The Travelling Girl

22/01/202023/01/2020

The Royal Alcázar of Seville, Dream of Dorne

After departing Madrid, I spent one night in Seville, the capital of Andalucia in southern Spain. This region is so different from the north, its beauty simply takes my breaths away.

The first thing on my list here was to see the Royal Palace Alcázar, a filming location for Dorne in the mega hit HBO series, Game of Throne. Yes I am a GOT fan!

Moorish influence, resulting a mesmerizing architecture

Did you remember how mesmerized you were when seeing Dorne for the first time? Here I am at the Royal Alcázar and feel like I am dreaming.

Seville’s royal palace complex was believed to have been built in the 10th century. This architectural wonder is a result of a combination of Mudejar (Moorish) and Gothic styles.

The palace was built by the Muslim Moorish dynasty. Later on the Christians regained the power in the region, and the additional constructions began. For me this is the greatest harmony of Muslims and Christians work of arts.

It is the product of many monarchs throughout the great history. The decoration, ornaments and architecture of Islamic, Mudejar, Gothic and Renaissance styles will stun you.

A high speed train from Madrid which takes about 2.5 hours will take you to Seville. Alternatively, you can fly to Seville Airport from many major cities in Europe. If you do not have many days to spare, I suggest a night or two will be good here.

*The Royal Alcázar* was declared UNESCO site in 1987

The Royal Alcázar, along with the Seville Cathedral which is located just in front of the Alcazar are UNESCO site.

Seville Cathedral, located in front of the Royal Alcázar, also a UNESCO site

Winter is slow season for Europe, I was lucky to be able to walk-in and got the ticket. If you visit in Spring or Summer, an advance purchase of the ticket would be a good idea and will save you time.

The general admission is 11.50 Euros. For ticket purchase and opening hours, visit https://www.alcazarsevilla.org

Even if you are not Game of Thrones fan, but The Royal Alcázar should stay on your to-see list in Seville and you will not be disappointed.

The palace has large gardens, please spare at least two hours for your visit

You will see a lot of orange trees in Andalucia, there were brought by the Arabs

Me with the Mudejar arts, the colourful bricks

03/01/202004/01/2020

Pinchos Night Out in Logroño

One of the best experiences while visiting Logroño is Pinchos night out. I love it and am doing it everyday here! It is the Spanish version of street food 🙂

We order calamari (tapa) to share and take the sandwich with ham (pincho) each for us, and paired with Mosto which is a kind of grape juice with no alcohol

What are pinchos? Pinchos are similar to tapas but being served in one portion while tapas are small dishes to share, for instance. People usually order a pincho with a glass of a beer or wine.

Where to go? Calle de Laurel is the street you head to for pinchos and it is located in the city centre old town. The street is usually packed on Friday and Saturday among the locals and you can expect groups of friends and families even with kids to gather around late evening.

After 10 PM, people gather here for a pinchos night out

What time to go? 10 PM is a good time to go there. The delicious and inviting smells of charcoal grill and the chatty conversations of people will draw you near.

Staff preparing aromatic champingon at Bar Soriano

How it works? Each bar has its own specialty and the idea is that you bar hop and try a little bit of this and that. Here are my favorites;

1. Chistora a la Brasa at Bar Paganos. Chistora is a soft chorizo on the charcoal grill wrapped in a bun and it is to die for. I have to come here every time I am in Calle de Laurel

2. Grilled Champignon at Bar Soriano – I love mushrooms and this place makes me drool with the smell of grilled champingon and topped with a piece of shrimp. If the place is too packed, you can go to Bar Angel too. I tried at both places.

3. Setas at Bar Cid – tasty mushroom that goes well with a corto! It is similar to mushroom we have in Thailand.

Grilled sirloin on toast with blue cheese spread at Bar Donosti

4. Grilled sirloin with blue cheese spread on a toast at Bar Donosti. The mix of the creamy blue cheese spread on the toast and grilled sirloin just melts in my mouth, on the other hand, you can also choose the pepper spread instead of blue cheese.

The zapatilla at Bar Tenessi is ready to go to the oven

5. Zapatilla at Bar Tennessi. Love the crusty toast topped with jamon and cheese. The zapatilla here is to die for!

What to drink? Crianza or Corto? Well it really depends of your pinchos. In La Rioja, they have 4 classifications for red wines which are 1. Rioja 2. Crianza 3. Reserva and 4. Gran Reserva. Crianza is an everyday wine as it is refreshing and not to heavy. As a result, you will see many locals order a crianza. Another popular drink is Corto or a small beer.

Squid on bread and Alioli sauce and a corto

How much and how to do the pinchos night? Pinchos night out is best to do with a group of friends (or family). What I experience here is that each of us chips in money and appoint one person to be in charge of the bill at the bar. Let say you put 20 euros each. You can expect to pay approximately 3-5 euros per person for a pincho and a drink in one bar.

I am already drooling now writing about this! there are many pinchos bars for you to discover. Keep me posted of your new discoveries. i Wish you a gastronomic evening in logroño. good luck and bon apetit!

30/12/201930/12/2019

Wine, Museum, Picasso and Sunset at Vivanco Wine Museum, La Rioja

Wine, museum, Picasso and perfect sunset! What an incredible experience all in one at the Vivanco Wine Museum in La Rioja, in the north of Spain. I have been to some of the world’s finest wineries in Australia, Italy and France but the experience at the Vivanco is so unique.

The four-floor wine museum occupies the area of 4,000 sqm in six rooms. It was designed by Spanish architect Jesús Marino Pascual.

I love the museum as it gives you all information from the beginning to the end in producing the finest wine and the process involves a lot of people from harvesting, collecting the grapes, bottle making, the barrel making, transportation, the glass etc. In the museum, you can also indulge in the finest wine related arts including the pieces from Piacasso, Andy Wahol and Dali.

The Vivanco Museum on Wine Culture is among the world’s best. The museum was inaugurated in June 2004 by King Juan Carlos I and was a private initiative of the Vivanco family, winemakers since 1915, which transformed their private collection into a museum project.

What an educational and pleasing experience and I recommend a visit if you are in La Rioja.

Find out more information and booking your visit at https://vivancoculturadevino.es/en/