Kung-fu filming at Castelo de São Jorge, Lisbon | Photo by Lauren Girardin There are times when the little details fall into place. Those times will never involve technology. If not for a recent, prolonged fight with security holes in…
Where we ate: None of these are recommended with much enthusiasm. In most Portuguese restaurants, soon after you sit down, a waiter will come by and offer you plates of things like cheese, bread and butter, and olives – refuse…
Postcard: Sintra, Portugal | Art by Todd Berman There’s an ugly side to Sintra, Portugal. It confronts you on many street corners and from most doorways. You can feel it stare at you as you walk by, cold, lifeless eyes…
Postcard: Beach near Lisbon, Portugal | Art by Todd Berman Just before Todd hangs up the cell phone he speaks into it, “Um, ok. Sure. See ya soon.” He then turns to me and explains, “So, um, Manuela‘s gonna pick…
Where we ate: In Adualucia, we ate most of our meals standing at a bar. After we were spoiled with free tapa in Granada, we proceeded to drink too much on empty stomachs in Cordoba nd Seville, waiting for free…
Seemingly infinite columns at the Mezquita | Photo by Lauren Girardin I’ve seen the light. No, not the intense noontime light filtering through the rattan roofing covering the streets of a medina. Not the sunlight sparkling off of multi-colored fractured…
When I told my friend Cristina that Lauren and I would be visiting Spain, she got very excited, telling us that we had to visit Granada, the Alhambra, and drink lots of tinto veranos. During her semester-long study-abroad program, she…
In the Real Alcázar gardens | Art by Todd Berman We’ve found that half of Spain is on vacation, and another one-quarter of it is under construction. After an overnight stopover in Córdoba – where we wandered amongst poorly lit…
Jamón blackboard | Photo by Lauren Girardin I’ll learn soon enough that one should not seek out jamón, rather jamón happens to you (and happens often). No matter. On my first night in Spain, I’m in search of flavor and…
Outside Fes’ Medina | Art by Todd Berman As soon as the sun sets, everyone in Fes takes to the streets for a walk along the wide roads through Ville Nouvelle, or New Town. They’ve eaten at home already, or…