Slow slaughter at the bull fight
Chin jutting matador | Photo by Lauren Girardin It ends with an old man crouched over a short-handled hoe, scooping sand soaked with coagulated blood into a woven basket, the kind you might see eco-minded people using to carry fresh…
How do you say “deja vu” in Spanish?
España street art | Photo by Lauren Girardin After living in San Francisco for ten years, whenever Todd and I spend a weekend afternoon walking around the Mission District – our beloved home ‘hood – we always run into someone…
Untold stories of Lisbon and Sintra
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…
Smiling despite the kitsch
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…
Kidnapped to a Portuguese praia
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…
On a Moorish tour, be sure to straddle the Gibraltar
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…
Summer ghost towns of southern Spain
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…
On a path towards zen or madness
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…
Strolling the streets of Fes
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…
Berber jams and mariachi serenades
Kids in the Jewish Quarter of Fes | Photo by Lauren Girardin The grand taxi that takes us from the Sahara to Fes is not grand by definition, neither in largeness or in luxury. There’s no air conditioning and only…