We haven’t mastered Spanish yet, but 90 percent of the progress we have made has been with the consistent and friendly assistance of Elisa Valero Peris, our delightful Spanish teacher. …
A Quick Note on Renewing Your Padron de Habitantes in Valencia
After being in Spain for about two years, you’re going to get a letter from the Ayuntamiento that you probably ought not ignore. Basically, it contains words to the effect, …
Gone Vegan: The How, Why, and When of Our Gentle Diet
Going vegan is our idea of promoting a life of gentle living. It took us 20 years to get here but about three years ago we finally, fully adapted to …
Volunteering at Vaughan Day Town
Jamie and I just volunteered for the first time in Spain. Woohoo! We’ve been waiting for our Spanish to reach that “good enough” level and guess what? It hasn’t. So, …
Five Days on Two Wheels in Emilia Romagna, Italy
View PostFalling in Love with Ferrara
Ferrara was to be the beginning of a five-day, self organized cycle journey through the Po Delta Regional Park. We spent so much time focusing on planning the cycling, we …
A Couple of Days in Bologna
We kicked off our cycle tour of the Emilia-Romagna region from Bologna because, well, that’s where the plane landed. But, before we grabbed our bicycles and hit the road we …
A Friendly English/Spanish Conversation Group with Maria Hidalgo
One of the reasons we decided to live in Spain was to meet new people and learn the language. One way to do that, we thought, was to participate in …
How to Get a Senior Bus Pass in Valencia
We live car-free here in Valencia. The city is so compact we tend to walk almost everywhere we go. But in the hot weather or when heading to the airport, …
A Few Days in Porto
We went to Portugal to experience the Douro Valley and to learn about the process of creating the fine Port wines of the region. So, despite our usual attempt to …
Provesende and the Douro Valley in Spring
View PostShort Trips from Valencia: Zaragoza by Train
The towers and domes of Basílica del Pilar beside the Ebro River. Zaragoza, capital of the old kingdom of Aragón, I love the name. Say it with a bit of …
Day Trippin’ and More: Destination Teruel
During our first experience of Las Fallas, Valencia’s multi-week spring celebration, we exposed our pets to more than enough fireworks for a lifetime. This year the whole family, Lizzie dog, …
How I Spent My First Ever Yoga Retreat at Yoga Sutra Shala
I’ve wanted to go on a yoga retreat for years but never got around to it. Recently I started to have the feeling that a rigorous week-long retreat just might …
Day Trippin’ – Destination Requena
After spending sunny January days roaming the streets of Valencia, Susan was ready to get out of town for a day. I had no objection, so we hopped aboard the …