Enjoy Living Abroad
  • Start Here
  • My Blog
  • My Travel Books
    • GREAT MED COMFORT FOOD BOOK
    • MOVING TO SEVILLE
    • EASTERN EUROPE BY RAIL
    • PACK LIGHT 2023
    • Seville's New Normal 2023
    • STARTING EXPAT LIFE
    • 101 EXPAT TIPS
  • Med Comfort Food Tour
  • Mediterranean Recipes
  • Dive Bars
  • Travel Tips
    • Packing
    • The Expat Lifestyle
    • Enjoy the Best of Seville
  • About
  • Contact

​


​WELCOME! 

​
  ​

Breaking Through Tourism's Glass Wall 

6/25/2015

2 Comments

 
The Spanish siesta is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest inventions of human civilization and justifiably famous around the world. What most people don’t know is that it’s usually followed by a small, delightful meal known as merienda, usually a coffee and pastry, often eaten in the company of family and friends in a congenial outdoor café. One of my earliest memories of Spain is sitting in a plaza one late afternoon, watching people talking and laughing and sipping their coffee at small wooden tables. Dogs lolled in the shade. Kids ran in laughing circles around the fountain. Everyone seemed to know each other. It felt warm and intensely tribal, and their very closeness underscored the fact that I was an outsider.
Picture
Spending time in a foreign country can feel like being trapped behind a glass wall. We watch people going about their lives, even interact with them, but all the while we may feel that we're separated from them by an invisible and impenetrable barrier. 

Modern travelers are going to extremes in an effort to avoid that feeling of standing on the sidelines. We want to connect with locals in ways that provide deeper, richer, more social media-worthy adventures abroad. Google “authentic travel experiences” and you’ll find 831 million articles such as the Huffington Post’s How to Live Like a Local in Spain (siestas were featured; merienda wasn’t) and Forbes’ How Authentic Is Your Vacation? We read about people paying top dollar to spend an hour alone in the Sistine Chapel, go hang gliding in Nepal, have dinner cooked by Roman nuns… Today, anything (that you can afford) goes.

A generation ago, Billy Crystal’s run with the bulls in Pamplona seemed like the height of extreme tourism.
When this year’s encierro (as it’s known locally) takes place as part of Pamplona’s San Fermin festival, held from July 6 to 14, more than half of the 20,000+ participants will be foreigners. Going by last year's figures, this will include about 4800 Americans, 2200 folks from Australia or New Zealand, 800 Britons, and a mere 739 from Pamplona itself. The event Hemingway immortalized as quintessentially Spanish has evolved into a theme park action sport catering to foreign tourists. Like renting the Sistine Chapel for a private viewing, there’s nothing wrong with doing it, but if you’re looking for an authentic connection with locals and their culture, this isn’t the best place to find it.

So how do we connect with foreigners on their home turf? I believe the key is to be open to serendipity, a state writer E.B. White calls “willing to be lucky.” Travel is full of chance encounters — at the very least with hotel staff, bartenders, guides, drivers, shopkeepers, and fellow diners in the plaza. Make the most of these opportunities.

Of course, you can’t strike up conversations with strangers in a language you don’t speak. But when you can communicate, you'll often find locals are more than willing to reach out to you. I was recently on a bus between Gatwick and Heathrow airports, and as I sat down behind the young driver, I asked some random question like, “So have you been driving this route long?” He spent the next hour sharing about his life, his upcoming fatherhood, and his dreams; it was a fascinating and endearing glimpse into his world. 

Next time I feel like an outsider, I’m going to remember that bus driver. He taught me that I don’t have to figure out how to break through the glass wall. Because the truth is, the glass wall doesn’t actually exist; it is entirely a product of my own mind. Our feelings of separateness are, as the Buddhists have been saying for centuries, simply illusion. 

Picture

People are people the world over. Some are delightful, some are jerks, some just want to sell you a cheap bracelet and get on with their day – much like the people in your hometown. Afternoon snacks may vary, but whether they’re nibbling yak cheese, baklava, or fluffy Spanish pastries, the locals know that food tastes better in the company friends. And if you are willing to be lucky, you may find yourself invited to join that congenial circle.

 YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY
THE INVISIBLE TRAVELER
STRANGEST THING I'VE EVER EATEN? HMMM...
JUST SAY "YES!" TO SPONTANEITY
2 Comments

4 Great Low-Tech, Low-Cost Travel Strategies 

6/18/2015

13 Comments

 
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to buy a guidebook for Albania?” I asked a friend recently. “I could almost hear the Amazon computers thinking, ‘Seriously? Why would you want to go there?’” A response I’d been getting a lot lately from various humans of my acquaintance.

Picture
“Albania I can understand,” said my friend. “It’s the guidebook part I’m having trouble with. You still buy actual guidebooks? Why not just download the Kindle version?” My friend, who is somewhere in her seventies, is a big advocate of new technology.

“I tried doing that on our trip to Portugal.” I shuddered. “Never again.”

I’d downloaded a popular Portugal guide, which had apparently simply been scanned from the print edition without any real attempt to adapt it for e-readers. Navigation was exceedingly awkward, and the photos and maps were inscrutable. Worse, the text was constantly interrupted by random factoids. I can only assume that in the original book this information was neatly corralled into shaded boxes discretely positioned off to one side. Now, it sprang into the middle of the text demanding attention, like a drunk gatecrashing a party, and I had to spend all sorts of time picking my way past it to get back to the topic at hand.

That’s when I started thinking about some of the old, low-tech travel tips that are still the best option.

1. Read guidebooks in advance of the trip. My Albania guide just arrived, and I’ve been flipping backwards and forwards through it, enjoying the photos, maps, and various tidbits of information that happen to catch my eye. An actual book lets you wander about poking into odd corners in a way that the Internet, with its direct links, simply can’t. I learned, for instance, that Albania’s driving fatalities are among the highest in Europe, and congratulated myself that I’d journey to Tirana, the capital, in the safety of a railway car. But later I read, “There are no trains to or from Tirana. The station has been demolished and the railway lines have been asphalted over to build yet another new highway.” Say it ain’t so! “Until recently,” commented another section, “Albanian roads were so bad that it was difficult to drive fast enough to kill anyone. Now, though…” Obviously the transportation piece of this journey is going to require considerably more thought, and possibly body armor. My point is guidebooks let you browse leisurely for info while planning (and re-planning) your visit. They’re far too bulky to carry on the road; you’re better off Googling destination specifics as needed. But for scoping out places in advance, books still have lots to offer.

Picture
WHAT'S LEFT OF THE TIRANA TRAIN STATION (Photo by Phil Richards)
2. Get a map of the region. Yes, I mean one of those folding paper maps like the ones you took on family road trips when you were a kid. Online maps are great for getting from Point A to Point B, but for an overview of how countries, mountains, roads, ferries, and trains meet up, you want a regional map. Go online to check for recent changes; my brand new rail map of Europe still shows a train line running right into downtown Tirana.

3. Don’t rely on a translator app for real-time conversation. It’s awkward to pull out an iPhone, open the app, type in a phrase, and ask cab drivers or waiters to read the tiny screen or listen while you butcher the pronunciation. And there is no way they’re going to take time to tap in a reply, let alone one that is spelled correctly enough for the app to translate it properly. You’re better off using a mixture of English, hand gestures, and a few key phrases written down in advance. 
Picture

4. Carry a small notebook in your pocket. I know how old-fashioned this sounds, but writing is still the best way to ask unpronounceable questions in a language you don’t know. Jot down the name of your hotel, the bus you’re seeking, and local dishes you want to try. It works like a charm.

New travel technology can make your journey easier, safer, and more fun in countless ways, and I know people who claim they can’t wait until an iPhone can be permanently imbedded in their body. I’m a bit more selective. I love my e-toys as much as anyone, but it's comforting to know that you can still rely on time-honored, low-cost, low-tech solutions to get you where you want to go. 

