Sevilla

Seville bullring.  There is only one fight in the months of July and August.  Probably because of the blistering heat.  But they do give tours of the bullring.  We weren't planning to see a fight anyway, but it was cool to see a bullring.

 View of the Seville Cathedral through an outer door.

 Seville at night.

 The inner courtyard of the Alcazar palace.  Similar to Granada, but a Christian palace built in the Moorish style.  Still used today for state functions.

Seville is an old, old city with a complicated history.  It has Roman, Muslim and Christian influence.  Fascinating but sad history.  You can feel the different layers of influence in the city itself.   

Stunning tile work in the Plaza de Espana.  Fairly recent.  I think it was built in the 1930s for some World Fair.  We only saw this place at night.  Can't imagine what it looks like during the day.

Late night snack.  In Spain everyone eats late.  Locals start dinner at 9pm and restaurants don't close until midnight.  Mmmm!  More iberian ham!

Can't go to Europe without climbing some sort of tower.  View from the top of the Seville bell tower.

Everything in Seville is designed to avoid the scorching heat.  Homes are painted white.  Streets are narrow to maximize shade.  And everywhere you look there are orange trees to give additional shade.  In July and August the temps can get up to 115 degrees!  Fortunately because of this year's weird weather pattern, it was a balmy 95. 

Granada Spain

One of our stops in Spain was Granada.  THE thing to see in Granada is the Alhambra.  The Alhambra is a Moorish palace, a fort and gardens.  We had to take a 3 hour train ride from Seville, but it was worth it.  It gets three triangles from Rick Steves.  (translation: absolute must-see)

 Here's a close-up of the intricately carved wall.  Stunning!

This is the courtyard of the lions.  It's named for a huge fountain held up by 12 marble lions.  Unfortunately the fountain was under renovation, so there was mostly scaffolding everywhere.

 One of the many amazing views from the top of the Alhambra. 

 Another view.

 Generalife, or the gardens of the palace. 

Factoid:  M.C. Escher came to the Alhambra and was inspired by the designs he saw here.  There's even a small Escher museum in the Alhambra complex. 

This is the uphill climb we took to get to the Alhambra from our hotel.  Very steep.  Veeerry steep.

Madrid

We just got back from a trip to Spain.  Our last stop was in Madrid.  We spent one full day there.  My favorite place was the Mercado de San Miguel.  We stumbled on it while doing a Rick Steves' walk backwards through Madrid.

It's a marketplace with all sorts of ready to eat food.  Fruits, iberian ham, oysters, gazpacho and little sardine bruschettas.  You can even order a glass of wine and carry it around from shop to shop. 

 Pickled foods. 

My husband was excited about this cone of iberian ham.  Iberian ham bellotta comes from black hoofed pigs that are fed acorns.  Very delicious!

Fruits and vegetables.  And my husband.

The Counter (It's a burger joint)

I have to write about the delicious lunch I had a couple weeks ago.  I didn't have high hopes when we walked towards The Counter and saw their store sign.  Their font reminded me of a Kinkos.  But we had a groupon, so that's where we headed for lunch.

I loved the inside though.  Very clean, modern, lots of stainless steel.  But it was sunny, so I didn't feel cold.  We each got a form to fill out, so we could build our burger.  You get your choice of 1/3, 2/3, or a 1 lb burger meat.  You get four vegetable toppings, one sauce on the side and a whole lot of other toppings I never thought to put on a burger.  (eggs, mesclun greens, chili).

Both our burgers were delicious!  I opted for a standard burger, but with grilled pineapple.  It was amazing!  Grilled pineapple should be a standard burger condiment.  My husband got the chili burger with a fried egg on top.  Not my favorite, but objectively delicious.  The Counter gets two thumbs up!  We'll be back!

Placecard Wedding Job

Here's my side desk after a placecard job.  I line them up according to the client list and double check for spelling and appearance.  The cards look long because they aren't folded yet.

Odd Sign

I thought this sign was odd.  Made me laugh though.  At Tutta Bella in Seattle.

Sweet Treats

Amazing desserts from Belle Pastry in Bellevue, WA.  The chef studied in France and his croissants were voted the best by his peers!  This was supposed to be my once-in-a-great-while-special treat place, but it's quickly turning into a more frequent habit.  Everything there is good.  And I mean EVERYTHING!  Pictured above is the raspberry napoleon and a pear caramel tart mousse. Yum!

Loud Envelopes

Here's an offbeat lettering style.  I love thin gel markers.  A girl's best friend.

Long Sheath Envelopes

These long sheath envelopes are my new favorite.  They open from the short end.  This is a number 10 envelope from Paper Source.  They have a ton of gorgeous colors too!  Something about opening an envelope from the top feels timeless and elegant.  Like I'm opening a handwritten letter, an ancient map or a contract.

Wedding Favor Tags

New item in my shop.  Wedding favor gift tags.