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The Last Wednesday of August

Aug 28, 2018
2 min

The Last Wednesday of August

Tomorrow is a day that may go down in the family history as the greatest day ever. Spain, and in particular Valencia, is known for its raucous festivals (hello, Fallas), though almost all of the festivals are religiously-based. La Tomatina is the exception to that rule. Held in the neighboring community of Buñol, about 40,000 people get together on the last Wednesday of August and throw tomatoes at each other. Most people run away from the chaos, which means that we are runni

Love & laughter

Feb 12, 2018
3 min

Love & laughter

It's only been a weekend, and so much has changed. Most exciting and important, my Mom is now here. She came out on Saturday and I've been showing her around Valencia--what a great time it's been. After picking Mom up at the airport midday, we went back to the apartment where I've been staying with my roommates and dropped off her luggage. After grabbing a quick lunch, we went back to the apartment in Ayora and waited until about 3:30 when our Airbnb apartment was available i

Dancing in the streets

Feb 5, 2018
3 min

Dancing in the streets

A few weeks ago, before I left for Spain, our family was discussing what we were looking forward to doing when we got to Spain--you know, what is missing from your life that you want to do more of, and you plan on pursuing in Spain. We each had our own answers, but the only reply that stuck with me is C's. With a little self-deprecating humor and a large dose of hoping I'd forget he said "I want to dance with my wife more." For those of you that know C, this was a surprising

You say patata, I say potato

Jan 24, 2018
2 min

You say patata, I say potato

When I set out to learn Spanish, little did I know that this was going to be a political issue. I'm just learning Spanish, right? What most of us typically think of as Spanish is technically Castilian. This is the national language of Spain and is what taught in the US in high schools. Though slightly different in pronunciation and a few colloquialisms, it is the language that is used throughout Latin America and Mexico also. As a matter of fact, Castilian is the second-most

Service with a smile

Jan 23, 2018
2 min

Service with a smile

A few days back, I mentioned that it's not customary to smile here as a matter of course. People walk down the street with their faces neutral, which a lot of the time looks like scowling. When you walk into a place of business, whether it is a cafe, a department store, or the airport check-in line, you are not greeted with American pleasantries: "Hi. How may I help you?" Instead, you get "Dime" (DEE-may), which loosely translated means "Tell me." It's not rude, it's a cultur

Rules of the sidewalk

Jan 19, 2018
3 min

Rules of the sidewalk

Yesterday, I mentioned that I was going to video a little of my morning walk, and I actually hit the record button this time. Unfortunately, it is baaaaddddd and I don't want to give you all horrible vertigo. Rather than sending you running for Zofran, I'll shelve the video and explain a little bit of pedestrian etiquette. There are 5 primary ways to get around Valencia: metro, bus, car, walking, and bike. The metro is great: clean, timely, and usefully-situated. I took it to

Walk this way

Jan 18, 2018
3 min

Walk this way

I'm about to tell one on myself (as if this entire blog hasn't been one big opportunity to bare my soul). Here goes: I don't move. My life in Atlanta is sedentary and unhealthy. In an average day, I assume that get in less than 3,000 steps. Life pretty much looks like this: Wake Up: bathroom/Closet/Downstairs Let dogs out/fill dogs' bowls/let dogs in/put them in their crates to eat Sit down and check email Get into car and drive carpool Get back home/let dogs out Sit down and

10,000 words

Jan 17, 2018
1 min

10,000 words

Valencia is stunning...the unconventional type of breathtaking that takes you a bit to notice, but then you can't unsee it. It is the kind of mesmerizing that is Tilda Swinton, Anna Paquin, or Benedict Cumberbatch. I've wandered hither and yon over the past few days and have literally stumbled across some of the most beautiful statuary, buildings, tile work, and gardens that I've had the pleasure of seeing in person. There is also a thriving street art scene in Valencia. I st

Bearing gifts

Jan 5, 2018
2 min

Bearing gifts

I didn't grow up celebrating Christmas and to-date I never have. I remember being confused as a child about how Santa Claus fit into the holiday and if there was some connection between Santa Claus and Jesus. I've not really found a good answer to that more than the Coca-Cola Company's marketing of an icy beverage in the middle of winter. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmastime in the US when houses are decorated with lights and trees, and people tend to both smile and make

More than just location

Dec 7, 2017
3 min

More than just location

We've been talking to our sons a ton about the changes that we can expect to face when we move. There are the obvious: language, location, schools, distance from family, using public transportation.... We've asked them to ask questions and give their input if they have opinions. Boy, do they. Some of the things that we've decided to do based on their input: attending private, English-speaking schools; living in the city-center even if it means a longer commute to school; havi

I won't miss this

Nov 29, 2017
1 min

I won't miss this

Atlanta has been my home for 4 decades, and I've watched it grow from a sleepy, small city to a sprawling metropolis. Unfortunately, one of the biggest failings of our local government has been the inability to garner consensus on public transportation. Originally, I was going to discuss the politics behind the traffic Hellscape that is Atlanta, but C suggested that I don't get political on this blog. If you're interested, here's a great article explaining the long, sordid, a

One of many checklists

Nov 24, 2017
1 min

One of many checklists

I've been thinking about all the things that I want to do in Atlanta before we call Valencia home. For months C has heard me say some version of "I want to _______________ before we leave Atlanta." In order to keep these things in my head, I'm creating a list here and will check them off as we get them done (I hope): Take the Behind the scenes tour of The Fox Theatre See the Anne Frank Exhibit in Sandy Springs Visit the MLK National Historic Site Visit the National Center for