Marty Kaplan's Blog

Saturday, February 25, 2012

I first met Sam Levy in December of 1963,  Susan and I had been dating for about a month and she invited me to join her family for dinner so that her folks could have an idea of whom she was dating.  It was a Saturday night, as best as I can recall, when I made the drive from Brighton, Massachusetts to Salem and I managed to make it to Leech Street with minimal problems.  I rang the bell and made my way up the stairs.  Surprise of surprises Susan was not quite ready when I arrived so I took a seat on the sofa in the living room and lit up a cigarette and waited for Susan to make her appearance.  The first family member I met was Susan’s youngest brother, Robert, who talked to me about the evils of smoking, while I waited for Susan to come and rescue me.  Yo be honest, I do not remember much about that night other than the fact that I got to meet Sam and Bess, as well as brothers David, Saul and Robert.

Susan and I got engaged in April of 1965 after our relationship went on hiatus and I had headed off to the University of Maryland to work on a Master’s degree in Spanish.  I came back home in June and had further contact with the Levys as we discussed plans for the wedding and other things.  Given the fact that there was an agenda that needed to be discussed and issues that needed to be resolved that was not really a time when I would come to know Sam.  That opportunity would come after Susan and I had been married and made our annual pilgrimages to the Boston area to be with our families during our Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations.  With the birth of Rachel Sam and Bess would be frequent visitors to wherever we were living at the time.  We would visit with Sam and Bess when they moved to Florida for a spell and when they made Nevada City their permanent base of operations they were only a few hours away thank to Southwest Airlines. All of this serves as a prologue for me to say that in the forty-nine years that I knew this man I grew to admire all that he had accomplished in his lifetime and appreciate all of the many facets that this man possessed.

Sam joined the Army Air Corps when he was living with relatives in Buffalo, New York.  In 1947 most of the personnel of the Corps was transferred to the US Air Force and Sam was one of those who was transferred.  When he retired from the Air Force he had earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  In the intervening years he had met and married his sweetheart and the two of them had created a family of four children who had been born in diverse parts of the United States.  In addition to being posted to a multiplicity of cities here in the US he had also spent a goodly amount of time stationed in Germany.  While in the army he had begun a degree program through the auspices of  the University of Maryland.  When he was mustered out of the Air Force, Sam mage his way to the University of Omaha where he finished his degree.  The family joke was that Susan and her father were college freshmen at the same point in time.
Soon after receiving his degree he obtained a position teaching mathematics at a  local school in Salem.  He earned a Master’s Degree at Salem State College and that degree was his ticket to a principalship at an elementary school in Ipswich, Massachusetts.  He was a highly respected educator, both as a teacher and a principal, a he managed to touch the lives of many students and colleagues.  His retirement from his second career would afford him the opportunity to pursue his many interests and to continue his education in a variety of ways.

He and Bess would attend a number of Elderhostel programs both here and abroad.  An avid reader, he subscribed to a number of newspapers and magazines.  He had an abiding interest in Judaism and he educated himself in a number of topics related to Judaism.  As a singer he would lift his voice in song at many High Holiday services and, while living in Florida, he would become the lead singer in a musical biography for which his wife, Bess, wrote both the music and the lyrics.  The two of them became traveling entertainers as they would present their show at a number of different Jewish organizations and retirement homes.  He was also a golfer and an avid tennis player.  Sam’s tennis style had it’s origins in his ping pong game.  His repertoire of shots was dominated by cuts, slices and chops and his serves barely made it over the net unless the opposition moved closer to the net to receive serve.  Sam liked to tell jokes and he carried around a little notebook that had the punchline for every joke he knew contained therein and every punchline was numbered.

Sam had a number of unique talents.  He could knit, sew, iron and cook.  He was a master of the Caesar Salad and on a number of occasions he prepared enough of his famed salad to feed close to 500 people at a sisterhood or brotherhood dinner.  He was an avid sports fan and divided his allegiances between his favorite Boston teams and his adopted San Francisco teams.  He kept abreast of everything and his sources were the periodicals he read, TV news programs and the Internet.  He quickly became computer literate and kept up with the whereabouts of all of his friends wherever their travels had taken them.  In his later years he slowed down physically, but the sharpness of his mind never diminished one iota.

