ANDALUCIA..PROVINCE OF CADIZ (Jerez. Vejer, Zahara, Barbate..brief current notes

[erica1]

I’ve been in Cadiz province for 7 days now and every night I arrive back at the homestead too tired (or could that be lazy?) to file a few notes. Brief background: I’ve posted innumerable reports on The Late, belated CH, only to have them vanish into the ether. I’m a well-traveled person in general and have a fondness for Spain and, of course, for its people and its food. More (relatively) recent food-related trips have been to Asturias, to the Lamb heartland around Pedraza and Sepulveda, Segovia (on one trip) and the other, more recent, to Campospero, Rua, Burgos–with a base for part of the lamb fests at ABADIA LA RETUERTA (good first-night drive from Barajas if you can deal with the jet lag) and up to the Basque country (be still my heart…Getaria, Donostia, rural lands) with a dip into Leon near Astorga for steak that some have dubbed the world’s finest. (surely the fanatics among us have read all about EL CAPRICHO and that is not today’s topic!)

My most recent (recent is a loose term, given COVID and several medical issues) trips to Spain have included a few weeks (different trips) in Sevilla. These last have included one that included a week in Madrid and another a week in Sevilla, and another a few years later, solo all the way, that began with a week in Sevilla and about 6 nights in Cadiz (Parador) with a long day trip ( by taxi) to Barbate and Zahara. If you do not know those 2 names, you either have some reading to do if you love Spain,or you might want to skip the rest of this, or at least tonght’s portion.

If I have not confused you totally by now, I have just spent 3 nights early March in Jerez de la Frontera and am writing this from an inn in the low hills outside the white hill town of Vejer de la Frontera, which I reached by rental car from Jerez after spending the first 3 nights car-less which is THE way to pass the time in the city of Jerez.

If you are perplexed by the appendage “de la Frontera” attached to the end of many southern Spanish locations, especially in the nation’s largest region, that of Andalucia, you may want to look this up or perhaps more informed minds than my own can offer a succinct explanation. Some (very few) times, this may leave you confused as there are, for example, a Zahara de la Sierra and a Zahara de los Atunes. This being a food-centric board, the appendage “of the tunas” may lead you to believe, rightly so, that here we will be focusing on, and visiting, the Zahara “of the Tunas.”
If you are at all interested in Spanish and Arabic (and even Phoenician)n food history and fishing in general, you may want to read up on the almadraba method which is a means for netting fattened tuna in the narrow straits near Gibraltar off the coasts of a very few Spanish towns over a very short period in spring.

And you can read up and let us know how the Spanish almadraba relates to the mattanza “killing fields” of Sicily, in and near the western town of Mazzara del Vallo and which to me, sounds like a more competitive and testosterone-fueled fish hunt that takes place in late spring/early summer and is far beyond the scope of this-already-too-long report. (Never fear, yours truly is keen to visit Sicily in May and will welcome any and all food comments or tips…not necessarily relating to tuna)

But for anyone who does not have Sicily in their plans, trust me when I say that one might do a thesis/article, etc etc, and actually get it read by spending some time in the somewhat aesthetically unappealing coastal town of Barbate, whose legend has been stretched from Tsukiji to Madrid and even to this native Manhattan person who one day hopes to finish this report. (Barbate was a favorite of Franco but his name was stripped from the official town name in 1998)

Subscribe to read | Financial Times

Sorry this is an interesting read about Barbate and Japanese visitors; if you can negotiate your way around the firewall, worth reading…

I am going to post this now and return soon, in order to not risk losing what I’ve written, which often happens to me, or happened on CH…

I am absolutely astounded by how much I am learning on this solo trip…I was nervous about renting a car in Europe (me, who hates to drive in the best of times. ) Guess what…the driving has been a joy, and the opportunity to meet and talk to locals about food is so much greater than when one is accompanied by another of his or her own nationality). From the overnight from the US to MAd, to the MAd-XRZ short flight…it seemed as if everyone wanted to talk food…where was the best, did I know about this or that, and on and on…wow…my notebook was crammed before I stumbled down the open-air staircase of Iberia’s just-landed short haul from MAD.

