May 6th, 2013 at 2:00PM:
The second of May is a date that every Spaniard knows. In 1808 on that date, the Spanish people rose up against Napoleon and started a long struggle to kick his troops out of the country. They'd been occupied the year before when Spain's weak king had foolishly allowed French troops march through his territory to invade Portugal. Napoleon, being Napoleon, decided to keep both countries.
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greenspain posts
Napoleonic Wars Refought In Spain
May 6th, 2013 at 2:00PM:
The second of May is a date that every Spaniard knows. In 1808 on that date, the Spanish people rose up against Napoleon and started a long struggle to kick his troops out of the country. They'd been occupied the year before when Spain's weak king had foolishly allowed French troops march through his territory to invade Portugal. Napoleon, being Napoleon, decided to keep both countries.
The ...Springtime In Green Spain: Time To Get Out Into The Countryside, And Under It!
Apr 29th, 2013 at 10:00AM:
Green Spain has finally emerged from a miserable winter into a glorious if unreliable springtime, so it's time to get out and enjoy the region's natural beauty.
The northern coastal strip of Spain consisting of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Region has the best outdoor and underground adventures the country has to offer. Its combination of scenic hikes and extensive caves is ...Gadling Goes Underground: More Explorations Of Caves In Spain
Mar 18th, 2013 at 10:00AM:
The caves in Spain are famous for their variety and extent. Some delve more than a kilometer into the ground. Others are adorned with prehistoric cave art more than 10,000 years old. Almost all have beautiful rock formations. There's a whole other world under the one we usually see.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm taking a course on caving. My first experience was in Cañuela ...Caving In Northern Spain
Mar 14th, 2013 at 10:00AM:
After living a year in Santander in Cantabria, northern Spain, I had a problem. I was chronically, unutterably, and perhaps terminally bored. Santander is a sleepy regional town, and while weekend hikes and trips for Gadling helped ease my boredom somewhat, I was still not getting my drug of choice – a long-term, low-level adrenaline high.
There's nothing like it. Do something ...World's Oldest Cave Art Found In Spain
Jun 15th, 2012 at 1:30PM:
Archaeologists analyzing prehistoric paintings in Spain have discovered the earliest example of cave art.
El Castillo Cave in Cantabria on Spain's northern coast was one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites investigated for the study. The earliest dates were a minimum of 40,800 years ago for a red disk, 37,300 years for a hand stencil, and 35,600 years for a club-shaped symbol. The red disk ...The Sex Toy Vending Machines Of Spain
May 24th, 2012 at 3:00PM:
You've probably heard of the vending machines in Japan that sell used panties supposedly worn by schoolgirls. It appears Japan isn't alone in having sexual vending machines in public places. Not far from my home in Santander, on Spain's northern coast, I came across this innocuous-looking little cubbyhole. Its vending machines offer hot food, soda and snacks 24 hours a day.
It's in between a ...Two day hikes in the mountains of Cantabria, Spain
Nov 30th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
As I've mentioned on this blog before, I've moved from Madrid to Santander, in Cantabria in northern Spain. This region is part of what's often called Green Spain, made up of the four northern regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, and the Basque Country. I'm loving life by the sea and I've been busy exploring Cantabria's countryside, which offers some of the best hikes in Spain. Green and ...Bad marketing: don't use a horse to advertise a butcher shop
Nov 24th, 2011 at 11:00AM:
I spotted this butcher shop sign near my new home in Santander in northern Spain. What's wrong with this picture? Yeah, the "Equine butcher shop" is using a horse to advertise its product!
Now I'm going to give this hardworking small business owner the benefit of the doubt and assume horse was never sold at his shop. I can't say for sure, though, since the place went out of business before I ...Cider: Spain's other great alcoholic beverage
Oct 18th, 2011 at 2:00PM: While Spain is justly famous for its fine wines, the country also produces an amazing amount and variety of alcoholic cider. It's made almost exclusively in the northern four regions that make up Green Spain.
From west to east these regions are Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, and the Basque Country, which isn't actually a country but that's another story. This region gets a lot of rain and is ...African music in northern Spain? Gotta love the global village!
Oct 16th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
I've recently moved to Santander, a port in northern Spain. While leaving a major European capital for a small provincial city was quite a leap, Santander has an international feel to it that I like. Being a port, it gets immigrants from all over the world, mostly China, South America, and West Africa.
