Quicktrip: Madrid
Earlier in July, my friend Jose and I went to Madrid. Summertime in Madrid is busy, and the crowds of people could be a little intimidating. However, Madrid has some amazing attractions, too. As the capital of Spain, the government buildings are built to both last and...
Eight Months
Gentle readers, please forgive my lack of posts. While there are many things occurring here in the fair city of Valencia, my attention has been drawn to two alternate tasks: working and dissertation development. Both require me to be attached to my computer for long...
Floats Made for Floating – Corpus 2014
Imagine the scene. It's seven in the evening, and you decide to visit Plaza de la Virgen for a drink and enjoy the people-watching opportunity. Suddenly, two police on horseback clop-clop by, followed by the sound of a band playing music. A moment later, a medieval...
Late-Night Shopping in Valencia
Twice a year, there is an event here called "ShOPENING Night," and it's meant to be a sort of fashion and shopping night in the fashion district here in town. I attended the previous one in early December. Alas, I did not have my camera for the last event... and this...
Quicktrip: Paris, Arc de Triomphe
I have to admit it... the Spanish idea of siesta is pretty awesome. After Montmartre, both Ron and I were tired, and decided to get some sleep before heading out on an evening walk that was filled with the sights of the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysee. In...
Quicktrip: Paris, Montmartre
One of my dearest friends, Ron, was visiting Paris for work, and I was able to find a super cheap price on an airline to go see him. With only two days to see some typical Parisian sights together, we chose our first expedition to include Montmartre and Sacre Coeur....
Going for Tapas in Benimaclet
My friend Angela turned me onto a Feria de Tapas about five blocks from my flat that is part of an annual degustation event. She works later in the evening, so I was able to join her after work for an hour or so. As you can see, the crowd is quite intense, and it was...
Rush Hour River #2
In a previous post, I provided pictures of my morning bike ride scenery in the Túria riverbed. In that post, I headed toward the northwest part of the city, and could have even left town using the bike trails that are scenic and well-tended. For this post, I headed in...
Breakfast in Viveros Park
About five blocks away from my house, there is a park that used to be part of the Sultan's garden when the Moors inhabited Valencia. Yes, that was centuries ago, but the palace grounds have been kept up extremely well, with some ruins of the previous structures in one...
Russians and their Salad
Ahhh, food. As an integral part of the Spanish culture, food is often taken to higher levels of existence through unique restaurants, incorporation into tapas-size portions, and flavorings suited to the Spanish palate. Then, there are contests. Similar to a chili...
Rush Hour River #1
The Turia riverbed defines much of the life in Valencia. Following a catastrophic flood in 1957 (more on that later, gentle readers!), the river itself was diverted to an area to the south of the city. The semicircular pathway through the cityspans both old and new...
Strasbourg, Home of the European Union
Recently, I decided to join some friends for a long weekend adventure to Karlsruhe, Germany. While we were there to celebrate Xavi's 40th birthday, we also had a day to see Strasbourg, France. It was an excellent way to spend an otherwise gloomy day. While I...
Advanced Expat Friend-Making
Gentle readers, I am constantly amazed at the size of the expat community here in Valencia. As I slowly build my own community of friends and family-away-from-home, I think it is important to share some of the ways that I have found people that I enjoy meeting. The...
Six Months
Six months and a few days ago, I arrived in Spain with a dream. In a sense, it was a dream of self-discovery, culture exploration, and adventure in a very personal sense of the word. In short, I was terrified. However, I have learned that being terrified is not a bad...
Quicktrip: Alarcón
My dear friend Cristina and I decided to leave the city on the Friday before Easter. The location? Alarcón, a small town west of Valencia toward Madrid. The town itself is tiny, with a population of only 159 inhabitants registered in 2013. Its castle is converted into...
2014 Easter Procession, Part Two
In my previous post, I introduced the Easter procession held near the Valencia port. Church-related groups held an amazing parade, complete with multiple bands, to celebrate Easter and to complete the Christian resurrection story. The costumes are elaborate, the bands...
2014 Easter Procession, Part One
Close to the Valencia port, there is an Easter procession that has the feel of a Fourth of July parade and an Easter pageant. While I missed the Good Friday parade because of a quick trip out of town, the Easter parade was a great consolation prize. The parade lasted...
Semana Santa 2014
Regardless of your religious persuasion, the way Spain celebrates religious events is worth considering. At its core, even Las Fallas has a Catholic tradition, the Feast Day of St. Joseph, to anchor the event to the church. Close on the heels of Las Fallas, Easter...
Springtime in Cactus Land
Across the street from my apartment building is a small cactus garden, set at the triangular intersection of two non-perpendicular streets. On a recent walk across the street, I noticed that many of the poky little plants were blooming, responding to spring that has...
Only In Spain #1
Occasionally, I will put together images, ideas, or experiences that are so far from my American perspective that they surprise me a little. Today's images are collected from my phone, usually when I didn't have my camera with me and ready to take photos. First up,...