His greatest gift and talent was the fact that he was a loving husband, father and grandfather.  His four children took different roads to get to where they are now and he supported them along every stop on the way.  Whenever there was a family event the entire family would gather around and join in the celebration.  As grandchildren were born the guest list would expand and as the level of noise increased so did the level of fun. There was and there is never a dull moment when the Levys get together.  And so it seems appropriate that Susan and I have traveled from Valencia to be here.  Brothers Robert, Saul and David were already here when we arrived.  Grandchildren Sara and Katrina are on their way from the San Francisco airport having flown in from Philadelphia and Boston.  Great grandson Elio is traveling with Katrina.  Rachel will be here on Sunday fling in from Boulder and Saul’s wife Sue and their son, Jake, will arrive on Sunday, also.
There is a memorial service scheduled for Tuesday in which the life of this very unique and beloved man will be celebrated.  There will be tears, of course, but there will be laughter, too.  We will all remember, celebrate and be thankful for all the joy that this man brought into our lives, secure in the knowledge that a part of him lives on in us to encourage us and accompany us as we navigate the unknown portions of our life paths that lie ahead. The man that was Sam Levy is no longer here among us, but his spirit will live on.

Sam Levy on his 94th birthday with Susan, Saul, Robert and David

Friday, February 24, 2012

It was Wednesday afternoon when Susan received a call from her brother telling her that earlier that day her father had been taken to the hospital in very serious condition. He had coded on the way to the hospital and was being kept alive on life support. We swung into action and got in touch with Von, our travel arranger, and Von did his usual magic and booked us on Air France leaving from Valencia and connecting in Paris for our flight to San Francisco. We spent the rest of the day getting things in order so that we could leave early Thursday morning.

We got up at 4:00 AM on Thursday and we showered and dressed. A cab was waiting for us outside our door to take us to the airport. We arrived at the airport in fifteen minutes because, surprise, surprise, there were no cars on the road. The flight from Valencia to Paris was on Air Europa and, thankfully for me, they sell the seats in the exit row for a 20 Euro premium. That guaranteed that at least on one leg of the trip I would have sufficient leg room. Our flight took off on time and at 9:15 we landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

Our flight for San Francisco was scheduled to leave at 10:40 and the only way to get to our departure gate was to hoof it for a good ten minutes. We had to go through security once again and we made it to our departure gate with ten minutes to spare. We were seated in Row 35 and as we made our way to the rear of the plane, for one brief second I thought we had ended up in the bulkhead seats, but it only looked that way because the plastic that covered the small light bulb was cracked and it only looked like the number 35. It was really 33. The only good news was the fact that yesterday’s plane was am Airbus 340 that has seats that are two inches wider than the seats on the 330. Additionally the armrest on the left side of the aisle seat can be raised to a completely vertical position. Of course there is no legroom and when the person in front of you puts their seat all the way back you feel like a large animal in an all too small cage.

The flight was your average long haul flight. Having flown Swiss Air to Spain the last five or six times, I would give Swiss much higher marks than Air France. Their pilots keep you more informed and their flight attendants are more personable. Swiss was an option for yesterday’s trip back to California, but it would have put us at our destination some three hours later and time was of the essence here. We landed ahead of schedule and we breezed through passport control and customs. We had asked Von to book a rental car for us and we took a shuttle van to Advantage Car Rental, which is about a fifteen minute ride from the airport. We were given an upgrade and because we had to wait a bit for our turn they also gave us a discount. We loaded the bags in the car and got on to the highway to continue our journey to Nevada City. We had already been up for seventeen hours and we were still a long way from our destination.