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY
FINDING A HAIRSTYLIST ABROAD
HOW TO LOSE A BET IN 10 SECONDS
E-READERS VS. "REAL" BOOKS
13 Comments

How the Sharing Economy is Reinventing Travel

6/10/2015

8 Comments

 
I knew something was wrong when our cab driver, a twitchy guy with glassy eyes, popped the clutch, stalled out, then tore off into traffic as if we were being pursued by the undead. Careening along Madrid’s freeways, he kept squirming, fidgeting, mumbling, and spitting out the window. When he wasn’t doing that... “Yikes!” whispered Rich. “He’s sucking his thumb!”

We rapidly reviewed our options: (A) leap out of a vehicle going 80 kilometers an hour on a crowded freeway, (B) confront a dangerous lunatic behind the wheel of a speeding car, or (C) act casual and pray. With some reluctance, we chose (C), which turned out to be the right call.

“And that,” said Rich, when we’d grabbed our bags, flung the driver a twenty, and gained the safety of the sidewalk, “is why the taxi industry is in so much trouble. If this was Uber, I could have used the app on my phone to file a complaint two minutes into the ride. But with taxis ...” I could easily imagine the reaction of a Madrid cab company if we reported a driver for uncouth behavior: No crash? No injuries? And your point is...?
Built-in feedback is just one reason for the roaring success of what’s called the sharing economy, collaborative consumption, or peer-to-peer (P2P) commerce. In exchanges organized via websites and apps, people rent out something they don’t need all the time, such as a bike, apartment, or someplace your dog can bed down for the night while you’re out of town. Feedback protocols vary, but generally customers post ratings on the host’s platform, affecting the popularity of the individual provider; users are rated, too, and those who complain frequently and frivolously find fewer providers willing to serve them.

The system isn’t perfect (what is?), but it builds a sense of community and inspires a level of trust that’s significantly higher than you might feel for something as anonymous as, say, Madrid’s taxi service. Of course, bad experiences can happen anywhere, to anyone. Women, who make up about half of all participants in this new marketplace, will want to pay particularly close attention to the security issues and commonsense precautions addressed in articles such as “Is the Sharing Economy Safe for Women?”
Picture
A PRIVATE AIRBNB APARTMENT IN THIS 18TH CENTURY PALACE IN MY SEVILLE NEIGHBORHOOD: $69/NIGHT.
P2P commerce isn’t new; we’ve shopped on Craigslist and Ebay for years. But recent technological, social, and economic changes now make sharing infinitely more feasible, launching a $15 billion industry that’s expected to grow to $335 billion by 2025. Travelers are riding the crest of the wave, purchasing an unprecedented range of services that are cheaper, easier to access, and lots more fun.

TRANSPORTATION by private car (solo or shared) can be arranged with just a few taps on your smart phone, thanks to Uber, Lyft, BlaBlaCar, and others.

LODGING in private homes (shared or all to yourself) was pioneered by Airbnb, which is now a giant global network. HomeAway, VRBO, CouchSurfing, and others offer countless alternatives.
Picture
BREAKFAST AT OUR AIRBNB LODGINGS IN OXFORD
DINING with locals in their homes adds a rich culinary and cultural flavor few restaurants can match. Hosts and menus are profiled on such sites as EatWith, VizEat, Feastly, Cookening and Eatwithalocal.

COMPANIONSHIP — and no, I don’t mean that — can be arranged through such sites as as TripTogether, Wandermates, and the rather alarmingly named Thelma and Louise; I can only assume they don’t actually require you drive off a cliff at the end of every road trip.
Picture

Feeling overwhelmed before you even start? TravelPeer offers guidance and updates in their e-newsletter. ShareTraveler.com has complied a list of 350+ options, leaving out the giants and including such specialized sites as language-practice meet-ups, volunteer work in exchange for lodging, and gay-friendly private rentals. As a savvy traveler, you’ll want to check the fine print (watch for hidden service charges and cleaning fees) and read reviews very carefully.

When I get those follow-up emails asking me to rate my experience, most get four or five stars (with one notable exception.) I love the quirky, colorful places I find on P2P sites, but I still use conventional hotels and restaurants when they’re more convenient. I even take taxis when I’m in Madrid — but I look the driver over very, very carefully. If he’s sucking his thumb, I’m out of there.

