2014 Fallas: One Final Night
Gentle readers, if you have been following along on this Fallas journey, then this is the culmination of an amazing festival that is renowned throughout Spain and Europe... often because of this night. The earliest days of the Fallas festival began when the carpenters...
2014 Fallas: So Much to See!
During Las Fallas, the city of Valencia enters into a zone of surreality. So much changes in such a short amount of time that you can truly marvel at the tradition and the work that goes into producing this much art, this much involvement, and this kind of experience....
2014 Fallas: One Day, Four Ways
There is so much happening in Las Fallas that it is easy to run across a parade, a sculpture, fireworks, and the occasional unexpected event. A friend (thanks, Gisela!) invited me to watch the daily fireworks show from her office, which overlooks the area where the...
2014 Fallas: Definitely NOT an American Cookout
I was lucky enough to attend two cookouts that were a great deal of fun, but very, very different than any cookout I have attended in the past. There were two common denominators, though, lots of fire and lots of food. To celebrate Fallas, you have to step into the...
Orange Blossoms
Today, while working at my desk, I have the windows open. The smell of orange blossoms is drifting up from the street, helping me celebrate springtime in a new way. With the smell of orange blossoms as my writing companion, I feel relaxed, and a little excited about...
2014 Fallas: Surprise! Amazing Apparel!
It's almost comical how often the culture here turns to beautiful traditional costumes to enhance some of the amazing celebrations that are part of Spanish heritage. My last trip to Valencia during Las Fallas was a nice introduction to the hurricane of activity that I...
2014 Fallas: Time for Assembly
Gentle readers, after a brief break from internet services, I am back to bring you some of the sights and sounds of the incredible experience of Las Fallas. I was here two years ago, but this time, I saw more of the city's festival experience than the previous visit....
2014 Fallas: Flamenco Exhibition and More
Gentle reader, remember how I mentioned that there was competition? Sometimes there are exhibitions, too, like the two video clips in this post. Approaching midnight, and after taking in some of the incredible light shows set to music, my friends and I happened upon...
2014 Fallas: Video Calle Cuba
From my previous post, I told you that there was a light show associated with the structures on Calle Cuba-Puerto Rico and Literato Azorin. When my friends and I first arrived, there was an amazing initial light show, and afterwards, we went to eat dinner in a nearby...
2014 Fallas Light and Music Show
Competition. If there is one thing that Spaniards believe in, it is a healthy competition. That principle was applied to the Fallas events years ago, and today, spectators can marvel at the results of creativity and innovation. Last weekend, there was a spectacular...
2014 Fallas City-Wide Excitement!
Two years ago, I was here during the Fallas season. There were incredible sights, sounds, and food, and there is the general air of a carnival here in Valencia. Even my local street has a sculpture, called a falla (pronounced as "fire" but with a "y" in the place of...
2014 Opening Mascletà
Fireworks? In the daytime? One of the long-standing traditions of the Fallas celebration is the daily fireworks celebration, called the mascletà, which occurs in the ayuntamiento, or town square. In my last post, I tried to give you a sense of the huge number of...
Fallas 2014 Begins
This past Saturday, one of the world's most incredible festivals began with a bang (literally) in the town center, or ayuntamiento. From March 1 to March 19, Valencia is filled with the sound of fireworks, parades, bands, fireworks, parties, costumes, and more...
Four Months
Four months ago, I arrived in Spain jet-lagged and overwhelmed. While the exhaustion from the jet lag has passed, being overwhelmed will continue to be a part of the expat life I have created for myself here in Valencia. It is amazing what a month can bring when I am...
Teruel is for Lovers… sort of
Once upon a time, two children fell in love in the city of Teruel. Surrounded by the incredible mountains, the thriving village economy, and the smell of cooking pork (oh, wait, that is MY impression of Teruel!), these two children came of an age when, finally,...
Teruel Snippet: Strolling Musicians
This is an experiment, so please let me know if it worked for you or not in the comment section. If you haven't subscribed to...
Medieval Madness
The biggest event in Teruel is an amazing medieval fair surrounding an amazing, and perhaps fictitious, story of a tragic love match. (More on that in my next post, I promise.) To compare this to any paltry medieval fair is a slander to this incredible event, where...
Teruel, Land of Serrano Ham and Mudéjar Buildings
Gentle readers, I was lucky enough to attend an incredible weekend event in the town of Teruel. Like many places in Spain, this area boasts a very unique culture and community, and is the provincial capital of its own province, the Province of Teruel. Before I get...
Sunday Salad
Yes. It was THAT good. The conditions: a rainy, cold Sunday. A friend and I were hungry, so we decided to grab a bite to eat in a nearby restaurant that served vegetarian fare... but it was closed. So, we headed deeper into the town of Benimaclet, which has some...
Quicktrip: Alpuente
While my last post was related to Campo Arriba, this post will be about the nearby attraction of Alpuente. Originally a Muslim kingdom, this town is dominated by two structures: the castle on top of the town peak, and the octagonal church tower, a feature introduced...