|
|
Home  Blog Blog
|
Written by andrew perry
|
Hi it’s Alice; I’m back from my Cruise, and wow what an experience it was. I went all round the Mediterranean Sea & even saw where the Atlantic met the sea. We visited France – where it was raining, Ibiza, Gibraltar, Mallorca, Tangiers & best of all Italy, where it was a bit cloudy but fine. We toured the Barcelona football ground as well which was huge. I went with Jack & this was his birthday treat. The cruise ship had 9 decks & we were at the very bottom so it got a bit scary if the waves came over the window. The only thing wrong was there are not a lot of toilets on the boat so you have to remember to go when you’re on the right floor.
The beds were all bunks & Jack, Vivienne, Stan & I all banged our heads but soon learned to be careful. The shows the staff put on were great fun; there was magic, dancing & singing every night. There was a shop & a hospital on the ship plus a swimming pool which tasted like the sea. Stan & I didn’t find out where the massage place was but I think now it was probably in the beauty place, never mind. Anyway, I really enjoyed my holiday & want to say a big thank you to Vivienne & Stan for taking me; it was very kind of them.
This month seems to be a month for kittens. Sheila in our village is very nice & feeds some cats near my school. She showed me the kittens, with a tiny, gorgeous new one in a box. An even smaller one got stuck in my Grandma’s car. She drove miles & then let it out. It’s very scared & won’t come out of her bathroom yet, I’m sure it will soon as Grandma is very good with cats.
There’s a lot about animals this time as my sister found a tortoise in our back garden. She wanted to keep it but Mum said no because it’s a wild animal. It stayed in our bathroom for the night &then we let it go in the fields. It can run very quickly, I do hope it will be happy now.
Well, I am about to break up for my summer holidays this week & plan lots of trips to the beach, lakes, definitely the water parks because they’re really good fun & you can stay all day. Most of the time I think I’ll go to the local pool with my friends & have lots of BBQs.
I’m looking forward to the feria in August because there are always lots of rides & all the ladies dress up. They look very pretty but they must get very hot! Love Alice x
| | No comments for this item |
|
|
Written by andrew perry
|
Easy Riders
I’ve always had a soft spot for Spanish Mobylettes (not to be confused with the mopeds that blast around my village with their silencers off), as they were the first mode of transport I employed. Every Friday I would gell my hair (it was the 80s. I had hair then) and trundle off to the nightspots. Of course, in those pre-helmet days, my hair would look like I’d had 30,000 volts pumped through it, and I’d have to dash to the nearest bathroom to apply even more hair gell. In that way, I’m probably single handedly responsible for the hole in the ozone layer over the coast.
My Mobylette exploits, however, are nothing compared with 13 fans of the classic Mobylette 49 cc moped from Arroyo de la Miel, who rode from Málaga to the Sahara. They successfully covered 1,800km through snow, rain, cold and wind in their ten day there and back trip to the village of Merzouga some 20 kms into the dunes of the Sahara. They also took some extra clothes, which they gave to some of the children living in the Atlas mountains.
Mind your S’s
Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, was recently named by the PP leader, Mariano Rajoy, as the party’s new spokesperson in Congress.
The 36 year old lawyer from Valladolid was a frequent figure in the media in the previous legislature. Rajoy described his new spokesperson in Congress, seen as one of those closest to the opposition leader, as a person who is prepared, knowledgeable and experienced, and a hard worker with ‘drive and excitement.’
But for any newsreader with a lisp, her name is going to be a nightmare and I immediately thought of Life of Brian and Johnathan Ross when I saw “Soraya Saenz de Santamaria”!
Statues for Seats
The first monument in Spain to the Seat 600 car has been inaugurated in Fuengirola,.
Mayor of the town, Esperanza Oña, opened the life sized monument on the Paseo Marítimo as part of a weekend of events in honour of the humble car.
More than 200 models of the Italian designed car from across the country attended the event. It was produced in Spain between 1957 and 1973 and the Mayor remembered that the first national tourists to reach Fuengirola arrived in Seat 600’s, saying the car was linked to the prosperity of the town. It was also know affectionatly as the “belly button” (because everybody had one). Expect Marbella to put up a statue of a golf plated Ferrari (or Black Maria) any day now…
Spend, spend, spend
Over at Mosca Mansions we’re used to creative accounting when it comes to expenses, but nothing comes close to the, erm, “exploits” of the ex-Partido Popular councillor, Javier Rodrigo de Santos, who was found to have been using a municipal credit card to spend a total of 50,804 € in gay clubs and on male prostitution over two years in Palma de Mallorca.
The married father of five told the press that his ‘error’ was due to ‘health circumstances’. It has been reported in the Spanish press that the ex councillor is also a cocaine addict. He was considered to be on the hard right (no sniggering please) of the Partido Popular, took part in the organisation of the Pope’s visit to Valencia, and in Palma refused to carry out gay weddings. Meanwhile it is reported that the ex-councillor’s family has left Mallorca to set up a new home elsewhere in Spain.
| | No comments for this item |
|
|
Written by Tricia Johnson
|
The 21st International Jazz Festival takes place in Almunecar from July 11 to July 19, when a host of top musicians takes to the stage for some truly memorable live jazz.