I had not been behind the wheel for close to four months and,to be honest, I really do not like to drive any more since traffic just drives me nuts. The traffic was bumper to bumper almost the entire journey. What should have taken two and a half hours, ended taking up close to four and a half hours. On the way, Susan spoke with her brothers and discovered that her father had expired at around 2:30 that afternoon. He had gone peacefully and there was no need to disconnect him from life support because it almost seemed that he had unconsciously made the decision to save his family the pain of making a decision.

It was a little after 7:00 when we pulled into the hospital parking lot. Susan’s brother, Robert, met us at the door and Susan went to her father’s room to say her last goodbyes. Robert volunteered to drive us in our rental car to Mary’s house where we will be staying for the next week. I had been up for twenty-four straight hours and I welcomed his offer. Susan’s brother David came by the house and he and Susan made a tentative list of things that needed to be done in the next few days. There will be a memorial service on Tuesday and all of the grandchildren will make their way to Nevada City to be with the family. I managed to stay awake until 9:30 and at that point it was abundantly clear that I needed to find a bed right away.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Vilma is working with Susan at her computer.  They are finishing her application for a visitor’s visa to the United States.  The next step will be to make an appointment with the US Embassy and Madrid so that she can answer any questions they may have and hopefully get an answer.  As I mentioned before the US assumes that every applicant for a visitor’s visa who comes from Central America will attempt to stay here and really does not want to visit.  Vilma wants to stay over in Miami because from there she will fly to her home in Honduras and those flight arrangements can save her a thousand dollars in air fare.

Protest marches took place again yesterday here in Valencia.  In fact there were two of them.  The second one passed right by the house as the protestor’s made their way to the Partido Popular’s headquarters that are located one block away.  There is another march scheduled for today.  The reaction to the police violence the other day seems to be divided according to party lines.  The Partido Popular has been the dominant party here in Valencia for years and years.  Their response has been predictable.  According to them and the mayoress of the city, Rita Barberá, the protests are being organized by the left; the students are being manipulated; the students are being deceived, the protests are illegal because they have not made a formal request to hold the marches; blocking traffic is a crime; maybe some policemen did overreact but they were attacked first; when asked about how many police had been deployed the Director of Security replied that one does not reveal that information to the enemy, but as a spokesman later explained the quote was taken out of context; and last, but not least, not one cent has been cut from the education budget.  With regard to the last statement they somehow managed to omit the adverb yet from their statement.  In trying to resolve the issue of protests by using unnecessary force the government has now generated another series of protests that revolve around the use of excessive force.

The protests were the excitement of the day.  Otherwise, it was a rather predictable Tuesday.  We paid a visit to the market and after putting things away we decided to go in search of lunch.  Our intention was to have lunch at Refugio, but they are closed on Tuesdays – as we discovered.  Since we were close to El Molinón we decided to have lunch there.  We began with some cod fritters and followed those with a dish of steamed mussels.  We also ordered a steak that was cooked rare and served with potatoes and pimientos de Padrón.  We did not have room for dessert, so we finished the meal with coffee.  From there we went to the Plaza de la Virgen in search of an ice cream, but the ice cream shop there was closed.  By the way, we discovered that Linares has not gone out of business.  They routinely close down for the winter.  That is indeed good news.

From the Plaza de la Virgen we made our way to the Plaza de la Reina.  Susan wanted to visit the second hand bookstore there.  It turns out that they are open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday only.  Having finished the business of the day, we returned home.  It was a little after 6:00 when we walked through the door and we spent the rest of the evening working on the computer and watching an episode of “Lewis”, which was a series on Masterpiece Theater.  When we turned off the TV it was midnight and we decided that our next activity would be going to bed and so we did.

Tuesday. February 21, 2012

Welcome to what is being called The Valencian Spring and it has nothing to do with the weather.  Students have taken to the streets to protest the proposed cuts in education and the overreaction of the police has caused the protests to swell and motivate others, including the parents of some of the students to join in.  There was a march yesterday around mealtime that ended in a violent confrontation.  The powers that be seem to be unaware of the fact that with smart phones and digital cameras that are part of today’s reality, it is an easy task to video or photograph exactly what is going on.  That motivated another protest march last evening.  Here is a link to some of the photos http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2012/02/20/album/1329754156_737890.html#1329754156_737890_1329754776  Sunday was also a day of marches and protests this time the participants were members of the labor unions who are protesting changes in the  labor laws particularly the changes that have been proposed regarding changes in severance pay for those employees whose jobs have been or have to be eliminated.  Obviously the fun is just beginning.  Stay tuned for further details.

