Posted by tim, June 29, 2011
While it may be one of the lesser-known cities in Basque Country, San Sebastian is no less a draw. Nestled along the Bay of Biscay, the city enjoys some of the nicest weather this side of Spain, with a mild climate all year round. And this is good news for its beach, which is one of the best in-city stretches of sand in Europe.
Visitors waste no time in stripping down to barely there swimwear and sunning themselves against a backdrop of historical buildings that date back through the ages. Highly recommended is La Concha, the perfect place for a lunch of pintxos and kalimotxos, and La Zurriola, which is better for surfing. Like many places in Spain, the best time to visit is during the summer. Expect average temperatures of about 72 degrees in June, July and August.
The international jazz festival will be held from 21st-26th July. This is probably one of the oldest music festivals both in Spain and in Europe, having been around for over four decades. The Jazz Festival lasts for six days and brings the world’s most gifted artists from around the globe to San Sebastian. Some famous artists who have graced this event over the yeras are Van Morrison, Medeski, Dave Holland, Gilberto Gil, Roberta Flack and Joe Cocker. It also provides a chance for up-and-coming artists to perform in an international forum. The Jazz Festival concerts usually take place at Plaza de la Trinidad and the Kursaal Auditorium. For more information on the festival click here
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Posted by tim, June 11, 2011
If you’re dying to get to the beach this summer but need to stay in the city there’s good news as urban beaches are springing up everywhere!!
So grab your bucket and spade and get down to a city beach near you this summer.
We’ve selected some of the best in Europe for you to visit:
Prague City Beach
Paris City Beach
Brussels City Beach
Amsterdam City Beach
Berlin City Beach
and last but definitely not least…..Good Old London City Beach
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Posted by tim, June 7, 2011
We recently came across the work of Su Blackwell an amazing artist that creates spectacular paper models from old books.
Using books she personally selects from second hand books shops the artist then spends months cutting and slicing each one of these books into a work of art.
Here are just a few of her amazing models.
To find out more about Su Blackwells work and find out where and when she is exhibiting make sure you visit her site
http://www.sublackwell.co.uk/
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Posted by tim, June 1, 2011
There’s nothing like a good cup of tea. More than 120000000 cups of tea are drunk in the UK every day – so you could safely say as a nation we are partial to a cuppa or two. But when it comes round to the discussion about how to make the perfect cuppa there is always differing opinions. Well to set things straight and make sure you hear the words “that’s a nice cup of tea that is” more often I have done some digging about to out exactly how to make the perfect cup of tea.
Warm teapot
1. Fill the kettle with fresh water. Water that has been boiled before will have lost some of its dissolved oxygen, vital for tea brewing. Soft water – water with a low mineral content – causes less scum to develop on the surface of the finished tea.
Warm the teapot by pouring in a quarter of a cup of water and putting the pot in a microwave for one minute on full power.
Add tea
2. Bring the warmed pot straight to the just-boiled kettle and place a single heaped teaspoon of loose Assam leaves into the pot.
Pour in the boiling water immediately. If the water is allowed to cool, it is less effective in releasing the chemicals in the tea leaves. The use of a tea cosy is not recommended, since the liquid needs to cool before pouring.
Stir
3. Stir the brewing tea and leave it for three minutes. This time allows for the release of polyphenolic compounds, which will give the tea its rich colour and flavour. A longer infusion period will unlock high molecular weight chemicals which taste bitter.
You cannot reduce the amount of caffeine in your cuppa by shortening the infusion time, most of the stimulant is released within a minute.
Milk
4. Put chilled milk in your ceramic mug FIRST. Milk proteins degenerate and taste stale if they are heated above 75 degrees centigrade. The milk first method allows the chilled liquid to cool the hot tea, rather than vice versa.
Sugar can then be added to taste. Both milk and sugar reduce the natural astringency [bitterness] of tea.
Enjoy…..
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