The travels have gotten the better of me lately - and that's made me very happy! We had a quiet week between trips - a relaxing weekend spent cooking, doing laundry and getting maximum time on the deck in the sun.
Then during the week we were able to grab a pint with our friend Peter Fromen, who was in town for work from San Francisco. The only thing missing was his wife Catie....it was so good to catch up, see a friendly face in London, and hear all about their impending move to San Diego (and recent trips up to Sonoma and Napa which left us saying "Ohh, Moshin - how we miss you.)
Then we headed back out last week for a trip to Israel - Tel Aviv. TJ had a few days of meetings for work, and I jumped on to spend the long weekend. I'll write more about this fantastic weekend, and download pictures this week. He returns to London on Thursday, and we are here until the 4th of July weekend, when we head to Nice, France, and then have a visit from KERRY and KEVIN and head to Paris for Bastille Day!
So to catch up- I am on the deck, it's about 9:30pm, sun is just going down, enjoying a nice dinner from Marks and Spencer after a run in Battersea Park, and here is my post about our second trip to Spain....
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After a long, successful week in Barcelona for my first event in my new job - I met TJ at the Bilbao airport and we headed for our long weekend in Rioja and San Sebastian.
One of the things I/we are trying to discover while we're in Europe, are the many diverse wine regions we have not yet visited - such as Germany, South Africa, Portugal, Italy, and of course, Spain.
Our first Spanish wine tasting started with pure silence - as we tried to figure out the words in Spanish to express why we were showing up at this winery. Do they even do tastings? Getting over that language barrier, we were treated to a range of wines from Cune winery. A rose, a few blends of whites, and a range of reds - learning the differences between a Crianza, a Reserva and a Grand Reserva.
Then we went on to another winery, that didn't do tastings - but we had their wine the night before at dinner and loved it - Muga, (the wine is called Prado Enea from 1998.)
The woman there was kind enough to speak in English, so her coworker didn't hear, as "she doesn't like me sending people here but go to this place around the corner. They have a great tasting room."
So we went here .....
And had white wines from 1981!!!!! I was eight in 1981 - and to think a white wine would even last that long! It was so fun, with a great guy that worked there, and we had a fantastic wine experience!
My thoughts of Spanish wines - they are more similar to Californian wines than to French. They have the same fruit forwardness that you get in Californian wines - and lack the French earthy-ness or terrior. My favorite was a white varietal - Viejo. Basically - they are wonderful - and to quote the Beasty Boys - "they do go well with this cheese." Enough of my wine- geekfest. If you have a few hours to kill, I can go on ....
The Marques de Riscal experience was fantastic. This amazing and modern hotel amongst an old, quaint Spanish town - it is such a statement of the future and was an experience I will never forget.
The food on this trip was fantastic. From a 10+ course dinner at the Marques de Riscal, to the rustic food at the local places where we ate our long lunches, to the amazing fresh fish - after working so hard on my first event with all of the pre-planning for weeks, and then onsite for 10 days - sharing this experience with TJ truly fed my soul.
Pictures are here:
http://web.mac.com/rachelchurch/iWeb/TJ/Spain%20May%202007%20-%20Rachel.html
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