Marty Kaplan's Blog

Asador Tapería Mahou

Posted on December 16, 2011 by martykaplan

Friday, December 16, 2011

Yesterday both Susan and I had an appointment with Jorge at 11:00 for a haircut. We decided to walk the two plus miles to the shop and got there at 11:05. To say the shop was backed up would be an understatement. We had to wait for two hours before they took Susan for a shampoo. I assumed that with Christmas approaching Jorge was doing an excellent business in the hair-coloring department. It was fascinating for me who does not frequent hair salons to watch all that goes into a dye job – the coloring, the drying, the washing, the styling, the spraying.

My turn came at 1:30 and it started with a shampoo while I sat in the massage chair. Jorge then cut my hair and trimmed back my beard. That was followed by yet another shampoo. Then they put product in my hair and dried it and styled it. I looked a bit more human at the end of the process. The bill for both haircuts was 53 Euros. When we walked out the door it was 2:15 and it was time for lunch.

We gave some thought to eating at La Lambrusquería, but on our way there we passed by an asador that looked promising and so we decided to give it a try. The name of the restaurant was Asador Tapería Mahou. Mahou is one of the brands of beer that is made and sold in Spain. It turns out that this was the site of one of the placed in Valencia where the beer was actually brewed. They still have one of the old brewing vats in place just as you walk through the door Our server offered us a choice of tables and we sat down to peruse the menu.

We decided on the house salad and a steak. The house salad, in addition to the usual complement of vegetables, had bits of smokes salmon and was topped with a sprinkling of black Norwegian caviar. The steak was delivered to the table on a sizzling grill and we let the steak cook to its desired doneness. The steak was accompanied by a ratatouille and some potatoes that had been sautéed in olive oil and garlic. We chose a bottle of Ars Romántica, which turned out to be a delightful red from the Ribera del Duero region. We were so full at meal’s end that we passed on both dessert and coffee.

Our waiter was very charming and very professional. Originally from Rumania, he has spent three years in France before coming to Valencia some eighteen years ago. At meal’s end he gave us a little present, a hand vibrator with a USB plug, and two glasses of Mistela, which is a the local version of Muscatel wine. We waddled out of the restaurant at 3:45 and began the walk back home.

Susan and I walked as far as the train station where we parted because I had a 4:30 meeting with Miquel Soriano to talk about the best way to contact magical societies to let them know about Magic Agora and to invite the participation of their members. That meeting lasted about an hour after which I made my way home. When I got home there was a message from Pepe telling me that tonight’s meeting of los veteranos was going to take place at the home of Paco d’Andrés.

That was very good news because Paco had recently undergone surgery for the removal of a growth on his neck and was now at home recuperating. We had not seen him for a couple of weeks and all of us were heartened to discover that, in spite of the fact that he was still feeling some pain, he was ready to jump back into the world of magic.

The usual crowd was there. Gurrea did a cute card trick with top hats and bunnies. Paquito did a trio of Triumph effects that were most impressive and I performed a Peter Duffie effect based on a Jim Steinmeyer idea and an effect that Dean Dill had taught me just before we left for Spain. Our meeting broke up at 9:45 and the usual discussion of where to go to grab a bite ensued. We ended up at a place called La Cueva, which is located around the corner from Pepe’s house. The food was rather ordinary, but it satisfied our hunger. I headed home after that and walked through the door around midnight.

Susan was awake and reading in bed. I decided to give Rachel a call and I got her on the first try. She is doing well and getting things in order for her trip to Seattle next week. Work is keeping her well occupied, but she still has time to pursue other activities. Susan went to bed after we hung up from Rachel and I stayed up a bit longer to let my late supper digest. I gave up the ghost at 1:00.