Unlike some of my better-organized and more practical blogger friends, I don't accept sponsorships of any kind. The companies included in this post are here because I thought you might find them interesting. I haven't tried every one of these options, and I welcome input and feedback. What's your experience with the sharing economy?

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY
BUT IS IT SAFE?
HOW AIRBNB COPES WHEN THINGS GO WRONG
ENJOY COOKING ABROAD
8 Comments

How to Become Invisible When You Travel

6/4/2015

12 Comments

 
Not everyone likes being invisible, but I often find it refreshing — and convenient, especially when I’m on the road. As “a woman of a certain age” — too old to require construction workers to launch into catcalls, too young to inspire Boy Scouts to assist me across the street — I can choose to slip quietly through the world without a fuss, observing rather than being observed. “I am never happier,” notes British journalist and author Storm Jameson, “than when I am alone in a foreign city; it is as if I had become invisible.”

Becoming invisible isn’t terribly difficult, as the authors of this famous attention test discovered. 

PictureWhat would YOU do if nobody could see you?

Under ordinary circumstances, I find (spoiler alert!) dressing up in a gorilla costume doesn’t actually help you go unnoticed, but my point is that in a busy atmosphere, it’s not that difficult to fly under the radar.  Surrounded by people clamoring for attention, often simply avoiding extremes of behavior and dress is enough to let us fade comfortably into the background.

“We live in a time and culture that value display and are largely indifferent to the virtues of passing unnoticed,” writes author Akiko Busch. “If we don’t get the interest, attention and recognition we think we deserve — whether we are men who have retired, women of a certain age (over 50, like me) or millennials who obsess over their brand visibility — we tend to file grievances. . . Which makes me wonder if it is time for all of us to reconsider the beauty, elegance and imagination that can come with being unseen.”

One of the small, peculiar pleasures of my Seville life is walking past the nearby high school when the kids are outside on break. They gather in small groups on the sidewalk, chatting and flirting and flexing their muscles the way kids do. To them I am completely invisible; I can walk through cluster after cluster of kids without anyone glancing at me or seeming to know I exist. And yet, as if alerted by radar, they part before me like the Red Sea, rippling apart to open a path and flowing back together when I’ve passed. One day I stepped forward just as a kid making a point flung out a hand, and he smacked me in the chest. He leapt a foot in the air, turned white then red, and regarded me with open-mouthed shock, as if I had just materialized out of thin air wearing a gorilla suit.

Breaking the illusion of invisibility can be startling, as actress Mindy Kaling discovers in this popular Superbowl ad.



Travel is one of the best opportunities to practice being invisible. You’re in a strange place where no one knows you, so you’re unlikely to be dragged back into the limelight by running into someone you knew in high school or met at a conference last summer. If you’re lucky enough not to speak the language, nobody is going to attempt to engage with you for very long. And that leaves you free to watch the world unfold before your eyes, visible in all its splendors, rich in nuances that for once you have the time to appreciate.


YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY
WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME
6 WAYS TO GIVE YOUR TRAVEL PHOTOS ZING
OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL SKIP
12 Comments
    Picture
    ​Winner of the 2023 Firebird Book Award for Travel
    Picture
    Picture
    #1 Amazon Bestseller in Tourist Destinations, Travel Tips, Gastronomy Essays, and Senior Travel

    Welcome!

    This blog is a promotion-free zone.

    As my regular readers know, I never get free or discounted goods or services for mentioning anything on this blog (or anywhere else). I only write about things that interest me and that I believe might prove useful for you all to know about. Whew! I wanted to clear that up before we went any further. Thanks for listening.
    Picture
    Karen McCann
    TO I'm an American travel writer based in Seville, Spain.

