The Shops of Marbella

On August 18, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, Spain5 Comments

We really enjoyed walking the tiny shops in the resort town of Marbella, Spain. For Cee’s Which Way Challenge this week, we decided to share a couple of photos of the narrow streets with the gorgeous tile sidewalks. We ended up buying a couple of Christmas ornaments while we were there, but tapas at the Café-Bar El Estrecho was definitely the highlight. Since the heat can be unbearable at times in southern Spain, the shade of the narrow streets can be the only way to escape the searing sun. Going to Marbella might be all about watching the rich and famous relax on the beach, but walking the shops and window shopping has its own rewards.

Iberian Ham

On August 10, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes, Spain8 Comments

We had heard quite a bit about how good the Iberian ham was before travelling to the Iberian peninsula. To be honest, we enjoy cured meat, but it isn’t necessarily something we gravitate towards. One of the interesting things that we learned about ham is that the reason it is supposed to be so good is due to the food that the pigs are fed, which are acorns. In fact, the ham is rated by how many months out of the year the pigs are fed acorns, the more months the better the rating. The ham doesn’t receive a star rating, but instead is rated in acorns with a five acorn rating being the highest rating possible.

So, what did we think of the ham? Quite frankly it was absolutely delicious. We have never had a dried meat that literally almost evaporated in your mouth. Obviously there is a very high fat content for that to occur, but you almost didn’t chew the ham, it seemed to dissolve the moment it hit the warmth of your tongue. It isn’t something that we’re able to find here, so if we ever get the chance to eat some again, we definitely will. This was one of the times when the food lived up to the pre-trip hype and if you get the chance, you should certainly give it a try.

Daily Post Photo Challenge: Narrow

On August 2, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, SpainLeave a comment

We had several ideas about how to express the thought of narrowness. Ultimately we decided that the narrow streets of Spain best epitomized the effect. In the Jewish Quarter of Seville, the streets are called the “kissing streets” because of the way the buildings seem to lean towards each other as if leaning towards each other for a kiss.