I saw this while out visiting the Noche en Blanco activities last Friday night. It was the first time this “aljibe romano” – basically an old Roman cistern – was open to the public. Apparently they’ve found more around, but this is the only one that’s been restored. What’s cool is that they date back to the second century. I was underground looking at something built many centuries and civilisations ago. Makes you think…
For me this photo by twitter pal Raúl Díaz really sums up today (and probably the rest of the week). It’s the best of both worlds when you know the land around you is getting a much needed drink yet you are all cosy inside watching it come down from a warm and dry comfortable distance. Raúl took this photo today in the centre of Sevilla.
You can see more of his work here: Fotografiando
Thanks to the efforts of Sevillasemueve and Cultura de Sevilla, Noche en Blanco 2012 in Sevilla will take place on October 26th . It will be a night dedicated to art, culture and creativity as more than 30 public and private spaces open their doors all night long. You will be able to enjoy theatre, music, architecture, photo and art exhibits, tours and more.
It’s great to see so many shops and galleries from Soho Benita and Regina Market on the list. The various organised tours look interesting too.
The number of participants is still growing but you can get updates here:
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…
Yesterday was Party Day, celebrating my 20th anniversary of moving to Spain. The actual anniversary date was May 25th and my idea then was to spend the rest of the year taking trips here and there, but it also seemed that a party was in order. I chose the last Sunday in September a bit randomly (though I wanted it to be on a Sunday so friends who own restaurants could come), then Sledpress told me it was also going to be the night of the Harvest Moon, which I think added a nice serendipitous touch.
The festivities started off with a fabulous lunch at the Vineria San Telmo with friends who had come into town specially for the party. After that there was a short break to freshen up and then Peter and I went off to Bar Chinkoa to help set up. My first plan had been to have the party on my rooftop terrace but then thought it would be more appropriate (being the Queen of Tapas and all), not to mention way less hassle, to have it at a tapas bar. Happily Manuel and Ana at Chinkoa said they would open up that evening (they’re normally closed on Sunday) so I could celebrate there with my friends. Of course I was a nervous wreck by the time we got there because I never throw parties. I worried that hardly anyone would show up and also had a last-minute extra worry when it occurred to me that people might think the party was “on me” (Spanish style) when my idea had simply been to simply shift the venue from my roof to a bar. But despite my concerns it turned out to be a lovely time.
The best part was that many of the friends who came met other friends for the first time, though they had heard of each other, either from me or via Twitter. And the general concensus was that I have some pretty wonderful friends.
Many many thanks to the gang at Chinkoa who looked after us so well, and also to all you wonderful friends who came to celebrate this very special occasion with me.
Party pics below…
Continue reading “20 Years in Spain Party!”