Tag Archives: tourism

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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A Little Bit of Spain in Pictures

Posted on June 30, 2015 by johnkwhi

After almost 2 years and 50 caracolas, the semi-regular is becoming semi-irregular, and so it’s time for a Best Of. Like the Best of Bread or Frampton Comes Alive, hopefully the collection of greatest hits exceeds the originals, the proverbial … 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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The best place to live in Spain!

Posted on January 22, 2015 by johnkwhi

I’ve been here a while, so I should know a few things by now. Hands down the best place to live in Spain is Asturias. Well, according to my list as weighted by my spreadsheet. Maybe your list as weighted … Continue reading →

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The Canaries (Canarias)

Posted on December 18, 2014 by johnkwhi

At this time of the year, Spaniards like to go where it’s sunny. I know many people think Spain is sunny and warm all year round, but it’s just not so. In some places, it regularly gets to zero degrees … 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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Frank O. Gehry Architect – Royal or Rebel?

Posted on October 24, 2014 by johnkwhi

Today, Spain bestows its highest cultural honour, el Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Artes, on Canadian-born, American architect Frank Gehry. The awards, which began in 1981 at the behest of the then Prince of Asturias (Spain’s title for royal … 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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