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christmas in sevilla

Spain, España, Christmas, Navidad, Sevilla

For much of the world, Christmas was over two weeks ago… ah, but not for us. Spain is one of several countries that celebrate Epiphany (Jan 6th) in a big way. That’s when the Three Wise Men, the Magi or los Reyes Magos arrived in Bethlehem to pay their respects & give gifts to Jesus. Although I’ve spent tons of time in Spain over the past 17 years, I haven’t been here for Christmas since 1998. Seems like a special event happened almost every day! I’m thrilled we’re back to normal now, & maybe a timeline of events will help explain why the holidays this year wore me out.

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recipe: sopa hervia

recipe, receta, sopa hervida, sopa hervía

My first recipe! Don’t worry, there’s no danger of this becoming a food blog. Although I love to cook & eat, I can’t seem to focus on one particular topic… or even a single country 😉 Sopa hervida (pronounced in andalú without the “d”) translates literally as “boiled soup”, but in reality it is more like what we would call a stuffing in the USA. Spain has invented a number of ways to use leftover bread, & these “soups” are some of the most traditional recipes in every family.

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cádiz: exorcising demons

España, Spain, Cádiz, Plaza de San Antonio

First a little background…

Even as a child, I had a strong desire to travel. Interests in biology & chemistry pointed me to medical school… but that proved only to be a distraction in the long run. I remember wading through the foreign language section in Memphis libraries for albums in Russian (yeah, that long ago!), books in basic Hawaiian or whatever French material I could find. Yet at the age of 27, I’d only managed to go as far as the Bahamas, Canada & México. When my ex landed a job as Assistant Director for the University of Washington’s Spanish program in Cádiz, I was all for it. Finally an opportunity to go to Europe! The year was 1998, & I knew the experience would change my life.

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