Seville, Spain - Harmony of Religious Polarity
Spain has weathered (and continues to) several intensely fascinating and bloody turmoils in her long and tumultuous existence! Religion and Politics – the spices of any war have played an especially heavier hand in this area. Perhaps, that is indeed reflected in their cuisine – Bold and Fiery!
Yet, in Seville, one of the oldest cities in Spain, I witnessed a form of co-existence and even resonance; religious, between Islam and Christianity. The city carries this Islamic heritage in the stunning Alcazar, which, along with the Cathedral built much later and in the closest proximity that these two religions are ever seen, dominates the landscape of the city. Set against this brilliantly rich history is a city that today pays harmonious homage to its past through architecture, food and culture. Seville is a perfect spot in Spain, and even Europe, to get a powerful experience of the influences of various cultures in European history! There is no better place that reflects the Moorish and Roman with such equanimity.
Ah that was 2020!
2020!
More than anything it left me with a deep gratitude for my life, our way of life and our very, very fortunate ability to create and stay in a bubble. We are still in a bubble. It gave me perspective, insight into people and the ability to view things from a distance both a luxury and a necessity.
It was a year defined by closeness, smallness and family.
Val D'Orcia - A secret garden of Magic!
Val d’Orcia - Well, it is in Tuscany but it isn’t a district you hear about a lot compared to say Siena or, well, Florence :). And yet, it is stunning as these photos attest. You would find it if you embarked on the scent of Montepulciano, Brunello do Montalcino or Rosso di Montalcino. Its the agrarian belt of the region with rolling hills like the rest of Tuscany but also very productive ones that grow primarily grains, legumes and beans. And, yes wine too! Val d’Orcian wines are not well-known outside the region but they are just as spectacular as the neighbors’!
Venice - A Worthy Intrigue
When I think of Venice, I think of a lady dressed in a flowy velvet dress with a black gold eye mask, walking down an alley looking back at you with mysterious smile and a sparkle in her eyes….. One makes an attempt to follow her. She laughs a tinkle and jumps onto a passing gondola and forever skips out of your reach even as you just make the landing where she was not a moment ago. Yet, her laughs echos and rings in your ear forever thence…. You never manage to catch or catch up with her and yet she will always be with you as a memory that always brings a smile and lifts you up!
I feels this about Venice today…. Truth be told, I visited Venice at the lowest point of my life.
A Turkish Coffee Ritual
On a visit to Turkey in 2014, I had the pleasure of enjoying the traditional way in which coffee is brewed, even today. No matter the medium of heat, the the process is neither solitary nor hastened, yet is very simplistic with most basic of cooking tools. Coal or heated sand is used to cook the coffee with water and the only tool used is the distinctly shaped vessel with the long handle.
But, beyond the technicalities, it is the ritualization of the process that struck a chord in me. The making of a traditional coffee is a communal process. It is neither an individual brewing experience nor one done in bulk. But, rather it is a many to many process. Coffee is cooked in individual vessels but as many vessels as people gathered are placed on the medium of heat.