And this is not only a musical treat of the first order, as the fabulous backdrop of the lush Costa Tropical and all its history makes the festival a delight for eyes as well as ears.
Over the years, the festival’s sounds have ranged from the Mediterranean to the Cuban and Brazilian Caribbean, from New Orleans to Cadiz, encompassing Majuelo Creek, Danilo Perez, Passos Rose, Branford Marsalis, Tete Montoliú, Kenny Barron, Joe Zawinul, Dave Holland, Chano Domínguez, Joshua Redman and Chucho to name but a few.
And this year’s special celebrations promise to be the best yet. The concerts all take place in the Majuelo Park, beginning at 10.30pm each evening. Parking can be limited, and organisers advise parking on the outskirts and using the fast, efficient public transport to get to the venue.
Tickets are now on sale and cost 12 euros per concert or 70 euros for the whole festival, including a free CD.
Programme:
July 11: Dianne Reeves
July 12: Avishai Cohen Trio
July 13: Spyro Gyra
July 14: Sergio Pamies Group with Mountain Antonio
July 15: Robert Fonseca
July 16: Ivan Lins Allstars with Baby Freelon
July 17: Toto Bonn Lokua (Gerald Toto, Richard Bonn and Lokua Kanza)
July 18: Bettye Lavette
July 19: Terence Blanchard
For more information, contact the Office of Tourism of the City council of Almuñécar, tel - 958 63 11 25; fax. - 958 63 50 07 or email
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
| | No comments for this item |
|
|
Written by andrew perry
|
Where else in the World would one plan an evening out in the middle of an industrial estate! Finding Restaurante La Fabrica is simple enough. Parking is good and seeing the façade of this somewhat “different from the norm” Spanish restaurant, you know that you are in for a treat.
There are four sections to this establishment: The front terrace, bar/dining area, an upstairs dining area and the very smart, contemporary restaurant/private function room.
On the evening that I went along with a friend to try this relatively new restaurant, we opted for eating indoors. The ambience created by the starched white table cloths, chic furniture and low lighting made us feel that we were, indeed, somewhere just a little special.
The menu is not extensive but is certainly creative. After making our order, we were served a refreshing Beetroot Gazpacho whilst waiting for our Starter of Goose Liver layered in Pastry with a Caramelized Topping served with Tomato Chutney and Mixed Salad Leaves dripped with Balsamic Dressing. The presentation was excellent and the food equally so. My main course of Grilled Goat’s Cheese served on Spinach and Smoked Salmon Timbale accompanied by a Tomato Salad was delicious and I tried a little of my companion’s Seared Red Tuna coated with Sesame Seeds on a bed of Oriental Vegetables which was an absolute gourmet delight.
Desserts are not to be missed either. I ventured to have the Creamed Biscuits served with Baileys and Iced Coffee. Wicked but terribly nice! My dining partner chose to have the Baked Cheesecake with Strawberry Topping which proved to be a little on the heavy side.
Our bill for what was a thoroughly enjoyable gastronomic evening was 54 euros which we considered to be extremely reasonable.
One bone of contention would be that my Rioja was served straight from the fridge! However, staff were happy to take it away and bring me some at room temperature.
Our only other complaint would be that the waitress was not particularly informative about the food and I felt there is a definite lack of some kind of “front man” with personality who could explain a little about each dish and perhaps add something of the theatrics to the ambience.
On leaving the restaurant, we were aware that the terrace tables were full and the background music provided by a live band permeated a very relaxed and special atmosphere. Next time, we too shall try eating al fresco at this gem of a restaurant.
LA FABRICA, POLIGONO INDUSTRIAL DE ANTEQUERA. TELF:951 043282
| | No comments for this item |
|
|
Written by andrew perry
|
Ingredients
• 6 pieces white fish fillet, cleaned and filleted
• 1 x 400ml fresh or tinned coconut milk,
• 1 finely chopped red onion
• Salt and pepper
• 1 chopped red chilli
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• Chopped coriander
• Flour for coating
• Little oil for frying
To Make the sauce:
In a small pan , heat a little oil, sauté the onion, garlic and chilli,
Add the coconut milk, salt, pepper, lime juice, and the cornflour (mixed to a paste with a little of the cold coconut milk first).
Bring the mixture to simmering point, stirring all the time, for 2 minutes. Do not allow sauce to boil hard as it will become lumpy. Take off heat.
Dip pieces of fish in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a pan, fry fillets until lightly browned
Place the fish in a casserole dish and place the sliced tomatoes on top,
Bake at 300F, 150°C for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with chopped coriander
Serve with the coconut sauce, and if using fresh coconut, toast a few shavings and sprinkle on top.
| | No comments for this item |
|
| | << Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
| | Results 1 - 9 of 759 |
|
|
