Tag Archives: sevilla

black christmas

13 Friday Nov 2020

Posted by in christmas, coronavirus, covid, sevilla, spain, travel

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Those of you who know me also know that there are probably not many other people you know who LOVE the Christmas season as much as I do. This isn’t because of all the happy memories of Christmases past… in fact it’s the opposite. It’s because I never had any nice Christmas memories growing up, so when I left home at the ripe old age of 15 I decided to start making my own traditions. And Christmas became MY THING. And OMG I love it, not as a religious holiday but kind of based on the concept of the birth of Jesus being a metaphor for the birth of compassion in the world. Not a GOD, but just a person like us. So I always made sure to make a big fuss over everything about celebrating the birth of compassion, and yeah, also love the lights, the songs, the movies, the everything. Don’t care too much about gifts, but again, that is another expression of appreciating the people we love, and letting them know, so that’s cool too.

Thing is, this year is different. Really different. We have constantly seen catastrophes happening around us because people will JUST NOT LET GO  of the idea that they can’t do things like they have always done. First it was that they NEEDED their summer holidays (who the fuck travels abroad ON HOLIDAY during a global pandemic??) and as a result of people not staying put we are experiencing a killer second wave of this fucking virus. And don’t even get me started on non-maskers and “herd immunity” assholes and people who have still had big weddings, birthdays, etc. Anyhow, now it’s coming up to Christmas and my Twitter feed is full of people talking about getting home for the holidays and I am like WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK??

Have people learned NOTHING?? Here we are in Spain not allowed to travel outside our own municipalities, with a curfew from 10pm to 7am, and yet they are still allowing tourists in and out?? This also goes for people who live here and have family elsewhere (or vice versa), somehow thinking that their family gathering is worth more than the safety and lives of others, that THEIR situation is the exception. This is the exact opposite of what Christmas should be about because this isn’t about giving or sharing or caring, it’s about selfish personal desire, and then just doing what you want at the possibly horrific expense of others. Honestly, I despair.

famous again!

11 Wednesday Nov 2020

Posted by in sevilla, tapas, tapas bars, tapas tours

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So yay! The latest National Geographic Traveller is out and I’M IN IT. It came as a bit of a surprise because I was happy to take the journo out in February while she was here, and also give her tips on where else to go in Sevilla. The idea was that she’d give my tapas tours a mention, not that I’d end up being talked about for almost a whole page. So that was nice. Still trying to get a copy. It never feels real for me until I hold the printed version in my hot little hands.

flu jab

05 Thursday Nov 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, covid, health & happiness

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flu jab

It’s done! Got my flu jab because it seemed like the prudent thing to do. In fact, the regional government here is recommending that as many people as possible get this done to eliminate any confusion in case they get Covid. I have only had flu once in my life, when I was about 40, and I swear to god I thought I was dying. EVERYTHING hurt, I was nauseous, couldn’t think straight, had a fever… for the better part of a week all I could do was drag my sorry body (and duvet) from my bed to the sofa and back again all the while hoping I would just die already.

I vaguely remember having one flu jab after that. I mean, you’d think I’d have asked for them every year so as to avoid ever experiencing THAT again, but no, because duh. So when I showed up at my health centre the nurse looked at my history on the computer and said, “been awhile”. I said that maybe my last flu jab was maayybeeeee five years ago … and she said “you were 52!” So okay. I think from now on I will be doing this on a yearly basis. Also hope to be getting a Covid jab soon?

sherry week!

02 Monday Nov 2020

Posted by in sherry, sherry week, spain

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sherry week 2020 (2)

Yay, #SherryWeek is here at last! And since this is 2020 it will be a largely virtual affair, so this week I am going to take you through one of my Sherry & Tapas tastings, one wine per day (7 in total) with some of my favourite pairings. Hope this gives you a little inspiration for trying sherry as it was meant to be enjoyed, with good food and good friends.

Follow me on Instagram to see the pairings this week. And feel free to ask any questions about the wines and the food. ¡Salud!

alfredo

27 Tuesday Oct 2020

Posted by in art, sevilla, tapas bars

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Yay! I was so happy to pick up my framed print by local artist Alfredo Rodríguez @alfredorfz today. During lockdown Alfredo started creating colourful paintings of Sevilla bar façades and l fell in love with this one of my beloved Bar Casa Eme, which closed for good in March. I first saw the print on his Instagram page and left a comment saying I WANT ONE!. Then Alfredo got in touch and said he was selling limited prints and I placed my order.

We talked about where I would pick it up and it turned out that Alfredo lives in the same street as me! In fact I could wave at him right now if he was out on his balcony. How random is that??

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But despite our close proximity, because of my weird availability times for going out and his work schedule (he is front of house at Barra Baja) it worked out easier to pick up the print at the restaurant while I was out running other errands. Then I asked where I could get it framed and he recommended a place he likes, so that’s where I took it.

And today I hung it up in living room / office where I can see it all the time.

It’s a happy reminder of happier times. Go check out Alfredo’s work and get in touch with him if you’d like one of the limited prints. They’re all gorgeous. He’s done nine so far and I hear he’s making even more!

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