Bring Spain into your home!
Do you already dream about next summer, with your Cerveza in one hand, a delicious tapa in the other … Unfortunately, all of this will have to wait, but you can travel to Spain without leaving the house with these tips! Spanish series/films, Spanish delicacies but also an app with which you can practice your Spanish language! Put on our Spanish music Spotify list or connect live with a guide showing you the ins and outs of the Sagrada Familia. Bring Spain into your home.
I am Suzie, half Dutch and half Spanish and I have lived in the beautiful city of Valencia for years! I am sorry that I cannot welcome you to Valencia and tell you everything about this beautiful city, the culture of Spain and the delicious food. Then I realized that the Spanish atmosphere can also easily be brought into your home!
Top 3 Spanish series and film
1. Can not be missed: La Casa de Papel
You probably already know or have heard about La Casa de Papel. The serie takes place in seasons 1 and 2 in the ‘Casa de la Moneda’ aka the Royal Mint in Madrid. This very exciting series cannot actually be played without the beautiful Spanish language underneath.
You can binge-watch this series of no less than 4 seasons over a whole weekend and I can assure you that you can’t wait for season 5 to be released in 2021.
2. Nothing to hide / Perfectos desconocidos
A group of friends has planned a dinner, they are all couples. To spice up the dinner party, they decide to play a game in which all phones are put on the table and the messages and calls that come in must be shared with everyone. In this movie you’ll find out that everyone has secrets …
3. The Wine Van
Go on a wine tour from the couch, this series takes you to the best Spanish bodegas in search of the best Spanish wine.
My favorites! First some numbers which is great to listen to while cooking & then for your own tapas dinner!
Spotify list with my favorite Spanish songs, get into the atmosphere in the kitchen, where you are preparing your own tapas and then relax on the couch with a platter of the best Spanish delicacies!
Make the platter yourself? This is very easy!
Shopping list for your own tapas platter:
- Iberico Fuet
- Chorizo
- Spanish olives
- Manchego cheese
- Gambas al ajillo – Shrimps in garlic
- French bread
- Pan con tomate → easy to make yourself! see the recipe below
– Baguette
– 4 ripe tomatoes
– 1 clove of garlic
– Extra virgin olive oil
– sea salt, preferably salt flakes - Patatas Bravas → easy to make yourself! see the recipe below
– waxy potatoes
– 1 onion / 1 clove of garlic
– 1 teaspoon of spicy paprika powder, preferably Pimenton picante as an alternative to cayenne pepper
– 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika powder, Pimenton de la vera as an alternative regular paprika powder
– 100 ml chicken bouillon (or vegetarian is also possible)
– 1 to 2 spoons of flour - Alioli (see here how you can easily make alioli yourself)
Present it on the typical Spanish way on a wooden plank or in the earthenware dishes & enjoy!
Recipe Pan con Tomate
Patatas Bravas
- Cut a tomato in half
- Toast the baguette until crispy
- Rub a garlic clove over the toasted bread
- Now run the tomato over the bread, rubbing it vigorously so that only the tomato skin is left. If the tomato is not ripe enough, it is better to grate the tomato and put it on bread.
- Plenty of good quality extra virgin olive oil over the sandwiches
- Drizzle over some salt flakes and enjoy! Delicious Pan con tomate on the table within 5 minutes.
Tip: Serve everything together and let your guests make the sandwich themselves.
- Heat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Peel the potatoes, cut into cubes and put them in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of pepper and salt. Divide the potato cubes over a baking tray lined with baking paper and put them in the oven for 40 minutes. (After 20 minutes turn the potato cubes briefly)
- In the meantime, make the sauce: Finely chop the onion and garlic and fry it in a frying pan along with olive oil. Add the paprika and then the flour and stir quickly so that it does not burn. Now add the bouillon and keep stirring. Let it simmer for a few minutes until a sauce consistency is formed. Now put it in a blender.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven, put the Brava sauce and the alioli on top, and the patatas bravas are ready!
Que aproveche!
Complement this delicious shelf with a nice Spanish rosé!
You prefer red wine? Then try Tinto de Verano, this Spanish summer wine is a mix of soft drinks and red wine;
very easy to make yourself!
You can also follow a live online tapas workshop with me. I will cook the tastiest tapas with you step by step!
Online tour in Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the building with the most beautiful architecture in Spain. If you have ever been to Barcelona you have not been able to miss this beautiful cathedral. You probably admired it when the large building was under scaffolding. This is still the case, Antoni Gaudí’s artwork is expected to be ready in 2026.
Colleague Robb, official guide in Barcelona, organizes an online private tour of the Sagrada Familia that takes you into the wonderful world of Antoni Gaudí in just over an hour! Plan the virtual Sagrada Familia tour together with family or friends from your own living room. Also suitable for schools!
This Dutch-speaking guide (also English of course) is also part of the World City Guides, just like Tours in Valencia. This is a network of Dutch-speaking quality guides in 28 world cities! And we all share the same passion; the love for our city!
Application to learn Spanish
I was lucky that I already spoke Dutch and Spanish immediately. But you can also learn it easily. Spaniards love it when you try to speak a word of Spanish during your holiday, this is the perfect way for you to practice! With the free Duolingo app you will learn Spanish words and phrases in different themes step by step. Choose the theme “vacation” and you will learn your first words of Spanish in no time!
Loosening the hips with the flamenco dance
Musically built and flexible in the hips? You probably still have a beautiful red dress and you have always wanted to dance the Flamenco in it! Change the living room into a dance floor, follow the dance steps via Youtube step by step, there are plenty of videos that can explain it to you! How nice would it be if you could dance the Flamenco on your holiday next year …
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