The Lounge 102

Cider or sidra is the drink of choice for many Asturians.  Situated in the far north of Spain the region gets the full brunt of the Atlantic Ocean and is is too cold and wet for wine production.  So being the resourceful people that they are, they make cider. Sidrerias or cider bars, are common place in the country side and towns and like the Irish pub are a place to gather with family and friends.  The cider is billed as Sidra Natural.   It is made from apples harvested from the Asturian orchards and has no added ingredients.  Just pressed juice, natural yeast and time.  It a perfect accompaniment to the local cheeses and served cold better than any beer for quenching your thirst on a hot day.  The ritual of pouring it from above your head to aerate it is best left to the expert bar staff and waiters.  You're served about an inch of cider in a glass, which you knock back.  You then wait for the waiter to come back and refill your gl...

Close your eyes and think of Spain.  What do you see?  Chances are that you see endless sunshine, paella, bull fighting, flamenco, sangria, a shimmering Mediterranean sea, El Cid and Don Quixote.  That is not Asturias.  Asturias is Espana Verde or Green Spain.  Asturias is mixed weather, fabada, pipe music, cider and a hissing Atlantic ocean.  Asturias is not the Spain that the tourist board have painted but it is the Spain to where I headed. Bilbao from above Crossing the border into Spain is seamless, the road signs become Spanish, that's about the only difference.  Picking up the Autovia del Cantabrico we were soon passing signs for cities familiar from previous trips, San Sebastian, Vitoria Gasteiz, Gernika.  Soon we were driving over Bilbao trying to get an aerial view of  the Guggenheim.  Mountain tunnels This part of northern Spain is hemmed in between soaring mountains and a continuously charging...

They dined on mince, and slices of quince Which they ate with a runcible spoon And hand in hand , on the edge of the sand They danced by the light of the moon Edward Lear Whoever they were they must have been pretty sick after eating slices of quince.  Inedible in it's raw state, much like the crab apple, it's transformed by cooking.  The Spanish make membrillo to accompany Manchego cheese, a marriage made in heaven.  Similar to a pear, this fruit is as rare as hens teeth in Ireland but usually easily got in France and Spain during autumn.  So imagine my surprise when I came across a large supply of quince in Brittany last week as I killed time waiting for the ferry.  I text Barbara, Travis Bickles wife, and shared news of my bounty.  Yes I'll have some she replied.  So 2 kgs of prime quince were purchased, stored in the boot and transported home.  To make membrillo I took (weights approximate) 1kg of quinces 1...

And so down the motorway we sped, past Bordeaux. past Biarritz, past Bayonne, down to the Spanish border.  Deep into French Basque Country where sitting in an arching horseshoe bay lies Saint Jean de Luz, our home for the night.  St.Jean de Luz Beach Jai Alai Thanks to the modern wonders (to me at least) of modern SatNav we found our hotel easily. Odalys Erromardie is about 3km from the main town and near the main surfing beach, it provided secure parking and a few other creature comforts.  We checked in and headed for a swim in the hotel pool.  Suitably refreshed we donned the glad rags and headed for town. We decided to walk, there is a bus route which passes the hotel (#3) but we never saw it on either leg.  The evening was warm and humid and Mrs L required refreshments.  We stopped in to a local bar/tabac for a drink.  Behind the counter, past the bottles and shelves was a ball alley or fronton.  Pelota is a catch all ...

Apple & Ginger Chutney with Tomme d'Ardeche Sunday, September 17th.  My phone buzzes.  A message.  It was my buddy, Travis Bickle.  "You're invited over to watch the All Ireland Football Final and have some lunch, see you later"  This was closely worded code for come over and drink some wine, chew the fat and chill out.  I went.  We drank some very nice Malbec from Cahors, ate a very nice pork stew, chewed some fat and chilled out.  We went into his orchard and collected windfall apples.  I never did see the game. Monday, September 18th.  I look at the bag of apples in my kitchen, there must be 5kgs.  What am I going to do with those?, I asked myself.  Chutney, I replied, chutney.  Apple and Ginger Chutney for Christmas. I took (all approximate weights, makes about 2.5kg) 2.5 kg of apples  150gr of fresh ginger 500gr raisins 250gr demerara sugar 300ml apple cider vinegar ...

Tired of the hassle and seemingly non stop security checks at airports Mrs Lounge and I decided that we would take the slow route to France and Spain this year.  You drive your vehicle on to the ferry, you park, you go to your cabin, you settle in, you stroll the deck, you have dinner and a few drinks, you go to bed, you wake up in another country.  No need to remove your shoes, belt, prosthetic limbs or fillings. Civilised. And so on September 2nd we set sail from Ringaskiddy in Cork, Ireland to Roscoff in France with Brittany Ferries.  Arriving in Roscoff at 7am on a wet and cold Sunday morning I pointed the car towards the motor way and headed for our first port of call, Ile de Re, about 500km south.  The early hour and it being Sunday meant for good progress despite the rain. The Ile de Re is an island of the west coast of France near La Rochelle.  It's been connected to the main land via a 3km bridge since the late 1980s.  This had the adva...

The Door Knockers of France & Spain