Tag Archives: Spain

A Jewel on the Costa Brava

One of the joys of living in central Europe is the ability to flit from place to place with cheap airlines. So, when a good friend announced she would be celebrating a significant birthday in Catalonia in October, we were … Continue reading

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Citrus Drizzle Cake

Its mid-October and the sun is getting lazy, rising reluctantly well after eight o’clock. Yet, way down south on the toenail of Spain, there is still heat in that slothful sun. Andalucia. Vejer de la Frontera. A sprawling hilltop town … Continue reading

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Stream of Consciousness

Earlier this year, back home in Manila, the Metropolitan Museum held a fascinating and unusual exhibition. “Tapas: Spanish Design for Food,” presented by Accion Cultural Espanola, the Instituto Cervantes Manila and the Spanish Embassy, was a display of food, kitchen … Continue reading

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La Piccola Cucina Italiana

It is lunchtime. Well, four o’clock actually, but this is Spain, where ‘time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so,’ to quote Einstein and Douglas Adams. The tiny garage restaurant at the crossroads is packed to the gunnels. The owner is … Continue reading

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An Old Casino and a Catalonian Thunderstorm

It is a Thursday night in Pals, a small town in Catalonia, just a few miles inland from the Costa Brava in northern Spain. The bar down the road is celebrating its 50th birthday with bunting and beer and cheerful … Continue reading

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Toledo: UNESCO World Heritage Site

In my antiquated guide book, the city of Toledo, in central Spain, is designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, five stars and a ‘must-see’. We obey willingly. We reached Toledo in a mere half an hour on an extremely comfortable … Continue reading

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Grazing on Tapas

Growing up in a meat-and-three-veg kind of family, I have always enjoyed the novel concept of grazing, and to this end, tapas is the perfect way to travel: a light snack to share with friends, easy finger food, or pica … Continue reading

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El Baile Flamenco

Café de Chinitas is located in a back street near the Royal Palace in Madrid. Chinitas apparently means little Chinese girls, which is somewhat at odds with the fact we were hoping to watch some Spanish dancing. As we settled … Continue reading

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Markets in Madrid

I  discovered a reference to the San Miguel Market during a web crawl for food tours and cooking classes in Madrid. The first are few and far between, the second are ruinously expensive and will have to wait until I … Continue reading

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Adelaide’s Own Willy Wonka

‘It is well-established that humans have an innate preference for sweetness and every culture has some sweet food source.” So says food historian Allison James. For many, that source of sweetness is confectionary or, more specifically, chocolate. I don’t have … Continue reading

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