Extremandalus
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, which can now be seen online (in Spanish) as well.
Super George
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, which can now be seen online as well.
Why Granada is our favorite city in Spain
Revisiting one of my favorite cities in Spain. A trip though Granada for Matador Network where the Alhambra isn’t the only stop. Almost 10 years now since another piece I wrote for them about the same city through a much different lense.
Reluctant Prophets
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’m starting to hear voices. Not the scary ones that tell you to do naughty things nor those deep and ominous tones informing you that you’ve become the…
Ibn Battuta meets Ronda
Way back in 1350, Ibn Battutah noted that Ronda was one of “the strongest and best sited fortresses” in all Andalusia and even today attacking it would be a bad idea. Neatly tucked behind the Sierra de las Nieves, this rocky outcrop has been a favored place to hang your hat since long before the…
Battuta in Malaga
Malaga means grapes, and has for a long time. While the ancient Greeks were spreading philosophy and art throughout the Levant, they thankfully left behind the art of viniculture on the Costa del Sol. The pious Muslim traveler Ibn Battutah, who passed through in 1350, may have frowned on it, but even centuries of Muslim…
Soaking it in, Alhama de Granada, Spain
Alhama’s name says it all…that is of course if you speak Arabic. Just a mile or two upriver from this quiet town astride a vertigo-inspiring canyon, a hot spring has been soothing aches and pains for two millennia. The town’s name comes from the mineral-rich water bubbling out of the ground at a toasty 116.6…
Chasing Battuta to Gibraltar
Monkeys, Englishmen with Andalusian accents, duty-free shops, tea sets, English breakfasts, pints instead of cañas, sunburns in December, the curry you’ve been craving, and English bookshops… the Rock is something different for everyone. This Mediterranean protuberance has been a thorn in the Spanish conscience ever since the Berber commander Tariq Ibn Ziyad stepped ashore and…
Battuta, the Beach with some Immigrants and Gypsys Thrown In
Sometime ago they built a tramline up here, hoping that it would bring tourists up from the beach… it didn’t work. The imposing castle tower, once clustered around for protection, long ago lost its luster to the inviting sea that shines in the distance. Back in 1350, Ibn Battutah spoke of a mighty mosque (whose…
Ibn Marwan on the Lamb in Alange, Spain
Imagine the Caliph’s entire army hot on your tail and you with around a hundred guys on your side. Where would you want to hole up? The answer is here. High atop a mountain smack in the middle of one of Spain’s most productive wine regions lies the ruins of a castle where, back in…