Nerja, Ronda, Sevilla, Merida, Madrid

View from the end of the "Balcon de Europa"

As promised my final installment (!) of our journey to the beautiful land of Spain. After leaving Granada behind it was time to venture to the famous "Costa del Sol" - Sunshine Coast which is very popular with tourists and Brits in particular...it's easy to see why...

View from our hotel room - the other direction

Once again, we stayed at a Rick Steves recommended hotel which is was bright and spacious and perfectly located on the "Balcon de Europa". Fraser noticed how things had changed in the time he had been there with his sister Marilyn back in the 80s. Apparently post Franco as torrid Spanish soap opera set in Nerja popularized the area from a more sleepy place. We had a devil of a time trying to figure out where to park the car...for future reference - park it in the open lot nearest the area and walk in - it's not far unless you have an unseemly amount of luggage.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner at an Indian restaurant - they were very very accomodating and the next morning a "full English" at the Coach and Horses..complete with veg sausage. Other than that we enjoyed a leisurely stroll around..

Our hotel

Shopping on one of the side streets

Trying to make friends...

Enjoying the full English

Clever awnings to keep the sun out...too soon it was time to head inland to one of the many charming hill towns of Andalusia - in our case Ronda.

There was someone playing flamenco guitar here..

The enormous cacti...

Speaking of flamenco it was time to visit "flamenco central" - Seville!

Because cars aren't allowed in the old quarter we parked ours in an underground parkade and walked in with our bags...this is our hotel...

It had the most complicated shower instructions we had ever seen and in the end you only needed two knobs!

Oh well, it makes for an interesting story anyway...off to enjoy wandering the streets of the old Jewish quarter.

We noticed groups of small children walking along with their families, dressed up and carrying these wooden boxes or rather pushing them...I guess we should have asked what it was all about...so if anyone knows...

Thanks to Happy Cow after wandering around the streets for a bit we enjoyed dinner atVantana

On our way through the neighbourhoods there was a lady handing out flyers for a flamenco show. According to our guru Rick Steves it's much better to go to these small performance spaces than the usual tourist traps with a 2 drink minimum that last for 2 hours. We decided to make a reservation for the next night..

A small selection of the amazing archctecture there..modern and historic...

We decided to check out Veganitessen - which is located in a farmer's market for lunch...

I think we had some sort of sandwich and of course dessert - a banana based one which was yummy. The market seemed sadly, kind of barren - lots of empty stalls - I'm sure due to the economy.

Some photos of more of our wanderings near the river..

This fellow was handing out, what else in Spain, olive samples...

How nice there was a lovely park just outside the quarter with these amazing purple flowering trees - I should really find out what they were...by the way it was fairly hot during our time in Seville...

A lovely tiled bench

The famous and famously bitter Seville oranges....great for marmalade!

Ole - Flamenco time

There was a male and female dancer, a singer and guitarist. The walls of the space were beautiful even and the show was captivating and perfect! It was called Auditorio Alvarez Quintero.

We had a Mediterranean dinner at a sidewalk cafe not far away and I was a little ambitious on drinking a glass of wine and THEN Sangria - needless to say I had to have an espresso afterwards so I could remain upright...

Time to leave lovely Sevilla - also a great place to purchase fans and souvenirs - even miniature flamenco dresses for girls! Now onto Merida - a halfway point on our final destination Madrid. Merida is known for its Roman ruins..some of the finest we've seen. It was a sleepy Sunday..

We stayed at a charming centrally located hotel Hotel Rambla Emerida which overlooked a park - from there it was a short stroll over to the main site of the Amphitheatre but en route there were some sites to see as well..

There were very few tourists around this well preserved site - we practically had it to ourselves. Not many shops were  open either with it being a Sunday..we did find a veg place though for a meal..

Lovely garden at the Roman site

A cetnral square in Merida

Enjoying our lunch at the Shangri La restaurant -note the ever present glass of Sangria!

A restful Sunday and off to Madrid the next day - our final stop. F dropped off the car and first me at the Atocha Hotel which was very nice - we had a huge room on the main floor. I am a big fan of coffee vending machines in Spain - you can get great cups of coffee from them - they had two in the lobby of the hotel.

Off to wander around Madrid - we had last been here over twenty years ago! So we had to revisit the Prado and Reina Sofia museums and just generally wander around the amazing city that is Madrid! Of course we had to sample some veg food as well and went to the fabulous Yerbabuena!

That is the proprietor in the background - he is so charming and hard working...the food is delicious and silly us we should have shared a Menu del Dia between us...way too much food and it was a shame we couldn't finish it all - we even had dessert! Highly recommended...there was also a new vegan restaurant across the street  - brand new Al Natural- buffet style and you could get it to go...sorry we didn't go that for our trip back to Canada..but we did enjoy a light supper there after our lunchtime feast! They hooked us on the street by handing out free and delicious vegan croquettes!

 A walk in Retiro Park to burn off some of those calories...we didn't see any of the crazy tufted earred squirrels that were so assertive the last time we were here...

Adios Espana...we left all too soon....

I am not sure but this may be the exterior of our hotel....we stayed at Atoch hotels and Barcelona and Madrid - very nice!

Scotland is Sexy

I had a sudden revelation today as to how many of my current celebrity crushes these days have Scottish accents! I used to find English accents very attractive but now ihanks to the sudden influx of sexy Scottish actors on television (and film) these days that has certainly changed.

Whereas in times past, romance was represented by those perennial objects of feminine ardor - the sophisticated French and Italians and hey don't forget the Spanish (see Antonio Banderas and Javier Bardem)...the land of my forefathers is getting it's due. Perhaps it may have something to do with kilts as in the hit series "Outlander"? Or that Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) is very dishy, manly and protective? Plus, all those gorgeous scenes of the Highlands don't hurt. Maybe I am drawn to the land of my ancestors....

