Andy Rodker

Like a look back through time =) Nice composition...

That's a winning composition! A well positioned gate as a frame seems always a nice solution when bright sun and pale coloured architecture meet, but to get all the detail both inside and out for the authentic feeling of enjoying the shade is not so easy.

Very benevolent aliens too, to help you remove all disruption... LOL

I don't think so, remmelt! Throughout most of Spain you can get indifferent cooking or cooking that is 'correct' but wihout character, but 'bad'? I haven't found it!

Andy, you dont want to tell Remmelt something aboutthe Horse, do you? There are definatelya few joints in greater spain that hardly deserve the name restaurant... I happened onto two or three of them myself...

"Well, "Was vom Pferd erzaehlen "was probaply nothing that can get directly translated then. The german sayaing is about pushing truth a little towards the positive, but in a nice humorful way mot to call them deliberatly not honest, but like when someone omits somewhat less favourable features of something they love when they describe it. But I guess the saying generally comes from aprising on markets for horses and using euphemisms to sell them better.

My experiance with Spain is somewhat limited, just 4 vacations 3 of which where on the Canary Islands but I have to say that I had more than indifferent food a few times. And with that I do not mean that I do not like some of their common spices in the regional kitchen and was not prepared to get more of them than in mainstreamed "spanish week" tapas samplers from german supermarkets, but rather that food in touristic areas at some gastonomies was generally unpalatable or downright dangerous, no matter to which national theme they tried to cater specifically. Absolute worst we noticed was on Tenerife, where we managed in a 10 day vacation to have 4 extremely unhappy culinaric adventures. Well perhaps it is just so that elswhere in Spain food is mostly great as they banish their worst cooks all to Fanabe Beach where they are amongst themselves and got no competition, but I fear there are a few more places like that.

I will know next week how food in england is. So far all english restaurants I know where in either the USA or on the Canary Islands. I thought that food mostly far better than the reputation of the national kitchen. I love most of it nd even eat the mushed peas -- just no vinegar with the fries, sour potato is absolutely inaceptable to me.

When I think of the last time we traveled with that birdwatcher holiday company the food was also just so passable, bland loveless fare and rather smal portions but all the "healthy for people and environment" sort. So I do not expect much on the culinary side. Worst that can happen is that I loose a bit of weight (which would not be the worst thing anyway) as we can not get away to buy own snacks very well most likely and there might be probaply also group pressure whilst in a store togetherwith the rest of the outfit.
I just hope outside lunch breaks will get some interesting impressions asides of birds. I'd love much to get to see more and other things for the country, for that this guided tour should better be a notch better. Cardiff would be my dream destination for a city trip too, you know. I am a huge Torchwood fan asides of being a birder, but also this is less common with german adults, most germans I know personally think it's a plain dumb and confuse childrens show with a libertine slant that is aired to late in the day for the audience.... best I do not even tell any of the travel group, list they think I am a weirdo tinfoil hat or got the IQ of a hedgehog.

Anyway who books a birding tour with a speciality company over here is supposed to be a much better person than the average, it is a different culture than brits or american, no sizable number of thrifty twitchers that get out togeteher and subsequently stuffed up at the nearest discounter or fastfood, orienting at what is the cheapest and easyest coordinated with the RBA and ticking opportunity schedulle, but also no good niche market of finicky outdoorsy event consumers to whom the own creature comfort during the garanted experiance of the most stunning or cute wildlife sights is a priority.
It's all about the smal footprint whilst accessing an eco system already in their advertisements and its very exclusive anyway and therefore not all that cheap. The Wales trip was limited to a minibus full of people, even less than the Oder trip where we where expected to carpool with strangers.
I will just pack twice of my iron supplement and some extra fish oil as I fully expect that more than half of the attending have checked they wish a vegan menue at the hotel so everyone else gets spicefree steamed vegetables with oat burger most of the time for supper too. LOL
Anyway we booked that to get to Skomer and mainland surrounds and watch the birds without any hassles of any individual prebooking and travel where everyone drives on the wrong side for once.
I will tell you how it was when we are back.... ;o)