    Wanderlust has taken me to more than 60 countries. Every week I provide travel tips and adventure stories to inspire your journeys and let you have more fun — and better food — on the road


    Don't miss out!
    SIGN UP HERE
    to be notified when I publish new posts.
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    BLOG ARCHIVES 

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011

    CATEGORIES

    All
    100 Days On The Road
    1950s Sci-Fi
    2020
    2021 Holiday Tips
    2021 Puzzle Craze
    2024
    32 Years Together
    3 Food Tribes
    7 Best Travel Tips
    Acupuncture
    Address To A Haggis
    Adriatic Sea
    AirBnB
    Air Travel
    Air Travel Myths
    Albania
    Albanian Farm Food
    Alicia Bay Laurel
    Ali Kali
    Amazon
    American Resistance France
    American Taboos
    A Month Of Italy
    Amsterdam
    Animal Artists
    Anthony Hopkins
    Anxious Traveler
    Apocalypse Chow
    Apps
    Arizona
    Armadillos
    Artichokes
    Artificial Intelligence
    Artwalk
    Atomic Bunker Museum
    Attention Test
    Austria
    Authentic Travel
    Automation = Apocalypse?
    A Year Of Travel
    Bagpipe Music
    Balsamic Vinegar
    Baltasar
    Banana Bread
    Bari
    Barletta
    Barrio Abierto
    Bathroom
    Batman
    Bears
    Beastly Spasm
    Becherovka
    Bed Bugs
    Beer
    Belgrade
    Best Apps 2016
    Best Foodie City
    Best & Worst
    Bet
    Better Homes And Gardens Cook Book
    Betty Soskin
    Betty White
    Bev's Peach Pie
    Bey's Soup
    Bhutan
    Bigfoot Museum
    Big Rail Trip 2016
    Biohazard Bag
    Biosphere 2
    Bird
    Black Angels
    Blogger Robots
    Blogs & Websites
    Bong Appétit
    Book Club
    Book Cover
    Books
    Bookstores
    Bosnia
    Botiza
    Brain-enhanced Chimps
    Brains Of The Pig
    Breakfast In Seville
    Bucharest
    Budapest
    Budget
    Bulgaria
    Bull's Head
    Burgos
    Burns Supper
    Buzzworthy Words
    CA
    Cabalgata
    CA Cheese Trail
    Ca ‘de Anime
    Caganer
    Cagliari
    Calvin Trillin
    Camels
    Carbon-Conscious Rail Travel
    Car Crazy
    Cars Vs. Trains
    Castle Houska
    České Budějovice
    České Budějovice
    Chained Wallet
    Chakra Stone
    Chef Lenny The Lizard
    Chickens
    Chocolate Nativity Scene
    Chocolatour
    Chris Brady
    Christmas
    Christmas In Seville
    Christmas Traditions
    Chulalongkorn University
    Clara Bensen
    Climate Change
    Coca-Cola
    Coffee
    Collywobbles
    Comfort Food
    Communism Museum
    Compassion
    Cooking With Weed
    Coping With Pandemic
    Coronavirus
    Coronavirus & Travel
    Costa Women
    Covid Insurance
    Covid Weddings
    Cowgirls & Cowboys
    Cows Come Home
    Crete
    Croatia
    Cruz De Mayo In Seville
    Cuba: 10 Tips
    Cuba: Legendary Snafu
    Curated Reality
    Czech Please
    Czech Republic
    Dan Brown's Inspiration
    Dance
    Dancing In The Fountain
    Dancing In The Foutnain
    Dancing On Bars
    Dark Tourism
    Date Nights
    Debunking Travel Myths
    Detours & Delays
    Devil's Museum
    Digital Nomad Visas
    Diners
    Disappointing Destinations
    Disaster Survival Tips
    Dive Bars
    Dive Bars Of Italy
    Dive Bars Of Seville
    Doga (Dog Yoga)
    Dog-friendly Bars
    Dogs
    Doing Good
    Doing It
    Donna Red Wing
    Dragon
    Dragonpit
    Drink-Ease
    Driverless Cars
    Duck Plaza
    Duquesa De Alba
