Andalucía / Tourism

There’s more to Córdoba than patios

Though we went to Córdoba for its famed patios festival in early May, there was no shortage of other, non-related sites. Perhaps the most famous monument in the city is the mezquita-catedral, or mosque-cathedral (that is not a typo, as we’ll explain below). Although it was Dreamer’s first visit, Doer had great memories of seeing the mosque 17 years ago. However, he did not remember where to buy tickets… Finally, we found the ticket booth on the opposite side of the entrance, then returned to the entrance with our entradas in hand. Before it became a cathedral, this was a mosque. But before

Continue reading
Andalucía / Tourism

Competing courtyards? Yes, please!

Spain brings many images to mind. Bulls, maybe, or flamenco. Paella or sangria, even. Before she ever set foot in the country, Dreamer associated Spain with courtyards. However, when we moved to the Valencian Community, on the eastern coast of the country, we did not find tranquil inner courtyards in abundance. We learned these cool sanctuaries – which have traditionally provided respite from the brutal heat – primarily exist in the south, especially the city of Córdoba. When Dreamer learned the city has a two-week competitive festival devoted to courtyards (called patios in Spain), we couldn’t book train tickets fast

Continue reading
Burriana / Holidays / Valencia

Flowered crosses and modern art in May

A little more than a month after Fallas transformed our town, the local groups who created the giant papier-mâché monuments that were burned at the end of that festival got their creative juices flowing once more – this time to construct giant monuments made of flowers. Valencians, it appears, are really into ephemeral art. Technically, the monuments were supposed to feature crosses, as Burriana – like much of Spain – was celebrating the Cruces de Mayo (Crosses of May) festival the first weekend of that month. As we came to see, however, the cross concept proved a very loose jumping off point. Since the

Continue reading
Burriana / Castellón / Cooking / Food / Holidays

A fancy calçotada and some Holy Week pomp

A few days before taking off for a spring break trip to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Tenerife, we spent the second weekend of April around home because we were invited to a calçotada in Vila-Real! This traditional spring festival of Catalan origin celebrates the calçot, a very specific kind of spring onion that is traditionally fire-roasted, wrapped in newspaper, then peeled and eaten by hand while wearing gloves. It is also dipped in romesco sauce (delicious, and probably the reason why we needed the bibs) before it makes its way to mouths and bellies. Dreamer just couldn’t get it right, though.

Continue reading
Tourism

Island in the Sun: Tenerife

For the final leg of our long April trip, we decided to go a more traditional spring break route, finishing our adventure waaaay south, and on an island to boot. But before arriving in paradise, we had to take a train from Rotterdam in the Netherlands to the airport in Brussels, Belgium. We were delighted with how easy (and fast!) international travel proved. No advance reservations needed, even. After arriving in Tenerife’s southern airport, we drove our rental care about 15 minutes to our beachside Airbnb apartment in Médano Beach. Tenerife is the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. Politically, the

Continue reading
Tourism

Double Dutch 2: Rotterdam

If we visited Amsterdam for the tulips, then we definitely went to Rotterdam for the pinball. We also encountered surprisingly modern architecture. While Amsterdam retains its historic credentials, Rotterdam looks very different because the Germans bombed it in 1940 during World War II. The city has since recovered, and today it is Europe’s largest port. We also enjoyed the small, historic section of the city that was not hit by bombs and thus remains preserved. Our train ride into Rotterdam was short and uneventful, with a gray spring landscape broken up by shocks of color. We found our boat hotel

Continue reading