Eating My Way Through Spain

[Cheryl J]

Wow....wonderful looking fine dining pics, Steve!

[blissful]

Ah the beauty of it all. Thanks for taking us with you all.

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

*jealous*

[caseydog]

Originally Posted by Steve Kroll

This is my second time in Spain. The first time was during the first Gulf War in the early 1990s, when I was here as a civilian contractor with the Dept of Defense. I spent something like 9 weeks in Europe then, mostly Spain and Italy.

The group I was with was fortunate in that we had our own driver, and I was able to see a lot of Spain on days off. I visited mostly in Madrid and places south of Madrid - Toledo, Seville, Cadiz, Jerez.

This trip I wanted to focus on places I missed the first time, especially Barcelona. I would also love to make a third trip at some point to visit the northern coastal areas.

I love the Moorish architecture in the Seville (pronounced Sa-vee-ya for the folks who remember the Cadillac by the same name). I am not normally drawn to "busy" design, but the craftsmanship of the Moors is impressive.

The lush Gardens of Seville are pretty, too.

Are you going to take a day trip over to Morocco? You have probably already done that in the past.

I also spent a day in Porto, Portugal. If you like wine, I assume you like Porto -- which has to go through the city of Porto to carry that name. Anything else is Port Wine. I love a good vintage Porto, but not a tawny. I like the bottle aged stuff. The wood aged tawny just doesn't appeal to me. I love a good Porto in place of dessert.

CD

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[Andy M.]

Steve, thanks for sharing your experiences. Spain is one of the places I'd love to visit. A great food culture.

[mollyanne]

My daughter is leaving for Majorca in April so it's fun to follow your journey. Great pics and information...I'll share it with my daughter. Thank you and have fun!

[caseydog]

Originally Posted by Andy M.

Steve, thanks for sharing your experiences. Spain is one of the places I'd love to visit. A great food culture.

Spain is a lot like Texas. Spain is one country, with very different regions. It is a great place to go if you have enough time to get around. There are so many climates and cultural differences as you move around the country.

If you can only go to one European country, Spain should be on your short list -- as long as you have at least a couple of weeks to get around.

CD

[Souschef]

Originally Posted by caseydog

Spain is a lot like Texas. Spain is one country, with very different regions. It is a great place to go if you have enough time to get around. There are so many climates and cultural differences as you move around the country.

If you can only go to one European country, Spain should be on your short list -- as long as you have at least a couple of weeks to get around.

CD

Since it is relatively close, If you can get to the Portuguese area of Cascais, Sintra and Estoril, the area is beautiful. Kayelle and I spent a day with 2 other couples touring the area. We had lunch at a great restaurant.

[Steve Kroll]

Originally Posted by Souschef

Since it is relatively close, If you can get to the Portuguese area of Cascais, Sintra and Estoril, the area is beautiful. Kayelle and I spent a day with 2 other couples touring the area. We had lunch at a great restaurant.

Originally Posted by caseydog

I also spent a day in Porto, Portugal. If you like wine, I assume you like Porto -- which has to go through the city of Porto to carry that name. Anything else is Port Wine. I love a good vintage Porto, but not a tawny. I like the bottle aged stuff. The wood aged tawny just doesn't appeal to me. I love a good Porto in place of dessert.

I would love to go to Portugal, but we're 1200 miles away, so that will have to be another trip.

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

So, is that it, are you home now Steve?
Curious minds want to know...

[kenmiller]

The large midday meal, called la comida, has several courses and usually includes five or six choices in each. At home, Spaniards do not traditionally eat “fancy” dishes on a daily basis, but still enjoy a soup or pasta dish, salad, meat and/or fish, and a dessert, such as fruit or cheese.