[erica1]

I spent 3 nights in Jerez, at the CASA PALACIO MARIA LUISA, a historic palace handsomely renovated by a local family. The hotel is in the center of this lovely walking city, which reminded me in some way of a much smaller version of Sevilla. Is is an architectural gem brimming with local spirit and I would urge travelers to give Jerez consideration now, before the word gets out among foreign travelers who tend to know iti now only for horses and sherry bodegas. And of course, Jerez is widely considered the cradle of flamenco andn since the festival was going on during my dates, I was fortunate to get a room, and a lovely one at that, at what must be the acme of the city’s hotel roster.

Although I had visited for a bodega tour years ago, we had moved on to Sanlucar and Arcos during that trip. I’d not overnighted in Jerez before and was astounded by the wide selection of good places to eat and the general spirit of the city.

I had trouble narrowing down my selections to just three eateries (the hotel offered a very good breakfast and I cannot eat both lunch and dinner after breakfasting about 10am. I was traveling solo and eliminated Mantua because I did not want a tasting menu on the nights that I would be sure to have jet lag.

A MAR proved to be a very good choice for my first night in the city. I had been taken under the hand of the hotel staff (Mil gracias, Borja!) , who assigned a lovely front desk worker, Abdul, to escort me on foot on the 10 minute walk to this popular white-clothed but comfortable and fairly casual restaurant. The excuse was that it was raining and I do not like to carry an umbrella, but I think the hotel wanted to show their kindness to a newcomer in their city, just off the plane, so to speak. I’m not sure I’d ever had that experience before! And no, I was not offended, being female.

Abdul handed me over, in the nicest manner, to Basilio, the manager/maitre/person seemingly in command. Basilio could not have been more professional nor helpful as I pondered what to order.

I always make a point of heading directly to the cold case to see what fish and shellfish are on offer that day and it would have been no surprise to those who know my tastes that I chose to begin with a pair of good-sized, grilled langostinos from nearby Sanlucar, one of the region’s seafood meccas. As at all of the restaurants I’ve visited so far on this trip, menu items and cold case items are rigorously marked with their place of origin, not just “Cadiz area,” but the actual port name, and nowhere did I see “farmed shrimp from somewhere in Asia” on any menu. The langostinos were priced at 120 euro/kilo so the pair cost 26.40 euro. They were delectable, and sweet, and if I had to choose I might have given them the slight edge over the gift of a pair of pale reddish gambas from Conil identified as “A listado,” striped, which are often identified with the coast of Huelva.

There are so many variations, reflected in the size and quality which go into the pricing, that anyone with a keen interest in local shellfish ought to include a visit to a lonja, the dock where seafood is unloaded and sold. As is the case all over the world, the most particular restaurant owners and chefs will head daily to the coasts to pick and choose for their cartas of the day. (BTW: Do not confuse the word “carta” with “menu,” in Spain. The carta is the page or pages that lists the day’s offerings, supplemented orally by the server. A “menu” in Spain refers to a set meal for a good price, often consumed at lunch in working areas, or for private functions where the dishes may be chosen in advance by the party giver(s.) And for the first time, I dined at several restaurants that offered their cartas by QR code only, with additional offerings recited orally.

For my final course, I chose Galician almejas with vinagre de Jerez; these were not the tiny coquinas that I love, but they were very good.

A Mar has a wide menu and one could dine here for a week and repeat nothing. All the local favorites are here, from puntillitas (personal favorite, tiny baby squid)and tortillitas of shrimp, to out-of-region delights including various croquetas, pulpo alla Gallega, and caramelized foie with fig marmelade. A MAR offers their share of the red tuna, both cooked and raw, as well as other crudi. And of course there are the fish in the cold case; since I was more than an hour late on a Tuesday, there were about 6 species on offer that night. (I asked my hotel to phone to push back my reservation).