Mahou 1

Mahou 2

The hand massager

Mistela

Mahou 3

Mahou 4

Mahou 5

Mahou 6

Our server

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The Errand Boy

Posted on December 15, 2011 by martykaplan

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Susan stayed home all day yesterday in order to fight off her cold and that made me the errand boy for the day. I started off with a visit to the local drugstore in search of Mucinex or its equivalent. No luck in finding wither A or B. Since I was there I thought I would inquire about the price of the pill that I take for my high blood pressure. A month’s supply would run me $20 versus the $125 it costs in the US. I guess it helps when the national government sets the prices for prescription medication.

From the drugstore I made my way to the Central Market where I picked up ham, chicken and fruits and vegetables. No sooner did I get them home and put them away when I headed over to the gym to get my workout in. I stopped off at Mercadona on my way home to pick up a few staples and then Susan and I sat down for lunch. We had a salad Nicoise that was absolutely delicious. The fresh loaf of bread from El Parisien was an absolute plus. Susan had some ice cream for dessert, but I opted for coffee instead.

I headed out at 5:00 in search of cough medicine and in search of a local eyewear place that always does a good job of adjusting my glasses. I did not find the medicine that I was looking for, but I did get my glasses adjusted. On my way home I stopped off at a mini-casino and racked up a 55 Euro win. By the time I got home it was 7:30 and with all my coming and goings I had covered 8.1 miles. No wonder my feet hurt.

In the evening we watched a bit of TV including the Glee Christmas episode. We snacked on some ham and some chips while we watched. Susan retired early and I stayed up late to finish the latest Michael Connelly novel The Drop. It is a Harry Bosch novel. It was an enjoyable read, but not one of his best. I am looking forward to Robert Crais’ next novel so that I can catch up on the adventures of Elvis Cole.

We are heading off to visit with Jorge so that we cab both get our hair cut. I may be doing some filming next week and I want to look my best.

Tuesday's paella put up a valiant fight, but lost!

Hocus Pocus in Focus

Ana was a champ. She cut to the 4 Aces.

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Pepe’s Perfect Paella

Posted on December 14, 2011 by martykaplan

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The temperature these days is hovering in the low 60’s during the day and the low 40’s at night. The last few days have been windy, but a mess up your hair windy and not a blow down the trees windy. There’s no central heating in the apartment, but a portable electric radiator and the air conditioner/heater on the living room wall do a good job of keeping the place comfortable.

Yesterday morning Susan took life easy trying to ease the effects of her cold. I made my way to the gym and got in an hour of cardio. When I got home around 1:30, I jumped into the shower and got dressed for the Magic Ágora luncheon. Salvador and Pepe were putting it on for the behind the scenes crew that has done most of the work up until now. The guest list included Pepe, Salvador, Víctor, Tony, Ana, Miquel, Nacho, Juanma, Susan and I. Lunch was called for 2:00 and when we arrived at 2:15 the only person there was Pepe. He was busy putting together the paella.

Salvador arrived shortly thereafter and the four of us chatted for a while and around 3:00 the rest of the guests arrived. While we chatted and got to know each other a bit better we munched on olives, potato chips, almonds, peanuts, chorizo, cheese and other goodies. We then opened up three bottles of wine, as the paella made its way to the center of the table.

It was yet another Monfort Masterpiece. This paella was made with rabbit, chicken and artichokes and it was perfectly done. Pepe was afraid that maybe he had made too much, but it turned out that his fear was groundless. Dessert was a variety of cookies and a coca filled with nuts and raisins. This coca was very much like our American coffee cake. We finished of the meal with coffee.

After lunch it was time for a little magic and Juanma, Pepe, Nacho and I each did a couple of effects. This was only the second time since I have been here that I have done some magic and it was good to get some of the rust off. Before we knew it, it was 6:00 and it was time for people to get on with their day. We got home a little before 6:30.

The evening was uneventful. We read for a while and watched an episode of GLEE. Around 11:00 we decided that it was time for bed and we called it a day.

Paella Stage 1

The chef, Salva and I

Ssuan enjoting a beer!

