Seagulls

 Nothing quite like the brute confidence of an urban seagull..

Spanish Escape - Part 2

 

On the first day of our week long excursion we visited Sevilla Cathedral, the largest Gothic church in the world and along with the adjoining Alcazar palace complex a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside the building the space is vast, the whole thing must have been overwhelming for people in the Middle Ages, of course it's most famous resident is the tomb of Christopher Columbus (see above) a rather grand and ostentatious statue celebrating the explorer whose discoveries in the America's and their exploitation made the city rich beyond people's wildest dreams (no wonder they gave him a fancy-pants send off, even though he was an Italian from Genoa)

Later in the afternoon we all retired to the roof-top bar of a restaurant near the river and attended a Sherry tasting (see picture above). I didn't really know much about Sherry before, only what most Brits probably know, i.e. that it's a sweet fortified wine much liked by our Nan's and usually consumed at Christmas along with trifle! However, as the lecturer explained there's a lot more to their local drink than Harveys! Sherry comes in a full spectrum of styles from bone dry (Fino) to excruciatingly sweet (Pedro-Ximenes) and all stops in between. It's flavour profiles range from tart green apples to figs through nuts and dried fruits, suffice to say it's a complex drink and there's a whole voyage of discovery to be had exploring the different styles and producers of the region. After the tasting we were all feeling a little "elevated" and so retired to our air conditioned apartment for a little siesta (i.e. sober up!) before heading out into the narrow cobbled streets again for dinner. 

I snapped a picture of the end of the tasting (above), look at all the different colours of the various Sherry styles on offer, quite a range!

Spanish Escape - Part 1

Our family managed a little escape to warmer climes this week, we took a trip to Sevilla in Spain for 7 days, a cheap (late) flight from Gatwick and a nice AirBnB apartment in the old town. The weather was predictably glorious, around 30-35 degrees every day, and a civilised 24 every evening. I'd never been to Sevilla before so I was keen to experience the rich tapestry of cultural, historical and sensory delights that the city has to offer. After a somewhat delayed and tortured journey South from the heart of West Sussex we arrived about an hour and a half late and slightly anxious that the driver I'd hired to take us from the airport to the city wouldn't wait, luckily he did and thirty minutes after picking up our bags from the conveyer belt, we arrived into the centre of  town. 

We were dropped right outside our accommodation so there was no wandering around the maze like cobbled (pedestrian only) streets looking for our front door, it was all pretty painless. A lift up to our third floor rooms and we were able to unload our  heavy cases and head out to find some food. 

By this stage it was gone ten thirty, well past any reasonable expectation of finding a table in the UK but fortunately in this part of Spain the evening is really only getting going at this time. Having a blast furnace of a climate the scorching hot days are relatively quiet and places are generally closed up, but, the much cooler evenings are very lively and the socialising stretches late into the morning. After some much needed refreshment and some delicious tapas we retired to unpack and explore our digs for the week. The view from our balcony was quite spectacular as we were right next to the medieval cathedral, which at night is lit up beautifully (see below)

After a good nights sleep and with the cobwebs of the journey blown away we awoke to azure skies and the sounds and smells of the vibrant city centre. By 10am everyone was up and ready, and wafts of the aromas of fresh pastries and the sounds of clinking coffee cups beckoned us to the streets below.

Friday Smirk

J&M pointing out what all religions claim, i.e. circular reasoning.

Rain, rain go away

Lots of torrential rain round these here parts this week...

London Stories

 

Snapped this photo of Tower Bridge last week when out flat hunting with my Son, it was looking particularly impressive in the late afternoon sunshine and at high tide. I particularly liked the way it seems to frame the skyscrapers in the background, the old framing the new.

Dedicated to your craft

 

While sitting in Siren RG1 the other day, waiting for my train, I noticed some rather precarious graffiti on the building opposite. It's not particularly high quality, but the artist must be dedicated to her craft, I wouldn't fancy that tiny ledge as much of a foothold three stories up!

Linger longer

Popped into the new Siren bar in Reading earlier this week while waiting for a connecting train from London, I hadn't been in a while but the beer board was looking as impressive as ever. I only had time for a quick half but if you're wondering what I went for it was the White Tips, you don't see this beer much at this time of year and so it was really great to see it. This is a special beer for me (for reasons explained in the link) and I love it, just a shame I couldn't linger longer!

Surrey Canal

Went for a walk down the Wey and Arun canal last week, it was a gorgeous day and since it was a Monday there was no one around. The canal was built in 1816 and connects the Arun river at Newbridge with the Godalming Navigation near Shalford which is just South of Guildford in Surrey. It wasn't very successful and was abandoned in 1871 but has since had sections restored by enthusiasts, very pretty it looks too as it winds its way through the rural Surrey Hills. After the walk we stopped for a pint at the Onslow Arms in Loxwood, it was very pleasant sitting in the garden in the Sun overlooking the canal, thoroughly recommended!

London Stories

If you walk around the back of St Botolph's Church Hall in Bishopsgate (near Liverpool St. Station) you may come across this little Victorian beauty. It's an old subterranean Turkish bath and apart from looking completely out of place (it's surrounded by gleaming glass and steel office blocks) it's still in use! Not as a bathhouse of course but a venue for parties and special events.

Friday Smirk

 

London Stories

I came across this interesting statue the other day while walking around Shad Thames in London with my Son looking at flats to rent. It's called "Jacob - the Circle Dray Horse" and is representative of the large dray horses that used to pull waggons of beer casks from the Courage brewery across Tower Bridge into the City. The horses were stabled at this site and the statue commemorates that. I was also impressed by the blue tiled building behind, not sure what it's for but it looked striking against the other grey/brown brick buildings of the area, must research why so blue?

It's the thought that counts

It was the 60th birthday of a friend of ours (Alison) last weekend and we went out and bought a cake for the special occasion, nothing unusual in that! Unfortunately though, this friend of ours lives down in Christchurch on the South Coast and so we had to drive down the M3/A31 for 90 minutes to see her and deliver said cake, which we promptly forgot to put in the car! Still, it's been nice to have a slice every day with a cup of tea this week, we should forget to pack more cakes I reckon..

Sykes Gaff

Walked past this place yesterday, it's the confluence of the river Neckinger with the Thames and is called St. Saviours dock. All the buildings are the old warehouse variety which gives it an old-world feeling, classic Victorian London. Legend has it that this is where Bill Sykes from the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist used to hang out, I can well imagine it!

Top White

We opened a bottle of this at the weekend, from Burgundy it's an old Chassagne-Montrachet one of the top domains in the region. The wine was delicious, apples, green fruits, viscous and rich with a totally addictive creamy finish, lovely stuff!

Henley brews

Went for a walk along the Thames at Henley today, the Sun was out and the town looked very pretty under a perfect blue sky. We didn't walk too far, only about 5k but it was enough to work up a thirst so we decamped to the new(ish) craft beer bar in town called "Echoes". Run by local Reading based brewery Phantom. It showcases their extensive range of brews plus a few guest beers, it was a nice spot, not much of a view (all you can see is the Waitrose car park) but the beers were great and perfect on a lovely warm day. I opted for a hazy pale ale called "Saturn" made primarily with Citra hops, it was lush (see below) and only 4% ABV perfect for easy drinking in the Sun.