Post by BigRay on Apr 28, 2003 14:52:31 GMT -5
Sorry for not posting in a while, but I have been pretty busy of late, something I have not been for a little while now. I'll try to make up for it in the next few days with all that has been happening here recently, because things are going extremely well.
First, I took a trip to San Sebastian, Spain a little while ago. Funny, it seemed like a vacation from a vacation. In this case, though, San Sebastian felt more like home. I have been through this great town quite a bit these last few years and feel quite at home there. I have made friends with a large number of locals and this has solidified with each visit. (As my friend Jose, owner of Bar Eibartarra says, "I know all the bartenders and no librarians!") And these growing friendships makes a trip there increasingly worthwhile for me.
The highlight of this particular trip was when about ten of my friends took me out of the city to a small Basque town called Usurbi. There, we went out to dinner in a small sidreria, basically a micro-brewery for Basque cider. I had been to other sidrerias in the Asturias region of Spain, but never a Basque one, and this was truly a spectacle.
The main dining area is a small hall with long tables. Adorning the walls are pictures of the generations of families who have run this sidreria. To start the evening, everyone grabs a glass and heads to the back where large (and I do mean LARGE) barrels of cider are stored, each barrel containing a slightly different blend. We held our glasses and lined up about 10 feet away as the cider-tender opened a valve, filling our waiting cups. The theory is that the beverage splashing against the glass unleashes the flavor. After a sampling a few of the barrels, we got the call that our food was ready.
The meal was absolutely incredible. It started out with bacalao con pimientos, basically cod with peppers that just melted in your mouth. Then we had a tortilla de bacalao, which is a cod omelette. It had been a while since I had eaten good, fresh seafood, so I was pretty psyched. Next up was the chuleta, or lamb steaks, which was some of the finest meat I had tasted. Whenever someone at the table felt like it, they could yell a toast and everyone would grab their glasses and head back to the cider for a refill and some increasingly jovial conversation. I thought we were finishing, but lo and behold another portion of chuleta appeared on our table.
After a final round of cider, it was time for desert, which consisted of walnuts and platters of Basque cheese. But don't think that just because the cider stopped that the drinking did, too. For desert we were served several carafes of Patxaran, a Basque version of Jaegermeister.
And since we were in Spain, the night was still not over. We got back to the city and had a nice walk along the beach and ended up at a small disco on a boat called "La Kabutxa" or "The Caboose." There were several times when I was tempted to leave and go to bed but Jose's father was out with us, and my pride could not allow me to call it quits before him! ;D
This fabulous night ended at about 4:30am. Did I mention it was a Monday night?
Anyways, I am now back in the Red, White and Blue of my new home, the Czech Republic. Still doesn't quite feel like home, but definitely getting there. I will be sure to post my recent adventures in the next day or so...
Cheers,
Ray
First, I took a trip to San Sebastian, Spain a little while ago. Funny, it seemed like a vacation from a vacation. In this case, though, San Sebastian felt more like home. I have been through this great town quite a bit these last few years and feel quite at home there. I have made friends with a large number of locals and this has solidified with each visit. (As my friend Jose, owner of Bar Eibartarra says, "I know all the bartenders and no librarians!") And these growing friendships makes a trip there increasingly worthwhile for me.
The highlight of this particular trip was when about ten of my friends took me out of the city to a small Basque town called Usurbi. There, we went out to dinner in a small sidreria, basically a micro-brewery for Basque cider. I had been to other sidrerias in the Asturias region of Spain, but never a Basque one, and this was truly a spectacle.
The main dining area is a small hall with long tables. Adorning the walls are pictures of the generations of families who have run this sidreria. To start the evening, everyone grabs a glass and heads to the back where large (and I do mean LARGE) barrels of cider are stored, each barrel containing a slightly different blend. We held our glasses and lined up about 10 feet away as the cider-tender opened a valve, filling our waiting cups. The theory is that the beverage splashing against the glass unleashes the flavor. After a sampling a few of the barrels, we got the call that our food was ready.
The meal was absolutely incredible. It started out with bacalao con pimientos, basically cod with peppers that just melted in your mouth. Then we had a tortilla de bacalao, which is a cod omelette. It had been a while since I had eaten good, fresh seafood, so I was pretty psyched. Next up was the chuleta, or lamb steaks, which was some of the finest meat I had tasted. Whenever someone at the table felt like it, they could yell a toast and everyone would grab their glasses and head back to the cider for a refill and some increasingly jovial conversation. I thought we were finishing, but lo and behold another portion of chuleta appeared on our table.
After a final round of cider, it was time for desert, which consisted of walnuts and platters of Basque cheese. But don't think that just because the cider stopped that the drinking did, too. For desert we were served several carafes of Patxaran, a Basque version of Jaegermeister.
And since we were in Spain, the night was still not over. We got back to the city and had a nice walk along the beach and ended up at a small disco on a boat called "La Kabutxa" or "The Caboose." There were several times when I was tempted to leave and go to bed but Jose's father was out with us, and my pride could not allow me to call it quits before him! ;D
This fabulous night ended at about 4:30am. Did I mention it was a Monday night?
Anyways, I am now back in the Red, White and Blue of my new home, the Czech Republic. Still doesn't quite feel like home, but definitely getting there. I will be sure to post my recent adventures in the next day or so...
Cheers,
Ray