Before I went to Spain, chestnuts were something from a Christmas carol—they roasted on an open fire or pop-pop-popped while people sat singing around a fireplace. The word made me feel nostalgic, but in a vapid way as there were no memories of ever having eaten one before, or even seen one in a fireplace. …
Being the only foreigner in a small city, and a student, had its advantages. I was especially lucky that all of the women who lived in my dorm saw it as their imperative to “educate me” in the ways of Spain. Thus, when we weren’t touring the country-side, my dorm-mates often took me out on …
“Adónde vamos?” I asked, sitting in the car with a group of my friends. It was a Saturday morning and we were off on another adventure in their quest to “Show Christy all of Spain in 9 months.” It was only natural that I should wonder where we were heading this time. “Iremosaunpueblollamadocastrillodelospolvazaresacomercocidomaragato.” Right. …
Ask anyone who knew me in my first years in Spain and they’ll tell you I was obsessed—how could I help it? As I was walking down the street I would look up at the rooftops of the highest buildings (usually churches) and I’d see these humongous nests, maybe 5 feet across and several feet deep. …
Lest you get the idea that I ONLY like northern Spain, (perhaps from reading my post about the Las Médulas) today’s story is about another neat little place, southeast of Madrid, called Cuenca. It’s an amazing city whose early inhabitants, desperate for flat land, decided to build these huge stone buildings right smack on the …
Ever held back, afraid, and later realized that your fears were misplaced and you missed out on an interesting experience? Living in Spain, especially that first year, was a series of adventures, most of which I enjoyed thoroughly. But this particular outing happened very early in my stay, and I had not yet learned to …
While I lived in León, which is about a two hour drive northwest of Madrid, I went on quite a few excursions with my fellow graduate students who were determined to show me thoroughly around Spain, and one place which made a lasting impression on me was when we took a ride out to the …
“It’s supposed to be a ship, you know, because of the wharf and shipyard that used to be here. See how that part over there goes to the other side of the bridge too?” “Well, I think it looks more like a flower—like one of those roses you see made out of metal.” “No, no” …
The first time I went to Bilbao, a city of about 800,000, nestled in a valley between Basque mountain ranges, and only a few short miles from the Bay of Biscay, I was horrified to see that the huge river running through the middle of the city actually turned colors at different times of the …
One of the things that fascinated me when I lived in Spain was the prevalent use of aphorisms. I love these mostly because they introduce me to a new way of looking at a situation, a new way of thinking, and connect me to the people who coined these phrases, many of whom lived hundreds …