The chef back at work.

Paella stage 2

Nacho Diago

Paella stage 3

Salva, Pepe and I

Paella stage 4

A comer!Paella stage 6

Pastas

CocaHocus Pocus!

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A Mellow Monday

Posted on December 13, 2011 by martykaplan

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Yesterday morning when Susan woke up it was obvious that she was suffering from a cold and that the culprit was not allergies. She decided that it would be a good day to not do much of anything and she spent the morning working on photos and doing a bit of reading. I headed out at 11:30 to work out at the gym.

I spent a good hour working out and incorporated a few more exercises into my routine. The ability to work with the Fit Ball and rubber resistance allows me to avoid the crush around the machines and to go at my own pace. It was close to 1:00 when I got back home. Susan decided that she was not going to go to her Aqua Fitness class at 3:30 so there was no great rush to go out to lunch. At 2:30 we left the house and ended up at El Cuento, which is a couple of doors down from Miguel’s office.

Susan started her meal with a cream of zucchini soups and I had a revuelto that had some ham mixed in. Susan’s main course was a chicken curry and I opted for the goulash. Both were very tasty. Susan had flan for dessert and I chose the chocolate cake. When we finished our coffee we decided to go the Nespresso store and restock our coffee supply. After we made our purchase, we continued on to the Corte Inglés because I needed to pick up a couple of Sharpies.

On our way back home we stopped in at the new Apple Store, which opened on December 3. We stopped by so that Susan could make an appointment at the Genius Bar to get some help in returning the color display on her MacBook back to its factory settings. We made an appointment for Wednesday morning and after we had done that we took a quick tour of the store.

It sits in a totally renovated building. The façade of the building has been spruced up, but the original exterior was left in place. The interior is totally modern. On the ground floor there is a Genius Bar and the rest of the space is devoted to displays of the various Apple products. There is another Genius Bar on the first floor, as well as space for one on one sessions and a space for workshops. All accessories for Apple products are displayed on the first floor, also.

Around 8:00 I headed out for the CIVAC. As it turned out, there was no formal presentation so that allowed time to just sit around and catch up with each other. Nacho Diago was at the meeting and it was good to finally catch up with him, given his busy schedule. He is currently appearing in a soap opera on one of the national networks and is under contract until the end of December. His character will reappear early next year so that means several more months of gainful employment. In addition to his television work, his work as a magician has been keeping him busy, too. We hope to catch up again soon and spend some quality time together.

I headed back home around 9:30 and discovered Antón spending some time on the sidewalk outside of La Fórcola. We chatted for a while, talking mainly about business, but also talking about family and how we all are becoming citizens of the world in one way or another. Antón is a walking United Nations since his parents hail from Greece and Croatia. He was born in Italy and is married to a woman from Argentina. Amazing.

Susan had the TV on when I walked through the door, but she really was reading and the TV was keeping her company. We both read for a while longer and we were in bed well before midnight.

Cream of Zucchini Soup

Revuelto con Jamón

Goulash

Chicken Curry

Tarta de Chocolate

Flan Casero

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Winter Cocktails

Posted on December 12, 2011 by martykaplan

Monday, December 12, 2011

The day has dawned overcast and it was cold as I made my way to the bakery to pick up breakfast. We need to do a few errands today and this evening I have a meeting of the CIVAC. Tomorrow we have been invited to a special luncheon.

Yesterday was yet another day of rest. We slept in until 10:00 and had a leisurely breakfast. We read and worked on the computer until 2:00 and then we got dressed and headed out to The Ginger Loft for brunch. The space was crowded as we took our seats at the only empty downstairs table. Santi told Susan that he had a special cocktail in mind for her and went behind the bar to put it together.

It turned out to be a yet to be named cocktail that mixed orange vodka, vanilla Grand Marnier, orange zest and nutmeg. Later he made her a second “winter” cocktail that had an apple rum base with Amaretto, apple juice and gingerbread flavoring mixed in. I stuck to my usual beer.

