Spanish Sunday Afternoons #2
Rainy afternoons are good for something more than our garden. A view from my wife’s study, with the ‘Torre de Caleros’ (Almohad era tower) to the left over looking the valley.
Evidence that the Internet has Gone too Far…
…or a damn good idea? You decide. Click here
Life in the DDR
Frau H. and Herr Z.: Manfred Beier took this photograph while on vacation at the Baltic Sea in August 1954: “Frau H (71 years old) and her cousin Z. sitting In front of the house at Hafenstrasse 39 (who worked as a carpenter aboard the ocean steamer “Imperator” in 1914) More photos of life in…
Spanish Sunday Afternoons
A new series to celebrate my adopted homeland.
It’s Getting Warm Around Here
When the temperatures sit above 30 for most of the day, summer measures are in order. Contrary to what some would think, closing the doors and windows during the day actually keeps in the freshness that seeped in throughout the night. There is nothing better than the traditional blinds that let in just enough light…
The 4 part series comes to an end
The last installment of my 4 part series on teaching around the world has just come out in Verge’s summer edition. This one isn’t available online like the last, but you can find all the info here. This piece focuses on the ins and outs of teaching in Asia, often the first-timer’s first glimpse at…
Discovering there is Moor to Spain than Andalusia in Hornachos
You’ve really gone off the beaten path when the GPS in your rental car shows you are literally off the map. Castle hop north from Andalusia just as the Moors did a thousand years ago. Out here a beautiful range rises out of a carpet of vineyards. Set in the Sierra Grande de Hornachos, this…
Riding Roman Roads
Woke up this morning to a text message, “Want to go for a ride?” Looked out the window and while there were some clouds on the horizon, it was going to be a beautiful, sunny day. In just minutes from my Almohad refuge I can be rolling through olive groves and before you know it,…
WOMAD 2009 Caceres, Spain
The music has died down and faded away, the stage has been packed up, the tourists have gone home and the artists are playing somewhere else. WOMAD 2009 has come and gone, but something hasn’t left…and it’s here to stay for awhile…a LONG while. On Saturday night alone as people danced to the likes of…
100 Things to do before you die
I recently came across something that takes travel writing’s top ten tips to the extreme. The Independent published ‘100 things to do before you die‘ last year in memorandum of Dave Freeman, creator of the travel guide of the same name. I have to admit that I clicked through all 100 and found it funny…