Take it from us, this impressive, progressive country's miles beyond iconic but stereotypical bullfights, flamenco, and mass beach tourism, with historic sights reaching back to the era of ancient Greece, wine regions, skiing, some of Europe's most cutting-edge culture; and a gorgeous tapestry of different cultures and languages. ¡Viva España!


Cover photo: Jim Gordon

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Andalusia´s Doñana National Park is one of "7 of the World´s Top Birdwatching Meccas"

Tyros.andi  Animalia In the province of Huelva at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, Doñana is Europe´s most important wetland migration hub—so much so in fact that it´s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park covers about 210 square miles and supports 360 to 400 species, including Spanish imperial eagle (above left) and huge migratory flocks;  in spring and fall they are truly sights to behold. Seville Airport is the gateway, followed by a drive of an hour to an hour and a half.read post

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The common rosemary street scam in Spain

This is a story inspired by a particular type of travel scam, but because it´s one associated with a particular ethnic group, let me start with some background and context. The Romani people, known in Spain as Gitanos (gypsies) and Calé, are one of the country’s oldest and most distinctive minority communities. Although many people think of them simply as another kind of Europeans, most experts agree that the Romani originally came from northwestern India – probably in areas corresponding to…

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La Tomatina - Spain´s juiciest festival!

flydime Ever dreamt of being part of a crazy food fight with thousands of people throwing ripe tomatoes at each other — all in good fun? Welcome to La Tomatina, Spain’s most iconic and colorful street festival, where getting messy is the whole point! Every year on the last Wednesday of August, the small Valencian town of Buñol — a half-hour drive or 50-minute train ride from Valencia city — transforms into a red sea of joy, laughter, and tomato pulp. People from all over the world gather here…

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Exploring Madrid´s little known medieval (Muslim) legacy

David Paul Appell I've always had a fascinating for things medieval. Would never want to have actually lived back in the Middle Ages, mind you - perish the thought. But the architecture and atmosphere of the Romanesque and the Gothic have always captivated me. And while my adopted country provides more than enough to delight me on this front year after year, I've been enjoying my home town Madrid more for its marvelous architecture and monuments dating from the mid-16th century onward, when…

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  • I will be with a colleague/photographer on assignment in Saville in early May, and am interested in contacting individuals who are connected with local boutique and upscale hotels (in town preferably, but also open to nearby areas with easy access to the city center)--such as P.R. reps, hotel managers, travel marketing companies and so on.  We are looking for three nights, and are also open to splitting up the stay between properties. 

    I will be doing two gastronomy stories focused on innovative Sherry-food pairings and Sherry-based cocktails for wine-focused publications, and one about Saville cuisine in general for a newsstand consumer magazine.


    Look forward to hearing from you--please contact me at ejglickmanmedia@gmail.com. You can see my work  at ElyseGlickman.com

    All the best, and thank you in advance for your help!

  • Thanks so much, Ed! I keep trying to go somewhere and focus on Culture and Important Sights and next thing you know I spend my time eating! Ah well... :-)

  • Lelya, I can't agree with you on innards, but I sure agree with everything else. Love your writing, love your shout-out to Pimientos del Padron. 

  • 9012382674?profile=original

    Try as I might, any travel adventure will always lead back to food... And sometimes I do try hard!

    Tapas of Santiago: Falling in Love with Pimientos del Padron

  • Euskadi is such an underrated part of Spain - I've loved it ever since visiting Donostia (aka San Sebastian) for the first time in 1980.

  • Sorry for costing you money, Leyla. But it'll be worth it. I love history and literature. So my current read, Wolf Hall, is a match made in heaven.

  • Thanks Matthew - I'm off to order both. You're tugging at my heartstrings because I have a background in political science and I'm a journalist... so history, commentary and politics are actually my idea of a good time! :-)

  • Leyla, well worth you checking out Mark Kurslanksy's Basque History of the World. Plenty of recipes in there too. Also Dave Boling's Guernica is a literary commentary on what the Basque Country suffered thanks to Franco. I do not advocate terrorism, but if you read either or both books you can possibly understand the origins of ETA without in any way sympathising with their methods.

  • Thanks for your kind words, Donna! I grew up in Spain and as a child I remember the Basque country was a place we rarely mentioned, let alone visited. Even this time after all that history I admit I went with a bit of trepidation. Although most families were in some way affected, they're preferring to move on and were focused on the future, not the past.

  • Good blog post, Leyla. I visited Bilbao a few years ago when the ETA was making trouble, and I'm glad you don't ignore that. But today, 2013, on to the food! I clicked on your link because of this photo of the pulpo and I found that all your photos are wonderful. Great memories!

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