We started off the meal with a bit of hummus. Susan ordered the eggs benedict – one with salmon and the other with spinach. I ordered the Chinese noodle salad – glass noodles with a medley of vegetables, chicken and peanuts in a slightly spicy sauce. As we ate we chatted a bit with Santi about my favorite TV program, Glee. He has seen the latest episode three times, but I have to see the last two episodes in order to catch up with him. When I looked at my watch I discovered that we had spent two very pleasant hours with Mike and Santi and that it was time to go back home.

The rest of our day was very restful. We read for a while and then we watched the Ï Kissed a Girl” episode of Glee and after that we watched “White Christmas” with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. It was a kick watching that vintage film that was obviously filmed entirely on sound stages. Thanks to our Apple TV we were able to watch it on our HDTV. It was a little after 11:00 when the movie ended. We read for a while and then shut off the lights and went to bed.

Christmas at The Ginger Loft

Christmas at The Ginger Loft 2

Winter cocktail 1

Hummus appetizer

Winter Cocktail 2

Eggs Benedict

Chinese Noodle Salad

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Enchufado vs Desenchufado

Posted on December 11, 2011 by martykaplan

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Yesterday was a very non-active day for the both of us. I managed to get to the gym to do an hour’s worth of cardio. Later in the afternoon the both of us went to Mercadona to pick up a few things, but that was the sum total of our activities for the day. Susan made lunch at home using a Giada recipe for orzo and sausage. In the evening we read and watched a French video entitled Venus, Salón de Belleza that featured Audrey Tatou on the cover, but she only had a minor role in this 1999 film. The film was enjoyable, but nothing to write home about.

What follows are some thoughts that I wrote down soon after our arrival here in Valencia. If you have been reading the blog for a while, some of this will sound familiar. Today’s photos were all shot by Susan last Tuesday when all of Spain was celebrating El Día de la Constitución.

The Spanish terms enchufado and desenchufado have both a literal and a figurative meaning. In their literal sense the mean plugged in and unplugged. In their figurative sense they refer to having connections of some sort, usually political or financial, that can help overcome obstacles. For me they have another meaning that helps me describe my relationship with both Los Angeles and Valencia and the feelings that are engendered by that relationship. Before I go into any depth, let me confess that the idea of the bubble known as the car comes from Susan. I expanded on the idea.

It will come as no surprise to both my American and Spanish friends that I feel more at home in Spain than I do in Los Angeles. Part of the reason is that when I am in LA I feel unplugged. Part of that feeling results from the fact that I am now retired and my daily connection with Westridge School has been severed. I still visit from time to time and I stay up to date with that’s happening thanks to my friends on Facebook, but Facebook is no substitute for face-to-face encounters. I do have a number of good friends in Los Angeles and we catch up every now and then, but, at best, we intersect once or twice a week. In addition, it is difficult to feel plugged in when the world around you is encapsulated in their many bubbles.

The first bubble is the house bubble. What I mean by that is, how many of us actually know our neighbors and interact with them? We have lived at our current address for 25 years and we know three of our neighbors very well and there are three or four others whom we greet in passing. Most of us spend most of our non-work hours in our houses, which has become our fortresses that protect us from a real or imagined hostile world. The second bubble is the car bubble. In Los Angeles you need a car to do just about everything. I imagine there are some neighborhoods where you can take care of your daily or weekly food needs within walking distance of your house, but I have the feeling that there aren’t that many neighborhoods that fit that description. When you are in your car you obviously cannot interact with the people on the street. That underscores another issue; to whit there are very few people whom you see on the street. There are pockets where the sidewalks are full of people, Old Town Pasadena as an example, but everyone is rushing to get somewhere and the possibility for any human interaction is minimal. When you do have some interaction it is usually in some establishment and it is with the personnel of that establishment most of whom have no idea who you are no many times you have visited. The bubbles serve as perfect protection from what is it that we value most as a society. I will save that essay for a later date, but you probably already know what I am going to say.

