Silja’s watercolours will be on display and for sale at our Hotel for the next few weeks.
We met Silja around 2019 when, through her agency https://www.andalusiennet.de/, she was organising tailor-made trips for German clients who wanted to discover the essence of Andalusia beyond the clichés.
who wanted to discover the essence of Andalusia beyond the clichés.
From the very first moment we realised that her philosophy of personalised and authentic trips coincided with the way we at Palacio de los Navas understand tourism and travel.
Here is a short interview so that you can get to know her better:
PALACIO DE LOS NAVAS; What was your first contact with Andalusia?
SILJA; I got to know Andalusia and Seville after my vocational training and during my studies in business and commercial Spanish, and as a hostess in the German Pavilion at the EXPO ́92.
PN; What sparked your interest in Andalusian cuisine?
SILJA; At that time I always lived with Spanish families and ‘my host mothers’ cooked for all the neighbours, and I was soon fascinated by the dishes prepared with olive oil. In addition, they always had the refreshing gazpacho in the fridge which at first seemed strange to me, until I felt how valuable this vitamin-rich cold dish is in the summer heat of Seville. During this time, at the age of 24, I became more and more interested in these varied dishes and their preparation.
PN; And what made you think of creating a bilingual Spanish-German recipe book ?
PN; Y ¿Qué te hizo pensar en crear un recetario bilingüe español – alemán ?
SILJA, An eleven-year-old boy in Seville explained to me how to bake a sponge cake with olive oil. He used the unit of measurement of a tub of yoghurt.
I thought it was lovely! Unfortunately I soon forgot how many tubs of flour, sugar and olive oil should be added, so I thought a collection of simple recipes would be useful and I wrote down more and wrote down more.
simple recipes would be useful and I wrote down more and more recipes. Of course, my recipe book contains the instructions for the Sevillian eleven year old’s sponge cake, measured with the yoghurt pots.
PN; The book is illustrated with reproductions of your watercolours. When did you start painting and why did you choose the watercolour technique?
SILJA; After graduating, I worked in the energy and shipping industry, as well as twelve years as a freelancer in tourism with Andalusia. During all this time, I discovered watercolour painting because of its spontaneity and lightness, which fascinates me to this day. The recipes are illustrated with watercolours, the bright and vivid colours represent for me the joy I could feel during my travels and life in Andalusia.
For me, preparing an Andalusian meal is always a journey into the origin and history of this fascinating region, its people and its nature.
I have reported this feeling.
