included stopping by the tonelería (cooperage) to see the skilled artisans constructing and repairing the sherry barrels.

You can see a complete list of all the sherry bodegas I have visited (20 so far) here…

carnaval chiquito

28 Wednesday Feb 2018

Posted by in andalucia, food & drink, gastronomy, getaways, tapas, tapas bars, trips

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To be honest, you couldn’t pay me to go to Cádiz during Carnaval, so when Peter and I made a last minute decision to ditch El Puerto for a Sunday afternoon in Cádiz I was relieved that the celebrations had finished the previous weekend. Or so I thought! When we got to Hostel Casa Caracol to drop off the suitcase (a great service, and just a short walk from the train station) the guy at reception informed us that we had arrived just in time for Carnaval Chiquito, a kind of “last hurrah” until next year. Oh boy…

Our plan had been to do a three-stop tapeo at some of our favourite bars, as well as take a walk along the beach, and then stop in at the splendid Cafe Royalty before catching the train home. And well, we did manage all that, but both the streets and the bars were absolutely heaving (though to be honest, the bars are probably that busy on a Sunday anyhow). We totally lucked out with the weather, with the predicted rain holding off until after we got home, and warm enough to walk around in shirtsleeves. So it turned out to be a great afternoon and made me realize that I really have to visit Cádiz more often.

one perfect lacy tortillita de camarones at El Faro

three-bar tapeo: chicharrones de Cádiz at Casa Manteca
chocos & prawns at El Faro
grilled presa and stewed abanico at Cumbres Mayores

fabulous picatostes at Café Royalty

La Caleta beach and the Cádiz Balneario

el puerto getaway – cuatrogatos wine fest

24 Saturday Feb 2018

Posted by in events, food & drink, getaways, sherry, wine

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I had been going back and forth about attending this wine event in El Puerto de Santa María and then yesterday morning decided to go for it. The wineries participating sound amazing and, you know, a trip to the coast before my oncology appointment on Monday suddenly seemed like a Very Good Idea. Instead of the original plan of a day trip, I also got a good deal on a place to stay overnight, so now it is officially a GETAWAY. Anyhow, will report on the event after I get back – meanwhile watch my Instagram. Hope you are all having a great weekend too. xx