The city of Valencia comprises 51 square miles, which is on a par with the city of San Francisco. The parts of the city to which we travel on foot and frequent most for shopping, dining or cultural reasons comprise, at the most, 15 square miles. We can get most anywhere we want by walking fifteen or twenty minutes. Our longest walk is to the Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias and that takes about a half an hour. No matter where you walk the streets are filled with people coming and going from shopping, with kids heading to and returning from school, friends on their way to meet friends at a café or a restaurant, tourists exploring the cities, and people doing their daily work. The chances of running into someone you know are greatly heightened. Along your way you will inevitably see several or many of the people with whom you transact business and you will greet them and have a brief or lengthy conversation with him. On a good day I can chat with close to twenty people. That number is halved on a “bad” day.

I see my magic friends twice a week at a minimum. In addition to the CIVAC meeting on Mondays and the meeting of the veteranos on Thursday I will catch up with Pepe at least once more in the course of a week. We see Brian and Ofelia on a regular basis and Zahava and Claus with less frequency. We see our neighbors at least once a day and we exchange pleasantries. We do not have a deep relationship with any of them, but they know who we are and vice-versa.

All businesses with which we have dealt still provide the personal touch, which has all but disappeared from most businesses in Los Angeles, with the exception of some high-end stores. A case in point, last week we bought a new hair dryer at the nearby hardware store. The clerk took everything out of the box to make sure that everything that was supposed to be there was there. He then proceeded to plug in the hair dryer and test the two hot air settings and the cool air setting. He then re-packed everything and told us that if there were any problem with the unit he would help us find a solution. Once upon a time that’s the way it used to be in the States. It is certainly not that way now. For most employees customers are to be tolerated, at best, and ignored at worst.

As much as I miss my American friends, I feel much more at home here in Spain where the things I value are valued to the same degree and where personal interaction is still prized. Given who I am and what I think and feel the degree to which I feel enchufado should come as no surprise. For a while I thought that my extensive background in all things Spanish was what made me feel this way about Spain in general and Valencia in particular. However, as I have more and more contact with non-Spaniards I discover that they feel the same way, too.

The Star of David stained glass window of the Cathedral. The Jewish merchants who sold their salt outside of the cathedral would see this Star of David when they came to work and when they left.

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CHOCOLATE!

Posted on December 10, 2011 by martykaplan

Saturday, December 10, 2011

We have a clear social calendar for today and I think we will take advantage of that by doing absolutely nothing except maybe going for an afternoon walk. Last night turned out to be another late night and I think the intelligent thing to do is to take life easy.

Yesterday Susan had an 11:00 AM appointment at the hairdresser’s and she did not return home until 3:00 PM. She walked both ways and on the way back she stopped at Habitat to pick up a serving piece. While she was gone I did a full workout at the gym and also did some food shopping. By 3:15 we were seated at the only empty table in La Fórcola.

The place was hopping and while we were there they had to turn away six or seven people because there were no tables available and there was a thirty-minute wait. Susan ordered the farro salad and I ordered the melted próvola cheese that was studded with slices of chorizo. Farro is a barley-like cereal grain and I believe it is commonly called spelt. We shared appetizers and then moved on to the main course. Susan ordered a pasta dish and I ordered the monkfish that was served in a sauce that contained shrimp and mussels. We both ordered tiramisu for dessert. Coffee was in order and so was an after lunch liqueur. Susan opted for limoncello and I had a Sambuca. Along with my liqueur they put a coffee bean dispenser on the table in the event that I wanted the traditional three coffee beans in my Sambuca.

It was close to 4:30 when we walked through the door and we spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening just kicking back and taking life easy. Around 10:00 we got dressed and headed to La Cuchara Mágica for a chocolate tasting. Rubén Dasi, an award winning chocolatier and pastry chef, was our guide for the evening and had prepared several unusual items for us to enjoy last evening.