My bill totalled 47.40 including IVAm and I was offered an after dinner liqueur.

Many dishes here, and at many other places, are available as tapas, half rations, and full rations. And I learned this week that even if this option is not listed on a menu, your request for a smaller portion will most often be met with an “of course.”

A MAR, Jerez Centro; booking only by phone.

https://www.a-marrestaurante.com/

I’d like to add a couple of pics, but not feeling savvy enough to try at this late hour! Which is the correct icon for this?? Perhaps I will succeed tomorrow!

Next up: LA CARBONA, and a surprise hit!

[erica1]

I’ve said this before, but my short stay in Jerez convinced me that this is a surely up-and-coming food mecca and one that travelers to Spain’s south ought to keep on their radar. I love Sevilla as much as the other aficionadas, but despite the vast range and high quality of the dining scene there, the city is more and more a tremendous draw for travelers and tourists of all stripes. n my last stay, I found the Sta Cruz area one to be, if not avoided, than to be given a fairly wide berth due to the streets crowded withh tourists of course, of which I am one. But Jerez has a different feeling altogether. For one thing, it is a smaller city, almost completely walkable even by non-hikers of which I am one, and I say this not with pride.

Jerez felt new and fresh. Maybe it was just a feeling specific to me, as I had never spent more than a few hours, many years ago, on a business-related visit to a bodega. There is something in the air here, a small and beautiful city on the cusp of, perhaps, and I say this with only a “personal” feeling. I see new eateries opening up, many of such quality that it was impossible to winnow down my list to 3 dinner spots. The kindness shown to me by every single person I met was something I will never forget.

And perhaps the best of all was a meeting with the person who has set me on the road to discovering the experience of Spain…the food, the smaller unknown places, the joy of the people, the landscape, the language…and not, this is not a petition for a deification if that is the right phrase for this non-Catholic to utter. And this person shared her love for the land and people (and food!!) of Spain in a way that I fell and fell hard for, years ago when she first whispered that secret name: Pedraza de la Sierra.

That’s another tale, but on my third and last night in my now beloved city of Jerez, at well past midnight in the bar of my hotel, the enchanting address that I will forever think of as mi casa en Jerez de la Fra–CASA PALACIO MARIA LUISA, none other than the legendary Maribel was waiting patiently for me to return after a superb dinner, and all around fantastic experience that Maribel herself had recommended to me!

I will put it simply. This woman is already the premier food, wine and culture ambassador of Spain to the US and lands far beyond. I felt as if I were meeting a favorite author…to the n’th degree! “Knowledgeable and charming?” ; I pale with my words.

Suffice to say, Maribel, is a name who every serious traveler to Spain looking especially but not only for, great food in out of the way and on the well-trodden trail, places, is familiar with through her incomparable online guides. And she arranges personalized wine, food and culture tours through her long-running www.IBERIANTRAVELER.com custom planning site.

Maribel knows everything about Jerez, and lands far beyond, and it was she who influenced my choices of restaurants in the city which, as I mentioned, were limited to 3 due to jet lag and a short city stay.

So after my verbiose ramblings, I come to my second dinner in the city: LA CARBONA. I had originally booked Abala, but several locals who(m) I trusted (from a taxi driver with a serious food interest, to locals I met during my ramblings (recommend visit to the Lustau bodega; for some reason I’ve put Lustau on a pedestal and have traveled far and wide to track down their PX vinegar…never fear, their bodega sells two types of vinegar, (the PX 1/5 and the PX 1/24; these wee among my first loves of vinegar, discovered in an old-line food shop in Barcelona many years ago. Note that these are made with 100% Pedro Jimenez, not with a token tipple of the PX…that means much to me…hopefully someone can comment on this, as I am far fom a vinegar expert but do know that even the oldest tradtionale from Modena and around is not the be-all-and-end-all of vinegars.