Yesterday was a day to kickback and take life easy.  I did get to the gym for some cardio and a workout and when I got back home we decided to have lunch at home, for a change.  Susan cooked up some meatballs, saffron rice and a small salad that featured sliced tomatoes and some scrumptious artichoke hearts that had been roasted in the oven and then marinated.  After lunch I headed to Café Las Torres to meet with Melissa for our conversation session.

Even though there was no formal program at the CIVAC last night there were about a dozen members gathered around one of the tables when I walked in.  We spent a good hour swapping stories and effects.  Around 10:00 we decided to grab a sandwich at the nearby London Café and continue our discussions.  The restaurant continues to lose points for poor service.  Everyone ordered a sandwich and rather than making sure that everyone’s sandwich arrived at the same time the sandwiches came out in twos and threes, which meant that some had finished their sandwiches well before others received theirs.  The good news is that it was inexpensive.  When I got back home at 11:30 Susan was watching an episode of Dowton Abbey.  When it was over we gave Rachel a call and chatted for a while.  We were in bed a little after midnight.

There are no photos today because my photographer took the day off for a well-deserved rest.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Hopefully today will be a day when everything returns to normal.  My cold is just about gone so I will head back to the gym shortly.  I will meet with Melissa at 4:30 and will mosey over to the CIVAC meeting a little after 8:00.

Yesterday was truly a magical day.  Magic was omnipresent and not all of it was accomplished with cards.  Brian and Ofelia came by for us at 1:30 and we head south to the Albufera where La Matandeta is located.  In truth it is about five kilometers south of the center of the city.  We passed by La Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias and five minutes later it was as if we were in another place in another time.  We passed rice field after rice field and there was not a building in site.  As we approached the restaurant we could see the modern skyline of Valencia that stood in stark contrast to the rural setting we were seeing through the car’s windshield.  The parking lot was not crowded, although it would be later.  We walked passed a barking dog and made our way to the front entrance of the restaurant.

The door was covered with all kinds of awards proclaiming this particular restaurant as one of the best in Valencia and in all of Spain.  We walked past a waiting area that was populated by enormous stuffed animals and we walked into the dining room proper.  We were warmly greeted and show to our round table for six.  In addition to the four of use we were awaiting the arrival of Juanra, the real estate agent who had found Brian and Ofelia their current apartment and his girlfriend, Adela.  Adela teaches French at the University of Valencia.  No sooner were we settled at our table when Manolito, the four year old son of the owners, sat down at a table near the entrance along with his young friend, Santi.  Ofelia went over to take a picture with him and I followed.

The two youngsters were having a quick bite prior to heading off to see an ice show.  I had brought some kid stuff along with me and I did a couple of heart balloons with smiley faces for the two young ones.  They seemed to be pleased with their unexpected gift.  After taking another picture or two we returned to our table.  A few minutes later María Dolores, one of the owners came to our table to warmly greet Ofelia and Brian and to say hello to Susan and me.  We chatted for a bit and while we were chatting Juanra and Adela arrived.

Brian had pre-ordered two paellas for all of us.  The restaurant requests that you do that because the paellas are cooked over a wood fire and they want to make sure that they have sufficient wood set aside for the preparation of the paellas.  We ordered three appetizers – a stuffed artichoke, some octopus cooked over a wood fire and a salad that in addition to the lettuces and tomatoes was topped with two different sorbets.  There was also a basket filled with fresh baked bread and a homemade crock of paté.  We ordered a bottle of wine from an extensive wine list.  We focused on the section that was called vino de autor and we chose a wine called Sexto Elemento.  The production of this wine, made entirely from Bobal grapes, was limited to one thousand bottles.  It was a hearty red with a silky mouth feel and we made both bottles magically disappear.

