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Making snow angels
My husband caught me in the act. I didn’t think anyone was watching. It was a snow day. Schools closed. My scheduled work drives cancelled. The storm had brought 30cm+ snow over night. Perfect conditions for making a snow angel. Pure joy. When I came inside the house he showed me the photo. I always liked making snow angels as a kid, I tell him. It’s been a few winters. I wear my snow pants now for extra warmth, not for playing in the snow. It’s hard to resist however flopping down on a good layer of fresh fluffy snow. Swish swish. The weekend brings another winter storm. Snow falling…
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Warm memories of Mexico
It’s been cold this winter. Polar vortex cold. So when I stepped into Nostalgia Latin Market on Kerr street, it was a wee escape to the tropics. Two women were talking in Spanish. Shelves full of Mexican canned good, spices, dried chiles, and other interesting looking products. Fresh made tamales cooling in a basket. I left with some chicken tamales and salsa verde, and knew I would return. On another visit I started talking to the convivial owner. He tells me more about some of the unique Latin and Mexican products he stocks. They offer cooking lessons too. I ask him where he grew up. “Guadalajara, though I spent a lot of…
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For the love of snow
Did I tell you I love snow? Well, I do. I love it. I get so excited when I feel the cold fluffy snow under my paws. And guess what? We have snow this winter! The snow is good for tobogganing. But I leave that for the kids. I can go fast enough all on my own, thank you. No equipment required. My family seems to slow down on snowy paths. Not me. The snow is my turbo speed. I went to this long snowy beach the other day. I really picked up some speed. It was exhilarating. I was bouncing. Jumping. Spinning. Some two legged people asked my family…
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A tree-topped delight
Tweet tweeeeeet. I heard the loud tweet before I saw the bird. The chirp was insistent. Urging me to look up. The bird was perched on the peak of a blue spruce. 40 feet high or more. It was standing on the top branch that juts straight up. The tippy tippy top. Like a star on top of a Christmas tree. I stood and watched the bird shriek at the top of its little lungs. It looked like a blue jay, but grey, though it was hard to discern from my street level stance. Luckily he was a noisy guy. Otherwise I would not have glanced skyward and noticed this…
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Olé! Olé! Olé!
My wife, my daughter, and I went to Montréal the weekend before Christmas. The highlight was Saturday. After a quick shopping spree on Rue Ste. Catherine, we had a late lunch at La Binerie in the Plateau Mt. Royal. This 20-year old restaurant serves traditional Québec food. We had meatloaf with mashed potatoes and baked beans chilli. But the best was smoked meat poutine with enormous cheese curds. We finished with tarte au sucre (a butter tart the size of a pie) and pudding chômeur (a sponge cake doused in caramel sauce). We then made our way down Rue St. Denis and saw a few spots where I used to hang…
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The languages of Bilbao
“The universal language in Bilbao is eating and drinking,” my guide Sylvia said. Our group gave an appreciative chuckle. We were in Plaza Nueva in the heart of the old town (Casco Viejo). The neo-classical square is full of bars and restaurants tucked into the colonnades. It’s lively any time of day but especially at lunch and dinner. The main building on Plaza Nueva is the academy (Euskaltzaindia) that researches and protects the Basque language Euskara. The origins of this pre-European language are unknown. For generations it was passed down orally. Now children learn Euskara in public school. Curiously you don’t hear it spoken much in Bilbao compared to elsewhere…
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A simple guide to a fútbol game in Bilbao
1. You should know Bilbao has two cathedrals: Santiago and San Mames. 53,000 fútbol worshippers stream into San Mames stadium every time their team Athletic Bilbao plays. Locals have nicknamed the stadium El Catedral. 2. Didn’t know Bilbao had a football team? You will as soon as you arrive in the city. The team’s logo is everywhere. That bridge on the logo is one of the city’s oldest landmarks: San Anton bridge. The team is not quite as old as the 14th century bridge (reconstructed many times) but it’s old, established in 1898. 3. Every newborn in Bilbao receives an Athletic Bilbao jersey. On game day everyone will be wearing…
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Covadonga, Conga de Onis and a paella party in Picos de Europa
The Basilica of Covadonga appeared magically in the mountains. “It reminds me of Harry Potter”, Julián said. In a mountain landscape of stone huts the two soaring spires of the rose hued church was a Hogwarts-like surprise. As enchanting as the Basilica was, the church within a cave was even more beguiling. Covadonga was the site of an important battle against the Moors in 722. The Moors swept through Spain in 711 but they never really got a stronghold in the north. The battle at Covadonga a mere 11 years later marked the start of the Catholic reconquest (which you may recall ended in 1492 at the Alhambra in Granada).…
