When visiting the Basque country (an area of Northern Spain and Southern France)….sound like a local by saying “kaixo” instead of “hello”.  Listen below:

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] ]]> http://hipcompass.com/2008/12/02/how-to-say-kaixo/feed/ 0 http://hipcompass.com/2008/08/31/spanish-gazpacho/ http://hipcompass.com/2008/08/31/spanish-gazpacho/#comments Sun, 31 Aug 2008 20:07:52 +0000 HipCompass Guru http://hipcompass.com/?p=358

In honor of the post below, today’s recipe comes from the Andalusian region of Spain.  Gazpacho is a cold soup drank on hot summer days in the south of Spain

Ingredients:

▪ 2 pounds Large Red, Ripe (and fragrant) tomatoes

▪ 1 large cucumber, peeled

▪ Half loaf day old French Baguette (bread crumbs also work)

▪ 1 large, Green bell pepper (or Italian green peppers)

▪ 1 cup Extra Virgin olive oil

▪ 6 Spring onions

▪ 1 clove garlic

▪ 3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

▪ 1 teaspoon paprika (spicy or sweet)

▪ salt and pepper to taste

▪ 1 1/2 Quart water

Directions:

Chop up bread into small pieces and soak in 1 cup water. Dice all of the vegetables and place in large bowl. Add bread and then the olive oil, stir. Pour three tablespoons of white wine vinegar into the bowl, the paprika, 1 1/2 quart of water and salt to taste. Add all of the contents of the bowl along with one quart of water to the blender, and blend for a few seconds until you reach the desired thickness. For thicker Gazpacho use less water. Place the blended gazapacho back in the bowl and chill for at least one hour before serving (or add ice cubes). You can garnish the bright cold soup with avocado cubes and diced peppers.

At the foot of the Alhambra in Granada, you will find the Baños Arabe (arab baths).  

The baths are in the tradition of the moorish baths that probably existed back when the Alhambra was still occupied.  If you are a fan of moorish architecture then you will be drooling inside the baths and upset you can’t take pics.

Not only are the baths beautiful but they are also inexpensive.  For 26€ (20€ for students) you get entry into the baths which have different pools all in varying temperatures, and a 15 minute aromatherapy massage.

What I loved about the experience was that I felt as if I was in the Alhambra experiencing life the way it was back then.

For more info visit their website

This weeks “Architectural Marvel” is the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona, Spain. 

Architectural artist Antoni Gaudi broke ground in 1882 and spent the last 40 years of his life working on the project.

Construction still chugs on to this day and is predicted to cease by 2026, but there is controversy on whether or not that date is realistic.

The reason I consider the Sagrada Familia a ‘marvel’ is the fact that every year it morphs and takes on a new life.  My pictures from when I saw the building 10 years ago show a completely different building than what my friend visited this past summer.

For more info visit their official website.