Saturday, March 16, 2024

Day trip with Pepe to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cadiz Province

 Pepe drove us about an hour and a half south west to Sanlúcar de Barrameda which is an ancient city at the delta of the Guadalquivir River. Here is a Wiki link which you can read if interested in its long and varied history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanl%C3%BAcar_de_Barrameda

The town has levels of steepness starting at the top with the castle and old town, graduating down to beach front and the river. 


The major industry here is Manzanilla which is a variety of fino sherry, old town has rows upon rows of large warehouses containing the product and production of it by a company named Barbadillo. We visited a privately owned one that Pepe used to do work experience at, but more about that in a bit.



The castle, Castillo de Santiago, is extensive with many floors, the topmost floors holding rooms with framed navigation maps, neither one of us had ever seen a map collection of that scale before! Many of the drawings of the world did not include western America because it hadn't been discovered yet. Up and up phew, up, the top has magnificent views down to the city and water. It is now privately owned and must have cost a "bomb", so they host events to pay for it's keep. 




Children's play area, Pepe gave it a well done try.

We walked through the luscious city gardens and into the exhibition space which was ornately decorated.






Needing a bit of drink and food we went to what is called here an "old man's bar" for their special sauce made with garlic, tomato and bread which was yummy.

We went to a deli to collect food for visiting the bodega which was certainly not the non-fat version but tasty. They plated up snack slices of salchichon, chorizo, (both types of sausage) chicharrones, (pork rinds with paprika) picos, (bread crackers) and manchego cheese.

Walked from top of the town to about middle, a lot more stairs, but it was the quickest way to get there with parking in town difficult as it is in most cities in Europe. 

The Bodega de Las Infantas where Pepe did an apprentice, doing manual jobs like painting wine barrels had high arched ceilings, black stuff on the white walls and rooms of casks stacked two or three high. It is a locals place where many people came in as regulars Pepe remembered, he said in two years nothing has changed. Wine is sold off the cask into plastic bottles which the customer brings back to have re-filled, while that's being done they enjoy a free glass of fino, or maybe more than one. 

Loosely translated: Give me 5 litres of wine. Where are your bottles? You are looking at him!


We brought our snacks in and others did as well, all for sharing with other customers and the barman. It was a lovely experience and a great walk down memory lane for Pepe.

By now in the day it's time for a late lunch so we headed inland and up the mountain to a very large restaurant called Meson El Rancho. The exterior and interior were certainly not pretty but the food was exceptional, I had dorado on the bone, Pepe had a shark fillet. https://www.mesonelrancho.com/



I have to say it certainly wasn't what I had planned, a table at the beach, but clearly the locals know what they are talking about and a tourist would be hard pressed to find this place, in fact, we drove by it once before locating it in an industrial park.

On to the beach which stretches far and wide with fine golden sand containing silt and shells from the river, Pepe said it's not a good location for swimming but is famous for horse racing on the sand. https://www.carrerassanlucar.es/en/

We saw a couple of riders practising along the sand and into the water, a lovely site. That was something my dad always wanted to do and didn't get the chance.



It was a very great day out for us both, especially Pepe, I think, reconnecting with his mates at the bodega and for me experiencing the locals culture.

Great day, great friend!


Happy St. Patrick's Day to you! Cheers!







Friday, February 9, 2024

Happy Valentines Day! Update of January 2024

 Rocio and I went to Divine Saviour Collegiate Church or Iglesia Colegial del Divino Salvador. We walked arm in arm as ladies do here which was both nice and awkward for me. Awkward because it was just before Christmas Day and we had to go through the shopping streets to get there, read CROWDED! Very crowded, with groups of people gathering to chat in the middle of the street with no notion or care of blocking access. Anyway, off the negative, the church was exceptionally beautiful, cameras weren't allowed which I didn't click to (pun intended) until I noticed there were very few cell phones being used. Oops, this is what I got before the penny dropped. 




Here is the website where you will see how beautiful the church is. 

https://www.catedraldesevilla.es/iglesia-de-el-salvador/

Paul and Paula are in town to spend their annual holiday with their daughter, husband and his family. The wrinkle this year is that part of the family got Covid so most plans had to be cancelled. I did get to see them for a drink at the top of El Cortes Ingles and lunch at my favourite restaurant Al Aljiba https://www.restaurantealaljibe.com/ We have been there many times so I had to order the spinach and rucola (rocket salad green) risotto and send a picture to Ryan and Angela, it's his favourite dish there, perhaps I was being a bit mean? 

We also went to an Italian one, rated best Italian in Sevilla #1 of 2444 restaurants on Tripadvisor) called Alimentari E Diversi.  https://alimentariediversi.es/ Here's my opinion, the food was good, service good but on the downside... my first bite of fish had a bone in it, the only one thank goodness. They brought a bottle of water to the table and some bread, and charged us for both. I think because of the rating, they are so popular at the moment, they think they can get away with that, and did with us. I took a wood fired pizza home for consumption the next day and to be honest it was only okay. 



