Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (Spanish Radio Program)
Interviews can be difficult, add to that another language but José Carlos Macías made the experience easy. Thanks for the great time. Click over here for a listen.
Up in Trevejo, Spain
Walking through the small, lonely mountaintop village of Trevejo, you’ll often find yourself alone with the sheep and goats that roam among the ancient stone houses. Perched atop the mountain, the Templar castle of Trevejo surveys the Sierra de Gata along the Portuguese border. Built on the ruins of an Arabic fortress, this 15th-century castle…
A Crossroads in the Desert, Bosra, Syria
In Bosra at a crossroads in the desert just an hour and half south of Damascus, the Roman world intersects the Arabic in an ancient theater turned fortress. You can imagine watching a classical play while a battle rages beyond the massive walls that were built around the free-standing amphitheater. Every summer international concerts are…
Hidden Hookahs in Isfahan, Iran
Call it hookah, sheesha, round these parts qaylan, but this is the way to meet and greet in Isfahan (Esfahan). Just above the entrance to the bazaar, climb up the incredibly steep stairs to the Qeysaieh Tea Shop. From this open air teahouse enjoy some orange flavored tobacco and get a magnificent view of the…
Northern Tehran, Iran
Up here the mythically infamous Tehrani smog thins out just enough to get an idea of how massive this city really is. Clear cool water rushes out of the mountain backdrop, down culverts lined with enormous green trees that would seem unimaginable just a few miles south. In fact this is a place where myths…
Kashan Bazaar, Iran
The only thing bizarre about Kashan’s bazaar is that it isn’t overflowing with tourists. The adobe beauty of this covered market screams out for travelers, but in reality ends up calling the locals to do their daily business. Cooling mudbrick domes filter in shaped beams of light, illuminating everything from carpet wool to dates. Laid-back…
Passion
Writing in the local paper. Local issues with a global take. I never translate literally and the editor trims at will to make it fit. Here’s my version, then theirs. No matter how long I live in Spain, there are words that I think I will never completely understand. When I say this, I…
Can You Spare a Minute of your Time?
Writing in the local paper. Local issues with a global take. I never translate literally and the editor trims at will to make it fit. Here’s my version, then theirs. I spent some time in Libya before the fall of the Ghadaffi regime. Among the many almost surreal aspects of the Green Republic, one of…
Spanish Sunday Afternoons #7
Neighborhood vetting committee. @ Caceres, Spain
Do We Want to be the Same?
Writing in the local paper. Local issues with a global take. I never translate literally and the editor trims at will to make it fit. Here’s my version, then theirs. It seems like the mighty New York Times can never quite get it right when writing about this country. Many paella-moons ago I remember a…