    Earthquakes
    EatWith
    Emergency Measures
    Emergency Preparedness
    Empathy Museum
    Endangered
    Enjoy Moving Abroad
    Entrails Soup
    Epiphany
    E-readers
    Erratic Boulder
    Estonia
    Eurail
    European Dinner Plate
    European Food
    European Pandemic
    Evernote
    Exercise On The Road
    Expat In Dark Times
    Expats In America2.0
    Expect Delays
    Eye-popping Landmarks
    Failure Museum
    Fake Art Masterpieces
    Fake Wallet
    Family
    Family Reunion
    Farruquito
    Fellini
    Finland
    First Aid Kit
    Five Meals A Day
    Flat-Earthers
    Flea Market
    Flophouses
    Fondu
    Food Fetishes
    Food Photo Secrets
    Food Tours
    Foreign
    Foreigners
    Forgetfulness
    Fork In The Road
    Fountain
    Free Wi-Fi Finder
    French Bistro
    French Women Don't Get Fat
    Fried Flies
    Full Catastrophe Living
    Fully Vaccinated!
    Galileo Offline
    Game Of Thrones
    Gaslighting
    Gates Of Hell
    Gazpacho Recipe
    Genoa
    Genova
    George Floyd Protests
    George Takei
    Georgia
    Georgian Grey Bear
    Germany
    Ghost Stories
    Gin Joints
    Glass Wall Of Tourism
    Gluten-free Italian Recipes
    Going Spiral
    Good News
    Good Samaritan Scammer
    Google-glass
    Google Translate
    ​Gourounopoula
    Gps
    Grandma Cooper
    Granola Recipe
    Grapes
    Gratitude
    Greece
    Greek Coffee
    Greek Coffee Culture
    Greek Wines
    Group Tours
    Grumpiness Course
    Grumpiness Seminar
    Guest Blog
    Guest Etiquette
    Guests
    Haggis
    Halloween
    Handyman's Guide
    Hannibal Lecter
    Happiest Cities In US
    Happiest Jobs In US
    Happiness Course
    Harvard
    Harvey Milk
    Helsinki
    Heraklion
    Herzeg Novi
    Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy291cb11256
    Holiday Lights
    Holiday Shopping
    Holidays In Seville
    Holiday Survival Guide
    Hollidays
    Holy Grail
    Home For The Holidays
    Home Improvements
    HonorSnacks
    Horse
    Hospitals
    Hot As Hades
    Houseguest
    House Hunting
    House Of The Spirits
    Houska Castle
    How Normal Am I?
    How To Meet People
    Hrad Houska
    Human Towers
    Hungary
    Hydration
    Hygge
    Iberian Lynx
    Ibrik
    Icloud
    Ikaria
    Ikaria Solution
    Immigrants
    India
    Indiana Jones
    In Search Of America Tour
    Ipad
    IPhone Photos
    Irail
    Italy
    Jacket
    Jaén
    Jan The Beachcomber
    Japan
    Jet Lag
    Jet Lag Apps
    John The Baptist
    Jo Maeder
    Joseph Campbell
    Joya Shoes
    July 4th In USA
    Justice Course
    Kalamata
    Katka Lapelosa
    Keep Going!
    Kgb
    Kgb Muzeum
    Kindle
    King Wenceslas
    Kitchen For The Mind
    Korçë
    Kotor
    Koyono Jacket
    Krakow
    Krakow's Dragon
    Ladies Room
    Lady And The Tramp
    La Font De La Figuera
    Laptop Ban
    Larissa Olenicoff
    Latvia
    Laughter Project
    Lederhosen
    Legal
    Legal Marijuana
    Legend
    Lesbos Refugees
    LGBT Rights
    Library
    Lindsay Lake
    Lithuania
    Little White Lie
    Little Women
    Live Longer
    Live To 100
    Local Food
    Lockdown Survival Tips
    Longevity
    Lord Peter Wimsey
    Low-Tech Travel Tips
    Lübeck
    Lucky Grapes
    Lucky Red Underwear
    Luggage
    Luggage-free Travel
    Luggage-Free Travel? Try It
    Lviv
    Lynne And Tim Martin
    Madrid
    Magellan
    Maps