Lustau also sells an olive oil (they do not produce this) and the range of wines for which they are legendary. ( I did buy both; they are right here but too distant for me to rouse myself unless someone asks!0)

Easy walk from my hotel, although I did get sort-of-dazed-and-confused, as are other bodegas but for me, somehow, Lustau has long been THE magic name and they are the only producer whose production ranges over the 3 regions of the legendary “sherry triangle:” Jerez de la Frontera; Sanlucar de Barrameda; and Puerto Santa Maria outside Cadiz, where I spent a very happy week a few years back…(in Cadiz, not Puerto Sta Maria; ( I highly recommend a stay in this fairly unheralded city (Cadiz; their Parador is top rate) that has now become a popular cruise-stop port).

Off track once again:

LA CARBONA…now well onto 13;30 and have many food plans for tomorrow, so LA CARBONA experience will be brief:

In brief, Chef Javier Munoz is a gem, both in person and in his kitchen.

The dining room is open and airy, whitewashed walls, cement accents…handsome to the hilt.

This restaurant gets an enthusiastic recommendation from yours truly. Another easy walk from the center city.

What I ate:

Amuse of a pate of pigeon and chicken topped a PX gelee (or is it jelly…who knows, it was "close your eyes great, in my personal lingo).

And since I was wiped by this time by the dreaded jet lag, I chose a personal, can’t go wrong but oh, so fabulous red Carabineros, sold as in all reputable restaurants, by weight; in this case the price per kilo was 160 euro so I paid 38.40 for the quartet of .240 kilo: This was, if I remember right, four Carbineros from Huelva (you need to learn those origins when it comes to seafood in this region and, I think, in all regions of Spain…none of this unlabeled farmed stuff on these menus! Carabineros are among the world’s shrimp royalty (please do not ask or query me on the difference between shrimp and prawns).

When a well-known Portuguese chef brought them in to his offshoot Manhattan restaurant they were quite the sensation even at 19USD each and even at that, locals balked.

My Carabineros were grilled, served with a most memorable flaked salt that put Maldn to shame (sorry, Maldon-ites) and demolished head, tails and all black, green and red parts, as well as the actual meat… sans eyes, within a few minutes. I was sad to be finished as I was having such a good evening! ARe the eyes ok to eat, albeit a tad gruesome??

Next course: Suckling pig cooked over low temperatures for about 24 hours and properly seared (??) to give the top a crunchy, crispy deliciousness that makes this a personal favorite main, even outside the legendary suckling pig temples further north; Segovia is the most famous but not the only one.

I know and love North Carolina BBQ but this pork was another realm entirely…the tenderness and flavor of the pork and the impeccably finished crispy top…this dish will linger in my dreams for along time…no offense to Ayden’s Skylight Inn and all the great pork we have in the surprising number of US “bbq” zones.

Total: 72.40, my priciest meal in Jerez and well worth the price.

LA CARBONA

https://lacarbona.com/carta2.html

As at all seafood centric eateries in Spain, I think, a good sign is the mention of the provenance (sp?) And do not forego a serious pore through the cold case and the conversation with your waiter. (it’s more than ok to discuss price on the spot, or to ask how much a pair of langostino will cost…)

If Spanish is not your language, there is almost always, in my own experience, someone who is near- or perfectly fluent in English and, probably, other languages…

[tigerjohn]

Erica, great to hear you are back in Cadiz and Jerez. We had considered A Mar and Carbona but ultimately went elsewhere. Looking forward to your reports from the rest of the trip. Did you get back to Barbate and El Campero this time?

[erica1]

John, Good to “hear” from you! Yes, I’ve been to Barbate a few days ago and will be there again today. Tomorrow is Antonio in Zahara, with perhaps a tiny, short stop in Barbate. I am thrilled to be here and am already thinking about returning! Will post all details when I can manage to put down the fork long enough to write! Also need to figure out how to post pics here…more soon!

[damiano]

Oh wow, you’ve met maribel! So lucky…

Glad to hear the car is working out for you - I personally cannot imagine not having a car while traversing the country side.

