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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Behind the Lens – The Milky Way over La Palma, Canary Islands

I am not an expert in Astrophotography. Nonetheless, I had the chance to try my hand at it when I was on the island of La Palma back in 2011. La Palma, along with Mauna Kea in Hawaii, is one of the most important locations for professional astronomy in the world. It is the location …

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The Valencia Water Court: The Oldest Democratic Body in Europe

If you should happen to be in Valencia, Spain…in the Plaza de la Virgen….on Thursday…at noon, you will have a chance to glimpse the oldest democratic body in the world in operation: the Tribunal de las Aguas (The Water Court). Dating back over 1,000 years to the time of the Moorish conquest, the water court …

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Stuck Between Airborne Volcanic Rock And A Hard Place

I was supposed to be leaving for Spain today, but fate finds me still in Thailand. The huge ash cloud hovering over Europe has caused enough chaos in the air traffic system that I’m not exactly sure when I’ll be leaving. My hope is that I will be leaving within a day or two, but …

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Valencia Update

I’ve arrived in Valencia after 24 hours of airports and airplanes and have been kept exceptionally busy since. I’ve been taking photos, exploring the city, eating fantastic food and met some great people. I’ll be writing in more detail as soon as I can find some free time to go through my photos and write …

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Help me plan my trip to Spain

I’m going to be in Spain for about 2-3 weeks at the end of April and the beginning of May. Spain is one of those countries that is packed full of things to see. It has the second largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites after Italy at 41. I’ve never been to Spain before …

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Spain Stream of consciousness

I’m in the Bangkok airport where I arrived very early waiting to board my 12 hour flight to Valencia. While I’m sitting here, I figured it would be interested to inventory just exactly what I know about Spain. I haven’t read much specifically for this trip, so I thought it would a fun exercise. So …

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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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