The West Africans are especially numerous. They man most of the Cantabrian fishing fleet ...
Hiking in Cantabria, Spain: my first day out
Sep 20th, 2011 at 11:00AM: As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm no longer living in Madrid and have moved to Santander, a port in Cantabria on Spain's northern coast. Cantabria is part of Green Spain, the area that includes the regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, and El País Vasco.
This strip of land situated between high mountains and the sea gets plenty of rain and doesn't look at all like the common ...Five things I'll miss about Madrid (and four things I won't)
Sep 9th, 2011 at 12:00PM: After six years of living part-time in Madrid, my family and I are moving to Santander, a port in northern Spain. Leaving a European capital of three million people for a regional city of less than 200,000 is going to be a big change.
Santander is in Cantabria, part of the rainy northern part of the country commonly called Green Spain. Stay turned for articles about this often overlooked region ...Green Spain: Exploring Iberia's Celtic north
Jul 6th, 2011 at 10:30AM:
When people think of Spain, they tend to think of a sun-soaked, dry land with a hot climate and beautiful beaches. For the most part that's true, but Spain's northern region is very different and equally worth a visit.
Spain's four northern provinces are often called Green Spain. From west to east, Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, and the Basque Country are a verdant strip between the North ...Politics and people: an immigrant's impressions of Spain's Basque region
Jun 3rd, 2011 at 3:00PM: One downside to being an immigrant is that you have to learn a whole new set of politics and social divisions. Since moving to Madrid six years ago, I've heard a lot of people talking about Spain's Basque region. Everyone has an opinion about it but most haven't actually been there.
I've recently returned from six days hiking in the Basque region with a group of Americans and two Basque guides. ...Hiking in France's Basque Region
May 31st, 2011 at 2:00PM:
The Basque region straddles the border between northeastern Spain and southwestern France. For the past five days I've been hiking in Spain's Basque region, and today I and my group are crossing the border into France.
One of our Basque guides, Josu, says the culture on the other side of the border isn't as strong. While only 28% of Spanish Basques can speak Basque (Euskara), that number goes ...Hiking the Basque coastline
May 27th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
While the Sierra de Toloño offers some amazing trails and views, the most alluring sights I've seen in the Basque region are along its coastline.
The coast of northeast Spain and southwest France along the Bay of Biscay is part of the Basque heartland. Inland villages played a key role in keeping Basque culture alive, but it's the ports--Bilbao, San Sebastian, and many smaller ...Climbing a Basque mountain
May 25th, 2011 at 4:00PM:
I've been hiking in Spain's Basque region for three days now, and now I'm facing the most challenging hike of my trip.
I and a few volunteers from my group are going up and over the Sierra de Toloño in La Rioja, Spain's most renowned wine-producing region. At nine miles it's not as long as my daily hikes along the Hadrian's Wall Path or the East Highland Way, but the 1,100-ft. ...Salt, wine, and wealth in Spain's Basque region
May 23rd, 2011 at 3:00PM:
In the modern world we don't give much thought to salt. We casually pick some up in the supermarket or tear open a packet at a café, but in the past salt was a vital and sought-after commodity. Everyone needed it for preserving food and as a source for iodine. Nobody could live without it and those who controlled its supply became rich and powerful.
The Basque region of Spain was a ...Hiking and politics in the Basque region's Grand Canyon
May 21st, 2011 at 2:00PM:
"The Basques have the oldest history in Europe," says Dr. Alberto Santana, historian and co-founder of Aunia, a Basque cultural magazine. "We have been here since the Stone Age and have the most distinct language in the world. There are some 6,000 languages in 12 language families. Basque is in a family by itself."
The Basque language, Euskara, is the heart of Basque identity, he tells our ...Hiking through Spain's Basque region
May 19th, 2011 at 1:30PM:
Most tourists who visit Spain stick to the central and southern parts of the country--Madrid, Granada, Seville, Barcelona, and the Costa del Sol. They generally skip the greener, more temperate north. If they head north at all, it's to stop in Bilbao in Spain's Basque region to see the Guggenheim.
Yet the Basque region has much more to offer. In Spain, it's an Autonomous Community, something ...
