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."
EUROPE’S SAHARA: HOW SPAIN IS TURNING INTO A DESERT »
Heatwaves are but one of climate change’s serious “offenses” responsible for the devastating droughts that go hand in hand with desertification. In the European Union, Spain is the most threatened by desertification. Thirty-one point percent of its land is affected by desertification while 20% is already desertified. One may not put all the blame on climate change, though. Human activity is a major offender. And people in the country are guilty of abusive use of natural resources..
DON QUIXOTE TACKLES THE WINDMILLS OF JAPAN–WITH MUCH SUCCESS! »
Spain-Japan relationship is not particularly close as to warrant a shrine to Spanish history, culture and tradition on Japanese soil. There lies the enigma of the Parque España--Shima Spain Village in the Mie Prefecture, a sprawling fun shrine that has been attracting local tourists for three decades now. A Land of Don Quixote that smacks delightfully of genuineness.
TASTING TAPAS IN SENSATIONAL SEVILLE »
Seville´s interpretation of food as an essentially social phenomenon is what makes it one of the supreme exponents of the tapa. Tapas recipes are redolent of the several cultures that have left their gastronomic mark on Seville down the centuries, from the Roman taste for sausages to the Arabic Moors´refined use of spices.
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “THE ORIGINAL TOURIST IN SPAIN”, 5 May 1967, First Installment »
George Borrow: "How the rage for scribbling tempts people to write about lands and nations of which they know nothing! Vaya! It is not from having seen a bullfight at Seville or Madrid, or having spent a handful of ounces at a posada that you are competent to write about such a people as the Spaniards, and to tell the world how they think, how they speak, and how they act." But there was one, an erudite traveler, Englishman Richard Ford, who did justice to the endeavor. Living in southern Spain for three years and traveling across the peninsula on horseback, he wrote "Handbook on Spain" in 1845 and the even more riveting and timeless "Gatherings from Spain" published the following year and proved immensely popular.
FIESTA TIME! YOUR FABULOUS FLAMENCO OUTFIT FOR AS LOW AS €20! »
For as low as €20 and higher than €2000! That's the way the traje flamenca goes, pricewise. Meaning, you've got a really exciting range of choices!
JESUS CARMONA, A TWO-PART STORY. Part 2: Carmona Takes a Giant Leap »
Carmona's "Salto" is a leap into a new model for the creation of dance shows. One with strong overtones of social commitment. It is equally a leap that takes Spanish culture to new heights, giving it an unquestionably global dimension.
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “Sevilla: A Must in Spring,” 13 April 1984 (Part 2) »
“Quien no ha visto Sevilla, no ha visto maravilla” (He who hasn’t seen Seville, hasn’t seen a wonder), and truer words were never spoken
A GUIDEPOST REPRINT: “SEVILLA: A MUST IN SPRING”, 13 April 1984 (Part 1) »
Seville is the most Spanish of this country’s cities: passionate gypsy ladies and their bullfighting beaus, orange blossom scented nights, the grandeur of the old Moorish buildings, blood red vino and airy patios so thick with bougainvillea and roses that they make the Garden of Eden look like a vacant lot in Houston during high summer. And the best time to witness this beauty is during the Feria de Abril or the April Fair when for a week the city becomes magic.
YOUR BASIC COURSE IN THE SPANISH SEMANA SANTA »
Holy Week, or Semana Santa, is a celebration of the Passion of Christ and the Sorrows of the Virgin Mary. It is a solemn occasion but it could actually be "glamorous" too. When's the Week in 2021? Sunday, 28 March - Sunday, 4 April.
