Tag Archives: food

Gijón: Paradise, you’re already there!

Posted on June 6, 2024 by johnkwhi

It’s been a while since my last Caracola, so I thought I’d put together a few basics for living and loving in the largest city in Asturias (pop. ~ 270,000) now that we are back in Spain and friends are … Continue reading →

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Bilbao: Modern Cathedral Town

Posted on August 26, 2015 by johnkwhi

Bilbao’s old cathedral is in the heart of its medieval pedestrian centre (Siete Calles or Seven Streets), mostly forgotten today amidst the bonhomie of pintxo bars, but fortunately there’s a new cathedral in town, the Guggenheim, a shiny titanium-clad museum … Continue reading →

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Adventures in Northern Spain – Part I: The Northwest (Asturias, Galicia, Porto, Zamora)

Posted on July 30, 2015 by johnkwhi

If you’re looking for a summer trip to knock your socks off, look no further than northern Spain – all the down-home charms of yesterday with all the modern conveniences of today. I recommend two, both by car starting and … Continue reading →

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Pamplona – Not just bull runs and imagined worlds

Posted on May 31, 2015 by johnkwhi

A simple word association game with Pamplona likely brings up two – bulls and Hemingway. The running of the bulls (or encierro) is part of the Festival of San Fermín, held every July 6 to 14 in this historical capital … Continue reading →

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Paella Town – Fire and water in Valencia

Posted on April 8, 2015 by johnkwhi

Valencia is the third-largest city in Spain at almost 800,000 people, and one of the largest on the Mediterranean coast behind its Catalan cousin Barcelona. A country’s third-largest city usually has to try harder, but with the biggest old city … Continue reading →

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La Rioja – More than Words and Wine

Posted on November 20, 2014 by johnkwhi

The Spanish language is said to have begun with a thirteenth-century monk, who first put ink to paper a poem using the vulgarized Latin spoken in medieval Spain. Like Homer’s Odyssey in Greek and Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales in English, … Continue reading →

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If You’re Coming to Gijón

Posted on July 24, 2014 by johnkwhi

In 2007, El País reported the best places to live in Spain (las ciudades españolas donde mejor se vive), naming Gijón the third-best behind Pamplona and Bilbao. On the flip side (donde peor se vive) was Las Palmas de Gran … Continue reading →

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Basilmania and monarquía: Or how to make pesto sauce without any pomp or circumstance

Posted on June 22, 2014 by johnkwhi

Basil is so named for basileus meaning “king” in Greek, supposedly because it’s meant to be the king of the herbs. If Leo can be king of the jungle, I guess Basil can be king of the herb garden. Word … Continue reading →

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Another Spanish top ten list (Part I): Sun, salsa, sangria, …

Posted on April 7, 2014 by johnkwhi

Everyone’s doing a top ten list these days. They’re easy – no need to maintain a coherent theme, just add the next number and switch to another idea. They don’t require much attention – great for new Tube thinking, the … Continue reading →

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From Salpicon to Spam and back

Posted on March 16, 2014 by johnkwhi

I first discovered the amazing salpicón (salpicon in English) on a trip to A Coruña last summer with Belén, tucked away in an odd restaurant in the city centre on an even odder menú del día. I can’t speak for … Continue reading →

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