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Library Visit Aborted: Not Seeing the Biblioteca Nacional de España
On our last full day in Madrid this past December, I headed to the Biblioteca Nacional de España (the National Library of Spain). My plan was to sit down with a book of poetry or a random selection from the shelves, to wander and get a sense of the place, to take a couple photos,…
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Listening in Segovia
A valuable and unusual week in our travels almost got lost in the commotion between house sitting in Cantabria, Spain, and our return to the States. It was very simple: we spent a week in Segovia, talking. For 15-16 hours a day for six days in early February we conversed in English with Spanish adults…
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Just In From the Country, Arriving in San Sebastian
I felt so at home out in the country with the horses and sheep and messy dog, that our arrival in San Sebastián was sort of a shock. We stepped off the bus near a large roundabout with a big fountain in the center, consulted our phones, and found we were just around the corner…
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The Pros and Cons of Housesitting
Tom and I have been on the road for about two and a half years now. While our travels have taken us to five continents and 15 countries, we set out with the intention of biding our time in various select destinations, starting with Ecuador. We look at travel as a long distance event, not…
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Welcome New Year with 25,000-Year-Old Cave Art
Yesterday, after our second attempt visiting a nearby cave, Cueva Cullalvera, we got lucky and happened into a guided visit of another cave in the Ramales area, Cueva Covalanas. These and a half dozen others in this Cantabrian region of Spain were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2008. I didn’t…