With Holy Week on hold due to coronavirus, there’s no better time to relive some of my favorite moments from previous years. The Vatican may allow a grand procession after quarantine is over, & there’s even talk of celebrating Semana Santa in September. Whatever. Festivities should have begun today. It’s a moment many sevillanos look forward to all year long, including me.
Read More »sevilla: semana santa, favorite moments
One of Lisbon’s most iconic viewpoints, not even the 1755 earthquake could destroy this majestic point of entry into the capital of Portugal. The royal palace disappeared forever, but the public square retained its shape during reconstruction… although sporting a new name. Recently the columns returned with “Salazar” cleaned up for all to see. That polemic decision allows visitors & residents alike to engage in a dialogue with Portugal’s recent history.
Read More »lisboa: cais das colunas
Ambitious plan? Actually easier than it looks. With drive times between stops relatively short, we could fit in a lot in 17 days. I hadn’t been back to the South in 20 years, so I was excited to reconnect with old friends. Plus, Rafa could finally see an important part of my past. We picked up where we left off from our previous road trip, had an incredible time & managed to get home just before the world went into lockdown…
Read More »road trip: stl to atl
Perched on a hilltop with commanding views over the Guadalquivir Valley, the Monumento al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús reigns over Sevilla’s suburbs. Its tall tower in San Juan de Aznalfarache forms part of a larger complex & is often visible on the way to either IKEA, El Corte Inglés or Leroy Merlin… all those special trips. Obviously from the Franco era due to its scale & size, the monument followed part of a worldwide Catholic trend of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus & was sponsored by the cardinal-archbishop of Sevilla, Pedro Segura y Sáez.
Read More »sevilla: monumento al sagrado corazón de jesús
Here we go again! As always, I write this for personal reasons but you’re welcome to revisit the past year with me. Full of new destinations, new challenges & very little free time. Par for the course.
Read More »year in review: 2019
Founded by Romans as Arx-Arcis & later the capital of an independent Muslim taifa, Arcos de la Frontera entered a golden age after being taken by Christian forces in 1264. The city & surrounding area became part of a lordship then moved up to become a countdom, gradually increasing in importance. And it would continue to grow…
Read More »spain: arcos de la frontera
Back to Buenos Aires! Well, not literally… but I’ve neglected to place in this blog one very popular series of posts from the past. From 2007 to be exact. Back in the day when my only internet presence was line of sight, I wrote one of the most widely read English-language blogs about Buenos Aires. At the same time as I researched early housing projects in the city, I also began looking up & paying attention. I saw more domes than I’d ever noticed before, regardless of where those rambling walks took me.
Read More »buenos aires: domes
Time to continue this mini-series about travel posters which began with Argentina & moved on to Spain. Now let’s take a look at Portugal… one of my favorite places that was very popular in the mid-20th century, then fell off tourists’ radar until about 2010. The secret is out again: Portugal rocks!
Read More »found: portugal travel posters
How can this be? Already a decade has gone by since my mother passed away?? I decided to write about her life here, inspired by a friend’s blog who recently lost his mother. My mom was a complicated woman —she gave some of that to me, no doubt— and there are many gaps in her life story that I will never know. But…
Read More »personal: mom, ten years on
Whether you call it a national border or la raya, this trip had a several motivations: spend time in places Rafa & I had been individually but not together (awwww), visit new spots that are best accessed by car & see how permeable —or not— the Portugal/Spain border has been over time. We beat the heat until the last couple of days of the trip, but overall we were very lucky with weather considering the time of year. Join us for a crazy week on both sides of the border…
Read More »road trip: borders