When we had finished our appetizers the serving dishes, our plates and our silverware were cleared and, in anticipation of our two paellas, new plates were set out and our new place setting included a rather large tablespoon the better to eat paella with.  One of our paellas was a traditional Valencian on made with duck, chicken and rabbit.  The second was a seafood paella replete with mussels, shrimp and squid.  La Matandeta is reputed to make the best paella in all of Valencia and based on the two that I sampled yesterday I would say they deserve the award.  Try as we might we could not finish off both paellas and I am sure that Brian and Ofelia will thoroughly enjoy the leftovers.  After the table was again cleared and we were waiting for dessert, I made some trinkets for Adela.  I made my napkin rose, a pearl dog, a butterfly and a jumping frog.  One of the waitresses saw what was going on and was very much taken with my little creations.  I made a rose and a dog for her and she walked away very happy.

Dessert arrived in the form of a sinful chocolate birthday cake.  The entire restaurant sang Happy Birthday to Ofelia.  A little girl from a neighboring table came over and helped Ofelia blow out her candles.  To reward the little one for a job well done I made a balloon heart for her, also.  In addition to the cake there were two plates of fresh fruit and a bottle of champagne made its appearance at our table.  All of us ordered coffee and several of us had an after dinner liqueur.  The table was then cleared and María Dolores joined us and I proceeded to do a half a dozen magic effects.

Our little birthday celebration ended a bit after 5:00 and we said our goodbyes to Juanra and Adela.  The four of us got into Brian’s car and we headed to the small nearby town of Palmar.  We did a quick tour of the city, which appears to have at least fifteen restaurants and on the way back stopped at one of the lookout points of the Albufera, so that we could enjoy the view and shoot a picture or two.  When Brian dropped us off at our door it was 7:00 o’clock.

Our evening was uneventful.  Susan worked on the photos she had taken during the day, I did some writing on the computer and the both of us watched a little TV before we closed the book on one of the best days we had ever spent in Valencia.  We got to experience the magic of food, friendship as well as the magic spell that nature can cast.  Wow!

Sunset on the Albufera

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Today’s agenda includes a visit to La Matandeta to help Ofelia celebrate her birthday.  Here is a link to Episode 12 of SPAIN: ON THE ROAD AGAIN where Mario and Gwyneth visit La Matandeta. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYs9TFaEibQ&feature=related

We had hoped to get together with Pepe yesterday, but as things turned out he had had a late night on Friday and did not get up until late in the afternoon.  As it turned out, his brother was coming for a visit last night so that meant that we would not be getting together.  He wondered if today would work, but, alas, we had a previous engagement with Brian and Ofelia.  The good news is that there’s always next week.

Since we had not heard from Pepe we went out in search of lunch.  We were in the mood for something other than rice since that is on today’s menu.  We ended up at La Comisaría and, once again, that turned out to be an excellent choice.  We were greeted by Carlitos, our new Facebook friend and we took our seats near the window where we still had a view of what was going on in the kitchen.  I ordered a beer and, to my great surprise, Susan ordered one too and we enjoyed the cold refreshing brew while we ate some olives and studied the menu.  Our goal was to order dishes that we had not tried during our last visit.

We started out with tomate valenciano con tres texturas.  The dish consists of sliced fresh tomatoes, topped with chopped marinated tomatoes and a tomato foam.  Who knew tomatoes could taste that good?  Our second dish was lomo de bacalao al pil pil – a loin of fresh cod that was gently coated and pan fried and just incredibly tender and flavorful.  Our next dish was carrilladas de cerdo – pork cheeks that were glassed and served with poached potatoes.  The meat was incredibly tender and tasty and there was a great interplay between sweet and savory.  Dessert was a cake that was served with fresh strawberries and an almond infused foam.  The dish was topped with the Spanish equivalent of Pop Rocks and it added an aural dimension for this treat for the eyes and the taste buds.  We finished the meal with coffee and a liqueur.  In sum, we had two beers, three glasses of wine, three dishes, dessert, coffee and a liqueur for the grand sum of 35.60 Euros.

