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musings & more since 2004

lisboa: palácio da ajuda

Portugal, Lisboa, Palácio da Ajuda

When Pope Alexander III officially recognized Afonso Henriques as king in 1179, Portugal joined other prestigious royal houses in Europe. Dynasties would come & go —with several tragedies in between— but royals ruled until the establishment of Portugal’s first republic in 1910. That span of 731 years gave Portugal much of its modern-day national heritage; however, unlike other European countries, royal palaces are not part of the main tourist circuit. Why not? Let’s examine some previous royal residences for an answer…

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christmas in sevilla

Spain, España, Christmas, Navidad, Sevilla

For much of the world, Christmas was over two weeks ago… ah, but not for us. Spain is one of several countries that celebrate Epiphany (Jan 6th) in a big way. That’s when the Three Wise Men, the Magi or los Reyes Magos arrived in Bethlehem to pay their respects & give gifts to Jesus. Although I’ve spent tons of time in Spain over the past 17 years, I haven’t been here for Christmas since 1998. Seems like a special event happened almost every day! I’m thrilled we’re back to normal now, & maybe a timeline of events will help explain why the holidays this year wore me out.

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year in review: 2016

2016, travel, year in review
● Where was I? USA, Argentina, Japan, Spain, France, & Portugal.

It’s back! As always, I write this for personal reasons, but you’re welcome to revisit the past year with me. Sorry there was not much of a 2015 review but believe me, some things are better left unsaid 😉 It’s all más que bien ahora. The insane pace of 2016 makes a month-by-month summary impossible to write & even worse to read, so I’ve grouped events of the year into a few broad categories. Let’s go!

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recipe: sopa hervia

recipe, receta, sopa hervida, sopa hervía

My first recipe! Don’t worry, there’s no danger of this becoming a food blog. Although I love to cook & eat, I can’t seem to focus on one particular topic… or even a single country 😉 Sopa hervida (pronounced in andalú without the “d”) translates literally as “boiled soup”, but in reality it is more like what we would call a stuffing in the USA. Spain has invented a number of ways to use leftover bread, & these “soups” are some of the most traditional recipes in every family.

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road trip: pacific northwest

road trip, 2016, Pacific Northwest

Rafa’s first visit to the US & our first road trip together… how would this go? The original idea had been to take Rafa to Vancouver & give him a taste of Canada. But some big event at the end of July meant most hotels were full, & those with rooms available were charging crazy, expensive rates. Change of plan; let’s go south instead!

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buenos aires: architecture guide

Time Out, Buenos Aires, architecture, guide, Endless Mile

In 2013, the following article appeared as a two-page spread in the Autumn/Winter edition of Time Out: Buenos Aires. When the editor first contacted me to write about BA architecture, the only thing that ran through my mind was “1400 words?!” Somehow I managed to fit history, architectural styles, recommendations & current events in that limited space. They had to remove a couple of my listings to make the article fit, but I’ve put them back in this post.

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