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Wine tasting in Spain: Notes from a winery
Given the gallons of wine I have consumed while in Spain, it is only natural to end my trip with a wine tasting in Spain. Spain is the third largest wine producing country in the world and that reflects well through Spanish gastronomy. No meal in Spain is taken without wine. In Spanish restaurants, both red and white wine always make it to the table simultaneously. In a tiny village in Castile y Leon region, at the Bodegas Zarraguilla winery, I find the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of this beverage’s production. Is this a video game (think Witcher)? Is this a fantasy novel (think GoT)? The vibe seems hardly real, and far from…
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At the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, I experience fall colours
The baroque palace fails to retain my attention. The tall trees in its garden have rivaled and even surpassed its beauty. Gold-laced, they reach for the clouds and run in thickets till they hit the mountain in the horizon. In this garden, every leaf is bright yellow. For years, I have only seen ‘autumn(fall) colours’ virtually. But this time they are real, touchable. I enjoy this natural spectacle for the first time in my life in the gardens of the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, 10 kilometres from the town of Segovia in Spain. It is November and the sky is opening up in intervals, drenching everyone…
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Royal Glass Factory of La Granja, Spain: All about glass
A blob of glowing orange wobbles on the tip of a pipe. The craftsman pulls the pipe out of the crucible, spins it and splashes water over it. He perches himself up on a ladder, places his mouth near the other end of the pipe and blows. The frail mass at the opposite tip changes shape and loses colour rapidly. The wind in the pipe manipulates the metamorphosis of the blob and soon it takes the form of a glass pitcher. The crafter separates the pitcher from the pipe and cuts the excess glass away from it’s mouth. This process of glass making from the 1st century BC is preserved…
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Cooking class in Spain: In a chef’s kitchen in Segovia
From the windows, I see people move around in hoodies, their hands dunked deep inside their jacket pockets. It’s comfortably warm indoors, but not hot at all. Still beads of sweat crop on my forehead. The clink of pots brings my attention back to the present. Olive oil sizzles on the pan. Jars and bottles surround me. Herbs, vegetables, fresh fruits, dry fruits and animal proteins occupy the centre of the mammoth round counter in front of me. In the kitchen of Kuma, a restaurant in Segovia, the chef directs us on how to start our Spanish cooking adventure. Start with Spanish comfort food We are five novices, mere tourists…
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Pedraza, Spain: One of the best-preserved medieval settlement
It is a cold November morning with a cloud sheathed sky and light drizzle. The wind hasn’t been particularly kind and slaps me across the face once again. Villas from 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th centuries border the cobblestone road as I climb uphill. Rock-cut washbasins inspired from the classical times stand intact in the façades of some houses. I see tiny windows, placed extremely low on the walls, almost touching the road. I am in Pedraza, a medieval village in Spain. My one-week itinerary in Spain includes only Madrid and Segovia. Pedraza features here as a short half day trip from Segovia. I always knew in my heart that…