In one of the episodes another of my favourite Scottish dishes showed up - Doug Henshall - who I adore from the "Shetland" series....


Now there is yet another Scottish fixation - from the PBS series "The Crimson Field"! The dashing field doctor Captain Thomas Gillan is played by actor Richard Rankin. How can I stand any more Scottish sexiness?


If you are inclined for more mind nourishing pursuits and non fiction  I also recommend any series such as "Coast" or dare I say it the "History of Scotland" with another hottie - Neil Oliver! Not only a presenter but historian, archaeologist, author and adventurer. 


Also I should mention another obsession - the mysterious and compelling Ross Poldark as portrayed by Aidan Turner - yes, he is Irish..but hey he is still Celtic...even though he sports an English accent...I guess I haven't quite given up my first love..:)

Honourable mentions to David Tennant, Ian Glenn. These gentlemen are truly the "Flower of Scotland".

Vegan Everyday by Doug McNish

Oh dear, it has been so long since I've posted anything and I am long overdue to tell you about this wonderful new cookbook by one of my favourite chefs and people - our Toronto treasure Doug McNish. I also have two previous books of his " Eat Raw, Eat Well "(which is an encyclopaedia of raw food recipes) and "Raw, Quick and Delicious"...great additions to your cookbook library.

Now, it must be said I didn't think to take photos of the recipes I tried out from this new book however, even without evidence I can tell you they were delicious! Knowing me I tried out a couple of dessert recipes first..."The Chocolate Cherry Dream Bars" - which lived up to their name and the "White Chocolate Macadmia Cookies" - heavenly!!

It was time to try out a main dish and the "Sweet and Sour Tofu" was both easy and scrumptious". The "Pan Seared KIng Oyster Mushrooms with Tamari Glaze" made me feel I was in a fine dining establishment - I can't tell you how much I love King Oyster mushrooms at any time - I could have made a double order and eaten it all with some steamed brown rice! Again, the recipe was simple - the only adjustment I made was not including fresh thyme - since I didn't have any on hand.  I can't wait to try out some more recipes...

Milano Espresso Bar

(Image courtesy of yelp.ca)

Thanks to a feed from Toronto Life I read about this new coffee spot on Adelaide Street West near John..it's got a cozy but chic modern Italian vibe and the staff are very friendly - the person who served me was from Vancouver.  That is him in the beige sweater!

This morning  as I enjoyed my creamy soy latte I felt transplanted to Italy as he conversed in Italian with a older gentleman.  They also do teas including Matcha Lattes and London Fogs. The beans are imported from their Vancouver location and are also available for sale with detailed descriptions. Plus, sandwiches, pastries and I believe even soup...a welcome addition to the coffee scene in Toronto.

If you a very serious espresso drinker they even have "tastings" - a flight of 3 espressos and I was told their award winning espresso master Brian Turko is coming to town.

267 Adelaide Street West.  www.milanocoffee.ca

Right next door it was high time to visit the Superfoods bar for a healthy lunch including a Skyrocket Salad and Coming Attraction juice..I don't know why I forget about this great little place when looking for vegan lunch - this was a good reminder..plus again the staff are very warm and welcoming. I also picked up some granola...

Bet I had you at "chocolate" right? I was privileged to receive a sample box of these new treats. Already a big fan of their regular chocolate I couldn't wait to try a new dimension in confections.




I particularly enjoyed the Almond Creme one and am now enjoying the Sea Salt and Lime - salty and tart! The Lavender Mint is delightful and of course Coconut is luscious. Raspberry and Orange - a perfect combination. I have yet to try the Blueberry Vanilla - oh the sacrifices I make for you! 6 flavours in all. The cocoa content is a healthy 72%.

Now in case you didn't know - this company donates 10% of proceeds to help non profit groups worldwide - yup - save Endangered Species. Not only that people these bars are VEGAN! They are also : gluten free, non GMO, ethically traded, rainforest certified and use sustainable palm oil. You can also learn about the animals featured on the packages on the inside while you're enjoying the goodies. For example the Red Panda is one the Raspberry Orange and a Lemur on the Coconut.  My husband Fraser has kindly volunteered to review the bars..ha ha.

Remember people chocolate is good for you and good for your soul.

First Blush of Spring - Guerlain Spring 2014

Yes, I said it..the "S" word - even though it seems very far away from my current reality of the land of ice and snow, I decided I needed a little colour lift and wandered into my local Shoppers at King and John to see if any of the luxurious French lines had sprouted their spring flowers and I was happy to see the new Guerlain colours touting pink and peach for lips and cheeks and lovely pastels in eye shadows. The line is called, ahem appropriately enough "Les Meteorites" Blossom Collection -  I was particularly taken with their new blushes...a soft peachy pink called Pink Champagne and a deeper tone - "Cherry Soda" more full bodied one...(I bought the lighter shade). Was someone thirsty while naming these? LOL. The texture is silky and easy to apply directly on the cheeks by dotting as the aesthetician explained to me and blending. Fantastique!

There is also a lovely palette of eyeshadows, Les Tendres Ecrin - super sheer, feather light and very wearable. It includes a shimmery beige, minty green, subdued plum and taupe shade.



Naturellement I needed - well okay wanted a co-ordinating lipstick  and I chose the #171 Attrape Coeur and am eyeing the beautiful iridescent gloss "Stardust" - that will be hard to resist since it's also one of my favourite tunes...there is also a matching nail polish. The deeper pink shade is called "Insolence" and is also lovely.



Of course there are the lovely multi coloured magic spheres of luminessence the namesake "Meteorites"...which many have tried to duplicate but which I feel Guerlain does best..



So venture out into the cold and get yourself a little burst of Le Printemps.