An undefined hiatus
While staying with Alfredo and Jimena, our Spanish teachers and hosts in northern Spain, one of my diversions was to suggest to Alfredo that I thought chorizo originated in Portugal. This scandalous suggestion never failed to provoke an entertaining...
In early December, Saul and I made a decision to include a short visit to Portugal in our itinerary. After drifting lazily westwards through Spanish wine country, we finally tackled the drive to Porto on...
My mother, who died 15 years ago, was an artistic soul. When speaking to her, she was usually more interested in what I was reading and whether I had been to the opera recently than whether I was...
When we planned this trip, we did not expect the December leg to include a sun-drenched beach complete with bikini-clad beach bats players and sunset surfers. Yet in the run-up to Christmas that is precisely...
It was a dream come true. Well, more like a collection of faint ideas I’d once had of thundering through the streets of Pamplona, leaping onto balconies in my dashing white outfit, red belt...
One has art; the other has bulls. They are the capitals of their respective provinces and have a lot more going for them than the things which make them famous. Here we share some...
Those of you who’ve been subjected to my ardent rambling for some time, may recall my last visit to a Spanish-speaking country. However, it is a story worth repeating. Armed with a smattering of...
Asturias is an autonomous community in the North of Spain with a splendid range of weather and geography. During our stay, we witnessed snow, rain and sunshine. We climbed mountains, visited beaches and walked...
There’s a lot to like about the French. Liberty, Fraternity and Equality is a wonderful motto and it sounds especially seductive when you say it in French. The language has loads of cool phrases...
Montreal is the second-largest French-speaking city in the world. In the Old City and Old Port, the architecture is thoroughly European, including the obligatory gothic cathedral. Notre-Dame Basilica is a fine example with a...
