Ronda Ratatouille
Spanish pimentos are amazing. Vibrant Color. Sweet taste. A few simple ingredients transform into a great meal.
Ronda, Spain 2019
The day started off well in Nerja. We woke, having packed the night before, and walked to the bus stop. We had an hour and enjoyed a coffee and croissant in the same park we ate our first lunch. The bus ride along the coast was picturesque. Arriving in Malaga we made a seem less transition from bus to car.
The rental agent convinced me to upgrade the car. I had ordered a small one. She wanted me to have an Audi with a nice price tag. I declined but accepted a Nissan with GPS. After our early drive, we decided GPS, rather than google maps alone, was the way to go. I had imagined a Nissan sedan, but no, it was about as big as a Ford Explorer. Ugggghh, but onward.
Once in Ronda, the fun began. The new city had a series of one way streets. We quickly found ourselves going away from the old town. I pulled into a parking lot to get oriented. After sorting out a new route, I discovered that I didn’t know how to put it into reverse. It was a 6 speed with the reverse on the left rather than the right. Nothing I could do would put it into reverse. Luckily, Jackie knows “google” is your friend. We were moving again.
This time we navigated correctly toward our apartment overlooking the valley. We even crossed the New Bridge. It was mass confusion with cars, scooters and pedestrians all sharing the same space. Jackie was diligently trying to navigate and said turn here. Ahhh, no. I had to go forward. I found a spot to turn around, using my newly learned reverse feature and put us right next to the apartment. I was exhausted.
We enjoyed our sandwiches with the best view in the city.
After getting settled, headed away from the crowds and down to the Arabian Baths. Besides it partial reconstruction, it had a good video explaining how the baths functioned.
On the way back up, we saw the Muslim bridge, the Old Bridge and the New Bridge. At the top the TI agent told us about our grocery options. In the Carrefour Express we found enough for our two nights in Ronda.
First up: ratatouille.
After dinner we watched France crush South Korea in the first have of the World Cup opener. At Mitemp we walked to see the New Bridge at night. It was impressive. Returning to the apartment, we finished the World Cup match and slept soundly.
An Actor Walked Away from a Character He Has Played Since Birth
For those having a hard time understanding the Kardashian 1.0 drama, AKA British Royal Family “divorceâ€, let me try.
The Royal Family is a business, which owns property. A long time ago the property started as a simple estate in Normandy. To defend that estate the Duke had a private army. When the House next door, England, became vacant, William the Bastard decided to expand and to add a second House. Each of these Houses came with land and armies. In other words, the government of England was the private property of the Crown just like real estate, roads and armies.
Read the rest of this entry »Pierna de Cordero Lechal, Nerja
Lamb is another product more often found in an European grocery than one in the USA. This leg of lamb provided a nice center piece to our supper. The Nerja apartment had a true oven which made roasting it much easier. The trick with a European oven is to set the timer as well as the temperature. Without the timer, the oven will not turn on.
Nerja, Spain 2019
We ditched the car when we arrived in Granada. We had no need for it there, and then, we took the bus from Granada to Nerja. Jackie loves her beaches, and this is an “old school” beach community. We stayed in a modern building, but most of the town looked like a Greek Island village. Our apartment was on the 3rd floor with a balcony view of the beach. The seafood here was amazing. Above the town was a cave in which there was evidence of prehistoric human habitation.
Granada Pan Fried Fish
European supermarkets have more fresh fish than American supermarkets. The challenge is cooking in a kitchen with only a limited stove top. One trick is to precook the onions in the microwave. It speeds up the process.
Pescador is one of my favorite wines. It is fresh and crisp with a few bubbles.
Toledo Cabecero de lomo and Vegetable Cous Cous
Traveling and cooking are adventures. The simplest ingredients make for a terrific meal. Meat, butter, vegetables and cous cous. The meat is usually the most adventurous.
Cabecero de lomo
Christmas at the Vatican
feuilleton:
nom masculin
(diminutif de feuillet)
Film télévisé, histoire radiodiffusée en plusieurs épisodes de courte durée.
White Supremacist Massacres
Too often I hear “I never learned this” or “I never learned that in a history class.” First, people in general don’t want to hear the tales of Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths from their own history. They prefer a “cleaned up” version. In the case of the United States, most prefer the Whitewashed version. Unfortunately, that version leaves out the role White Supremacy played in American History.
Recently, the HBO series The Watchmen brought to America’s attention the 1921 Tulsa Massacre. Sadly, there were many more White Supremacists Massacres. Here are a few.
Great Hanging at Gainesville 1862
Springfield (IL) Massacre 1908
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