The Tuna of Tunafish: Ortiz
Until I moved to Spain, I thought of tunafish as a relatively strong-tasting dry fish that needed to be toned down and doctored up with mayonnaise, chopped celery, onion, pickle relish, lemon juice, and mustard to be edible. Most tunafish sold in the US is packed in either vegetable oil or water (which does nothing to enhance the flavor of the fish) although tuna packed in olive oil (which does enhance the flavor) is now available in many markets. Still, most grocery store tunafish is nothing to get excited about. Then I discovered Ortiz Tuna (when I lived in Madrid) which is so unlike the typical grocery store tunafish that it’s hard to believe they come from the same family of fish. Read more 
Visting the Basque Country, Hondarribia, Spain
Hondarribia is a small town located 12 miles (20 kilometers) directly east of San Sebastian, on the northwest corner of Spain and France. Located on the coast in Pais Vasco – or the Basque Country – Hondarribia (Basque) is also known as Fuenterrabia (Spanish). The old part of the town (where the parador is located) is small and easy to maneuver by foot on the narrow streets with ancient walls and a small castle (that was for sale when we visited) attached to the ancient walls. But, the most breathtaking part of the old town is the water and beach views across the bay looking over to France. Read more 