Watching Carlos cook one immediately becomes aware of his passion for both food and cooking.  He is like an artist as you watch him compose the elements that will be put on the plate.  Each element is carefully arranged on the plate and all herbs and sauces are artfully arranged.  Each dish is a treat for the eyes and the palate.  I think that the passion of the chef in these small restaurants that we continue to encounter is what makes the experience so memorable.  It occurred to me that when you go to a named chef’s restaurant in Los Angeles or Las Vegas, unless the chef himself is cooking that night, what you are eating is his recipes prepared by someone who is not necessarily passionate about the food he is cooking.  Mario Batali’s recipe prepared by someone other than Mario Batali does not necessarily produce the same result that Batali gets.

The rest of our day was very relaxed.  We snacked on some ham and cheese and we watched a DVD.  It was a Spanish film called “Primos” and it was a very silly comedy with the expected happy ending.  It was the perfect light fare for a Saturday evening.  Here is a link to the trailer and the good news is that it has subtitles. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xfxj6a_primos-official-trailer_shortfilms We did not get to bed until 1:00.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Yesterday Susan called me around noon and told me that after her visit to the acupuncturist she had decided to go to the beach and shoot some photos.  She invited me to join her and see if we could find a place to have lunch.  I hopped the Number 2 bus and some twenty-five minutes later I was at my destination.  The bus ride was rather painless.  At each bus stop there is an electronic bulletin board that tells you how much time will elapse before the next bus arrives.  Additionally, each bus has a computer screen that tells you what the next stop is, as well as the one after it.  Some of the newer buses even broadcast the approaching stop over the sound system.  How civilized!

I met Susan on the beach side of Calle Neptuno and we peeked in a number of restaurants before deciding on La Perla.  There are numerous restaurants that overlook the beach and all feature the same menu, give or take a couple of items.  We decided on a salad, some puntillas and a seafood paella. Everything was tasty, but nothing was exceptional.  For dessert Susan has some strawberries and I had some tiramisu.  Our wine was a Martín Berdugo from the Ribera del Duero.  It is a very nice red.  When we finished our coffee we caught the bus back to Calle Borrull.  I got off at our stop and Susan continued on to the Nuevo Centro to pick up a few items at the Corte Inglés.

When Susan cane back home, a bit later than I expected she would, it turned out there was an exhibition of  Ninots at the Nuevo Centro that had turned into another photographic opportunity.  Ninots are the figurines that make up a falla and it is the falla that is burnt the last night of the celebration.  It is hard to believe that we are only a month away from the start of the craziness.

Early yesterday evening we took a cab to the Palau de Música for a concert by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Valencia under the direction of Yaron Traub.  The first piece was a world premiere of Fulgor Infinito by the Valencia composer Javier Costa Ciscar.  Next came William Walton’s “Concert for Cello and Orchestra.” After the intermission we settled in to hear an outstanding version of Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet Opus 64.” We took a cab back home and while Susan got comfortable I stopped off at La Fórcola to pick up a pizza that would be our dinner.  The restaurant was mobbed as is usually the case on Friday and they had to turn several people away because they did not have reservations.  The rest of our evening was dedicated to pizza and TV.  What a nice way to end a busy day!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Susan is off to the acupuncturist and I am debating whether I will return to the gym today or wait until next week when the cold will have finally left my body completely.  We have tickets for the symphony tonight and we will be getting together with Pepe and Sara tomorrow to share a meal.  Sunday we head off to La Matandeta with Brian and Ofelia to celebrate Ofelia’s birthday.