The presentation began with his explanation of how chocolate is made. He explained that the chocolate must be brought up to a temperature of 45 degrees Centigrade and then quickly cooled to a temperature of 28 degrees Centigrade by placing it on a marble surface and working it with the appropriate tool. It is then placed into molds and allowed to set for some two or three hours. If the chocolate has not cooled sufficiently when poured into the molds, it will not release from the molds. When the chocolate has set for the necessary amount of time, the filling is then added.

We got to sample three different candies and each was paired with wine, sherry or champagne. We first sampled a chocolate filled with passion fruit. We were instructed to take a bite, let it linger in our mouth and then take a sip of the sweet red wine with which it was paired. The second pairing was a saffron filled chocolate that was paired with a dry sherry. The last pairing was an almond paste based sweet which was paired with champagne. While we did our tastings we were instructed to not do any talking and we listened to violin music while we did our tasting. Our last treat of the evening was a cake that consisted of a variety of layers of pastry creams each having either a sweet or savory base. The lights were turned of for this tasting and we were told that we could accompany I with any of the three beverages we had sampled before. What a delicious way to spend an evening with friends.

We got home around 12:30 and we stayed up for a little while to let the chocolate and the alcohol settle. I read my book while Susan edited some of last night’s pictures, some of which you will see at the end of this post.

Espai Imatge

Susan's stylist Jorge

Próvola with chorizo

Monkfish with mussels and shrimp

Coffee bean dispenser

Chocolate tasting "pastel"

Rubén Dasi

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Let The Music Play

Posted on December 9, 2011 by martykaplan

Friday, December 9, 2011

It is overcast and cool today. Susan headed of to the hairdresser’s at 11:00 and I was off to the gym at 11:30. I picked up a few things on the way home and I am waiting for Susan’s return as I work on this blog entry.

Yesterday was yet another busy day. Miguel came by a noon to take me shopping. We were heading for Alfafá, which is just outside the city limits as you head south to Alicante. There are a goodly number of big box stores there and we were headed to a store called Leroy Merlin. It is on the order of a Home Depot and is just as big. I was in the market for another nightstand for the bedroom and Miguel suggested that this might be a good place to look. The parking lot was mobbed, but we managed to find a parking space and entered the store.

I looked at several possibilities, but there was one model that caught my eye. It was oak in color, had four drawers, was already assembled, and was on sale. Miguel brought the car around and we loaded it into the trunk. We then shot across the street and headed to a sporting goods store called Decathlon. It too was enormous. It was much bigger than the Big 5’s that I have frequented in Los Angeles and I was amazed at the amount of ski clothes they had on display. I was in the market for workout pants. I thought I had left a pair or two here, but that was not the case. I managed to find two pairs that will suit my needs well as we move through the colder months of the year.

When we got back home Miguel schlepped the nightstand upstairs. Given its size we decided to put it on Susan’s side of the bed. At will give her more storage space for her clothes. The smaller one will be mine and it will give me a place to put my glasses and any book that I might be reading, thus avoiding the need to get up and put them in the living room. We had invited Miguel to stay for lunch and while he and Susan schmoozed I went out and bought a loaf of bread and some dessert.

While Susan put the finishing touches on a veal and mushroom dish, Miguel and I munched on some olives and some chips. Susan joined us until the timer went off and we all took our place at the table. We started with a salad and then continued with the veal dish, which Susan served over pasta. We enjoyed the freshly baked bread and a recently opened bottle of Verdejo. For dessert we shared a pastel de manzana. Susan and I had coffee and Miguel decided to pass on coffee. We chatted a bit after lunch and Miguel headed off around 4:00.

