missing nyc: spontaneous political street art in bloom
This story in The New York Times made me miss New York City more than anything has in a very long time. All over the city, artists have created murals…
spain trip
watch the future unfold: gaudi’s masterpiece to be completed in 2026
This post on the design blog Core77 brought back so many wonderful memories of our recent trip to Spain, especially my total infatuation with the city of Barcelona, and the…
a quieter life, plus photos
Finally, some peace and quiet. This is the first time since the sewage flood on July 8 that our home is quiet. This lovely state of affairs exists because we…
in which i try to mail postcards from spain
We used to send a lot of postcards from our travels, but that is a ritual lost to time and email. A few people do still get postcards, though: my…
bilbao to madrid, but not toledo
For most of the trip, I was hoping to spend a few hours in Toledo on our last day in Spain. Allan was skeptical at best, feeling it would make…
cantabria to gernika and bilbao, part 2
In the Guggenheim, we took audioguides as a substitute for a tour of the building, which in this season are only in Spanish. The audioguide is included with admission, and…
cantabria, day two
We’ve had another outstanding day of seeing cave paintings, an entirely different experience that complemented the other two cave tours. We left Santillana del Mar early and drove on back-country…
cantabria and asturias, day one
Today we fulfilled a travel wish we’ve harboured for many, many years. We saw two sets of paleolithic cave paintings. * * * * The day started out a bit…
madrid to segovia to cantabria
Getting out of Madrid was a whole lot easier than getting in. We found our way to the highway easily, and had a short drive to the town of Segovia,…
madrid, day two
Today was the second half of our Madrid art tour. We were out early again, went back to the same local joint for breakfast (the counterman remembered what we wanted,…
madrid, day one
After our cheap pollo asado dinner, wine, and a shower, we had a new perspective on life. We woke up early the next day, had a little breakfast in a…
in which i officially become a librarian
We interrupt this travelogue to bring you an important announcement. I got my first librarian job!! This is a part-time, temporary position in the children’s department of the Central Library,…
random notes from madrid
If I get a decent sleep one night, I’m not allowed to have one the next. Apparently it’s a new law: no sleeping two nights in a row. So since…
zuheros to madrid / madrid, night one
This post has two parts: the clerk and the lost. The clerk. I had a good night’s sleep and woke up at the leisurely hour of 8:00. We had breakfast…
ronda to cordoba / cordoba / zuheros
We left Ronda very early: we had to ring a bell at the desk and get the hotel manager out of bed to settle our bill. Poor guy shuffled out…
random notes from ronda
We have seen many happy, well-cared-for dogs on this trip, dogs of all shapes and sizes, all obviously loved. We have seen no street dogs. There are some feral cats…
grenada to ronda / ronda
We changed our plans, then changed them again. Originally, we had pencilled in a drive to the very southern tip of Spain, where on a clear day you can see…
granada
The previous night, when we finally found the hotel, I asked about tickets to the Alhambra. We had read in the guidebook that only a certain number of tickets are…
barcelona to granada
We are relaxing recuperating in our room in the Hotel Molinas in Granada, in the south of Spain. File this day under all’s well that ends well. Our last night…
barcelona, day five
There’s been no shortage of things to do in Barcelona, we very easily filled 4-1/2 days, and we’ve skipped entire days of tourist destinations – Montjuic and Dali’s Figuerres. This…