    Marijuana
    Mars One
    Mask War
    Matrimony
    Mbt Shoes
    Meal Schedules
    Meal Sharing
    Meaning Of Home
    Mediterranean Dive Bars
    Memory Course
    Menlo Park Library
    Mentally Unpack Your Bags
    Mermaids
    Metropol Parasol Building
    Me Worry?
    Miracle Tile Of Vilnius
    Mobilize America
    Money
    Money Handling
    Monster Of Milpitas
    Montenegro
    Mood Food
    Most Dangerous Woman In America
    Moussaka
    Museum Of Communism
    Muskrat Love
    My Octopus Teacher
    Mystery Spot
    Naples
    Napoli
    National Lampoon's European Vacation
    Nativity Scene
    Nepal
    New
    Newark Of Italy
    New Orleans
    New Roaring 20s
    New Year's Eve
    New Year's Eve Abroad
    New Year's In Seville
    New York Times
    No Cancelling The Holidays
    No-Jet-Lag
    Nomad Eating
    NORCs
    Not A Good Week
    Nutters Tour
    Obatzda
    Offbeat Roadside Attractions
    Off The Grid
    Olive Oil
    Optimism & Survival
    Orichiette Pasta
    Outhouse
    Overlook Effect
    Pack For 4 Months
    Packing
    Packing Demonstration
    Packing For 161 Days
    Packing Tips
    Pad Thai Cooking Class
    Paella
    Painting
    Painting Disasters
    Palacio De Las Dueñas
    Palermo
    Pandemic Endgame
    Pandemic Humor
    Pandemic Infodemic
    Pandemic Makes Us Better
    Pandemic Solutions
    Pandemic Travel
    Pandemic Travel Story
    Parlor Games On The Road
    Parma
    Parma Ham
    Parmigiano-Reggiano
    Passport Issue
    Pasta
    Pasta Recipe
    Patriotism. US
    Peaceful Resistance
    Pécs
    Peruvian Pavilion
    Pesto Sauce
    Photography
    Picking Tapas Bars
    PIzza
    Platter Of Salome
    Plaza De España
    Plaza De Pato
    Plumbing Nightmare
    Podgorica
    Poet Billy Collins
    Poltergeist
    Pop-culture Museum
    Pope Benedict
    Pop-up Restaurants
    Post-pandemic Predictions
    Post-pandemic Travel
    Prague
    Predictions
    Print On Demand
    Propaganda Museum
    Pub Culture
    Public Library
    Purgatory
    Purpose-driven Travel
    Pussyhats
    Quarantine
    Quarantine Bar Hopping
    Quarantine Mini-Vacation
    Quarantine Nostalgia?
    Quarantine Thanksgiving
    Queen's Gambit
    Quirky Travel Pix
    Ramona Langley
    Reading Group
    Ready To Move Abroad?
    Rebounding Seville
    Recipe
    Recombobulation
    Recycling
    Red Underwear
    Rennes-le-Chateau
    Reptilians
    Republic Of Užupis
    Rescue Dogs
    Residency Visas
    Resistance School
    Resistance Summer 2017
    Retire Abroad
    Retire Where?
    Revisited
    Reyes Magos In Seville
    Rfidblocking Rogue Money Clipb4d0c62eac
    Rich Interview 2020
    Rich-on-packing
    Riga
    Risotto
    Road House
    Roadhouses
    Roadrunner
    Roadside Attractions
    Robert Mugabe
    Rocket Scientists
    Rodeo
    Rolling Stones
    Romania
    Romería Del Rocío In Seville
    Romesco Sauce Recipe
    Rooster Recipe
    Rosie The Riveter
    Ross Williams
    Rural Romania
    Ruse
    Russian Mafia
    Sacramento
    San Anselmo Flooding
    San Ildefonso Church
    San Jose
    Sarajevo
    Sardinia
    Sassari
    Science Museum
    Scottevest
    Scottevest 8-pocket Pants
    Second Breakfast Seville
    Secret Supper Clubs
    Security On The Road
    Seinfeld Episode
    Semana Santa
    Senior Gypsies
    Senior Nomads
    Sephardic Search
    Serbia
    Setas
    Seville
    Seville 2022 Update
    Seville Dining Customs
