sol y sombra, again

Antequerra again.  More churches, with life-sized Virgins, at least one dead Jesus and enough gold to satisfy the queen of Sheba.   Then a very enthusiastic and very personal tour of the bull fighting museum and the ring.  A very Spanish tour, which severely limits our understanding.  A century and a half of posters, lithographs, photos, costumes, and stuffed bulls.  Animation for severed femoral arteries and other grisly deaths, lots of "loco", but also a clear love for the history and traditions surrounding the spectacle.


And the ring is pretty, with a plainness I miss in Spain.


Then back to Sol y Sombra, for the lunch-time tapas.  Careful exploration of the extensive menu, which I now know is based on fresh seafood brought in daily from Cádiz.  The anchovies with condensed milk draws my attention - I once heard Sohpie Grigson tell of the same.  However, condensed milk is not my thing.  Instead I settle on huevas de choco: cuttlefish roe, cooked, then chilled, served with a dressing of vinegar an oil.  Surprisingly larger, soft, yet firm, with a subtle sweetness.  The mother has meatballs, albondigas de calamar y gambas: with calamari and shrimp, with also with a lively dressing.  They taste of the sea.


Every day here I discover new things I had never even considered eating.  And its almost invariably good.  But I have to go to Cádiz.  For the sherry, for the sea.