SPAIN ACROSS THE YEARS. PART 1: Sanguinary Civil War, Ferocious Fascism, and the Dawning of a Better Life »
Here is an enthralling personal account of fascism and the Franco dictatorship by the author who was in Spain in the mid-1970s on the University of California Berkeley’s Education Abroad Program: "The last time I set foot in Spain in 1974 and 1975 fascism and the Franco dictatorship were in their last last legs. Returning 47 years later I braced myself for experiencing big changes."
SPAIN ACROSS THE YEARS. PART 2: FAULTLINES IN A VIBRANT DEMOCRACY »
Guernica, a powerful anti-war statement · Going through the battlegrounds of the Spanish Civil War where a historical walkabout could get booed · Casa Pepe, a sojourn into fascism and the Franco dictatorship · A new encounter with the Cordoba of the Three Cultures: "Relearning its exceptional period of harmony gave me hope, making my trip to Spain nothing less than epic."
A NOSTALGIC LOOK AT MADRID’S CAFES OF OLD »
All that is most typical of Madrid is fast disappearing and only a few powerless die-hard madrileños seem to care. Among the fatalities are the old-time cafés, those congenial meeting-places where you could go, meet friends, talk art and politics and pleasantly idle away the hours sipping black coffee and cognac.
CORONA FAILS TO SPOOK THE ZOMBIES INTO A COMPLETE SHUTDOWN! »
I'm a freelance journalist who took off to Madrid for a look-see and enjoy what was on offer while I was there. I was hoping to write a story about Halloween in this once-bustling capital. Considering how fiesta-loving the Spaniards are, All Saints Day cum Halloween should be quite festive. On the other hand, I had to get real. These are unusual times, the Era of the Covid. And I should be prepared to join a terribly watered-down holiday. . . Guess what I found out!
DON A CAPE AND WOW THE LADIES — AND GENTLEMEN! »
Part I of the Two-Part Seseña Capes Series. Warm and dashing, the capa española can be twirled haughtily around the wearer’s body twice or even three times. And Capas Seseña is the only establishment still existing in all Spain with a proud and single-minded dedication to the making of the classic Spanish cape, cut and sewn right there on the old turn-of-the-century premises. The traditional garment has been enchanting elegant national and international fashion audiences (and wearers, of course) unfailingly all these many years.
NEW YEAR 2020 IN MADRID: IT MAKES SENSE TO MIX PRUDENCE WITH FUN! »
If you’re planning on joining the New Year fiestas (the “pre-uvas” on the 30th of December, and the “campanadas” on 31stDecember-1st January) in Puerta del Sol, Madrid, you’d better double check on the ways and means of getting there before setting out. Read on!
THE GREEN TRAIN HURTLES DOWN TO ITS 100TH BIRTHDAY LIKE THE CHAMP THAT IT IS »
On 17 October 1919 King Alfonso XIII of Spain inaugurated the capital’s first ever subway line. It went from under the Puerta del Sol in the center of the city up 3.48 kilometers north to Cuatro Caminos. A century later, the fledgling underground transport system of a measly eight stations boasts 12 lines and 302 stations, spanning 294 kilometers. It is the third longest subway in Europe, and the world’s eighth. It is a vanguard of accessibility with its 1705 escalators and 530 lifts. It has always run on electrciity, even long before saving our Planet via the clean-air route has become an urgent task!
AT LAST MADRID IS TAKING CLEAN AIR SERIOUSLY! »
When the pedestrianization of the iconic Puerta del Sol is done, and the ongoing remodelling of the Plaza de Canalejas is completed, the Madrileños will enjoy “one of the great urban areas that any European capital must have,” according to the Mayor of Madrid.
HOW THE GOOD OLD SPANISH TWO-PARTY SYSTEM GOT CLOBBERED »
In just a decade, the predictable two-party environment in Spain fractured into a wide breadth of parties and ideologies and may never revert to the what-had-once-been. This will certainly make for a more chaotic system, but a more interesting one as well.
YOUR CASTLE IN SPAIN? »
"Since moving back to the states, I've had to rely on hotels and apartments for lodging when in Spain. I often opt for the latter, finding it nice to have a kitchen to prepare greens after a day of eating my all beige Spanish comfort food - croquetas, tortilla, patatas ali-oli, churros and natillas con nata. But I would like to alert everyone to the wide use of euphemisms to describe many properties"