    Seville Holidays
    Seville Holidays 2021
    Seville In Pandemic
    Seville In Winter
    Seville's Best Tapas 2021
    Seville's Tapas Bars
    Sex Shops
    Shackleton Ad A Myth
    Shared Dining
    Shoe Bomb
    Shoes
    Shoestring Travel
    Šiauliai
    Sicilian Grandmothers
    Siestas
    Silicon Valley
    Singularity
    Six-word Stories
    Skunk Remedy
    Skype Wifi7994daf88f
    Sleep/Insomnia
    Slovakia
    Smart Pigeons
    Snack Foods
    Snail
    Snail Museum
    Snail On The Rails
    Snails In Slime LIght
    Snail Slime Skin Cream
    Snakes
    Snowed In
    Social Distancing
    Sofia
    Sophia Loren
    SOS File
    Space Tourism
    Space Travel For Pets
    Spaghetti
    Spain
    Spain Savvy
    Spain's Cold Soups
    Spam
    Spicy Shrimp In Mango Salsa Recipe
    Spiritual Path To Resistance
    Spiritual Weightlifter
    Springtime For Hitler
    Stanford Prison Experiment
    Staycation
    Stephen King
    Still Expecting Delays
    Stockholm Disaster
    Stone Lifter
    Strange
    Strawberries
    St. Tecla
    Suitcase
    Survival Food
    Survival Songs
    Survive October 2020
    Surviving Catastrophes
    Surviving Pandemic Holidays
    Swiss Cheese Solution
    Switzerland
    Symbolic Thinking
    Tango Lessons
    Tapas
    Tapenade Recipe
    Tapeo
    Taxi
    Tblisi
    Temple
    Thanksgiving Games
    The Balkans
    The Big Tomato
    The Blonde Gypsy
    The Exorcist
    The Joy Of Eating
    The Mothership
    The Next Big Thing
    The Other Turkey
    The Power Of Myth
    The Producers
    The Return 2021
    Thessaloniki
    The Wave
    Three Kings
    Time Travel
    Toad Jam
    Track My Tour
    Train Lag
    Train Travel
    Transylvania
    Travel
    Travel As Political Act
    Travel Boosts Your Brain
    Travel Clothes
    Travel Companions
    Travel Destinations
    Travel Experiments
    Travel Fashion
    Travel Photography Tricks
    Travel Photos
    Travel Prep For Pandemic
    Travel Vest
    Travel With
    Triposo
    True Cross
    Tsa
    Twelve Days Of Christmas
    Tyrolian Alps
    Uber
    Uc Berkeley
    UFOs & Ghosts 2020
    Ukraine
    Ultra-Light Luggage
    Underrated Extras
    Upotonek
    Valdepeñas
    Valencia
    Vampires
    Veliko Tarnovo
    Verona
    Vest
    Victoria Twead
    Vilnius
    Virgin Of The Napkin
    Virtual Tax March
    Visitors
    Vodka
    Vodka & Pickles
    Voodoo Cooking
    Wall Street Journal
    Wandering Earl
    Warsaw
    Washington
    Water
    Watermelon Gazpacho
    Weasel Coffee
    Wedding Disaster
    Weird At The Holidays
    Weird Gifts
    Wenceslas Square
    What
    Whiskey Every Day
    Wild Goat Recipe
    Winchester Mystery House
    Winner
    Winter In Seville
    Wireless Generation
    Wolf's Lair
    Women Of Seville
    Working Abroad
    World Chocolate
    Worst
    Worst Travel Moment
    Wow Finish To Long Trip
    Writing
    Xe Currency
    Yodeling
    Yoga
    Zagreb
    Zigzag Fountain953a67c066
    Zimbabwe
    Zombie Viruses
    Zurich

  • Start Here
  • My Blog
  • My Travel Books
    • GREAT MED COMFORT FOOD BOOK
    • MOVING TO SEVILLE
    • EASTERN EUROPE BY RAIL
    • PACK LIGHT 2023
    • Seville's New Normal 2023
    • STARTING EXPAT LIFE
    • 101 EXPAT TIPS
  • Med Comfort Food Tour
  • Mediterranean Recipes
  • Dive Bars
  • Travel Tips
    • Packing
    • The Expat Lifestyle
    • Enjoy the Best of Seville
  • About
  • Contact