The reason he was free yesterday was because yesterday was yet another día festivo– El Día de la Inmaculada. Around 7:00 last evening the statue of the Virgin was paraded through the streets accompanied by the Municipal Band. We waited until they passed and then we flagged down a cab and headed over to Brian and Ofelia’s for dinner.

Ofelia had recently returned from a sojourn in Belgium where, among other things, she helped her niece celebrate her 18^th birthday. While we munched on some ham and cheese we caught each other up on the latest happenings. Brian then called us to the table and we enjoyed a sumptuous meal of mussels steamed in a white wine and tomato broth that was laden with a variety of herbs and spices. We then enjoyed a very tasty baked salmon, potatoes and steamed asparagus. Dessert was a homemade apple tart and it went perfectly with our meal ending coffee. At 10:00 the four of us left the house, heading for a jazz club that is located just around the corner from their place.

Café Mercedes is located on Calle Sueca and it features jazz. Here is a link to their website http://cafemercedes.es/ Tonight’s group was a trio of singers from Navarra who were backed up by a bassist, a pianist and a drummer. The name of the group is The Jazzin Singers and the leader of the group is Teresa Luján. They reminded me a bit of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross or, if you need a more modern comparison, The Manhattan Transfer. Their first set lasted an hour and they started their second set a bit after midnight. We left the club a bit after 1:15 and Brian kindly drove us home. We walked through the door at 1:30 and gave Rachel a call. We chatted for a while and at 2:00 AM we collapsed into bed.

Ofelia, Brian, Susan and I

Susan and Ofelia

Teresa Luján

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A Christmas Concert

Posted on December 8, 2011 by martykaplan

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Our busy week continues. Miguel and I will make a trip to Carrefour to pick up a nightstand for the bedroom and then he will join us for lunch. This evening we will be having dinner with Ofelia and Brian and going to a jazz club afterwards.

Yesterday we headed for the market around noon. We had stopped off at a business around the corner from us to print out some photos to give to Jordi, but it took them forever to print the four photos. At one point I told Susan to go on ahead and that I would catch up with her at the market. When I finally got to the market she was waiting for Amparo to wait on her at Frutería Ros. I told Susan that I was going to run across the street to the Banco Popular because they had trouble reading my debit card at the Palau the other night. I inserted my card in the automatic teller and received a message that said, “This operation cannot be completed with this card. That was not the first time that I have seen this message. It means that the magnetic strip on the card has been corrupted.

I then made my way to the central office of the bank and visited with Carlos once again so that I could order a new card. I then made my way back to the market where Susan had stopped at a sidewalk café to have a cup of coffee while she waited for me to return. Just before heading to the bank we had stopped off at Carusel to give Jordi and Carol the pictures of Joanna that we had had printed. We also picked up six bottles of wine that Jordi had ordered for us. Jordi gave us his discount that he gets from his distributor and the six bottles of wine cost us 16 Euros.

When we got home we unpacked the roller and gave some thought to lunch. Since Susan had an Aqua Fitness class at 3:30 we decided to eat early. We went over to the restaurant at Rojas Clemente to let Enrique prepare lunch for us. We both started with an ensalada valenciana, which had a little bit of everything in it = lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, beets, olives, radishes and tuna. Susan ordered the chicken brochette as her entrée and I had the filet. Susan and I shared our desserts. I had ordered the almond cake and she had ordered the apple pie. We finished the meal with a coffee.

As soon as we got home, Susan picked up her gym bag and headed off for her class. I sat down at the computer and wrote Wednesday’s blog entry. When I finished I headed for the gym to get in my workout. I got back home a little after 6:00 and hopped in the shower because we were going to a concert that started at 7:30.

The choir of the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia was presenting its Christmas concert at the Palau de Música. This was an extra special event because it also marker the tenth anniversary of the formation of the choir. My friend and fellow magician, Jaime Gómez, is the current president of the choir. He had alerted me to the concert and told me to arrive by 7:00 to get a good seat because tickets were free and it was general seating. We picked up our tickets at the box office and decided to have a drink at the bar since they had not started admitting people into the hall yet.

