Owned by the star of the Peruvian gastronomic boom, Gastón Acurio, Tanta provides great tastes at an affordable price. The Tacutacu a lo Pobre left me wishing I could eat Peruvian food every day. I will be forever in debt to Matthew for turning us on to this wonder.
Best Meal (Homemade Category) - Corn Dogs
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and Abby and I were pretty darned fond of corn dogs before we left America. Improvised, but ultimately tear-inducing, these hot dogs swaddled in fried Maseca batter quickly became nostalgia on a stick.
Best Menu del Día - La Gloria de Montera, Madrid, Spain
After a morning of Gran Via shopping and Royal Palace gawking, the Stirling family needed to share a sturdy meal. We chose La Gloria de Montera, because of its solid €11 menu del día, a special fixed price meal which usually includes two courses, a drink, and a dessert. The food was good, the environment classy, and the company fun.
Best Outdoor Activity - Hiking Arroyo Pedroches
Starting on the outskirts of Barrio Naranjo, with great views of dilapidating ruins, and one wickedly steep section, this was Cleo’s first real hike. After a few wrong turns, we laughed, barked, and chatted our way through the sierras. Cleo fared much better than the rest of us in the steep sections and had energy to spare.
Best Hotel - Roommate Leo
Abby here! I’d like to say that I knew this hotel would be a winner when I chose it for a one-night stay in Granada in February, but I did not. This hotel was effectively chosen for me, as number one on TripAdvisor’s “best value hotels in Granada” list. Dallas and Brenda were coming to visit, and we really only needed a place to rest our heads before exploring the Alhambra the next day. Little did we know, this charming boutique hotel would be a highlight of our Granada adventure. The funky wallpaper, friendly receptionist, convenient downtown location, and delicious breakfast all conspired together to create a hotel experience that can only be described as “in-law approved”.
Best View - Tibidabo
There’s the view of Barcelona from the road to Tibidabo, and there’s the view from the mirador at the edge of the Tibidabo theme park, and then there’s the view from the very top of the (somewhat scary) ferris wheel perched on the edge of the mountain. Each is beautiful in their own way, but is worth the couple bucks to ride the (definitely terrifying) ferris wheel.
Best View (Runner up) - Las Setas
This view highlights the contrasts of the Andalusian capital: urban and rural, modern and ancient, sunny and shady. It barely edges out the view from its medieval cousin, the Giralda (partially due to what Abby and I call the Eiffel Tower Effect - you can’t see the Eiffel Tower from the Eiffel Tower), but it does so with the added benefit of an elevator (though I must add that climbing the Giralda is a worthwhile experience in itself). Ultramodern and sleek, you will feel like you are floating on air as you sip your drink (included in the price of admission).
Best View (3rd Place) - The Alcazar of the Alhambra
I am jealous of the four flags (European, Spanish, Andalusian, and Grenadine) that hold constant vigil over the view of Granada from the top of the Alhambra’s Alcazar. With the city’s tiled rooftops and cathedral to the West and the Albaycin’s labyrinth to the North, I could return to this view again and again. I would not be disappointed if (when my time comes), instead of my life flashing before my eyes, I see this view.
Best View (4rd Place) - The Romería of La Virgen de la Cabeza
I have my friend José María to thank for this view. He was the one that suggested we see the Romería, a type of mini-pilgrimage. Unlike the pilgrims, we drove most of the way to the top of the mountain where the sanctuary of La Virgen de la Cabeza is being re-constructed. Around the summit there was an incredible fair-like atmosphere. Furthermore, the view of the surrounding valleys and mountains, best by the giant candle bonfire, could make a believer out of a doubter.
Best Surprise - Dallas
After flying 9,500 km from Madrid to Lima to visit my brother Matt, the last thing Abby and I were expecting was to see Dallas. But there he was, in the flesh. We knocked on Matt’s hotel room door, Dallas answered and we stood there stupefied for what must have been 2 whole minutes. Dallas is a great travel buddy. We recommend visiting foreign cities with Dallas.
Best New Friend - Cleo
Abby again! So, Braden and I have always been pet people. We got a turtle together 2 weeks before we got married, and a fish named Finnegan was our first purchase in Spain. We love animals!
Last year in March I had a pretty bad allergic reaction to some medication and got really sick for about a week and a half. I couldn’t sleep, and lying awake at night all alone made me very homesick. I got a little depressed, and one of the things that kept me sane was thinking about getting a dog. Braden and I had agreed that we would get a dog someday, so I started doing my research — breeds, training, cost, etc. That’s when I fell in love with Spanish water dogs! Hypoallergenic, loyal, and so smart (not to mention absolutely adorable). So our plan changed from “Let’s get a dog when we get back to the US” to “Let’s get a dog this summer,” and a couple of weeks later in changed to “Let’s get a dog this weekend!” It was a crazy couple of days of buying dog food, toys, and equipment, deciding on a name, and finally actually meeting our sweet Cleo girl. She quickly became a member of the family and I’m so glad we made the decision to get her sooner rather than later (even when we had to take her for walks during the 113°F Córdoba summer). She’s almost a year old now. She loves to run and play with other dogs, go on hikes, and play “roll the ball”. We are totally those annoying people who treat our dog like our kid, but I’m not even sorry. Cleo is the best.
Best drink (Carbonated Category) - Inca Kola
Sweet and carbonated, this Andean standard is a new favorite tongue tickler in our household. It was a nice break from Spain’s 4 soda options (Coke, Fanta Naranja, Fanta Limón and sometimes Sprite). It can’t be healthy to drink something neon yellow, but who drinks pop for the health benefits anyway!
