Tag Archive: Spain

Spanish Champagne (Cava) – Penedes, Codorniu Cava Bodega and berries with cava-honey syrup

April 3, 2014

My culinary “must do” list while traveling in Spain included a visit to a cava bodega in Penedes. Penedes is the Spanish Cava region in Catalunya, located just outside beautiful Barcelona, easily accessible by car or by train. Cava, a.k.a. Spanish Champagne, has been produced in this region since 1872 when a local wine maker produced the first sparkling wine made in the traditional champagne method. The wine was called Spanish champagne until fairly recently when... View Article

Spain – Vermut en Grifo: Vermouth on tap with fried almonds and olives

March 20, 2014

When we travel I watch for and try to learn about local customs, especially in food and culture. One of the customs I noticed here in Spain is that the locals stop at a bar for a glass of vermut (vermouth) on tap as an aperitivo before lunch or dinner. Bars here by the way are not just for drinks. It’s a general term for places where you can stop by for coffee, lunch or dinner,... View Article

Spain – Costa del Sol: Malaga and a towed car adventure

February 24, 2014

I hate to tell this to my Canadian friends who are experiencing minus 20℃ temperatures right now but we just came back from spending a balmy plus 20℃ degree day on the beautiful Costa del Sol on the southern Mediterranean coast of Spain. Life  sometimes is not fair:). We are staying in Puerto Bañus, the flamboyant community on the west side of Marbella (moving to Marbella tomorrow) and travelling up and down the Costa del... View Article

Spain – Marbella and Puerto Bañus

February 12, 2014

Picture this. You arrive at Marbella’s harbour on your super yacht. You are whisked away by the on-board helicopter to your hilltop sprawling estate (it covers the entire top of the hill). Your chauffeur is polishing your Bentley at the end of the driveway and your personal assistant is putting together the list of social invitations for the week for you to choose from. Yes, this is life. Not my life, but somebody’s.    ... View Article

Spain – A Drive to Marbella

February 11, 2014

We left beautiful Sevilla on a Saturday, driving down to our next destination Marbella on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain. It’s a beautiful drive through rolling hills , agricultural landscape and picturesque white villages cascading down the hillsides along the way. The independent community of Andalucia (one of 17 such communities under the Spanish constitution) has 8 provinces within it and we were driving from the province of Seville through the Province of... View Article

Spain – Sevilla – NO8DO (No me ha dejado)

February 4, 2014

Oh, Sevilla. The romance of Sevilla engages your senses and stirs your emotions. It will be hard to leave this place. We came here for a few weeks, intending to make a couple of excursions out of town but there was no way I was going to leave Sevilla and go anywhere else. With the charm, character, atmosphere, food, culture and history that Sevilla offers, months here would not be enough. So much Spain, so... View Article

Spain – A Drive to Andalucia

February 2, 2014

So we bade farewell to Valencia and the Mediterranean coast of Spain and headed inland south and west to Andalucia. Our immediate destination is Sevilla where we plan to spend a week exploring the history and culture. I have a feeling that Sevilla will be one of the highlights of this trip. We packed our rented Audi, set up the GPS and drove south on A7, eventually connecting with A-92N that would lead us straight... View Article

Spain – The Art of Tapas

January 29, 2014

One of the charms of España is the culture of tapas. Tapas originated in the southern province of Andalusia, where we are headed to soon. The word tapa means “to top” and the tradition started accidentally when vendors used a piece of bread to cover the customer’s drinks, so that flying insects don’t  drown in the wine. Customers were eating the bread and vendors begun to top it with thin slices of ham or cheese to... View Article

Spain – Pimientos de Padron (Russian roulette peppers)

January 28, 2014

You have to cook peppers when in Spain. It seems like a national thing here and I didn’t want to miss out on the fun. The issue is, they all look the same, but you never know what you’re going to get.  Most of the peppers are mild but once in a while you may get one that’s not. If you get a hot one, well, grin and bear it. Ask for a piece of... View Article

Spain – Valencia, Amore a Primera Vista

January 26, 2014

Here is a city that took me by surprise. I knew it was the third largest city in Spain and expected it to be beautiful, but did not anticipate the incredible charm that Valencia has to offer. We are in Valencia, walking downtown among orange trees. I have never seen anything quite like it. Where else would you have orange trees laden with oranges line the city’s large avenues and narrow ancient side streets? Only in... View Article

Spain – Altea, Costa Blanca, the Spanish Mediterranean

January 20, 2014

This mediterranean coast of Spain is a charming stretch of beaches and resort towns that seemingly cater mainly to European vacationers. We are staying in a villa near the town of Altea, a slow paced small town built around an old city on a hill. A beautiful blue domed church dominates the scene at the top of the hill and whitewashed houses cascade down towards the sea. Altea was saved from the large hotels invasion... View Article

Spain – Viva La España

January 14, 2014

Spain. There is something about it that makes you fall in love. I don’t know if it’s the people, the language, the music, the food or the vibrancy that’s in the air or all of these things combined but it definitely swept me off my feet. We arrived in Barcelona by TGV train from Paris and had a short stay en route to our destination on the Costa Blanca along the western Mediterranean (east coast... View Article