[erica1]

Damiano, so good to see your name here again!
Yes, Maribel is a gem; word used all too often but true in her case.
And I agree about the car; could not have done any of this without one and feel a bit silly after having depended on others to tackle the driving for so many years. So easy, and truly kind of fun, on these roads anyway. And with a built-in GPS, you can’t go too far off course although I’ve managed a couple of easily remedied blunders; yesterday in addition to adding a couple of scratches to the rental car, I somehow found myself with a police escort out of Vejer!. Yes, driving those narrow, wiggly streets thick with children just let out of escuela…I imagine I got a few nasty looks but every last person was supremely kind and no one gave me the hand gestures I would have gotten in New York!

Will try to finish up with Jerez today. The last place was the best, I think, although all three were delightful.

[erica1]

LA MAREA DE MARCOS, JEREZ DE LA FRA

Years ago, in planning where to eat in Granada, I came across the name MARISQUERIA FM which seemed to be almost unknown to non-Spanish visitors but had garnered stellar reports from a few intrepid posters on Chowhound and maybe elsewhere…too long ago to recall.

Suffice to say I never made it to FM during that Granada stay and overall, was not much impressed by the food in general in Granada, which back then was famous for being the land of free tapas…order a drink at the bar and you were gifted a tapa; in my very limited experience these were often rice or garbanzo dishes, maybe a sausage or two. FM turned out to be a little out of the center city and I knew so little that this small fact discouraged me from going there. I now see it mentioned a fair amount on food blogs and it is probably on TripAdvisor and the like by now.

Which brings me to this: I still know nothing about FM but I gather that it is a marisqueria (seafood spot, usually, I think, of the non-“fancy” type,) a genre easily found in many seafood-rich regions of Spain, in this case, in Andalucia.

Having read a few glowing reports about a small Jerez marisqueria which was a favorite of Jose Andres, I decided that this place ought to be on my short list for Jerez. And that decision turned out to be a most fortuitous one on Thursday of last week. Online booking did not seem to be possible, so I asked my hotel to book me a table and, knowing pretty much nothing about the place, I set out on a pleasant walk which quickly got me lost and confused, but able to avail myself of the kind help of several pedestrians, most of whom had never heard of this restaurant, let alone its location. I gave myself over to the beauty of the city and ambled along, figuring that I’d eventually find my goal, which I did, arriving only about 20 minutes past my appointed reservation time. (not much about TripAdvisor surprises me, and the restaurant’s ranking at #107 of 393 restaurants in Jerez was no exception; the fact that there were only nine reviews in English on the site seemed like a positive factor, even before I arrived).

Their website does not give much indication of what the restaurant is like and I do not think there is an English translation. The hours given on their site indicate that comidas are served daily including Sundays, save on Mondays when the restaurant is closed. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, dinners are served as well, from 20:30.

One small tidbit that I noticed upon arrival when I stole a peek at the reservation list; I already knew that Jose Andres had been recently and for the forthcoming week, the reservations included three brothers with the surname Roca. (I confirmed with Marcos that these were, in fact, THE Roca brothers that I, probably along with any food aficionado from Singapore to Brooklyn, knew of from their legendary El Cellar de Can Roca in Girona, holder of three Repsol “suns” and three Michelin stars, which is now taking bookings for February 2024.

After veering off topic once again, I am going to post this now, for fear of losing the little I’ve already written, and will return later today to complete the Jerez portion of this (long!) report.

[digga]

@erica1

Also need to figure out how to post pics here

Hi @erica1 Enjoying your dispatches from Spain.

To post photos, when you start a post, you should see an icon in the lower right corner of an arrow coming out of a hard drive. Press that button to upload photos—you will see options to take photos on the fly and upload them or to choose photos that you’ve already taken (presumably you are using a phone to make your posts so choose “photo library”)?

Here’s a screen shot of what you should see:

You might want to do a test run with 1 photo. Looking forward to seeing them.

