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Market & Tapas Tours
Tag: tapas tours
We Love Málaga Tours
As some of you may know, I am in love with Málaga and consider it my second home after Sevilla, so I try to get down there as often as possible. And although I’ve been visiting on a regular basis since 2009 I know I still have a lot to learn about it.
I’ve been a Twitter pal of Victor @welovemalaga for a few months and had been hearing great things about his tours, so during a quick visit last weekend I decided to take one of his Malaga Walking Tours. We met on a rainy Saturday morning and, because of the weather, I had Victor all to myself.
A second-generation tour guide (his father and brother are also professional licenced guides) Victor is a natural story-teller. Charming, informed, and passionate about his native city, I was immediately drawn in and held captivated by his entertaining anecdotes and fascinating facts about Málaga. No dull routine “canned talk” on this tour! Places I had already visited many times took on new meaning and I also got to see a few “secret spots” that I didn’t know existed. The two hours flew by. Towards the end we were joined by Victor’s friend Tatiana and we were taken for the final surprise of the tour – a breathtaking rooftop view where we could look out over the port and also see the route we had taken.
By this time we were getting hungry and, because Victor also does tapas tours, we decided to do a mini-tapeo before I had to catch my train back to Sevilla. Just imagine! The Málaga King and Sevilla Queen of Tapas together at last. 😉 Not surprisingly, Victor took me to three places I hadn’t been to before and I remembered when I was in Málaga just before Christmas how he had also given me some great tips via Twitter on tapas bars I should visit. He certainly knows the tapas scene in Málaga and is open and generous in sharing his knowledge.
So the next time you’re in Málaga I whole-heartedly recommend that you take one of Victor’s tours. Even if, like me, you’ve visited the city before I guarantee you’ll see it with fresh eyes.
We Love Malaga
A Night To Remember
Jesse and Luisa – Hardcore!
This was without a doubt the most spontaneous and “extreme” Gourmet Tapas Tour I’ve done so far. Just over a week ago, in fact on the night before my 20 years in Spain party, I picked up Jesse & Luisa at their hotel not expecting too much out of the ordinary, though in fact, as the gourmet tours are more flexible than the all-inclusive ones in terms of locations and food, they tend to be quite individual. We started off with some great seafood and then at our second stop, while having some gorgeous jamón Ibérico, Jesse expressed a passion for chorizo and I knew we’d have to hit an extra bar along the way so he could try their venison chorizo speciality. This led to a quick pringá pit stop afterwards and, as Jesse & Luisa were still hungry, we then headed over to our next (fifth!) stop. Up until then we’d been sticking to pretty traditional places and so it was time to go somewhere modern and upmarket to try a bit of innovative cooking, where J & L got to enjoy some fabulous squid and grilled Iberian pork. By this time I realised that we had set a record for the number of tapas bars visited during one tour and so – of course – I suggested we go for one more.
At the sixth and final tapas bar we ordered some beautifully grilled fish (urta), and also desserts. But we weren’t done yet as the gourmet tour includes a round of cocktails. By this time Peter had joined us because it was getting pretty late and so he came to walk me home. Looking back it probably wasn’t the most sensible thing to do on the eve of my party day, but it just “kind of happened” and so we went with the flow and we all had a great time. The Gourmet Tapas Tour usually lasts about four hours and we visit three different bars and then go for cocktails. On this record breaking occasion we went to six tapas bars and then a special members-only cocktail bar and I didn’t get to bed until well after 2 am. I blame the Harvest Moon…
The Flavour of Seville
It was not long after I’d started my Sevilla Tapas Tours that I met travel and food writer Shaney Hudson. On Twitter, natch. Shaney had said she was going to be in town doing some research and we met up to spend a very pleasant evening visiting a few tapas bars and ending up having late night cocktails on a rooftop bar somewhere… who, us?
So when Shaney came back to Sevilla this past April to do a feature for Virgin Australia’s Voyeur magazine it was great to get together once again and “do tapas”. We went to three of my favourite places (Vineria San Telmo, La Azotea and Bodeguita Romero) and we had a great time. We tasted the best pringá in Sevilla, totally melt-in-your mouth slow-cooked pig’s cheeks in red wine, and beautiful langoustine carpaccio. I know, it’s a tough job but…
Because this article was about feasts for the eyes as well as for the tummy, my lovely friend Fourat (aka Lebanicious) very generously arranged an interview with Seville’s most prominent living architect, Rafael Manzano, so Shaney could get a unique insight into the city’s history and culture.
As always, Shaney writes with heart and with a style that really captures the essence of a place, and what couldn’t be said with words was brilliantly captured by photographer Helen Cathcart. Read all about it…
The Flavour of Seville
words by Shaney Hudson
photos by Helen Cathcart
Queen of Tapas
It’s official! I am the Tapas Queen of Sevilla!
Now all I need is a crown of azahar…
I was recently asked by online lifestyle magazine Con Eñe, which writes about – and with! – La Pasión Española, if I would like to be interviewed and have my tapas tours featured. And well, of course I did!
I’ve known writer/editor María Basia on Twitter for quite some time now but although she lives in Sevilla we have yet to meet in person (though we do have a date pending so I can try the pringá at Bar Gonzalo). As we both share a love of Sevilla and cats I’m sure we’ll get along great.
Click on the link below to read the interview.
Thanks for thinking of me, María, and also for such a fun intro!
Tapas – Sevilla Style