Spain – Fake Flamenco

bilingual, En español, Spanish Culture and Language

Got Your Toothbrush, Señorita?

Second installment of Rebecca’s Spain Stories. The black-beret-wearing cabby drove us to four pensiones before we found one with a vacancy and settled in. Next, I went to the bar next door to buy water. The bartender wasn’t impressed when I asked for agua sin gas. He dried a glass and said a sentence similar […]

bilingual, Catalunya, En español, Humor, Spanish Culture and Language

2 20-Somethings in Barcelona

Walking the grassy cart track to change trains between France and Spain, I saw a woman my age. We neared a whitewashed sentinel hut; border control. Two soldiers stood outside and a wooden barrier arm blocked our way. The passengers made a queue as the uniformed men checked and stamped passports. We stood 50 meters […]

bilingual, En español, Spanish Culture and Language

Spanish Princess Awards 2 Flamenco Legends

Two women leaders of modern flamenco were honored last month with the Princess of Asturias award by HRH Leonor of Spain. In the Arts category, two flamenco fabulosas won the prize: Carmen Linares and María Pagés. Ms. Linares is one of the most iconic women cantaors (flamenco singers) and Ms. Pagés is a renowned dancer […]

history, Life as a Woman, Living Abroad, Spanish Culture and Language, travel

4th Century Galician Woman Travel Blogger

First, thank you to Ana Linares Gil, for her tip about this tremendous woman traveler of the fourth century. Researchers think Egeria was the early travel correspondent’s name, from Galaecia (Galicia, Spain). She wrote letters to friends in a convent in the years 381 to 384. In the 1800s, the historian Gian Francesco Gamurrini found […]

history, Spanish, Spanish Culture and Language

Spanish: Non-Binary Life in a Gendered Language?

What pronoun would a non-binary person use in Spanish? In 2020, the Royal Spanish Academy* posted the word, “elle” (inclusive language like they) on their site as Under Observation**. People around the world wondered, will he (él) and she (ella) have a new non-binary sibling? Will Spanish become more inclusive? Unfortunately, so far the answer […]

Catalunya, Nature

Longest Scientific Expedition You’ve Never Heard Of…

In a year long expedition to study polar ice from 2019 to 2020, international scientists lived on an ice-breaker ship purposely trapped in the Arctic ice. We saw a documentary on public television about their day to day life as the winter ice shelf pushed them 3400 km (2113 mi). Their foray into polar night […]