I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
Drive-by Moon Pie: Did Someone Say “Mardi Gras”?
After having been in the States for a week, Michael and I decided to visit some friends who live in Mobile, Alabama. Having lived in Mobile for a number of years, Kevin and (another) Michael, our hosts, treated us like royalty for the two days we were there. On...
One Last Night in Valencia
My bags were packed. My clothes were ready. My packages were mailed. Time for one last night in Valencia before embarking on the 12-hour trek home. It was a cool, clear night, and I wanted to see some new things. My friend Cristian came to the rescue with a very...
The Botanical Park: Where is the Entrance?
As my travel companions can tell you, I am not the swiftest when it comes to using a map. In fact, even WITH a map, I have a tendency to get turned around, lose track of the local sights, and go in really big circles. For example, when Kevin, Michael, and I were in...
Bioparc
What is there NOT to say about the BioParc? I have friends who recommended visiting and they were right. When I went to this incredible state-of-the-art zoo, I was blown away by the number of exhibits, animals, and habitats. The entrance price is reasonable for a...
Making Friends as an Expat
In some ways, this trip to Spain was a test. I wanted to learn enough about Valencia to see if I would be comfortable living here alone. Of course, this means that making friends is not optional… it is a necessity. There are two groups to which I belong: the American...
Being Asked for Directions, and Eye Contact in Spain
The last time I was in Spain, I made a comment about having a “panhandle me" kind of faces and/or demeanor. This time in Valencia, I was the apparent source of directional goodwill for other visitors to the city. I was asked for directions six times, with varying...
Mailing Stuff Back
For those who don’t speak Spanish fluently, there is a process that can strike fear in the heart of many honest and strong adults: the mail. In Spain, the mail is called El Correo, and if I didn’t have friends to help me broker the transaction, I would not have been...
The Water Court
Also in the Plaza de la Virgen, there is something called the Tribunal de las Aguas, or "Water Court" that occurs every Thursday at noon. This is the oldest judicial body in Europe. There are some deep traditions associated with the Water Court, which was established...
Statues, Sculptures, and Graffiti
The relative ages of things here fascinates me. A building that was created a thousand years before our country was founded sits next to a building constructed in the last 20 years. A characteristic of most of Europe, the heterogeneity of constructions, time periods,...
San Vicente de Martir, a Patron Saint of Valencia
On January 22, the procession of Saint Vincent the Martyr, or San Vicente de Martir, occurs between the Valencia Cathedral and the Plaza of the Virgen. I would be able to walk it in about 3-5 minutes, but the procession takes much longer with an indirect path strewn...
The Museum of Modern Art and Garden of the Hesperides
It was a lovely day outside, albeit quite breezy, but that made the perfect decision to see the Museum of Modern Art in Valencia (or Institut Valencià d’Art Modern, more commonly known as IVAM). Considered a major modern art museum in Europe, I was actually surprised...
Rituals in Restaurants and Improvisational Spanish
Humans have some funny customs when it comes to food and drinks. For me, the challenges are the food being served (e.g. “What the hell does that word mean?”) and how quickly transactions are accomplished in a busy café, cafeteria, or restaurant (e.g. “What the hell...
The fine art of being a tourist, part 2
One of the first questions to ask myself when I go somewhere new is, “What’s nearby?" Well, in my current location, it turns out that there is a lot to do nearby. For example, I am extremely close to one of the ancient city gates, the Torres de Quart. Monstrous and...
The fine art of being a tourist, part 1
I believe that there is an art to being a serial tourist, a little different than my personal heroes Jürgen and Mike at For91Days or Colin Wright. Instead, the serial tourist has decided that there are reasons for staying at home and reasons for traveling abroad to...
Mistela at Midnight
I am keeping somewhat normal “American" working hours while in Spain. It’s an interesting feeling to have the mornings available before work instead of the afternoons available after work. To be honest, I get quite a bit done in the mornings, and have used the time to...
A dirty trick, some clean laundry, and EXACTLY what I wanted
One of the highlights of visiting another culture is the experience surrounding gatherings, food, and conversation. Even in the US, there are so many differences in cities, states, and regions. Well, in my humble opinion, Atlanta has stepped up its game by building a...
I was ready… and then it happened.
Gentle readers, I am sitting here with ridiculous bed-hair after a ridiculously long day traveling to not-so-ridiculous Valencia. I’m here for a number of reasons, but one of my main goals is to establish some parameters around where I am going to live and when will...
Major Milestone Achieved
Some time ago, when I started this blog to help me stay on track as I prepared to move to Spain, one of the key ingredients was the pursuit of minimalism. It took some time, a garage sale, a major overhaul of some personal belongings, but yesterday, I sold the biggest...
Day 9, Saturday – Owen Wilson Must Work for Delta
Sorry, readers, this is a text-only post. Great service is very powerful, and we found this out after getting to our seats on our flight home. The flight attendant, Deborah, whom we had met on the outbound flight, was also serving the return flight to the US. Not only...