Farsighted Fly Girl

Valencia is the third largest city in Spain and known for it's pretty palm-tree lined streets and mix of old world and modern architecture. But I was most excited about Valencia's other claim to fame as the birthplace of paella. If you're like me, you've enjoyed countless pans of paella and eagerly order it whenever you see it on a menu. Well, I took two cooking classes in Valencia (I'll explore the details in later posts) and what I quickly discovered is that what passes for paella in the U.S. is rarely the real thing. There are so many details that are needed to create authentic paella but the most significant is an open fire of orange wood. That's right, paella is a rural tradition and it is cooked in front of  baraccas  or small country houses. I visited the small farm and restaurant of   Barraca Toni Montoliu . I picked the vegetables that you see Toni cooking over the orange wood in the video. The flavor that the open fire and orange wood gives to paell...

Andalusia is noted for its distinctive culture and aside from the eye-popping beauty, that's my favorite thing about the region. On the sunny Costa Tropical, the cultural delights continue. This beach in Salobrena , about 45 minutes from Granada, enchanted me with mountain views, pristine waves and the smell of sardines grilling. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of sardines but I was excited to see this chiringuito or beach bar, with an authentic boat used as a grill because it's a hallmark of Andalusian beach culture. Fresh, just caught fish are a specialty with espetos de sardinas  or sardine skewers, the most essential. My excitement must have been obvious because I was quickly invited to learn how to skewer the sardines for grilling. The bamboo sticks are pushed through the body of the sardine for even grilling and it's probably easy to do for more spatially refined people but unfortunately, not for me. I mangled a handful of silvery fish before I...

I'll be exploring the mountains, caves and cobblestone streets of  Andalusia, the independent province of Southern Spain, for a jam-packed week. Courtesy of a media trip sponsored by Turismo De Granada  and Iberia Airlines , I'll witness the splendor of the famous Alhambra Palace, pictured above, as well as other Andalusian cultural hallmarks, including flamenco dancing in caves, tasting fresh fish in chiringuitos, the beach bars that line the Costa Tropical coastline and visiting the white-washed mountain villages of Alpujarra. I'm especially excited about tracing the presence of the Moorish rulers from north Africa who ruled the region for seven centuries and left their mark in the architecture, pottery, food and art. Please stay tuned for lots of posts and photos in the coming weeks!