by cwells | 2025-05-12 | Culture, Expat, Festival, Holiday, Spain, Valencia
Hello, Gentle Reader! Recent news reports may have shared a recent experience here in mainland Spain: a massive power outage that affected all of Spain, Portugal, and Andorra. Even parts of southern France were affected. The April 28 blackout, or apagón, was a unique...
by cwells | 2024-01-15 | Culture, Holiday, Pix, Spain, Walking
Experiencing the holiday season in another city and another country always feels special to me. Every culture interprets holidays differently. While I have been in Valencia for the holidays quite a few times, I am still amazed at the variety of decorations. I also...
by cwells | 2024-01-05 | Culture, Festival, Holiday, Spain, Walking
In Valencia, the holiday season holds a special place in my heart. In contrast to the US, where many of the season’s activities focus on shopping and purchasing the right gifts for others, the holiday season here is more experience-based. There are new things to see,...
by cwells | 2023-02-21 | Bus, Culture, Food, Holiday, Pix, Spain, Walking
I’ve been to Benidorm before, but only for a brief drive-by. So when a friend invited us to Benidorm to help celebrate his birthday, we decided to make a long weekend of it. After all, we reasoned, it’s off season for the Spanish east coast, and the hotels were really...
by cwells | 2023-01-03 | Culture, Festival, Holiday, Spain, Valencia, Walking
Understanding the holiday season between December and January is a somewhat difficult-to-navigate exercise. The long religious influence of mainly Roman Catholic calendar events reaches into many corners. Enter your text here… Mercadillo stall Mercadillo stall...
by cwells | 2022-12-13 | Holiday, Spain, Train, Transit
According to Ana María Botella Serrano, former mayor of Madrid, “there is nothing quite like a relaxing cup of cafe con leche in Plaza Mayor.” She was trying to entice the Olympic committee to choose Madrid as a site for the games. Instead, she created a...
