Sunday at the beach
In Spain, Sunday is still the day when families get together, take a stroll, have lunch. Fortunately, the beach is the ideal place. Read More
VALENCIA - Country Living, City Life
COSTA BLANCA - Not just sun and sand
A stroll around…Cocentaina
A Fred Flintstone church, horror stories in the Gothic Room, a snake with a woman’s head…home of the socarrats. Read More
A WANDER AROUND SPAIN
Better than an Easter egg – Spain’s Semana Santa Celebrations
Semana Santa is the biggest national fiesta in Spain, with parades that feature solemnity and gaudiness in equal measure. Read More
Weird beasties and phantasmagorical machines
Fanciful monsters, Jules Verne flying contraptions, a mezquita in Cairo, Edwardian ladies on camels…the Jardin del Pasatiempo. Read More
Glorifying the Gozunda
A ‘potty’, ‘jerry’ or ‘gozunda’ is a highly personal receptacle. Henry VIII’s was padded with velvet and studded with gold nails. Read More
Cordoba and the Moors
Cordoba’s Mezquita was once the centre of Islamic life in Spain, but the Moors brought more than just romantic architecture. Read More
FOOD AND WINE
Araceli’s garden
The idea of growing our own food occurs to most of us at some time or another, but sometimes the pleasure of a tiny plot to cultivate is enough. Read More
Roscon de Reyes – the Three Kings celebration cake
Tres Reyes Magos has always been the top dog in Spanish Christmas celebrations, and the Roscon de Reyes holds a traditional surprise. For Read More
Minituare works of art wrapped around an orange
The orange may be just a juicy fruit to some people, but it was the fruit of fortunes for many in Valencia. The Museo de Taronja tells its story. Read More
A labour of love – my first olive crop
We take buying a bottle of olives off the supermarket shelf as second nature, but it’s different when you pick and bottle your own. Read More
STORIES FROM ELSEWHERE
Bad Medicine at the spice souk
Seeing ghosts has never been a major preoccupation for me, but if ever I find myself frightened of phantoms I know exactly where to go – Read More
Buying a carpet
Buying a Moroccan carpet can be a time consuming experience, but most people fall into one of two groups. Which group do you belong to? Read More
A wonderful discovery of 1970s Jewish-Magreb music
I never knew that Jewish-Magreb music existed, but indeed it did. Here’s a great Tunisian Tango and a couple of other 70′s tracks. Read More
Mopeds in Marrakech Medina, the fight back begins
Mopeds have been the scourge of Marrakech’s Medina for a number of years, but now traders in the tiny alleyways have had enough. As much as I Read More
MISCELLANEOUS
The Murky History of Table Football
Table football, foosball, csocso, cadureguel-schulchan, has a world encyclopaedia of ridiculous names, and a equally convoluted rule-book. ... Read More