So as you can tell this will not be my favourite restaurant to return to. No, I did not write a review, my mother always said "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all". 

Paul and Paula live in Montpelier, France but are originally from California, USA. They have been visiting Sevilla for years now and I still cannot remember who hooked us up. Paula had a lot of questions the first year they were here and I helped her a bit with some answers and we've been friends ever since. Paula's birthday is the same day as mine. 

The gang together about Christmas 2017. L-R: Ryan, Paul, Angela, Paula, Bruce and I, great memory of a lovely day.

Here are a couple of pictures encountered on my walks about town that you don't see every day.

This fellow was teaching kids how to form bubbles, very colourful ones!

Stumbled on this Magic store for Wizards, okay, good to have, but I've never seen one before.

video The Fork This is a film about a couple, one a big eat meater and the other a vegetarian who tour the USA to discover and rationalize the methods of agriculture employed today including why and when they were employed. I enjoyed it, I cringed about it, and learned from it. I hope if you choose to watch it you will learn something about where your food comes from and why.

Rant start, I was in a major grocery store about mid-week last and this young fellow clearly had a cold, coughing and sneezing, no mask, and was buying a box of four doughnuts. Not knowing his back story but not appreciating him potentially infecting the rest of us, I was not happy. Saturday evening it hit, Sunday looked for Covid testing kit, out of date, I have one mask left. Stayed at home Sunday and Monday but needed to go out Tuesday, I wore a mask in stores even though I am probably not contagious anymore. First stop, Farmacia to get test kit and more masks. As we know Covid is not over and probably will never be, rant concluded. I dosed myself with ginger and green tea and it wasn't too bad, still have a cough but... enough about that. 

Over Christmas Pepe, Marta, Daniel and Mom and I had lunch and walked past a new venture, hairstylists. Mom has lived in this area for years and, as Pepe says, knows everything about everyone here. So we stopped in to satisfy her curiosity and mine too. I had a hair cut appointment scheduled for the next day and didn't feel it fair to them to cancel last minute so no appointment that day. It's been about a month so I booked with Jaime Sevilla for today and am I ever impressed! The fellow is an artist, blew dried my hair straight which showcased the grey, silver colour. Last time I had it blown dry straight was in my twenties in Victoria, read humid, and I could actually hear the curls pop back. Anyway I will link his Instagram post if he thinks it worthy because he did take four photos for that platform, I guess he didn't, but here is his link https://www.instagram.com/jaimesevillapeluqueros/ I think his pricing is too cheap at 25,00 Euros. He didn't get water in my ears or down my neck which has happened before because I am short to the opening of the sink.


My regular curls were back the next day of course but it was good to look different for a day.

From me to you my friends wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day!



Saturday, December 23, 2023

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2024!


 This happens more often than I have ever encountered in any other city, a procession just marches by. Here are a couple of pictures, as usual, from my balcony because who has time to run downstairs to get the photos?




The Christmas street lighting this year looks like this.


Pepe was over to help me with a few household things and we were talking restaurants, he mentioned Eslava. I said I'd never been, to which he looked incredulous because it is one of the oldest most revered in Sevilla, Eslava link. So he booked us a table with his mom and baby Daniel. The food was great and it was a lovely afternoon! 

Going out to lunch is a treat these days, Bruce and I used to lunch out several times a week. Now if I get bored with my own cooking I go to a take out place which cooks genuinely good food which is a great resource for me.

My friends Jeff and Jessica came to visit from California! It was a quick whistle stop on their three week tour of Spain and France, ending in London. We met Friday afternoon and came back to my place for cava and Spanish snacks. Saturday they took a very comprehensive tour of Sevilla and saw all the major sights. Sunday we got together with Pepe, Marta and babe Daniel at La Chala for lunch. As in the past (usually with Ryan and Angela) the food and service were top notch. Jaime our regular server was not doing our section but came over to say hola. 



It was a quick visit but a lovely one and they are talking about coming back to Sevilla, so all very good.

Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas and safe and Happy New Year!

Cheers, Bev and Lexi Cat 

Not the best of pics, I woke her up, grumpy. She's on the backpack which is on the suitcase in the closet, her new favourite place to hang out.



Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Good Bye Freiburg, Hello Sevilla

 We, Lexi and I, flew Zurich to Sevilla last Sunday 5th. It was a smooth journey but a long day. 

Here are some pictures (sorry, more sunsets with different colours) of Freiburg for now.

Munster Market




"May the  force be with you!"


From the plane window.

The light is fantastic certain times of day over the fields.


Now a couple from Sevilla, with more to come, I'll be here until Spring.

Love this combination tree and vine, it gets bigger every year.


The green fruit is unripened oranges, I look forward to the smells of the blossoms in Spring.

