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Bioparc Valencia: A little piece of Africa in Spain

The city of Valencia holds some unexpected surprises. We recently discovered the Bioparc Valencia, a unique 25-acre zoo located at the western end of the Turia Garden in the Parque de Cabecera. With friends visiting from the U.S., we thought the zoo would be a nice way to spend the morning. To our delight, this…
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Salmorejo: A Cold Soup for a Hot Spanish Summer

Salmorejo is a cold tomato soup from Cordoba in the Andalusia region of Spain. Similar to gazpacho, but with fewer ingredients and a thicker consistency, this soup is perfect for the hot summer days typical of southern Spain. It is also a great way to enjoy the bounty of ripe tomatoes that summer brings. Salmorejo…
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Clóchinas: Pulling Valencian Mussels From a Shell

With the arrival of summer, clóchinas began appearing in the markets and on restaurant menus all over Valencia. These very special mussels are unique to Valencia and only available May through September. Clóchinas (also called clotxinas in Valenciano) are cultivated on 22 floating rafts located in the ports of Valencia and Sagunto. Harvest follows the…
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Avant-Garde Cuisine in the Medieval City of Girona

The city of Girona in northeastern Spain overwhelms your senses with beautiful scenery and some of the best food in the world. These days Girona seems to be best known for two things: as a filming location for HBO’s Game of Thrones and home to the famous Michelin three-star restaurant El Celler de Can Roca.…
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Getaway to Frederick, Maryland

Last year we published a food crawl in Frederick, Maryland, a historic city about an hour outside of Washington, DC. We returned to Frederick on our recent trip back to the states and were once again charmed by this towns ability to relax us. Long walks along Carroll Creek and through Baker Park, browsing the…
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Big Cork Equals Big Wine For Maryland

Wherever we travel, we try to experience the local wine culture. We recently spent some time in our hometown of Washington DC and took a day to see what’s going on with Maryland wines these days. An excellent recommendation from the host of our B&B in Frederick Maryland took us to Big Cork Vineyards, one…
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Snacking Galician Style at Atlántico Casa de Petiscos

**PERMANENTLY CLOSED** Update January 2018: It makes me very sad to see that Atlántico has closed its doors in Valencia. I don’t always understand why some of my favorite restaurants close down. In this case, maybe the location was just enough off the beaten path to prevent walk-in traffic? Out of sight, out of mind? We…


