Olive-oil Mill in Spain

For the second time ever I toured an Olive-oil factory. And it was just as interesting the second time.

They are still making oil the way it was done hundreds or thousands of years ago. The traditional “First cold-pressed” system.

The olives are knocked out of the tree into a net. And physically “pressed”.

Strained through these cloths.

Then purified in a number of steps.

I’m not sure when glass containers were introduced. That must have been controversial! 😀

The leftovers come out looking like these chips. They are reused in many ways, including as fertilizer for the Olive trees.

Molino El Vínculo in Cadiz Province has been in the same family since at least 1755. And the family grew olives here since at least 1640.

It’s a colourful place with many old pieces of equipment displayed for tourists.

I did try the oil. But couldn’t tell the difference between it and every other olive oil I’ve eaten.

Visiting Cádiz, Spain

Of the places in Andalusia I visited November 2022, Cádiz is the least popular tourist destination.

I was still pleased to have seen it.

Cádiz is a rocky, long, narrow peninsula, popular with sailors and fishermen for thousands of years. In fact, that Italian (Columbus) set sail from here on his second voyage to “India”. He was financed by the Spanish Crown.

By far my highlight was the Castle of San Sebastián, the fortress in the sea. That connecting levee was built 1860.

At dusk I’d take my wine to enjoy sunset.

There are good beaches, deserted in November.

Cádiz Cathedral was decorated for Christmas

Clearly they don’t have the budget of the BIG European cities.

The central food market is a highlight for sure. I’ve never seen so many varieties of fish and seafood. PHOTOS.

Most days I simply wandered the old town. Snapping photos non-stop. Here are a few samples.

I love the look of the simple fishing boats at low tide.

I got lucky having one day of overcast. Rare here. But it makes for more interesting skies.

I would recommend you visit Cádiz.

P.S.

The longest bridge in Spain is here. La Pepa, opened 2015. But I didn’t cross it nor could I even get close enough for a good photo. This pic is from Wikipedia.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Seafood Market, Cádiz, Spain

The Central Market of Cádiz is memorable to say the least.

Over 100 food stands in an ancient stone marketplace.

Surrounding the Market are different stalls where you can sample the best of Cádiz’s traditional cuisine.

Street urchins.

I wasn’t all that adventurous, opting only for the very popular street paella.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Liverpudlian Scouse, Please

Scouse (/skaʊs/; formally known as Liverpool English or Merseyside English is an accent and dialect of English associated with Liverpool and the surrounding county of Merseyside.  …

Scouse is also a general term for this pan-ethnic community or Liverpudlians in general. The accent is named after scouse, a stew eaten by sailors and locals. …

You can’t be called a “scouser” unless you eat this stew — every day, I assume. 😀

Lunya restaurant was recommended. Their version has a Catalan twist.

The Shooting at Chateau Rock by Martin Walker

The more books I read in the Dordogne Mysteries series, the more I like them.

Bruno is the Chief of Police in a small French town in the Périgord region.

Bruno’s friends remind me a bit of the folks in Three Pines, Quebec.

Charming.

Each murder is almost incidental to the scenes of rural life. Especially the food!

In this one, after a death seemingly from heart attack, Bruno discovers that both a local retirement home and their insurance company are scams with links to a Russian oligarch.

An excellent tale.

To Kill a Troubadour by Martin Walker

To Kill a Troubadour (2022) is 15th in the Bruno, Chief of Police series.

Benoît “Bruno” Courrèges is the superhuman village policeman in a small town in the Périgord region of France.

The British author has a home there. Walker is an excellent writer though I found this book somewhat overly complicated and detailed. It slowed down the story which revolves around Russians trying to disrupt Spain around the issue of the Catalan independence movement.

… a wonderful mix of crime investigation, scrumptious food, Périgordian history, Bruno’s friends and colleagues, and of course, Bruno himself.   

And readers also get a healthy dose of Bruno’s basset hound, Balzac, and Balzac’s adorable new pup, “the Bruce”.  …

Review of To Kill a Troubadour

I do recommend the book.

Visiting Cambridge, England

I visited Oxford in 2018. Really enjoyed it.

So in 2022 I planned a trip to rival Cambridge. Home town of Pink Floyd. 😀

The University of Cambridge was founded in 1209. And even today the highlight of the small city are the Colleges.

Click PLAY or watch Rick Steves on YouTube.

As the Church ran education in the early centuries, there are plenty of Churches.

One place I really did enjoy was The Orchard Tea Garden outside of town.

On advice from a local, I had the FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST mess at Cafe 24. I ASSuME this is where Sir Isaac Newton broke fast. 😀

I do think it would be super inspiring to be a student here.

The libraries and bookstores are fantastic.

Cycling town I happened to come upon AstraZeneca. The British-Swedish multinational company has its Head Office here. Moderna has headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts so there’s a bit of symmetry.

Click PLAY or watch the tourist pitch on YouTube.

Described as one of the “most beautiful cities in the world” by Forbes in 2010, I personally found it frustrating to explore on foot and by bike. MUCH is locked down. Bicycles prohibited. Views limited.

Oxford is better for the tourist.

London – Notting Hill Carnival 2022

I happened to be in London during the Notting Hill Carnival, which had been cancelled the previous 2 years due to Covid.

Fun. Loud. Fragrant with the smells of cooking barbecue.

Dancing. Drinking.

I particularly like how ANYONE with any kind of body and any kind of costume is welcome to join in the parade. Very body positive.

Saturday is the family friendly parade. Plenty of activities for kids.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

No anger or violence that I could see. Of course there’s a large police presence — all very friendly.

… an annual Caribbean festival event that has taken place in London since 1965 … each August over two days (the August bank holiday Monday and the preceding Sunday).

It is led by members of the British Caribbean community, and attracts around two and a half million people annually, making it one of the world’s largest street festivals, and a significant event in British African Caribbean and British Indo-Caribbean culture. …

Everyone welcome. If I’d put on my make-up, costume and peacock headdress, I’d have fit right in. 😀

My only previous experience with Carnival was in Colonia, Uruguay in 2018.

related – Notting Hill carnival 2022 – in pictures