Susan had coffee with her friend, Alba, yesterday and from there went to FNAC to pick up a brush for her camera lens.  I met her there and since it was 2:00 we gave some thought to lunch.  As we approached the train station we could not help but notice a cordon of police and a swelling number of what I now know were students.  They were there to protest the cuts to education as proposed by the government to bring the budget under control.  It turns out that ten people were arrested as a result of the protests and several people were injured.  There will be more protests to follow.  There is talk of a general strike by all labor unions because the Partido Popular wants to make several important changes to labor law. Iberia is on strike again today with pilots protesting Iberia’s intent to create a low-cost airline with a different pay structure.  Lastly, the pharmacists here in Valencia are threatening to shut down for three days unless the government pays them the money that is past due to them for providing medication that was covered under Social Security.  It’s never dull here in Spain.

We stopped in at a small restaurant near the Central Market and had some lunch.  Susan had a rather ample salad and I had a plate-full of grilled vegetables.  There was such a great quantity of both appetizers that neither of us could finish.  We both had a small filet as our entrée and Susan finished her meal with a fruit salad and I had a brownie.  When we finished we decided that we would make our way to the Plaza de la Reina to look for a second-hand bookstore that Susan had discovered the other day.  While Susan investigated, I slipped into a mini-casino to try my hand at the slot machines.  When Susan entered to meet up with me, I was 20 Euros ahead and I decided to cash out.  We walked out together to see if the bookstore was finally opened because when Susan had walked by it was still closed.

On our way we passed by a space called Moltto, which is both a bakery and a sandwichería.  They make excellent bread.  We decided on a rye bread and as I was paying Santi, who was having a bite with Mike, saw us and invited us to join them.  We spent a good hour and a half chatting with them and hearing what was going on in their lives.  When we got home it was 6:30 and we decided that we would spend the evening at home since we were both a bit worn out from our day.  We watched some TV, ate some of that really good rye bread topped with butter and Manchego and headed for bed much earlier than usual.

Appetizers at A Nou on 2/15/12

Arroz marinero

Arroz marinero plated

Tarta de queso manchego

Thursday, February 15, 2012

After Tuesday’s events, yesterday seemed like a bit of a letdown.  We paid a morning visit to the Central Market and replenished our supply of ham, cheese, tuna, fruits and vegetables and when we had safely put everything away, we decided to go out for lunch.  We had passed by A Nou on the way home and liked the menu of the day, so we crossed the street and took a seat.

Yesterday’s appetizers included some vegetables that had been cooked on the grill.  There were carrots, zucchini, asparagus and green beans enclosed in a slice of red pepper.  The presentation was eye appealing and the taste was even better.  There were also two croquetas filled with bits of pork loin and a béchamel sauce and, finally, there was a filet of a fish called cabalga in Spanish that was served on a bed of caramelized onions.  For our main course we chose an arroz mariner that was studded with small shrimp and pieces of squid.  We ordered the dish meloso and it was the right decision.  Dessert was a tarta de queso made with Manchego cheese.  We finished the meal with coffee.

At 4:00 I made my way to Las Torres to meet with Nico.  We spent a good hour in conversation where the focus was his upcoming move to London.  He will go to London for ten days in April with the goal of finding a place to live and a job.  He has a number of friends in London who will help him with both tasks.  Later in April there will be a second trip when he takes the cats that he and his girlfriend, Valentina, own and will take them to London where they will have to be in quarantine for a while to make sure they do not harbor any communicable diseases.  In May they will make the move to England and be there for a couple of years.  Nico, who plays drums, will hopefully find a group with whom he can play and Valentina, who is an artist, will hopefully open a gallery where she can both work and exhibit her paintings.

7:00 PM saw us on the streets again heading for a performance space at La Nau.  Our friend Nacho was acting in a production called Cardiovascular.  Admission was free and tickets were available at the box office starting at 5:30.  When we arrived we were dismayed to discover that there was only one ticket left and that meant neither of us would be going to see Nacho in performance.  We walked around looking for other options, but none presented themselves and so we headed back home.  Susan prepared a salad Nicoise for us and after our dinner we settled in to watch an episode of Inspector Lewis thanks to our Apple TV.  It was an episode from last season’s Masterpiece Theater.  We puttered around a bit after it was over and went to bed a little after midnight.  Here are some photos from Tuesday night.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

It’s beginning to look a lot like Fallas!  When we opened the persianas this morning, we discovered that lights had been hung on Calle Borrull in anticipation of the upcoming March events.  We have been told that our street will be closed to traffic because of the number of celebrations that take place on Borrull and adjoining side streets.  We are looking forward to experiencing our first Fallas.

