A lifetime of encounters with Spain.
Posted in Corners of Spain, Reflections on Spain on Jan 10th, 2011
Salina San Vicente is the last remnant of a culture that stretches back three thousand years to a time when the Phoenicians plied the Mediterranean Sea, establishing settlements as far away as the Atlantic shores of Cádiz. Civilizations as old as Tartars, Phoenicians and later the Romans located small salt flats of about 60 acres [...]
Posted in Amigos, Corners of Spain, Fairs, Feasts and Fiestas, Reflections on Spain on Dec 23rd, 2010
Last month I attended my grandchildren’s primary school for the Veteran’s Day exercise. Seated before me on the floor were a couple of hundred boys and girls happily chattering with one another, surrounded by us veterans: largely fathers and grandfathers who lined the gymnasium walls. On the stage, the fifth grade chorus presented a program [...]
Posted in Amigos, Corners of Spain, Reflections on Spain on Nov 22nd, 2010
My family and I have traveled the byways of Spain over the years, and we take great pleasure in getting to know members of Spanish families whose livelihood is intimately linked with the earth. Whether they are churning milk from tended flocks, growing rice or peppers; pruning grape vines or olive trees, there is something [...]
Posted in Corners of Spain, Reflections on Spain on Oct 11th, 2010
It is harvest time in the La Vera Valley, and as you read this, groups of farmers and their families are working with their neighbors to harvest ripe red peppers. They flourish along the banks of the Tiétar River as it winds its way through the mountains of Extremadura. These are not just any peppers: [...]
Posted in Amigos, Corners of Spain, Fairs, Feasts and Fiestas, Migas, Reflections on Spain, Tesoros, Un Sabor de España on Sep 15th, 2010
This book is a collection of some of the most interesting essays on this blog, which I have extensively edited, and included many pictures.
Posted in Corners of Spain, Reflections on Spain on Sep 13th, 2010
Have you ever given a second thought to a bar of soap? It has a fascinating role to play in Spanish history where soap was first shunned by Christians as a sign of unfaithfulness, and later became one of Castile’s proudest contributions to courtly life. Although not used in Europe, soap was known in the [...]
Posted in Corners of Spain, Fairs, Feasts and Fiestas, Reflections on Spain on Jul 12th, 2010
There is a magical city nestled close to the coastline of Galicia, which is often overlooked by visitors to Spain. It is Santiago de Compostela, far away from the usual Toledo – Sevilla – Córdoba – Granada – Barcelona tourist circuit, both in distance and temperament. It has both a holy and a cosmopolitan air. [...]
Posted in Amigos, Corners of Spain, Reflections on Spain on Jun 1st, 2010
Both Juan and Elena Yurrita are in their mid-thirties, from the generation that grew up in the heady years when Spain was emerging as a young democracy after the rule of Francisco Franco. The vision of these young people looks outward to new possibilities, after so many years of national isolation that was typical of [...]
Posted in Corners of Spain, Reflections on Spain on May 10th, 2010
Many times when I am traveling the byways of Spain, I feel an almost magical bond connecting me with the hundreds of generations who have populated this ancient land. Sometimes it is prompted by a seemingly insignificant object such as the humble cazuela, the simple terra cotta dish that has been used by Spanish families [...]
Posted in Amigos, Corners of Spain, Reflections on Spain on Apr 12th, 2010
For just a brief moment, all of Spain was focused on a deep valley in the dramatic Picos de Europa, bounded by almost vertical canyon walls. Like a shooting star, events in the bucolic valley of Covadonga and the village of Cangas de Onis flashed across the sky, and after a few dramatic years returned [...]
