Happy Father's Day from Freiburg

Happy Father's Day to those of you who are Papa's receiving this!

Ryan and Angela are back in town and to Ryan's dismay his favourite hangout for breakfast and afternoon coffee, Granado shut down! The landlord increased the rent and owner was ready to retire anyway, but Ryan said it was his first home here in Sevilla. Finding the same conditions and food at a new place have been more difficult than you would expect. So, conditions are good bread, good ham, tomato, a comfortable seat and shade from the sun, oh, and about five minutes from the house since they need coffee soon as possible. Doesn’t seem difficult until you look and try and we were still on the quest a week later. I’ve been happy to join them on this journey because I like to hang and talk about business ideas. Final choice, keep reading...

Next event is the Europa League Final May 18 between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers Glasgow here in Sevilla. It seems every two weeks we have the chance of a super spreader event and masks are not worn by 90%. So the streets are flooded with Scots wearing blue and white shirts. Media is reporting 100,000 to 150,00 people have come into the city for the match and most don’t have tickets to the game so bars with TV’s benefited. So while they are loud, shouting and singing they don’t have firecrackers! Around 17:00 for half an hour or so there were helicopter after helicopter going overhead. I am hoping they are press, not police, but didn’t get a look. Fans have been at it since about noon, it’s now 18:00 and still going, the game starts at 21:00 I think some will not be functional by then, video showing the craziness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QODH9tMJuBw

For a completely different subject, Butchart Garden this is a video I found on YouTube which brought back good memories from Victoria, BC

Butchart Gardens: a show garden outside Victoria about half a mile from my home in Brentwood Bay, BC. It was a major employer of the area and I think I am the only person in Brentwood who had never worked there. My sister did in the sometimes chaotic gift shop when touring tourists had time limits to get back to the bus. Another friend worked in the green houses under a master gardener and became a florist and landscaper. In summer they had firework shows for the two months which were spectacular. You could buy a summer pass and locals would pack a picnic to watch them on the expansive lawn. Jenny Butchart would, in the early days, walk behind the tourists and eavesdrop on their comments to improve the gardens. That’s a fact everyone knew in Brentwood but not well known elsewhere.

Back in Sevilla, we decided after the research that the new breakfast place would be a restaurant called Zeta in Plaza de la Gavidia, there one day we heard a huge bang, following video shows what happened.

Tree falling

El Rocio pilgrimage happened through our neighbourhood and I literally ran into part of it. Again they used big bangs which bothered me greatly but then seeing the procession across this narrow ally with oxen, horses and ladies and men dressed in more casual gear but like the Fair was great. The men wore medals on lanyards I suppose indicating the brotherhood they were from. https://www.andalucia.com/festival/rocio.htm I had looked at the map but had not realized they were coming through.

Sorry for the blur on this one but shows the hats and staff used. 

Pepe has finished his two year program of vino culture (I must ask him about the school) We celebrated it with Ryan and Angela and his mom at Al Aljibe on the Alameda then back to my place for champagne and a proper toast. I/we are so proud of his accomplishment! It has been a long road, living during the week away from his love Marta.

I tasted Lebanese food for the first time and by the taste, it won't be the last. We went here to Fatouch on one of the hottest days, we were all very hot and glad to come back to the apartment to chill.
https://www.instagram.com/fatouch_sevilla/?utm_medium=copy_link

Lunch at an Italian restaurant called Al Solito Posto with outdoor misters! Much appreciated! https://www.alsolitoposto.org/

Another day we took a taxi to Mariella’s coffee house https://alquimista.cafe/ and enjoyed breakfast there with poached egg, unheard of here, and various toppings on really good toast. I have blogged about her before. We talked for a long time about her business and the challenges since she roasts coffee for about dozen businesses. They have to be inspected and she talked about what needed to be done to conform, not too much. Then her daughter Sophia joined us and I was very impressed with this 20's something lady. She has a deep understanding of her mother’s business and a handle on the staff and procedure. She bakes the elaborate cakes for the cafe and is an accomplished baker and woman who travels widely with confidence. Lovely outing with good friends and new ones, which I appreciate so much more now after Covid coop up.

Rocio has brought me homemade gazpacho soup the last two times and it is super delicious! My last night in Sevilla, Ryan and Angela were at the apartment and Rocio came a bit later to say bye.

Now Lexi and I are in Freiburg and I am appreciating different things such as: cleaner, cooler air; no traffic noise; birds chirping; cows bellowing (we even have calves); and looking at green space instead of the building next door; no firecrackers. All is good.

Happy Father's Day! from Lexi and I