[morekasha]

Great reports. I biked a bit through the borderlands of Extremadura & Andalusia. It’s been a dream to go back. That said, Asturias is heaven. Maribel is great, I’ve used her guides that i found online and she’s usually spot on. Chowhound rip, we miss you. Another great guide is my college pal, Gabriella Ranelli in Pais Vasco. She knows everyone in San Sebastian and beyond.

[erica1]

Thanks to you both…will attempt posting photos tomorrow…it is now almost 3am and I am determined to finish Jerez notes before sleep! Tomorrow will be my last day outside Vejer and all I can say is: Not nearly enough time to explore the tip of the iceberg in the food sense. This visit has been a revelation to me; there are so many tempting eating spots nearby that one is spoiled for choice. At my lodgings in the countryside close to Vejer, I met up with a couple who were driving into Jerez at nights for dinners. Only 45 minutes easy night drive from Vejer, according to their account…

And finally:

LA MAREA DE MARCOS

I see from my notes that it took me almost an hour to walk from my hotel (highly, highly recommended: HOTEL PALACIO MARIA LUISA; has anyone been gifted a teddy bear by hotel staff as a parting gift? Just know this: His name is Matteo. You are not free to choose a name for him. Repeat: His name is Matteo, and he is the cutest (sorry!) reminder of a hotel stay I’ve ever taken home with me.

Ok…digressing should be my middle name!

Arrived at the restaurant and was stunned by the warm and heartfelt welcome by the owners, Marcos and Teresa. My notes say this: “M &T felt like family the second I entered” their spot.
They shared that they often close if there are no bookings for the evening, and this was a damp night in early March so, in fact, I was the only diner in the place but they had remained open because my (again, fabulous!) hotel had told them that a guest was keen to experience their restaurant. Good for me! Great for me. I felt immediately “como en casa.”

After all of this build up, I will say simply that this will be at the top of my list when I return to the city hopefully, next year, same time. There’s no actual formal menu but I did receive a sheet with a few brief dishes listed, with prices. But you should not take much notice of that, unless your Spanish is minimal (Sorry I do not know if this lovely couple speaks another language as well…I can try to find out and post…)

But no matter. As usual for me, I try to put myselves in the hands of the staff or, in this case, the owners. Marcos visits the “lonja” in Sanlucar daily to choose what he will be offering that day. On this particular Thursday, he gave me a brief rundown and from there, I stuck to a few personal favorites which were perfectly and simply prepared and made me very happy:

I began with a dish that ranks among the reasons I love this area: The tiny clams called coquinas, about the size of my pinky finger (I think now much fatter than before I arrived last week…my finger, not the clams) which can be prepared (usually steamed or in an oil/garlic bath. ) I invariably choose the latter and the version here was perfect. (12 euro) Sop up the sauce with bread, or just be like me and lift the shells to your mouth, suction, and enjoy, then sop up the sauce after you finish the clams.! (Sorry…there were only 2 observers that night so I was comfy enough to leave etiquette behind and just “go for it!”

After that, a trio of langostinos from nearby Sanlucar de Barrameda, where the white langostinos are legendary. (I hope Maribel will correct my inevitable errors here!) These were dotted with the very coarse salt flakes that I’ve experienced a lot this week; they make Maldon seem skimpy and, boy, do they add flavor to seafood, and meat as well.

Along with the langostinos (back in the US these would probably be dubbed “giant prawns,” but not here), Marcos served one long leaf of Romaine with a spill of superb olive oil, (I’m guessing Jaen but really have no idea of the oil’s origen) and that salt. I was instructed to take the perfectly crisp leaf in hand and taste a bit after every bite of langostino. New to me, of course, but I loved it and probably could have done with a couple of extra leaves of lettuce. Priced at 100 euro per kilo, the three giant langostinos (langostini??) totalled 15 euro.

Beverage, selected by M&T: A copa of very dry of Tio Pepe; I do not remember the exact sherry other than that; the bill lists it as "1 solera copa…2.80 euro)

There is a charge on my bill for a cover, marked “pan y picos,” 11 @ .50 euro per, so 5.50 cover. I did not notice this or would have been curious enough to ask…is this the count of the bread that I ate?

