May - not just for feria!

I'm not going to lie...the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of polka dots, rebujitos, dancing, long afternoons, and late nights under the lights at the feria grounds. Starting with El Puerto, followed directly by Rota then Jerez, the first part of each week has been spent recovering from the previous feria and the last has been spent doing it all over again. This Americana has loved every minute of it (and there are still more ferias to come, but for now my dresses and dancing feet are happily taking a break) but it has certainly made for a lapse in blogging.

And May hasn't just been filled with feria, it's been a busy month in general. Especially for Graham...

Uno for me, Uno for you: Winner!

Last week I put a bottle of delicious and nutritious Spanish olive oil up for grabs in my first ever giveaway. And the winner is...

Are you ready for feria?

I am! The official opening of the El Puerto feria and the alumbrado, the lighting of the portada (the main gate) was on Wednesday night. Feria is all the best parts of Andalucian culture combined with a county fair, where locals go all out with dressing up and party all night. It is oh so Spanish. So, what does an Americana need to do to get ready?

This year's portada - different than the traditional arches and a point of conversation.

Take Sevillanas lessons. A type of flamenco dancing for the masses, Sevillanas may look like a lot of arm waving, stomping and spinning, but there are specific steps. Most Spanish people learned as schoolchildren, which is why they make this look easy. If you want to join in at feria, you'll need to take lessons or at least have someone teach you some of the basic steps. I've been taking a class twice a week since January. There are 4 dances and after several months I'm confident with the first, alright with the second, not great at the third, and still get completely lost in the fourth. Practice, practice, practice! Then, realize that you will never be perfect, have a rebujito or two, and jump in!

Get your dress. The traditional traje is a must. Bold color combinations, polka dots, ruffles, lace, fringe - at any other time, it would seem ridiculous, but not for feria. What would usually be described at best as "loud" and at worst as "gaudy" or "tacky" is transformed into something vibrant and beautiful. The sight of so many women wearing these traditional dresses is nothing short of striking. I didn't have a dress last year (since we were traveling for a large part of the feria season) and I knew I would have to have one this year. So, I bought two.

Hiking in Grazalema

Before the whirlwind that is feria gets started (¡mañana!) I just wanted to  share some pictures from our roadtrip weekend to area in and around the Parque Natural de la Sierra de Grazalema.

Our main reason for going was to do some hiking, now that the rain has stopped and before the crazy hot summer temperatures settle in. And we hiked! An 11 kilometer circular route, starting and ending in Grazalema, which offered gorgeous panoramic views from some of the highest peaks. And I'm not going to lie, at points it was pretty aggressive, especially for my the pups' short little legs. But we all made it and I rewarded myself with what else? Tintos de verano. 

April catch-up

 

Besides lazing about, enjoying the great weather, what have I been up to lately? Lots, actually. I can't believe April is more than half over...feria season is just around the corner, summer is well on its way, and there's so much to do now that all of the dreary winter weather has been replaced by endless sunny skies, practically overnight. 

All that sun and playing outside has made me a bad blogger, so let's catch up. Here are some highlights from the first half of April:

-We met Spanish chef Angel León! He runs Aponiente, the (only) Michelin starred restaurant in El Puerto, where we celebrated our 6 monthiversary. 

The event was organized by the base and was really interesting - Chef León's concept is completely different than most Andalucian restaurants, focusing on the sea as a diverse and sustainable resource for creating modern versions of traditional dishes that would normally use meat. Yes, this chef is recreating the Spanish people's beloved pork products with seafood. We were immediately struck by how innovative and intelligent he is. 

Please ignore the fact that we both have terrible handwriting, like an angry 5 year old.

He explained the development of some of his signature dishes, while his team created them on the spot. Even better - we were able to taste them, along with sherry pairings! 

Thirsty Jueves: Rebujito

Last Friday, we went down to the beach to enjoy the sunset with some beverages and snacks.

We packed up the ingredients to make rebujitos - the unofficially official beverage of feria, but also a refreshing drink for summer.

The most important ingredient (there are only 2, unless you count ice) is manzanilla. Manzanilla is a type of sherry - let's stop right there. We know what you're thinking. Gross, the stuff that you keep in the kitchen and hardly ever use, unless you're from Maryland and you put it in your cream of crab soup. Unrelated note: Marylanders are weird and particular when it comes to crab products. 

But that is not Spanish sherry and definitely not manzanilla. Manzanilla is a dry sherry and can only be made in the town of Sanlucar de Barrameda, home of the beach horse races. Because it is produced so close to the sea, people say that there is a faint salty taste to it. And more importantly, it's delicious. 

Feliz weekend!

It's the unofficial start of summer, so pour yourself a tinto de verano and catch up on your Hola Matrimony!

-Our luna de miel ended in Paris, where we saw some of the sights and ate a ton of food (including plenty of cheeeese).

-We checked out feria in Jerez and Rota. Meghann loves the traditional dresses and Graham is partial to the rebujitos.

-Met up with amigos in Dublin to conduct official field studies of whether Guinness really tastes better in Ireland.

-The Marylanders hit Spain! First stop, Granada for the Alhambra, tapas, and to celebrate the end of Graham's youth Graham's 30th birthday.

We hope you enjoy your weekend! But don't forget to take uno momento to remember the reason for the holiday.

Graham's deployment homecoming in 2009. A wonderful day that not every military family gets to have.

Just something to keep in mind while you are playing outside, making some cocktails, throwing something fresh and tasty on the grill, hanging out with amigos, relaxing with a book, reading your favorite blog, or hitting the playa. Or if you are lucky - doing all of the above! What are your plans for the weekend?

Feria season snaps

Feria season, when towns in España celebrate with week-long fairs, came to our area in between our honeymoon and our trip to Dublin (more on that soon!). All of that travel, combined with some unusually cold and rainy weather, meant that we weren't able to go as much as we had planned. The noche before we left for Dublin, the weather cleared and we were able to go to the Rota Feria de Primavera (spring). We stayed until almost 3 in the morning, but many of the casetas, which are fair tents with food, drinks, and music, were still going strong.