If you’ve ever wanted to have a literal “taste” of Spain - this one’s for YOU!
Read MoreWe're a few months out from Christmas, but it won't be long before the decorations will come out. I'll decorate my apartment with some nativity sets collected from other countries, but although I've wanted to buy a Spanish one, I've had a hard time finding one. Here's why: Spanish nativity sets are passed on through families. Each year, the family adds a new element or two, until the nativity set is pretty detailed, containing more of a village than a set of one little family around a manger. In fact, Belén literally means, "Bethlehem" so perhaps that's part of why they set up an elaborate village scene, rather than just the usual few figurines. But the history and practice in Spain is pretty fascinating…
Read MoreMadrid’s Parque Retiro is one of its most beautiful features, but the art installation currently housed in the Palacio de Cristal is competing for attention, with it’s colorful canvas flowers and magical forest quality.
Read MoreWhat do shoestrings, siestas, and Spain have in common? Find out here!
Read MoreAs I shared photos of my travel experiences a few people commented, WHERE IS THAT? I’m hoping that perhaps you would also like to see some of these great locations. If so, here are my airbnb links and experiences as I traveled through Andalucía over the past few weeks.
Read MoreOn my Andalucian adventure, I desperately wanted mollete with tomato, my favorite breakfast. But finding it was harder than I expected it to be!
Read MoreI’m fortunate enough to live about an hour away from Segovia, where one of the world’s best ancient aqueducts exists to this day. For almost 2000 years, it has carried water from the local Frío river into the community of Segovia.
The aqueduct of Segovia is impressive indeed: 165 visible arches, 30 feet high, plus ten miles of underground system, and all of it built from granite without mortar! It’s no wonder that it’s the city symbol of Segovia, and a source of great pride for its people. .
Read MoreHiking! Amazing! So many photos! Or, just check out the SHORT video here! :)
Read MoreOne of the best parts of living in Europe is taking advantage of the cultural and culinary delights of countries here. Spain is particularly delightful because life is so social here that people often spend hours in restaurants and bars with friends. In fact, sometimes I think they spend more time eating out than they do eating at home. True story: many Spanish apartments only have stove-top burners—no oven and no microwave! Spaniards aren’t “bakers” and why would they need to be? There’s a café with delicious pastries on every corner, and a Spanish bar with tapas in between your apartment and that café. If you’re hoping to vacation here, or perhaps even planning a trip, here are seven fun facts that you should know about eating out in Spain. As they say in Spanish, buen provecho! (Enjoy your meal!)
Read MoreLet it rain! It’s hard to understand unless you’ve lived in a dry and thirsty land what it means to see rain shower down. As I write this, a storm is moving through. I feel like I could literally run out and dance in the streets; it’s been so long since I’ve seen rain.
Read MoreI’d love to be able to say that I chose to visit Cádiz for it’s spectacular sea views or the magical allure of Andalusia, but the simple truth is that I chose Cádiz because when I was looking at train tickets, I discovered that it was the furthest point to which I could travel from the Atocha station in Madrid, and that sounded like a pretty good deal to me. The spectacular sea views and magical appeal came later when I actually arrived, happily.
Read MoreWhy go to Cadiz? Here are some of my recommendations, based on my favorite experiences.
Read MoreEuropean living has some distinct advantages, and one of the things I love most is the abundance of fresh produce. When I lived in France I loved browsing the outdoor markets in the town squares on Wednesday or Saturday mornings. Strolling from stand to stand seeing the hundreds of types of cheese, or the 43 types of olives, or the stand that had all sorts of salami was magical. It was a sensory overload of beauty, fragrance, and samples to taste. But now that I’m living in the capital city of Spain, I’ve had to figure out how Spaniards accomplish the same thing on a larger, urban scale.
Read More“You can survive it! No matter how bad it is, you’ll live through this and you’ll be fine!”
This is my mantra whenever I’m getting my haircut in Spain. I know it’s not the end of the world—it’s not even that serious! But what strikes the most fear into my heart living here in this city is not the spiritual oppression, or any threat to my personal safety (after all, I’m more than a conqueror through Christ!), but what truly scares me is getting my hair cut one more time in this country.
Read MoreSpanish has some really unique idioms; some make me laugh, some make me confused, and some are just downright creative. At least half of them I’m afraid to actually say out loud for fear that they’re a form of swearing. 🙊
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