            Originally we were scheduled to be at Las Naves at 1:00 for the taping of Woody Aragón’s course for Magic Agora.  However, a phone call from Pepe informed us that the order of events for the day had been changed and could we come at 6:00 instead.  Given the fact that the only other event on our calendar was dinner at 9:00 with Brian and Ofelia, we had no problem with the change in time.

After I hung up from Pepe Susan and I paid a quick visit to the stationery store so that I could pick up some envelopes for a magic effect.  Since we were close by the Bar Alhambra, which makes a mean tortilla española we decided to stop in.  We took a seat at the bar and Susan and I both ordered a pincho de tortilla – a slice of tortilla.  Susan had a glass of red wine and I had a beer.  We both had a cup of coffee and that turned out to be our lunch.  I spent the rest of the afternoon working on putting together another effect from Woody’s book.  At 5:30 we went in search of a taxi so we could be at Las Naves by 6:00.

Las Naves is located in the port area of Valencia.  It was built after the Spanish Civil War to store grain.  It was and is a complex of three separate buildings that are now dedicated to the arts.  The buildings house a cafeteria, an exhibition space, rehearsal rooms, a library, a Mediatheque, design studios, and dedicated spaces for photography and video recordings.  We made our way to the second of the three buildings, climbed a flight of stairs and as we climbed the last stair Pepe emerged from the video studio and greeted us.

They had been filming since 9:00 with a brief break for lunch.  Woody looked like someone who had been working for quite a while, but, as a true professional, whenever the cameras started to roll, there was a renewed burst of energy and he quickly became Woody the performer.  Susan and I took our place at the table where Woody was performing and we served as volunteers for the twelve minute show that he did in English and the twelve minute show he did in Spanish.  Additionally, there was an effect that they needed to reshoot and so Susan and I served as volunteers for that effect, too.  All in all, we were under the lights for an hour and a half and it sure was hot under those lights.

When we exited the building we quickly found a cab and made our way to Brian and Ofelia’s.  This was the first time that we had seen Brian since his return from Florida where he helped his Dad celebrate his 80^th birthday.  Ofelia was still recovering from her bout with the cold and this was the first day that she was up and about.  Brian filled us in on his trip while we all had a drink and before we knew it, it was time to head out for Basílico.

They were just opening the doors when we arrived and we took our places at a table for four that was right by the window, There was a special menu for Valentine’s Day and Alex filled us in on all the details.  We started off with a Kir Royal and soon thereafter our three appetizers were placed on the table.  There was a quesadilla stuffed with spinach and Manchego cheese, a lentil dish made with Garam Marsala and served with pita bread and Chinese dish whose name escapes me, but it was prepared with chopped meat and spices and was eaten in a lettuce cup.  Next came a lettuce salad served with goat cheese and a red onion marmalade.  Then we enjoyed a tangerine sorbet crowned with vodka to clear our palate for our main course.  Our main course was a lamb tagine served with couscous.  Our dessert was a slice of chocolate cake, as well as a raspberry sorbet served with yoghurt and a raspberry sauce.  We chatted for a while longer and we each had a liqueur to accompany the conversation.  It was a little after 11:00 when we left the restaurant.

Brian kindly drove us home and on the way we firmed up details for our next outing together this coming Sunday.  We are going to have lunch at La Matandeta to celebrate Ofelia’s birthday.  It should be fun.  When we got home, we both unloaded our photos that we had taken throughout the day and, at one point, when I looked up Susan had disappeared.  I found her fast asleep in the bedroom.  I tried several times to get a hold of Rachel, but without success.  At midnight I decided to turn in for the evening.