I had to renew my Irish passport and it did not go smoothly. Here is a shortish version of the saga.  My photo to upload took 4 tries at a professional studio to get it right. I applied while in Dijon, August 21, going back to Freiburg the 27th, wait time on the website said 10 days plus shipping. It arrived in 6 days in Freiburg, I wasn't there to receive it. The passport office has to wait 5 weeks before they can investigate the disappearance. After me hassling them every week over webchat, they did, found it, resent it and I received it October 25. Whew, I'm very  relieved! There was no incompetence here, the photo studio did  their best, the Irish were soooo efficient, more than the website indicated, and once the investigation happened I received it swiftly. Wish it could talk and tell me where it had been!

I walked down a favourite shopping street today and was greeted warmly by a few of the merchants and that's lovely.

All for now, Cheers, Bev and Lexi Cat who raced up the stairs immediately on arrival and continues to. 







Thursday, October 5, 2023

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!


 I send you wishes for a warm and wonderful weekend giving and receiving thanks with friends and family.

Here are some pictures l thankfully am able to share with you, explanations are in the captions.

This cart is from Dijon, attached to a bike, I liked him.

Street musicians in Freiburg

Just dropping in for tea  "Martha, put the kettle on".

Misty early mornings but the cattle don't seem to mind.

Another sunset to enjoy. I joined friends on the big Island of Hawaii years ago with  similar sunsets, the big rush at first blush was to get our pupus, appetizers ready to eat with a beverage and watch nature's display.Good times!

Unusual sight down the street from me, what?! 

This is a local artist who has done many pictures of people in traditional dress but modernized. 


This is what he is doing now, on the placard is the name of the bovine and which farm it comes from.

Sebastian Wehrle link to his website. The exhibit was at the front entrance of a busy department store. His cattle are just as wonderful as his people series in my opinion.



Happy Thanksgiving! Bev and Lexi Cat







Sunday, August 20, 2023

Update of July and then August in Dijon

 Wait five minutes and the weather will change was what was normal when I lived in Calgary, Alberta, that perfectly describes  this July and into August in Freiburg. As so many countries have experienced severe conditions of drought, wild fires, or flooding, the conditions here are milder. The frequent rain means lush growing conditions and less fire risk. I am happy to be here right now, temps are easy to handle and if you get caught in a downpour, we don't melt eh?

What has happened in July? I've been downtown at least once a week to take in the changes in the core and some of my fav's are now gone which is sad . Both my partners and us bought unique items from Eigen Art with the lovely owner who really cared about her clientele is sadly gone. Major retailer Kaiser is also gone, they did mostly clothing I think. There are a few "new to me" stores, my favourite is a book store selling English language books.

On the home front, I hired professionals to have my floors cleaned, cut the lavender, install a new dining room light and wash the windows.The apartment will be painted in September. 

My Irish passport expires end of this year so I went to a photo studio but it took three tries to have it work on the passport website. 

My hedge is looking good due to the rain.

Incoming! Take shelter, or an umbrella.

Result!

On a different note, Bruce and I had commissioned a tile artist in Sevilla years ago to make us the following. I am ashamed to admit it has been sitting in a box in Freiburg the whole time. I unboxed it and put it together to enjoy. Will likely have it properly mounted at a later date but at least it's out of the box.


Christoph had a window between touring of almost three weeks in August so we drove to Dijon. Yes, I am staying in the same apartment for my fifth year now. The reason? People are friendly, it is relatively inexpensive and ideally located.

What is not communicated often to tourists is that French businesses of all types shut down for vacation in August. Somehow I forget about it and am rudely awakened when I get here every time.

We headed to Clos St-Louis winery, as we do, and they were shuttered for vacation, no note on the door for how long and no website so we will check back next week. This is outside their building.


There is a restaurant Christoph had read about different from the one we have been to a few times in Fixin. We went and they were totally booked so suggested their "sister" restaurant down the road in Gevrey Chambertin called Les Griottes and it was delightful for food and attentive service. 
www.restaurant-lesgriottes.fr The town is one of the many small ones on the Côte-d'Or wine road. This was our view at lunch.



We booked into the first restaurant for the day after, and to be frank, I didn't think the food was as good but the service was and location nestled in the acreage covered in grape fields. www.clos-napoleon.com 

Another day we drove about an hour south to Chalon sur Saône which is a small city on the river Saône, we've been many times but again our "usual" was closed for vacation so we opted for one called Le Clown Gourmand and it was wonderful. I have never seen so many clown pictures and figurines under one roof, they had the lot!

From the bridge, view of the river. Those green dots are lily pads.

I've been to the Les Halles market a couple of times to get fresh produce, cheese and artisan bread, all of top quality and a pleasure to have.

We've had quite a bit of rain here too and cooler temperatures but next week it will get hot, well, relatively, low to mid 30's. Cloudy weather is best for driving and last week we certainly enjoyed that. I've mentioned before no air con.

All for now, we have one week left so I plan to bring my actual camera along. I am rubbish at taking pics with my cell phone.

Added note: there is never any blank paper in AirBnB places, so when I needed some I used coffee filters! When in need, get creative.

Cheers!