As we made our way to the entrance of the concert hall Susan heard someone calling her name. It was Zahava. She and Klaus were there at the invitation of a friend who is a member of the choir. They were ahead of us in line, but they indicated that they would save us two seats. They did just that and we settled comfortably into our seats in the 9^th row of the orchestra. We chatted for a bit until the concert began.

The first part of the program consisted of traditional Valencian and Spanish Christmas pieces. The second half of their program consisted mainly of American carols and Christmas tunes like Jingle Bells and The 12 Days of Christmas. We enjoyed the first half of the concert more because we got to discover new music. The second half consisted of songs that were very familiar to us, but not to the Valencian audience.

When the concert ended we headed for home. We decided to walk a bit and then take a cab when we felt the need to do so. On our way we stopped into a restaurant and had a drink and ordered some tapas to fortify us on our journey home. We never took a cab and walked all the way back to the apartment. Once there we gave Rachel a call and spoke to her for a while and also spoke with my brother. Around 11:30 we got under the covers and read for a while and it was a little after midnight when we went to sleep.

Patatas Bravas

Ensalada Valenciana

Chicken Brochette

Filete a la Plancha

Tarta de Almendra

Tarta de Manzana

La Calle Jorge Juan

La Calle Jorge Juan (2)

The Polytechnic University of Valencia Choir (file photo)

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El Día De La Constitución

Posted on December 7, 2011 by martykaplan

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Yesterday was a national holiday – El día de la constitución – and most businesses were closed. We slept in until 10:00 and we took a leisurely stroll through our morning. It was close to 2:00 when we decided that it was time to go in search of lunch. We decided that we would try Shaley where the guys and I had tapas Monday night.

We took the long way cutting through narrow streets and alleys until we reached Las Torres de Serrano. The restaurant is a three-minute walk from there. Several of the outdoor tables were filled and two of the seven indoor tables were occupied. We sat down at a four top and waited for our waitress to tell us what the menu of the day was. There were only a few choices because I think they did more lunch business than they had anticipated. But, fear not, we did not go hungry.

We both had a serving of paella as an appetizer. For our main course we had some octopus and some lamb chops and we shared both dishes. Before the paella made its appearance the owner sent a pincho de tortilla to our table so we could ward off our hunger until the paella arrived. Everything was very tasty and, although the food is far from gourmet, it is made with quality products and lovingly prepared. We skipped dessert and settled for a coffee.

On our way home we stopped at Linares and had our gelato. We continued walking and passed by Carusel and were surprised to discover that it was open. Jordi was outside talking with his friend, Manolo, and he invited us to sit down and stay a spell. We ordered another coffee and spent a good half hour just shooting the breeze. Jordi and Manolo were talking about the current economic situation here in Spain and, according to Jordi, part of the problem is the Spaniard him or herself. It makes no sense to him that a country like Spain with all of its natural resources and natural attractions should be struggling while countries like Norway and Sweden who have to import everything and have no tourist industry are weathering the current economic crisis in fine feather. According to Jordi it comes down to the quality of one’s work ethic and the pride that one does or does not take in doing a job well.

When we got home it was already 5:30 and we barely had time to change and head out to the Palau de la Música. La Casa del Artista was celebrating its 20^th Anniversary with a special presentation that featured highlights of its past shows. The presentation lasted two and a half hours and we got to see and listen to a variety of song stylings that ranged all the way from show tunes to flamenco to boleros to music hall songs. The audience was very appreciative of all the performers and many of them sang along to many of the songs. We exited the theater at 9:30 and took a cab home.

We decided to stop off at Olaya to have a tapa or two. The patatas bravas and the boquerones en vinagrewent down easily with my beer and Susan’s glass of red wine. When we got home, we got comfortable and read for about an hour or so. It was a bit after midnight when we shut off the lights and closed our eyes.