How did Shrove Tuesday become Mardi Gras or Carnaval in Spain? Traditionally, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday was the day you went to confess your sins (to be shriven), so that you could do your penance through Lent and resurrect yourself as a faithful Christian by the time Easter arrived. Perhaps the later Christians thought […]
After spending some time in Spain, I have to say that I am challenged by their food, their eating hours and their eating habits. Let me explain. My husband and I have just returned from a month in Seville. It was wonderful to spend February in warmer temperatures, surrounded by amazing architecture and equally amazing
In an earlier post, I mentioned that, by the time we were in our third week in Seville, I was ready to eat my way through the food market, we frequented, almost daily. I was itching to do a rabbit stew, a roast of fresh local lamb, and something with pork in any of its
Never let the inability to speak a language interfere with your travel plans. Although, my husband and I do not speak Spanish, we blithely set off for a month’s stay in Seville, Spain. Even though we had worked through a few on-line language programs before we went, somehow, we never managed to learn the phrases
…… Well, maybe some people can do it, but for us, it takes a few months of preparation. Let me explain. My husband is easing into retirement by trying to – travel a bit more, see his extended family a bit more and generally have more purposeful “time off.” This all takes a bit of
OK, we didn’t use an Uber taxi for our ride from Arles to the airport in Marseilles. Our quote for the 50 mile trip was €150.00. We decided on a taxi, though, because train schedules can change and we needed to catch that plane!! As it turned out our driver was quite amazing. He had
To visit the Camargue, that huge delta of the Rhone river which stretches ever further into the Mediterranean, has always been on my hit list. It’s not just because there is a Rolls Royce named after it, but it is also because, many years ago I “missed it,” while hitch hiking through the south of
The entire city of Arles is a museum unto itself. Yes, there is commerce and village life, but citizens and visitors alike live carefully among the ruins. The ruins, that is, of what was once a great Roman city. A magnificent colosseum, for example, dominates a rise in the centre of the old town, while
Unfortunately holidays come to an end – a necessary evil. For as Shakespeare said – If all the year were playing holidays, To sport would be as tedious as to work; I never want my “sport,” vacationing, to become tedious work, so I have holidays that end. However, you can ease the pain, by having
Midway through our week in Cassis, we decided to inquire about tickets to Arles. We had to vacate our apartment on the Saturday and planned to stay for a few days in Arles, before catching our flight home on the following Tuesday. Normally we would just walk to the train station. However, the station in
