A lifetime of encounters with Spain.
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 Reflexiones en Español on Jul 12th, 2010
Existe un lugar mágico situado en las cercanías de la costa de Galicia que a menudo se les pasa por alto a los viajeros. Se trata de Santiago de Compostela – alejada del circuito turístico de las populares Toledo, Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada y Barcelona tanto en distancia como en carácter. Goza de un aire a [...]
Posted in Reflexiones en Español on Jun 1st, 2010
Tanto Juan como Elena Yurrita tienen treinta y tantos, ambos pertenecen a la generación española que creció en los embriagadores años de transición desde la dictadura de Francisco Franco a una joven democracia. Estos jóvenes de nuevas actitudes contemplan posibilidades más amplias tras tantos años de aislamiento y repercusiones de la sangrienta Guerra Civil entre [...]
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, Reflections on Spain on Mar 15th, 2010
I have been writing reflections about Spain and her culture over the past several years. The prevailing theme has been that the bedrock of the traditional Spanish culture is the importance they place on being together as a family, including the extraordinary way they cherish their children. A few years ago, this was the normal [...]
This two part video is an excellent presentation prepared by my friend Han de Roos who provides La Tienda with Can Solivera Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Wild Olive Oil by Can Solivera and the exquisite Can Solivera Extra Virgin Olive Oil Soap.
Posted in Amigos, Corners of Spain, Reflections on Spain on Feb 16th, 2010
In the early years of La Tienda, a young man named Tomás Lozano contacted me. At the time we were experimenting with many new products from Spain to discover what our customers would like. We featured ceramics, foods and a handful of hand-carved reproductions of medieval art, including wooden panels and crosses. He wanted to [...]
Posted in Reflections on Spain on Jan 26th, 2010
Few are aware of what happened at that spot along the James River thirty-six years before, and how the history of America might have been quite different. It is the extraordinary tale of a lost Spanish colony in Virginia and the men who died trying to bring the Christian faith to the Ajacan Indians.
In 1571, eight Jesuit missionaries were killed by hostile tribesmen at the mission they founded on Virginia’s Lower Peninsula, near the Chesapeake Bay. It was close to the site where the English would permanently settle just thirty years later.
