09 February 2023

Spain 2023 Jerez Horse Show

Today's day trip was really all about horses! 


We took the car out of storage 🤭 and drove to the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Jerez, where we watched the "Horse Dancing" show. 





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Parking in Jerez was difficult, but everything after that was easy - a short walk to the ticket window, no line, just enough time to visit the "facilities", find our seats, and wait a couple of minutes for the show. It started a bit after noon, had a 10 minute break mid-way through, and ended a bit before 1:30.
We had our quick sandwich lunch in the car, then went on to Cádiz - we ended up not staying long; the weather wasn't very pleasant, and we were a bit tired...


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See all the videos in my Spain 2023 Jerez & Cádiz album (near the top of the right column)!
You can also see the school's videos of some of the action I couldn't capture (especially of the horses and their leaping kicks) 

06 February 2023

Spain 2023 Sevilla

Sevilla! We've been here a week already - we're right in the center of Old Town, and everywhere we turn, we see interesting things!

Palacio de San Telmo, 1682

Within a 5 minute walk, we have over a dozen restaurants, a big mercado (covered market stalls), several small grocery stores, many bus and tram stops, and tons of landmarks! We have had a very nice mix of lunches and dinners out and at home.

Sevilla, with a population of 1.5 million, is the largest city in Andalusia, and 4th largest in Spain*. It's usually hot (95°F/35°C) in Summer, but right now in February, we've had sunny days reaching 21°C/70°F - perfect sightseeing weather. It's also considerably drier here than in Sète; humidity outside is generally ~50% - we have to guard against shocking each other 🤭...

Getting around:

Our apartment here doesn't have parking, so we rented space in a parking structure - it's about 20 minutes away (tram, then walk), but we're planning on taking only one day trip.

We got a "MultiViaje" pass for the bus and tram systems (subway/metro isn't included). I had hoped to be able to buy it on our way to the apartment, but that just did not work! On our second day, I asked at the tourist office, and found out that they aren't sold at convenience stores (maybe they used to be, but no more); instead, we went to the Tussam office at Prado San Sebastian. After that, it was simple! I paid 1.50€ (refundable), plus 7€ - currently, Spain is running a deal, so each trip uses only 35¢!! We use the same card for both of us, just tapping it twice onboard. When we didn't have it, our rides were 1.40€ each, cash only. The card paid for itself right off!

While I was at the tourist office, I also got a paper map of the bus routes - there's a website that you can use to plan a route, but if you just want to see where buses go in general, paper is still the way to go! I'm also using Google Maps to see which lines help, and what a particular route would be.

We took a boat tour, ~1 hour up and down the Guadalquivir river through town - it was a different view of some of the sites 🙂.

Ordinary building...

Entryway - North American center

Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions

Plaza de América 

View from Calle Sierpes, a famous shopping street 

Central de Telefónica, Plaza Nueva

Visiting ships, with the dance conservatory in the background (Conservatorio de danza Antonio Ruiz Soler)

Puente (bridge) de San Telmo with the Torre del Oro (Golden Tower) on the right, and the Sevilla Tower (85 meters tall) on the left

Towers and Ariane rocket from 1992 Expo

Triana bridge, with Museo Del Castillo De San Jorge on the right (and a horse and carriage on the left!)

Palacio de San Telmo 

Palacio de San Telmo

University

Alfonso XIII Hotel

Tobacco Factory 

Plaza del Cabildo 

Plaza del Cabildo

Sevilla Cathedral (one small part)

Ayuntamiento de Sevilla - City Hall

Fundación Cajasol

Goya

Edificio Laredo

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* The 3 largest cities in Spain are: Madrid (7 million), Barcelona (5.1 million), Valencia (2.3 million)

For more photos, see my Sevilla 2023 album.


02 February 2023

Strawberry Chicken

Guess what?!? It's asparagus *and* strawberry season in Spain! When we arrived in Sevilla, we checked in and made a grocery run - it was a small store, but it had what we needed 🙂

We went out for tapas out first night, but then...

Strawberry Chicken 

In a covered pan, on high heat, cook chopped asparagus in water, oil, salt, basil  for 2-3 minutes.

Then add 2 slices of chicken breast, lightly sprinkle with chipotle, and cook for another 3 minutes. The chicken should be just done, and the asparagus slightly crunchy.

Move the chicken (and any asparagus that sticks to it) to plates, and keep warm. I slice it at this point.

Scoop cooked rice* and chopped strawberries into the pan, cover, and cook till warmed through, stirring occasionally.

Add the strawberry rice to the chicken and serve. 

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* You can find a *great* whole-grain round rice here - it's fantastic!