by cwells | 2014-10-31 | Culture, Expat, Holiday, Spain, Spanish
On October 9, 1238, King Jaime I captured the city of Valencia from the Moors, who had held the city for over 500 years. Originally a Roman colony since 138 BC, Valentia was previously inhabited by Romans (138 BC – 554 AD), the Visigoths (554 AD – 714 AD),...
by cwells | 2014-10-28 | Culture, Expat, Spain, Spanish, Valencia
As an expat American living in a European city, there are lots and lots of rules and processes that I simply don’t understand. For example, when I originally applied for my visa, when I got my stuff confiscated by customs when I arrived, and when I applied for...
by cwells | 2014-10-22 | Culture, Food, Spain, Spanish, Valencia, Walking
One fine morning, a friend and I decided to meet at Cafe Alhambra for a late breakfast, or almuerzo. After a lovely walk through some of the older sections of town to reach the cafe, I knew we were in for a treat. You see, Cafe Alhambra has the distinction of being...
by cwells | 2014-09-05 | Bicycle, Culture, Employment, Expat, Graduate School, Spain, Spanish, Travel, Valencia, Walking
Gentle readers, I periodically reflect on the changes in my life since moving to Valencia, Spain. While this has been a great adventure, I find myself thinking of home a little bit differently nowadays. I’m not sure what caused this change, although the...
by cwells | 2014-08-14 | Car, Culture, Expat, Holiday, Pix, Spain, Spanish, Travel
Hello, gentle readers, I know I have been a little preoccupied lately due to work and a bit of a vacation to an area south of Valencia, Moraira. Sadly, it was one of those dreaded “work” vacations, but certainly not without plenty of free time to enjoy the...
by cwells | 2014-07-25 | Culture, Pix, Spain, Spanish, Train, Transit, Travel, Walking
My friends Theresa and Jesse were in Barcelona, Jesse for work and Theresa for vacation. Since Barcelona is a three-hour, relatively inexpensive train ride away from Valencia, I got a chance to visit them for a couple of days. Barcelona is an order of magnitude larger...
