Gayle Brennan Spencer – sending random thoughts to and from South Austin
Above: Pinxtos at Kapikua Casco Viejo
For a break between traditional American holiday fare, here is part two of restaurants we sampled for you in Bilbao last year. Might as well begin with more of the competitive sport of ordering pinxtos in our crowded neighborhood spot, Kapikua Casco Viejo. Doesn’t take very many of these hearty appetizers to make a meal.
Continue reading “Postcard from Bilbao, Spain: Buen provecho”
Above: Monreale offers a sweeping view of Palermo from the mountains to the sea.
The immensity of the 12th-century Benedictine cloisters adjacent to the Cathedral of Monreale is best grasped when viewed from the church roof. Walking around the monastery’s inner courtyard, graceful arches supported by pairs of delicate columns evoke a sense of intimacy.
The craftsmen erecting these did not apply a cookie-cutter approach to their construction process. I don’t believe the figurative designs of a single capital is repeated, and many columns boast colorful mosaic inlays. Perhaps these were meant to entertain restless monks not always keen on completing the requisite number of daily contemplations.
Continue reading “Postcard from Palermo, Sicily: Architectural and actual gems of Monreale”
Above: All-you-can-eat cheese on conveyor belt at Pick & Cheese Seven Dials
Restaurant listings arranged alphabetically might not prove user-friendly in a city as sprawling as London, but I’m stubbornly persisting in that practice. As in the earlier part one, these are scattered all over the map.
Continue reading “Postcard from London, England: Italian, Philippine, seafood and cheese, please”
Postcards from Barton Springs 