Hey there! So, as we mentioned in previous posts, we’ve decided to do round-ups of our months in Seville or wherever else we are. The mundane, the daily lives, the experiences, etc. As this is just as much – if not more – a journal as it is a blog, we thought it’d be a good idea to put our “where we currently live” things into blog posts instead of our usual penchant for only posting about travels.
Yada. Yada.
So, let’s see what we were up to during February in Seville, Spain!
Hi.
Our friends, Bev and Bruce, invited us and Pepe over for a lunch of delicious crab legs. We don’t eat them very often, but they’re one of my favorite things. Sooooo, it was quite a treat!
Our pal, Jade, was also in town for a few days from Morocco, so it was nice to hang out with her again. Here she is, looking boss at the tattoo shop.
Speaking of tattoos, I decided to get my knuckles and wrists done since a lettering specialist was in town for a few days. There isn’t really anyone in Seville who specializes in script, so I took the opportunity to get hooked up.
We get all our work done at La Rosa Negra, and Jean is the guest artist in question, who’s normally in Madrid. You can check out his work here.
Knuckles looking pretty grimy after getting done, as there’s a lot of pen ink and residue that needs to wear off.
It appears I didn’t get a picture of my wrists, so you’ll just have to see that another time. Many thanks to Jean for the incredible work. Hopefully, he comes back sooner than later since I don’t see us going to Madrid any time soon!
Jean also has a clothing and art brand called Ink True Letters, so I ordered a T-shirt from him. Every order comes with a personalized and customized mask, which is really awesome. I asked him do a mask that says EGOPROOF, and I got my order in the mail a couple of weeks later. Major thanks once again!
We also had our friends, Dom and Lena, in town from Germany for a week. They came with their lil’ kid, Louie, and we really enjoyed spending some time in the sun with them. They definitely needed an escape from the gray and cold winter in southwestern Germany. We also went to the beach town of Matalascañas with them, but that’s for another post.
Meet Dom, enjoying a nice beer in the warm sunshine.
That was taken at Arte y Sabor, one of our favorite places around the city. Tell ’em Angela and Ryan say ‘hi’ if you stop by!
We did the touristy thing with Dom, Lena, and Louie a few times, so we got to see some of the sights again. We usually don’t walk around these neighborhoods, but we like to when we have family and friends in town.
The cathedral and giralda, for instance.
Also, don’t forget to look up when you’re here. There’s always something to see! This is inside the Hotel Patio de la Alameda, which has a great terrace bar up top as well.
Have a local beer while you’re up there!
We also had to go back to the immigration office this month to have our fingerprints taken for our visa renewal. That always gives me an excuse to take a new photo of the amazing Plaza de España. It even looks good on a cloudy day.
Speaking of our German cohorts, our good friend, fine artist David Stegmann, sent us a copy of his new gallery book. We’re very proud of this guy!
Now for some food!
I made one-pan salmon one day, but I think I need to go to a better fishmonger as I wasn’t terribly happy with the quality. The beans were also a bit overcooked for my taste.
We finally made curry again, which we haven’t in a while for reasons unbeknownst to us.
We stopped by one of our most favorite places, La Chalá, with Dom and Lena. We found out that they changed to a totally new menu, so we were skeptical as we – like most regulars there – really, really love the old menu.
Alas, everything on the new menu was so, so delicious! Everyone was pleased; and, although we’re sad to see the old menu go, at least the new one isn’t a letdown!
So. Many. Yummies.
Spanish breakfast. Can I get a hey-yo?! Love this crack bread from Bar Granado, our favorite spot to get some pep in the morning.
Sorry I didn’t take a picture of this. Actually, not sorry. It’s too good to stop and shoot! The remains of the arugula and provolone risotto at Al Aljibe. My favorite dish in town.
A delicious wine at Al Aljibe…
A few of the maki and gyoza at Nazca, a really good restaurant here for Peruvian-Japanese fusion and some Spanish classics.
And some classic, quintessential tapas at an old-school bar here that Pepe took me to.
Ang got busy with some baking this month, hooking up all sorts of goodness to pass around to our friends here and there. We also, always bring a batch to Friday Night Social Club at Bier Kraft. (Speaking of which, anyone is always welcome to join us for FNSC!)
Chocolate chip pound cake…
Chocolate and peanut butter cups…
And, chocolate & peanut butter rice krispie treats. =P
Good thing we’re on new exercise plans!
Now, for the beer! As you should know by now, we have a beer project called Hopsmash. We love beer anyway, but a lot of our infatuation with craft beer goes over on that page. It’s a big part of our lives, so I always try to share some of our experiences here as well.
We frequent the previously mentioned Bier Kraft, our favorite – and the best! – craft bar in Seville. Great people and always fabulous times. A few of my favorites from our regular Friday Night Social Club adventures…
That’s our friend, Pablo, getting monstrous with the Trub Wizard Double IPA by 18th Street Brewery (from Indiana) and Mikkeller SD (from San Diego). This tasty treat was also brewed with honey by our friends at Aurora Bee Company. Shoutout to our old friend, Joey Potts, as well, as he’s the creative director at 18th Street and designed the can.
Phew!
Another one by 18th Street Brewery, amazing again with their Hunter Cinnamon Vanilla Imperial Stout. Say ‘hi’ to Fiti!
Both of those beers were part of a beer share I brought to FNSC. Our good friend, Joel, from Chicago, was nice enough to send us this care package with some amazing beers and copies of his books.
And, more beer! A few rare treats from Against the Grain Brewery in Louisville, Kentucky.
And yet another haul! I’m a member of the Sólo Lúpulo beer club in Spain, run by our friend, Daniel. Don’t worry, Mom, we share all of these! :)
I also got my ID card for being an Equity Punk investor in Scottish brewery, BrewDog! Pretty cool. :) They also make amazing beer, so be sure to check them out.
And lastly – I promise – a picture of me with Pepe and Etienne at Bier Kraft, sharing some of these brews together.
As I always like to wrap up a month here, have some pictures of GOOD DOGS! :)
Met these two at the post office. Really wanted to kidnap them.
Johnny at Bar Granado and his girlfriend have a puppy that’s growing every day and is already three times bigger than Louis. Had to get this terrible shot of the lil’ gal sleeping in the sun.
Our neighbor’s dog, Pina, is always the most lovable! Unfortunately, the neighbor moved this past week, so this was my last chance to cuddle with her. (The dog, not the neighbor.)
Lastly, some glamour shots from our own lil’ guy!
Feet…
Crazy eyes killer…
And there you have it! Sometimes mundane, sometimes exciting, but always good. Thanks so much to Dom, Lena, Louie, and Jade for coming to visit. See you all next time!
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What’d you do in February? Did you have a good month? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Johnny’s dog is SO big…was JUST a puppy when we were there!
Also…LA CHALA here I come!!!!!!
Haha yeah, we saw the dog again today and it’s even bigger! Johnny’s girlfriend told us it’s half bodeguero (those white and black dogs you see everywhere here), and half pit. Looks like a lab mix to us but *shrug*. She’s so nice though, I get to love on the dog since I get none from Louis at home.
I, too, love the Plaza Espana! Missed coming to Spain this year, but it sounds like you’ve had a LOT of company anyway. So happy you have many friends–AND that you share your beer!! :)
Thanks Ma! We’ll see you here sooner than later then? :)