Spices? Spices? We don't need no steenkin' spices!

[April 25, Granada]

When you think of Spanish food, you tend to think of spicy Mediterranean fare, at least until you travel here. In fact, the Spanish have a remarkably narrow range of spices in their food, relying mostly on onion, garlic, and parsley. (Ham is also considered a spice as well as an entire food group.) But for Houstonians, or anyone raised in the American culinary cornucopia, there is a sad lack of variety and a desperate lack of picante. Pizza without red pepper? It is not civilization as we know it.

We brought this bottle of Cayenne pepper with us from Houston; as Karl Malden would say "Don't leave home without it."

Donde esta Subway Sandwich por favor?

[April 24, Granada]

The Subway sandwich chain is not our favorite in the US, and we stop there only when we want a simple reliable meal. But frankly, Subway's offerings are better than most sandwiches we find in Spain. The Spanish bocadillo or commonly available sandwich (pictured here) is a poor thing of meager ingredients (usually ham, cheese, a slice of tomato if you are lucky) on a hard baguette-wannabe.

Churros con chocolate

[April 25, Granada]

Sometimes two complimentary problems are their own inspired solution. Spanish hot chocolate is rich and thick, so thick it is more like a pudding or porridge and can hardly be drunk.

Tapas in Sevilla

[April 20, Sevilla]

  Pimientos Asada

Andalusian comfort food

[April 16, Ronda]

Pimeintos Rellenos.

Sloth in Salema

[April 12, Salema]

Salema is one of the few places on the Algarve coasts that can still be described as a "fishing village".   Tourism is encroaching, condos and golf clubs nibble around the edges, but some people here do fish. It is a charming, no-pressure place to enjoy the ocean, a bit of fresh seafood, and do absolutely nothing. A "vacation from your vacation".

Life is the berries

[April 11, Obidos]

Ginjinha is a spirit unique to Portugal, a sort of fruit brandy made from the sour-cherry-like ginja berry. It is readily available in Lisbon, but for some reason Obidos enthusiastically features it. We were advised to seek it at

A good barnacle, but not a great barnacle

[April 11, Nazare]

Portugal is the land of seafood, and sometimes surprisingly so. We were advised that the local dish of percebes (boiled barnacles) was a must-eat delicacy. The barnacles are harvested (we were told) at personal peril from wave-swept rocks, by fishermen secured by life lines to prevent certain death.

A beatific vision in Santiago

[April 9, Santiago de Compostela] 

Many are called to pilgrimage to Santiago, seeking spiritual regeneration, redemption, or transcendence. Each pilgrim finds his own balm for the soul; we found ours in Restaurante Iacobus.

  Pimientos Rellenos: mild peppers stuffed with a spiced potato filling, in a tomato-cream sauce.

Why is this man smiling?

[April 9, Santiago de Compostela]

This image of the prophet Daniel, in the cathedral of Santiago, is staring directly at a statue of a buxom lady, across the vestibule of the church.

I have seen Porto, and it works

[April 6, Porto]



Porto is "the city that works", priding itself on a gritty and workmanlike attitude. The local saying is "Coimbra studies, Braga prays, Lisbon parties, and Porto works". Thus its attitude appeals to these two travelers from the working city of Houston . It also has a more "Atlantic" weather, and as you will see from some of the photos, rain and clouds are common.

How green is my soup

[April 5, Coimbra]

Little by little we are trying the Portuguese cuisine. It is not always a success. A few days ago Bettie had salted cod, and I had a curried chicken (the Goan connection, you know). The curry was instantly forgettable, and Bettie's cod was vividly memorable, but for the all wrong reasons.

But today we tried something worth repeating: Caldo Verde. a green soup of kale and potato puree. Fairly good in a soul-food sort of way. We also tried the local Coimbra pastry "pastel de Tentugal"; it made us long for Belem and pastel de nata.

Big Mac Arbitrage

[April 2, Lisbon]

So where is the beef?

A principle (observed somewhat approximately) of economics is "purchasing power parity". The idea is that after converting for foreign exchange rates, a given amount of money should buy the same amount of the same items, in all countries.

All tarted up

[April 2, Lisbon (Belem)]


(Photo from wikipedia)

Not the voyages of Vasco da Gama, not the naval science of Henry the Navigator, not the discovery of Brazil. The signal achievement that ranks Portugal among the foremost of nations is ...