THE FALLAS FESTIVAL OF VALENCIA
A FLAMING FIESTA OF ART, COLOUR, NOISE AND FIRE My first introduction to Spain in the late 90s was getting off the train at Barcelona and...
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5 ICONIC DISHES OF SPAIN AND THEIR ORIGINS.
FROM MODEST BEGINNINGS TO GASTRONOMIC GLORY After my last, rather heavy, article on the Civil War, I thought I’d lighten it up a bit...
THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR VIEWED THROUGH ART AND LITERATURE
WHERE MODERNISM MEETS SOCIO-POLITICAL IDEOLOGY We often look back at history and its more unfortunate major world events and think we...
ROMAN MERIDA
A City of Ancient Treasures. When history buffs wish to retrace the steps of the ancient Romans and marvel at the splendours of that lost...
ST JAMES AND OTHER CURIOUS LEGENDS OF THE CAMINO
The year is 1211 and the pilgrim has been walking for months, enduring all weather and three painful pairs of thin leather sandals. He’s...
AUTUMN HARVEST FESTIVALS
FIRE AND CHESTNUTS, APPLES AND CIDER AND SO MUCH MORE. Everyone’s familiar with Halloween or All Souls' Day (The Day of the Dead) and...
FORGOTTEN TRADES OF RURAL SPAIN
BYGONE INNOVATION AND INGENUITY Driving through much of rural Spain today, it’s hard to picture what it looked like before the mid-20th...
SORIA
A TIMELESS LAND OF CONTRASTS I want to take you on a historical, culinary, and sensorial journey across the diverse landscapes of one of...
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SPANISH HABSBURGS
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE FAIR, THE MAD.....THE INBRED UNFORTUNATES. The reigns in Spain are anything but plain. I know that trite play on...
THE LEGACY OF MOORISH SPAIN
THE BRIGHT LIGHT IN A DARK AGE The Queen of Castille sits regally on a somewhat bewildered-looking white steed, crown perched prominently...
TIERRA MEIGA – WITCHES’ LAND
WITCHCRAFT AND SUPERSTITION IN GALICIA Following on from my last post about the legends and myths of Galicia, the history of witchcraft...
MYTH, LEGEND AND THE HOLY GHOST
GALICIA - WHERE PAGANISM AND CHRISTIANITY MERGE All of Spain boasts its fair share of myths and legends but the north of the country...
THE ABANDONED VILLAGES OF SPAIN
FROM RUINS TO REBIRTH The first time I ever saw an abandoned village was in Spain and I was gob smacked. I was struck by its eerie...
GALICIA – SUMPTUOUS SEAFOOD OF THE RIAS BAIXAS.
THE HANDPRINT OF GOD When God finished creating the world, he relaxed on the seventh day, resting his hand upon the top north-west of...
WALKING THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO.....WITH A KID.
VALIENTE! Ditching the devices How many times do we say to ourselves as parents, “I must limit my kid’s screen time. I must get him...
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