In any case, this was a perfect close to my three nights in the city, made even more perfect by the kindness of Marcos and Teresa who insisted on accompanying me on foot back to the hotel, bestowing numerous tidbits about the history, architecture, and food of Jerez en route, even explaining the renovation of my hotel from a former palace to the impeccable hostelry it is today.

Total bill with IVA included: 38.83 euro. Simple as it should be, and downright superb!

[tigerjohn]

Great report on Marea de Mariscos. I’m putting it on the list for next time we are in Jerez-Cádiz (fast becoming our favorite area in Andalucia).

We also stayed at the Maria Luisa and took home a “Matteo”. The hotel also sent us to bodegas Tradicion which although a bit pricey turned out to be a fantastic sherry bodega tour. We got to sample the full current range along with older sherrys and special brandies. Some extremely good local cheeses and embutidos to accompany. They also have an art museum with a Goya and an El Greco alongside other famous spanish artists and this included in the tour.

On Granada, I have never been impressed with the food either in general but if you head back there do invest in a taxi to and from bar FM. I believe Maribel has identified some up and coming places there worth visiting in another thread, particularly places with views of the Alhambra.

[erica1]

Ok, now totally frustrated. I see the icon but the iPhotos icon is greyed out…this is the one photo I found, downloaded from an e-mail last month…not only upside down but of me in Mickey ears many (many, yes!) years ago… I need to ask someone here in Vejer or when I get to Madrid and get urgent help! Thank you so much for attempting to assist with the photos…I think the issue is that I don’t know where they are stored. Can I post directly from iPhotos to HO? Obviously I need remedial tech help…perhaps a year-long class (?)

[damiano]

Are you using below marked buttons? If so then you can just add pictures directly from your iphone. Or are you using a laptop?

(The order was wrong so I’ll make a separate reply for the second step).

[erica1]

I have Photos on Mac Laptop and on iPhone. And I can find that icon but when I click on it, they ask me what I want to do or something like that…

What if I go directly to Photos on iPhone…can I drag something?

I’m so grateful for your help but feel a little silly now…

[damiano]

[damiano]

No you can’t drag from photos to your browser/HO.

[erica1]

Damiano, muchisimas gracias! I will not rest until I can figure this out…may have to wait a week or so when I will be back in US and able to send plea for help! Maybe stand with sign on roadside!
The photos really tell the story and I was able to post with CH…give me some time! Thank you again for taking time to help, and for not cracking up about Mickey ears in photo! (must shield this pic fro Matteo!!)

TigerJohn…Do you think these “Matteos” suffer from some form of inbreeding??? En serio, my love for CASA PALACIO MARIA LUISA knows few bounds. I had a most interesting experience in the outdoor breakfast area. I was going about my business, savoring every bite of the breakfast. A well-dressed Spanish man approached me (he had been seated at adjacent table). He shared with me, apologizing for the interruption, that he was so taken with how much I seemed to be savoring the food (I always close my eyes for a moment when eating something great and wanting to concentrate)…this was lovely for me to hear, and in fact, true. I am quite sad to be flying tomorrow to Madrid, where I hope further food delights await!

[erica1]

Marcos, dueno de LA MAREA DE MARCOS, Jerez de la Fra…with giant specimen! Let’s hope I finally figured out how to post photos…if this works will post more once I move on to Madrid…

[erica1]

Small update on LA MAREA DE MARCOS IN JEREZ: I do not use FB, but Marcos sent me some pics which indicate that a few well-known Spanish gastronomic personalities has been recently, and that he also received, if I read this right in my excitement for him, that a Michelin inspector has come calling…

Here is one of the missives he sent to me…oh, never mind, cannot seem to cut and paste right now but he wrote that he has been host in last few days to: Josep Roca, Paco Roncero, and Fernando Huidrobo…

Will give more info once I can manage my posting skills…hope this is of interest.