Best Drink (Non-Carbonated Category) - Mosto
Is drinking Mosto an excuse to eat tapas or is eating tapas an excuse to drink mosto? We may never know. What we do know is that Mosto is best in a tall glass with a large ice cube. I once watched a Belgian drink Mosto without a cube of ice. It made my tongue itch.
Best Drink (OMG it is still 45°C?! category) — (Virgin) Tinto de Verano
Do your beads of sweat have kaleidoscopic beads of sweat in an unending Cordobés inferno? Do you live a dry lifestyle? Then alcohol-free tinto de verano might just be what you need. A temperance friendly twist on the classic summertime red-wine-mixed-with-carbonated-water-or-lemon-soda, this sweet, acidic beverage which begs to be served “muy frío” got us through the worst of the summer heat waves.
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| "Tinto de verano and a movie" describes pretty much every day of our summer vacation. |
Best Drink (Hot) - Colacao
Colacao is a chocolate milk power in the style of Nesquik. Served in cafes with steamed milk, its nutty, chocolate flavor is to winter days what tinto de verano was to summer days for Abby and I. I just wish the packaging wasn’t so racist.
Best Play (English Language Category) - Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
Abby speaking! Our trip to Paris may have been over planned, but our trip to London was thoroughly under planned. One night, while wandering through Leicester Square, we came upon a TKTS booth with cheap West End tickets. I had read the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and loved it, and I had a vague idea that the play had gotten some critical acclaim, so we got some tickets for the following evening. Let me tell you, this play was absolutely amazing. The set was like nothing I’ve ever seen, the acting was great, and by the end we were both in tears. 10/10 would definitely see again!
Best Play (Spanish Language Category) - Lorca Imposible
Lorca wrote some surrealist plays that are virtually imposible to stage. This play compiles excerpts of those plays and structures them into a narrative of Lorca’s life. We saw the University of Almería’s production in Almería’s worn down Teatro Cervantes. I have a soft spot for Lorca's most strange works, so I enjoyed the play immensely. Abby especially enjoyed the first scene which involved multiple characters repeating the name Federico over and over.
Best Concert - The Glory of the Baroque, Coro Ziryab
Over thanksgiving, our friends Chema and Carmen invited us to see their choir's Christmas performance of Baroque music. At the time, they were mentioned how it was a challenge to sing Handel's English, but the choir really rose to the challenge. The concert, in a gorgeous Spanish venue, was the perfect kick off to our winter vacation.
Best Burger - La Esquinita Burger, La Esquinita de Blai, Barcelona
This was a mistake, a giant tasty mistake. Abby and I had been on a ten hour train ride from Córdoba to Barcelona, and we had been very good; we packed our bocadillos and ate dried fruits and nuts. But once we settled into our room, we were in the mood for meat, and this bacon cheeseburger (with manchego and arugula) delivered!
Most Reliable Burger - Quinto Pino Burger, Quinto Pino, El Ejido
Quinto Pino, a working class tapas place in the middle of Almería’s paradisiacal tapas culture (where else can you get tapas that cheap and that big?), delivers this odd, but reliable fare. A pork and beef patty on a aioli-smeared roll with an egg, melty cheese, and blue-dyed caramelized onions, this is one of the few tapas on the menu that you have to pay extra for (€0.50), and it is worth every centimo.
Best Double Date - Andalusia Trip with Dallas and Brenda
A long weekend full of laughs, beautiful sights, and a heck of a cold. We were all sick, but we barely had time to notice between driving to Granada, exploring Almería, eating tapas, and playing Sushi Go. Dallas is a great chauffeur, and Brenda discovered the wonders of Mercadona's olive oil bread. Would do it again in a heartbeat!
Best Date night (Last Minute Planning Category) - Cleopatra
“Hey honey, there’s some dance thing called Cleopatra downtown, should we go?”
“Sure, what kind of dancing is it?”
“Probably ballet or something”
It was not ballet. It was belly dancing. It was great. Abby and I are particular fans of the Cleopatra story and it ends up that it lends itself oddly well to oriental dance.
Best Roadtrip - Summer Spain Trip with the Stirlings
What's better then hopping in a nine passenger van and driving across Spain for 10 days with the Stirling family? (Hint: nothing.) We got the full Spain experience. We enjoyed Gaudí’s architecture in Barcelona, ate churros and chocolate in Madrid, and marveled at the Alhambra in Granada. We stayed in hostels, ate traditional Spanish foods, and celebrated a birthday and two wedding anniversaries. We did it all, and we were exhausted by the end, but it was worth it!
Best Cat Viewing - Kennedy Park, Lima, Peru
No longer the cat-pocalyptic experience that was rumored to be on par with Buenos Aires’ Recoleta cemetery, Lima’s Kennedy park still retains some of its former cat swarming glory. Walking through, we counted 21 (and we even got distracted by a mercadillo in the center of the park). Worth a visit for any avid cat-spotter.
Best Cat Viewing (Runner up) - The Cat Patio, Calle Rey Heredia, Córdoba
Abby again! Every Tuesday and Thursday, I pass the cat patio while taking the kids that I nanny to their various activities. Sometimes there is only one cat, sometimes there are too many to count, but the pervasive cat smell never quits. Not only will they eat anything you put in front of them (I once saw one eating a whole potato), but they are also very obedient (according to Guille, the 7-year-old, who can allegedly command them in their own cat language).
