Spanish Celebrations
Skiing and the Holidays
There is skiing in Spain, decent skiing. And Andorra is close by with great skiing to be had. But this post is not about skiing per se. It’s about when to go skiing, and more importantly, when not to go skiing. You see, last weekend we hit the slope of Cerler, in the Aragonese mountains. […]
Spanish Celebrations
La Diada de Sant Jordi
Yesterday was the festival of Sant Jordi, celebrating the patron saint of Catalunya wherein people gift each other either a rose or a book. All over town, there are book stalls and flower stands set up on every corner, and in the city of Barcelona, there is a festival on the Rambla de Raval. This long plaza is […]
Spanish Celebrations
The holidays may be over for you…
Back home, the holidays are Over with a capital O. Come January 2nd, gifts have already been returned, re-gifted, put into use or put away. The new year has been rung in and work resumes uninterrupted. But not here – the holidays are still in full swing. Today, January 5th, there is an additional Xmas […]
Spanish Celebrations
Have a Sh*tty Xmas.
Editors note: Since it is Xmas time, I’ve brought back an oldie but goodie for the holidays. Enjoy. It’s Navidad time here in Barcelona (aka Christmas or Xmas to us North Americans), and of course that means many, many days off for the Spaniards. For example, I am at the tail end of a 5 […]
Spanish Celebrations
My neighborhood Feste Major
This city will not let me work. It’s the end of summer, Sunday night, and I am sitting here at 9:35pm trying to get a jump on the work week coming up (I’m freelancing and I work from home) and I’ve been listening to an arsenal of firecrackers a few streets away machine gunning off […]
Daily Life
Where they will be good to me
Posted on 09 December 2016
In my early years of living here, the smallest acceptance or kindness would mean so much. Before I arrived, I took certain (OK many) things for granted. After arriving, and even still today, it’s quite simple to make me happy: Good customer service (so rare…), a helpful bank teller, a compliment from a stranger (wait, […] Continue Reading
Daily Life
A late August day
Posted on 23 September 2016
1 PM on a late August day. Walking through the old part of the city on a hot and still day. You can feel it will rain soon, the air has that quiet weight to it and you can smell the rain. It’s hot, but the sun is no longer beating down, the sky has […] Continue Reading
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Daily Life
Evening stroll
Posted on 11 June 2016
I frequently take a twilight stroll through my neighborhood in summer. This twilight hour is between 8:30 and 9:30PM, and it’s when everyone comes out. Last night was a typical walk and it went like this: I go down my street toward the Arc de Triomf monument. There are people on benches under the […] Continue Reading
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Daily Life
The Repatriating Question
Posted on 21 November 2015
“So when are you coming home?” As an expat, this is a question you will hear a lot. Out of all the expats I know, there is just a small handful who actually have an answer to this question. And for most of that very small group the answer is “never”. Everyone else just doesn’t […] Continue Reading
Daily Life
Where is the Volume Control Knob?
Posted on 22 July 2015
…because I would like to notch it down, just a tad. Let me explain. Shouting is literally (and I don’t use that word as a misuse of the word figuratively. I mean Literally with a capital L) considered a normal speaking volume here. The other day I was in a shop selling specialty products […] Continue Reading
Healthcare
Dental work in Spain – Do I dare?
Posted on 11 June 2015
I need to get some chipped teeth fixed. I ask for recommendations and receive a few. I make an appointment with one that seems good. The receptionist looks like she brushes her teeth with tobacco. The dentist is about 30 and has a rotten front tooth. This is someone who is supposed to make […] Continue Reading
Daily Life
Caught in a summer storm
Posted on 09 June 2015
This time last year I got caught in a sudden summer storm. I left my office and was just reaching for a Bicing (shared city bike) around 9:00PM when the fat drops started to fall hard and fast. Within 30 seconds, the ground was completely wet as I made a run for shelter below […] Continue Reading
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First Things First, Visas
Getting Legal – The Non-Lucrative Residency Visa
Posted on 01 May 2015
A few posts ago, we explored getting a long term student visa via a language school. If you don’t need to learn Spanish, there is another straightforward residency visa you can apply for in Spain: The Non-Lucrative Residency Visa. This is an option you may not have considered yet, especially if you aren’t familiar […] Continue Reading
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