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Annie Bennett

@anniebennett.bsky.social
1.3K followers 984 following 860 posts

Travel writer. Spain and Wales

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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I love unfashionable, uncool places like León.
telegraph.co.uk
The vibrant Spanish city with €2.50 wine (and 2,000 years of history)
León is a city of Roman ruins, Gaudí architecture, Gothic splendour and tapas bars where the food is free
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Nick Lloyd @spaincivilwartours.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
1914 photo of Federico García Lorca teaching his sister Isabel to read music... He'd be about 16 here in their Granada home.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Thousands took to the streets in Madrid this evening to protest against the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen, who had lived in her flat for 70 years. She is now in hospital.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The space next to me in Tesco car park this afternoon was taken up by a gloriously fluffy and enormous Maremma sheepdog who weighed 10 stone and refused to budge despite his owner’s cajoling. Fabulous.
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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Not a fan of the Spectator at all, but this article (free) is spot on. Don’t get me started on Italy snobs either … spectator.com/article/give...
spectator.com
Give me Spain over France any day
Why is Spain as a holiday destination for Brits seen as low rent compared to France? Popularity and accessibility breed contempt.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
“We never valued produce in terms of what it cost; a lentil was worth the same as caviar” Ferran Adrià talks to @stephenburgen.bsky.social
theguardian.com
‘We broke the rules:’ why chef Ferran Adrià is the subject of new TV drama
Six-part drama Gènesi tells the story of Adrià’s Catalan restaurant El Bulli from the day he arrived as a kitchen hand
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Dr. Peter Paul Rubens @peterpaulrubens.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Ingredients for a meal, including heaps of lovely asparagus & some vile dead things, as cataloged in 1652 by Ignacio Arias. Another Spanish still-life painter elbowing in on Alejandro de Loarte's day.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I hope you’ll be wearing a different Larissa shirt with your t-shirt on each walk…
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Justin Lewis @whenisbirths.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Fancy giving my book #IntoTheGroove a try-out if you haven't yet had the pleasure? It's currently reduced to just £3.89 for its Kindle format - and is perhaps as a consequence now #2 in the Music History and Criticism chart. YES. www.amazon.co.uk/Into-Groove-...
amazon.co.uk
Into the Groove: The 1980s: The Ultimate Decade in Music History
Into the Groove: The 1980s: The Ultimate Decade in Music History eBook : Lewis, Justin: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
A man driving erratically near Seville was four times over the limit but blamed it on the vinegar in his gazpacho.
elpais.com
Un hombre cuadruplica la tasa máxima de alcohol para conducir y asegura que fue por comer gazpacho
Los agentes interceptaron al conductor tras observar cómo circulaba realizando maniobras extrañas
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Madrid sunrise
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
A bit of gorgeously melty wagyu at the just-opened Nobu hotel in Madrid.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Anchovies on sobao sponge with crumbled blue cheese and something mayonnaisey. All very Cantabrian (in Madrid) and a surprisingly successful combo.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I’ve worked out how to turn the shower on and conquered the coffee machine in this hotel and that’s quite enough achievements for a Monday morning.
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Dr. Peter Paul Rubens @peterpaulrubens.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Truly spectacular collection of shells, carefully arranged around blood-red coral by 17th-century French painter Jacques Linard in 1640. Today is his day.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
“We recreated them and shared them with friends and family..Some dishes, although they were prepared from scraps, surprised us as they were real gems, others were not so great.” @stephenburgen.bsky.social
theguardian.com
No eggs, no potatoes but ‘a lot of imagination’: how Spain cooked in war’s hunger years
Book recreates recipes from period following end of Spanish civil war when people faced food shortages
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Justin Lewis @whenisbirths.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Sixty years ago this month, all this happened. #WhenWasThings #Sept1966 #Monkees
A guitar-shaped wall of names - pastiching the Monkees guitar logo - for events of September 1966. White text on red background, complete with six yellow hearts for tuning pegs - three above, three (inverted) below. Sept 1966 also in yellow 

