Baggage Autopsy: A review of the stuff I carry

I’m back in the US sitting in a makeshift office on a folding table in my parent’s basement amongst my boxed up former possessions. It makes a good opportunity to review the what, why and how’s of all the crap I carry with me. It normally isn’t something worth talking about, but the last few …

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My Transatlantic Hospital Odyssey

I’m writing this from the waiting room of the hospital my father is in. My trip back to Wisconsin is finally over. Getting here involved closed airports, four canceled flights, a delayed flight which almost caused me to miss my connection, a missing bag and a ridiculously priced car rental. Lets just say US Air …

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Palmeral of Elche

Palmeral of Elche UNESCO World Heritage Site, Spain

From the Palmeral of Elche World Heritage inscription for the Palmeral of Elche: The Palmeral of Elche, a landscape of groves of date palms, was formally laid out, with elaborate irrigation systems, at the time the Muslim city of Elche was erected, towards the end of the tenth century A.C., when much of the Iberian …

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Still Stuck in Spain

Bunch of things are happening to me: 1) I’m in Barcelona where my US Airways flight to the US has been canceled four times now. Every other airline seems to be crossing the Atlantic just fine and I know people who have beaten me back to the US, even though my flight was scheduled sooner. …

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Travel and Family Emergencies

Due to another eruption of the volcano in Spain, airports in Spain have been closed the last several days, especially the airports in Northern Spain where I am. I’ve been just continuing with my previously scheduled agenda of visiting the Basque Country while I’ve been waiting for the cloud to clear. I’m writing this at …

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Canceling My Trips to Spain and Israel

I was notified a few days ago that my father was taken to the hospital after suffering sever pneumonia and possible heart attack. He is currently unconscious on life support. I’m going to cut my travels short to return to the US to be with my family. I’ll be arriving in Barcelona on Monday and …

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Spain Update: Madrid Edition

I’m still being kept busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest here in Spain. Since my last update: I spent three nights in the “blogger suite” in a hotel in Benidorm overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Fantastic view. Benidorm is a city I had never heard of before arriving in Spain, but …

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Learning Spanish

My time in Valencia (both the province and the city) have been wonderful. I’ve been kept in constant movement since I’ve arrived either getting tours, giving speeches, or in lengthy Spanish dinners and lunches. That, plus some extremely poor internet connectivity over the weekend, means I haven’t had much time to write or process my …

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La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia

La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia: Built between 1482 and 1533, this group of buildings was originally used for trading in silk (hence its name, the Silk Exchange) and it has always been a center for commerce. It is a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. The grandiose Sala …

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