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 ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
spain posts
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 ...Video: The Prehistoric Cave Art Of Cantabria, Spain
May 14th, 2012 at 5:00PM:
One of the advantages of living in Europe is that you can visit lots of historic sites with your kids. This fosters an interest in the past, reduces museum fatigue and is a great way to learn together.
I live in Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain, a region filled with historic sites from Napoleonic forts to preserved Roman towns. Cantabria is most famous for the prehistoric cave art in ...
Photo Of The Day: Concrete Jungle
Apr 24th, 2012 at 6:30PM:
When you're traveling, art can pop up to surprise you in the most random of places. This elaborate piece of rooftop graffiti was captured by Flickr user Aviv from the heights of Parc Guell in Barcelona, Spain. Judging by the comments on Flickr, this street artist might just give Gaudi a run for his money.
Does your image of surprising street art belong here? Upload your favorite shots to ...TripAdvisor Names Best Hotels For Families
Apr 17th, 2012 at 2:00PM:
Want to know where to travel with the kids? TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel review site, has named their top family-friendly hotels in 25 markets around the world, based on those ranked highest by travelers who identified themselves as traveling with family in their reviews.
The good news? The hotels on the list aren't too pricey – the average rate is $274 per night with ...A Traveler In The Foreign Service: Meet An Intrepid Diplomat
Apr 4th, 2012 at 10:00AM: In our ongoing attempt to demystify the Foreign Service, we're going to occasionally introduce you to diplomats living in various parts of the world. Amy Tachco is a 36-year-old Foreign Service Officer (FSO) originally from Southern California and Central Ohio who joined the Foreign Service just over ten years ago.
Amy and I joined the Foreign Service at the same time and were part of the same ...Major Goya exhibition in Barcelona, Spain
Mar 17th, 2012 at 10:00AM: The CaixaForum art gallery in Barcelona, Spain, has just opened a major exhibition on the famous Spanish artist Francisco de Goya.
Best known for his dark paintings of witches and Napoleon's brutal invasion of Spain, Goya actually produced a broad range of work during a career that spanned almost seventy years and included paintings, drawings, prints and tapestries. He was very popular with ...Photo of the Day: Pueblos blancos of Vejer de la Frontera
Feb 28th, 2012 at 6:30PM:
Today's Photo of the Day depicts a stunning vista of white homes and colorful rooftops in Vejer de la Frontera, a tiny hilltop town at the tip of Spain overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. The town, like many in the Andalusian region, is split into two parts: the old Moorish medieval quarter and the newer district with characteristic pueblos blancos, pictured here. Flickr user Kurt Schmidt ...Hiking in Spain: Santoña's rugged coastline and Napoleonic forts
Feb 20th, 2012 at 1:30PM: One of the great things about hiking in Europe is that many trails pass places of historic interest. Whether you're hiking along Hadrian's Wall or to a medieval castle, you can learn about the past while living in the moment amidst beautiful scenery.
Spain offers a lot of these hikes. One is an 11km (7 mile) loop trail near Santoña in Cantabria, northern Spain.
My hiking group and I ...Photo of the Day: Duty free Flamenco
Feb 16th, 2012 at 7:30PM:
After many years of international travel, I've learned that duty free isn't necessarily a deal. Unless you're a smoker or live in a country where alcohol is heavily taxed (like Turkey), you won't find much value among the jumbo-sized Toblerone bars or rows of designer perfumes. But I still enjoy the ritual of browsing through the shop, trying some free samples, and maybe taking home a tasty ...Photo of the Day: Olives, olives, and more olives
Feb 7th, 2012 at 6:00PM:
Honestly, have you ever seen olives look so appetizing? This epicurean Photo of the Day was snapped at the Mercado San Miguel in Madrid, a traditional Beaux-Arts food market recently restored and reopened in 2009. Flickr user LadyExpat used a Nikon D90 to capture the details in the delicacies: the vibrant colors, the fillings contained in the olives, the reflection of light in the juice. ...10 free things to do in Barcelona, Spain
Feb 4th, 2012 at 11:00AM: Barcelona, Spain, is full of fun things to do and interesting sites to explore. Luckily, the city features many experiences for the budget traveler with free museums, walking tours, beaches, parks, museums, dance shows, and more. Use this list to help you save money while still experiencing the best the city has to offer.
Walk down Las Ramblas
Las Ramblas is the most famous street in ...A Flickr user's glimpse into Spain
Dec 15th, 2011 at 4:00PM: Photo sets of Spain aren't difficult to come by, but some of them certainly seem worth sharing more than others. I recently came across this photo set by Flickr user EfwEE. These 25 photos capture this user's experience in Spain in 2007-2008. The photo set features shots of Pena Montanesa, an incredibly noticeable rocky outcrop of the Pre-Pyrenees. The photo set also documents the Pineta River, ...RAD AND HUNGRY supplies lo-fi office goodies from around the world
Dec 15th, 2011 at 12:00PM:
When travel meets design meets a geeky-cool love for office supplies, you get RAD AND HUNGRY, a Seattle-based start-up that curates limited-edition collections of pencils, notebooks, and other goodies sourced from travels around the globe. I've never gotten quite as excited about a gum eraser as I did when recently browsing their collections.
The concept for RAD AND HUNGRY was born ...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 ...American yacht pulls out of Volvo Ocean Race
Nov 22nd, 2011 at 11:30AM: The Volvo Ocean Race is well underway with American Yacht Puma the latest casualty in a dramatic opening leg that has injured half the fleet.
While all 11 crew members are safe, the yacht was dismasted about 2000 nautical miles from the finish in 20-plus knot winds and the devastating waters of the Atlantic Ocean in the opening leg.
"We've just withdrawn from the leg," skipper Ken Read told ...Inca Kola: Peru's tasty soda
Nov 11th, 2011 at 3:30PM: One fun aspect of travel is discovering cool local brands. When I visited Peru back in 1998 I first learned of Inca Kola, a neon-yellow soda produced there. I was curious so I ordered some at a cafe. The waiter was surprised and delighted that I chose his nation's drink over Coca-Cola and told me proudly that it was the only local soda that had a bigger market share in its home country than Coke. ...Medieval pilgrims journeyed deep into Africa, archaeologists discover
Nov 6th, 2011 at 10:00AM:
The Kingdom of Makuria is the quintessential forgotten civilization. Very few people have even heard of it, yet it ruled southern Sudan for hundreds of years and was one of the few kingdoms to defeat the Arabs during their initial expansion in the 7th century AD. Makuria was a Christian kingdom, born out of the collapse of the earlier Christian kingdom of Axum. Makuria survived as a bulwark of ...Photo of the Day - Barcelona jamon
Oct 27th, 2011 at 6:00PM:
The humble ham and cheese sandwich is a basic staple of the travel diet. In nearly every country I've traveled to, I can count on finding a cheap and tasty toasted ham and cheese at a snack bar or cafe while exploring a new city. With a nice glass of local wine or a cold beer, this simple sandwich can be sublime. The Spanish, however, have made ham an art form, noted by this display in Barcelona ...Frommer's reveals top destinations for 2012
Oct 25th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
What destination are you dreaming of for 2012? The staff at Frommer's have just unveiled their list of top travel destinations for the coming year. Included in the list is a little something for everyone: large metropolises, secluded beach towns, colorful riverside villas, and more.
But Frommer's didn't just rely on their expert editors and author's for this years list--they also polled ...
