Southern Spain

Photos from the Web.

Alhambra Negra

Leandro the Missing (found here) has requested a beer post, so here goes:

One of my pleasures is to meet for lunch at Jaleo. The chef Jose Andres is a celebrity in the Washington, DC area with several restaurants, a cooking show on PBS, and a recipe book called Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America.

I like the tortilla de patatas, the gambas al ajillo, and the ensalada de remolacha con citricos, topped off with a delicious Alhambra Negra and a cup of coffee.

This full-bodied lager is brewed in Spain with an alcohol content of 6.4% and is described as having an educated Mediterranean taste, a touch of caramel, and a trace of licorice. My current fav.

Starbucks in Madrid

Whenever I go away to a new city, I always try out the subway system during my visit. I feel like it brings me closer to the location's "real" people. During the last few years, for some reason, I've made the local Starbucks trip just as important during my travels. I'm not sure what the real benefit is but it makes me happy and the reward is a good cup of coffee. Above is a photo of the Starbucks I frequented for two weeks straight when I was in Madrid a few years ago.

Guernica

Pablo Picasso, 1937
In protest of war and violence.

Currently displayed in the Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid, Guernica is an enormous painting that reminds one of newspaper reporting. The actual color is more brown than black. Notice the mother wailing at the loss of her child. See the flames and feel the suffering. Speak up against Israel's relentless bombing of Gaza. It's too much and it's gone on for too long.