http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34572 From research, I have discovered that it is also a crafts centre grouping together the handiwork of many artists (silk, ceramics, puppets, glassware, etc).
Will definitely be popping by there again soon!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34572 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34468 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34468 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34465 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34465 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34464 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34464 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34463 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34463 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34274 It hosts live music most evenings from rock 'n' roll to blues.
You will find the gigs list on the website.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34274 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34132 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34132 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33995 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33995 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33608 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33608 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33543 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33543 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33540 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33540 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33434 Street level houses a quirky veggie café and a music/video/wine shop. Downstairs is a lounge/restaurant area with the same menu, and a club.
During the daytime enjoy the Radost FX cafe. Set behind large windows facing the street, the cafe has some pretty eclectic decor. Tuck into breakfast from 8-11, or later on enjoy the wide vegetarian menu later in the day. Radost Fx has a truly global menu, boasting dishes from countries including Greece, Italy, India and Thailand as well as some of the best veggie burgers and 'slaw ever. Food is available all day.
The same menu is available in the longue area downstairs, which is complimented by a great bar and live music at the weekends - well into the small hours.
I especially love the shop area on street level next to the cafe. As well as videos, DVDs and wine, this cosy shop offers an ever changing selection of vintage and contemporary music on vinyl.
There’s something for everyone here, at any time of day.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33434 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33376 It’s worth saying that, despite the name of the club, the music on offer is not all jazz!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33376 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33208 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33208 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32909 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32909 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32617
True to her word, a passer-by pointed us in the right direction, although upon arriving it still wasn't clear if we had reached our destination. The shutters were down and the mosaics above the door read 'Comestibles', not 'Casa Anselma'.

People were spilling out onto the road with a faint 'rociero' melody interrupted intermittently by loud outbursts of "vuelve a las 2, a las 2,'" "está a tope, a tope" ('come back at 2', 'its full"). The words were pouring out from a stout, black-clad woman in the entrance way, stopping the hoards from trying to squeeze in. It was not just her floral mantoncillo draped across her shoulders that made her appear a typical Andalusian woman -she was abrupt, loud and had plenty of guasa (wit): she was Anselma.

The crowds realised that there was no space for them and dispersed, heading to bars recommended by Anselma herself: “they sing as well as we do, but you must come back at 2”. My friend and I held tight and she eventually beckoned us on in.

The room was stuffy, packed with small gypsy-style hand painted tables and adorned with typical feria and Rocío paraphynalia. In the corner at the front was the choir, a coro rociero, a collective of people that sing hommage to the Virgen del Rocío and who go on pilgrimage every year. They were equipped with a percussion box and guitars, and not to forget the most important of instruments, their hands and voices! They performed upbeat bulerías and sevillanas to which a pair danced.

An hour into the show (at around 1 am) Anselma shouted across the audience "Stop dancing, I want to sing!" and she shimmied through the crowds to do what she knows best. It was clear that she was an experienced show woman: she joked, acted, and had a powerful copla voice.

Almost all of the people in the bar were Spanish: there were hen parties, and young groups of friends and couples. I would really recommend this bar to people that have knowledge of Spanish and the country's culture: the audience participated (singing along) at the end of the show, as Anselma belted out some classic Spanish tunes. However, without knowing a word of Spanish, I am sure that any guiri (foreigner) would be blown away by the atmosphere and Anselma's cheeky charm!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32617 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32207 Impromptu folk sessions, a wide range of fine ales and a superb evening awaits in this tiny and unassuming pub. Plenty of regulars and tourists flock here each night as live musicians provide the soundtrack.
A great atmosphere is guaranteed, so sit back (or more likely prop up the bar) and enjoy your pint. We guarantee you’ll be tapping your foot before long.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32207 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32083 References to Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, fraying momentoes and blues music wrapping you in a cocoon: here it is personal, like a bedroom left behind in a family home and not touched since.
The jukebox will accompany your evening, when it’s working. Likewise Fakir Hindou, the fortune
telling box on the bar, might provide an erratic prognosis of your future for 20 cents. Two attempts produced the same result: “everything will go according to your wishes”. I’m not sure it’s a good thing to have everything you want!
Booze n’Blues has been family-run for the last 13 years. The owner lives upstairs. Downstairs you could almost imagine yourself somewhere in rural America. But the owner has never been. “There’s a meeting of blues fans in Los Angeles every year”, his sister tells me. "I’d love to send him there, but he doesn’t like flying.”]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32083 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32001 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32001 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31830 www.cajasol.es and cost €4 (€5 when purchased online).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31830