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The Madrid Gastro Festival 2012

January 2nd, 2012 | Posted by jodiehop in Food and Restaurants | Jodie | What's Happening Madrid - (1 Comments)

If you live in Madrid and are a foodie then take note now…there is a gastro festival that will consume the city from 25th January to 5th February.

There are hundreds of restaurants taking part, with menu’s of 25 euros, 40 euros, and dinners with star chefs at 75 euros. And I want to try the Degustatapas offered by numerous restaurants!

The festival also looks at how food is integrated into, and influenced by culture with various events at libraries, theaters, films and more.

They say: The III Edition Gastrofestival 2012 program reaches beyond the borders of traditional restaurant cuisine and takes place in a variety of spaces. Gastronomy is conceived as culture, and one can enjoy major museums and art galleries, kitchenware, gourmet and luxury shops and the National Film Archive with a cuisine-related film series in the theater.

Full details can be found at: www.esmadrid.com/gastrofestival and for a round up of last year’s festival, check out this New York Times article

 

Europe by numbers from the Guardian

April 25th, 2011 | Posted by jodiehop in Jodie | What's Happening Madrid - (0 Comments)

The Guardian in the UK recently produced a wonderful interactive graphic showing Europe by numbers. Here’s a few facts they show us:

  • Spain has one of the highest %ages of foreign citizens
  • Female life expectancy is the highest in France, and second in Spain
  • Spain has one of the highest deficits (behind Greece & Ireland, not Portugal) BUT the UK is not far off;  and the jobles rate is one of the highest

The full graphic can be seen at: www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog

Weekend In: Llivia

March 9th, 2011 | Posted by jodiehop in Jodie | Traveling outside Madrid - (0 Comments)

A couple of hours drive from Barcelona, in a Spanish enclave just inside the French border of the Pyrenees is a town called Llivia. If you like hiking or skiing, and eating afterwards, then you will love this place as much as I did.

In Llivia the main language is Catalan, then Spanish although most of the younger generation learn and speak French we were told. You can hear all three languages as you walk around, but I didn’t hear any English.

There are numerous ski slopes within a 30min drive of Llivia so pop to one of the ski hire shops to get the lowdown on the best slopes for you, and of course where there is most snow. there are also a number of hiking trails clearly marked with varying levels of difficulty. They are mapped and signposted, with details of difficulty from the church car park.

If you get a chance pop into the Wine Palace on the main road. They have a vast selection of wines, and of vermouth, as well as spirits. We also sampled their vermouth on tap (pictured) – a snap at 4€ for a two litre bottle and much better than standard bottled brands.

Now onto my favourite part: the restaurants

La Caleche is truly unique and simply amazing food. They are a lovely couple who ‘escaped’ the pressures of fusion food cooking in Barca and have peacefully honed their craft in Llivia. The decor reminds me of the alps with checked tablecloth and wood panelling but the food is amongst those of the best restaurants I have ever eaten at: and not nearly as much money – around €100 for a feast for two including copious alcohol. Ask for the degustacion menu. He will bring in a number dishes of the most creative food with local condiments: foie gras marinated in local sweet wine, served in crunchy crackers and with home made sweet sangria; patatas bravas that are divine (voted to be in the top 5 best in the whole of Spain); caneloni stuffed with mushrooms served with a truffle sauce; home made vanilla ice cream on pain d’epices with hot chocolate sauce. Need I go on?

CalCofa is known for it’s steak served on hot slate. Divine. Especially if you are a pig like me and have the rump steak with a slab of fresh fois gras on top. Luckily you can exchange the frites for vegetables. The chocolate fruit fondu is a good option for dessert if your stomach is large enough.

Can Ventura, also on the village square has a fantastic menu for €34. again, the food is delicous. We loved the boletta caneloni and my boyfriend was drooling over the chocolate dessert. Keep an eye out for the fresh fish caught in local rivers.

If all the eating has worn you out, then Go for a hammam and swim in the natural hot springs of LLo. It’s well worth the 11 euros per person but try and go before the après ski crowd come in.

Another trip that we enjoyed was to Mont Louis fortified village. It has a nice path around the citadel, which is now used for military training. Whilst you are there pick up a selection of local honeys – finger-licking treats.

On the way back to Barcelona you could drive to Villefrance des Conflents – gateway to Cathar country. A stunning, charming fortified city with a prison citadel worth visiting and great caves. It means you have to drive back via Perpignan which is 4 hours as opposed to 1:45′ but with planning a great detour.

So in short, a wonderful destination which I imagine is just as good in summer. Just don’t tell anyone, we wouldn’t want it getting crowded….

Weekend in: Cordoba

March 7th, 2011 | Posted by jodiehop in Jodie | Traveling outside Madrid - (0 Comments)

Cordoba is one of the oldest cities in Spain and was formerly the capital of Andalucia. It is about a 3.5hour drive from Madrid or under 2hours on the AVE train so it’s relatively easy to go for a weekend when you are living in Madrid.

There is plenty of accomodation to choose from either at Cases Rurales in the country or in hotels in the centre of town.

The town is known for it’s Tabernas and  my favourite was Taberna Salinas

There are Arab baths there which are nice, but not amazing and the price of 26eur just for the hammam is steep for what you get.

The Mezquite (mosque), or Cathedral as it now is, is an absolute must see. It is well worth the 8euros to get even if you are not usually a fan of visiting religious buildings. The histpory is simply fascinating – I for one had never seen a mosque than has been converted into a cathedral…what a mix!

Also worth a visit is the less talked about Alcazar  – for the view, the gardens and the mosaics.

Weekend in: Ribeira Sacra, Galicia

January 3rd, 2011 | Posted by jodiehop in Jodie | Traveling outside Madrid - (1 Comments)

The Ribeira Sacra, or Sacred River Banks is so called because of all the monestaries built high up above the canyon of the Rio Sil. The Ribeira Sacra covers the south part of the Province of Lugo and the Northern part of the Province of Ourense.

There are several long walks in the area and it is worth getting advice from a local tourist office based on the season and what kind of hike you are looking for. We opted for a 3-hour hike around El Monasterio Santa Crostina de Ribas de Sil which was absolutely fantastic.

There are boat rides which are just under 1.5hrs taking you along the river. A trip worth doing on a nice day and costs 14euros per person.

In a small town where the Rio Mino and the Rio Sil cross there is a swimming pool from part of the river which was welcome in the summer heat. Locals will happily point you to la piscina.

Ribadavia is the main town in the Ribeira wine area. It is small and quaint with cobbled pedestrian streets and a small castle. As with most Spanish towns there is a main square where much of the activity is centred around. Stop off at the tourist office and pick up a map of the wine routes and bodegas if you are planning to go wine tasting in the area. Be wary of arriving in Ribeiro in August when they have the Festa da Istoria (the festival of history). You will will find the entire town, and many from surrounding towns, dressed in various medieval outfits, drinking wine from pottery cups and eating from grills. Even the money used of this event must be changed especially. Of course, you may want to come specifically for this festival, it is quite a sight!

We stayed at O Romanso dos Patos which is run by a husband and wife team. They speak English, French and Spanish and have done a wonderful job renovating the house into a bed and breakfast, and cosy restaurant. The chef (the husband) is French and has come up with an impressive menu, we were happy eating there every evening and spent long dinners pouring over the yummy food. I certainly recommend it as a base for exploring the area for a few nights.