Early one morning we came across a small circus set up at the marina. The Raluy Legacy circus had come to town!
Joy is Good Enough
With time looking both more precious due to the pandemic and more endless during the recent lockdown, I decided to take up a new activity: oil painting. It was actually round three for me. Once …
“Start Where You Are Today”
First thing each morning Susan and I head out to the Royal Gardens. A morning walk with exercise is our favorite activity of the day. This morning, though, we were each feeling creaky and sore. …
The Importance of Small Pleasures
We resurfaced from the Covid-19 confinement of nearly two months with a renewed appreciation and soft spot in our hearts for the city parks of Valencia. They represent our little “snippet” of nature until we …
How to Get a Digital Signature in Valencia, Spain
We’re up for our second visa renewal this year. When I reached out for advice from our good friends at YesValencia, Linda asked me if I had ever considered getting a digital signature. The COVID-19 …
Deja Vu High School
As I sat down to write this post it dawned on me that it has been 50 years since I graduated from St. Catherine’s High School in Racine, Wisconsin. Fifty years is a long time. …
Before the Sun: A Photo Project
My project wasn’t to create a portfolio of publication quality photos. I really just wanted to get myself to reclassify my morning excursions with Lizzie from a category labeled CHORE to one labeled JOY
Six Jam Packed Days at VaughanTown, Gredos
It’s early on a cold Sunday morning in Madrid. We join a group assembling on the street, half Spaniards, half Anglos. We’ll soon board a bus to an isolated hotel perched at the edge of the Gredos Mountains. We’re about to embark on an incredible journey.
Spanish – English Conversation Exchanges: The Struggles, the Joys, and the Beauty
When we planned our Spain move people repeatedly made two comments, “You’re so lucky to be immersed in the language every day,” or, “You’ll pick up Spanish so fast living in Spain.” All that pep talk had me believing that I’d be carrying on high-level conversations in six months. Ha!
Cycling Spain’s Via Verde Ojos Negros
Spain’s vias verdes are cycling and hiking trails that have been developed along abandoned rail lines. The longest of them all is Via Verde Ojos Negros. If you ride the entire length plus the additional …
An Independent, Family Owned Insurance Agency That’s Expat Friendly
Julija Roslova, English speaking associate, and Ángel Giron Descalzo, Technical Director. We just had our annual insurance review. I can’t describe how freeing it is to have nothing but health and renter’s insurance to discuss. …
Private Language Study with Elisa Valero, a Remarkable Teacher
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. She is much more than a tutor, without exaggeration, Elisa is a friend.