It’s true, Anything But Paella recently featured on Spanish TV! Ok, it wasn’t national TV, it was the local station in Antequera where I was attending a conference of the Writers and Bloggers About Spain (WABAS), but it’s open to a global audience thanks to the power of the Internet! It was a nerve-wracking experience being interviewed in Spanish but it went ok, (mas ó menos!). Have a look at the youtube video of some of the WABAS gang talking about their projects. Sorry, but subtitles in English are not yet available!!
Why not hop over to the WABAS Facebook page and make sure you keep up with what everyone in the group is up to. Graham Hunt has written eloquently about the conference so, rather than go over it all again, I’ll simply direct you to his page if you wish to read all about what an interesting weekend it was. It’s well worth the read, believe me.
For the record, those who braved the TV interview were:
Graham Hunt, founder of WABAS, and owner of Valencia Property, if you are looking to buy a place in the Valencia area.
Joanna Styles who has developed an app for your mobile to guide you around the city of Malaga.
Merilyn Parker who has come to Spain to sing and dance flamenco.
Anna Kemp who led the campaign to build an amphitheatre in the Alpujarras where successful music festivals are now held.
Alicia Shelley who writes for Andalucia Inland and co-organised the conference.
Viviana Knorr, a talented Mexican scriptwriter and translator who also writes about her talented Dutch artist husband, Christian.
And last, but not least, me here at Anything But Paella so make sure you like my Facebook page too!
The weekend went really well and we all lapped up discounted luxury thanks to the Antequera Parador which was incredibly comfortable and beautifully located. A trip to the TV studios at Las 4 Esquinas on Friday evening was followed by a nerve-steadying drink before a wonderful evening of free flowing wine and tapas at Reina Restaurantes.
The Saturday was an intensive day of workshops and talks, but an olive oil tasting session by DCOOP broke the day up nicely. The evening was spent being wined and dined at Arte de Cozina which was fabulous. We actually spent the Sunday night staying in one of their guest rooms and it’s highly recommended if the price of the Parador puts you off! Sunday itself was quite a relaxing day for those without hangovers, but as always, it was sad saying goodbye to so many new friends. That evening we dined at the Capella restaurant looked over by a giant model of Antequera which was quite an unusual experience.
At any conference though, what better than a goodie bag for people to take away. We had gifts of molletes, a type of bread specific to the area from the aptly named Mollete San Roque, as well as biscuits which explode in the mouth from La Antequera. Delicious and many thanks to those who donated them!
The photo above was taken in the TV studio and show us lending our support to Antequera’s campaign to gain World Heritage status for their Dolmens, ancient burial grounds which are located nearby.
November 22, 2015 @ 11:57 am
Lovely piece Russ, and so many honourable mentions for others too. You’ll have to work harder on persuading Tony to let me go next year! x
November 22, 2015 @ 12:59 pm
Thanks Sandra. We had a ball. Definitely recommend it for next year.