A-Z of events as follows:
After the Fox, Florence E. Allen RIP, The Baron, Nikki Bedi, Botswana, Andre Breton RIP, Chelsea Girls, Colour TV - Canada / Core March in Cicero, A Delicate Balance / Terry Ellis / Fahrenheit 451 (film) / Ben Folds / Doug E Fresh / Jason Flemyng / Jules Furthman RIP / The Girl from UNCLE / The Green Hornet / 'Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow' / Salma Hayek / 'I Can't Control Myself' / International Literacy Day / Toby Jones / Jubilee (novel) / Helen Kane RIP / Fu Lei RIP / Mina Loy RIP / Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, NY / Mission: Impossible / The MOnkees / New Beacon Books / 'No Milk Today' / Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann / Adam Sandler / Margaret Sanger RIP / Saturday morning cartoons (USA) / The Severn road bridge / Lillian Smith RIP /  The Soldier's Art / Space Ghost / Star Trek / 'Stay With Me' / Claire Sturgess / That Girl / The Time Tunnel / The Trap / Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 
(C) JSL MMXXI
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Joan Miró @joanmiro.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
La Reforma www.wikiart.org/en/joan-miro/not_de…
La Reforma
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Astounding that in a museum with the size and importance of the Reina Sofia in Madrid there is no normal café, just two rather fancy and spendy places - very good, but still. Cocktails and ceviche? Certainly. Sandwich and a beer? No chance.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Beer break at Hermanos Vinagre in Lavapiés in the dense Madrid heat.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Same…
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Café Moderno in the Plaza de las Comendadoras in Madrid this evening. You may recognise it from Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
They’ve tried to disguise the dalek on the bar but I’m keeping an eye on it…
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The statue of Federico García Lorca in the Plaza de Santa Ana in Madrid this evening. It’s 90 years since he was shot at the beginning of Spain’s Civil War.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The Alhambra is open again today - apart from the Alcazaba - after being evacuated yesterday when there were more earthquakes in and around Granada.
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James Mcconachie @jamesmcconachie1.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Would you come to a writers’ retreat here? This is deep Spain, nothing but the sound of swifts, of Mari Carmen knitting while she waits for the one shop to open. One bar, surprisingly elegant and esqueixada on the menu del día. Deep, timeless calm. Endless forests.
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Victoria Trott @trottaround.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I’m in The I today talking about guinguettes in the Loire valley inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...
inews.co.uk
The perfect, low-key way to enjoy the Loire like the French do
A riverside culinary tradition with a louche history has been transformed by creative chefs, DJs, and pétanque
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
“Conde Cubo de Basura” - in case you’ve been wondering how they’re saying Count Binface in Spanish. Really it should be “Conde Cara de Cubo de Basura”, but that would be a bit of a mouthful I suppose.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Málaga’s mayor has smartened up the city centre with new museums and hotels, but traditional bars and shops are disappearing and its elegant buildings now house tourists rather than locals.
nytimes.com
He Transformed His Spanish Hometown. Did He Also Spoil It? (Gift Article)
Francisco de la Torre, the mayor of Málaga, is credited with turning the once drab port into a culture and tech hub. Critics say he’s also destroyed the city’s soul.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Rhossili bay on the Costa del Gower on one of the busiest days of the year. Always breathtaking.
Rhossili bay at the end of the Gower peninsula on a hot and sunny August day
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers is on BBC4 tonight at 23.10 and then on iplayer.
bbc.co.uk
BBC Four - Parallel Mothers
Two mothers bond in an unexpected way after giving birth on the same day.
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Joaquín Sorolla @joaquinsorolla.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Peeling Potatoes www.wikiart.org/en/joaqu-n-sorolla/…
Peeling Potatoes
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Meanwhile at Madrid zoo, there’s a new baby Sumatran elephant…
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Oh how I loved (and still love) my Sybilla clothes - and shoes and bedding… Such happy days skipping around Madrid like a pixie in the 80s. Can’t wait to see this exhibition at her gallery.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Legendary flamenco guitarist Pepe Habichuela has died in Madrid at the age of 82.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Andrew Graham-Dixon’s The Art of Spain from 2008 being repeated now on BBC4
bbc.co.uk
BBC Four - Art of Spain
Andrew Graham-Dixon tells the story of some of Europe's most exciting and vital art
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FT Weekend @ftweekend.com · 28/07/2026
Sorry, but Spanish olive oil is far superior to Italian ft.trib.al/KtBBFjx
ft.trib.al
Sorry, but Spanish olive oil is far superior to Italian
One grower makes a case
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Why is Richard E Grant on Channel 4 keeping his leather jacket and scarf on in the kitchen of this fancy de Mondion restaurant in Malta? Chef Clint being very polite.
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Victoria Trott @trottaround.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Oldest library on Iberian Peninsula found in a villa in Córdoba www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/07/t...
labrujulaverde.com
The Oldest Library in the Iberian Peninsula and the Westernmost in the Entire Empire Found in a Roman Villa in Córdoba
A team from the University of Granada has confirmed that a room in the Roman villa of Fuente Álamo, in the municipality of Puente Genil, functioned as a library, making it the oldest documented in the...
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Gareth Oakland 🇫🇷🏏🏉 @goakl.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
I thought this needed wider circulation now we’re in August. H/T to @thelocalfrance.bsky.social @emmapearson.bsky.social
Out of office
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Pronunciation of Ceuta on Radio 4 seems to have shifted from “suitor” yesterday to “sooeta” or “sweater” this morning.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Can’t have had time to change out of her office trousers #totp
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Madrid’s Debod Temple - a gift from Egypt to Spain - has disgracefully been allowed to deteriorate for years.
thetimes.com
Scramble to save Spain’s oldest temple from doom
A campaign launched by business leaders seeks designs to protect the ancient Egyptian monument after Spain failed to honour its original pledge
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Really interesting piece by @eugenecostello.bsky.social - an uplifting read for a change on dementia care.
substack.com
Does this extraordinary Dutch community hold the secret to a good life with dementia?
The De Hogeweyk project offers a normal life for elderly sufferers. But sceptics call it a dystopian Truman Show
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Had never tried freezing/defrosting gazpacho before but it was great!
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cathaguamia.bsky.social @cathaguamia.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Asturias, verano
La costa verde, la lluvia.
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Andrew Halliwell @adhalliwell.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Yet another twist on the long-running #Catalan #fizz labyrinth, that possibly seems important to those involved, but few others will be on the edge of their seats. DO #Penedès splits its still and #sparkling #wines into two separate bodies. www.vinetur.com/202607301050...
vinetur.com
La DO Penedès plantea una nueva estructura propia para sus espumosos de calidad
El proyecto prevé dos cámaras de gobierno y una clasificación en tres niveles ligada al territorio y al viñedo
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Had implant surgery and my face hasn’t been this numb since that night in the mezcal bar in Madrid.
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Andrew Halliwell @adhalliwell.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Another hot day forecast for La #Rioja. #Temperatures over 40ºC (104ºF) have become normal, but they're not normal and spell disaster for the region's emblematic #wine industry. Just another example of #climatechange, that will become apocalyptic within the lifetimes of many.
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Annie Bennett @anniebennett.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Well this lovely piece by @hambevan.bsky.social has brought back a lot of fuzzy memories of teenage pub crawls in Mumbles. Now where are my loons, smock and clogs?
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