While Spain still has a monarchy, it is a constitutional monarchy, and, much like Queen Elizabeth, King Juan Carlos I, who has ruled since 1975, holds very little real power. The Spanish royal family lacks much of the celebrity of the
After twelve days of wading through rubbish and planning walks to avoid being upwind of the smelliest trash piles, there’s filthy good news for the residents of Madrid. Madrid has appointed government workers to clean the streets while regular street cleaners
Living in the vibrant shopping district of Calle Fuencarral means walks past chic boutiques, designer stores and quaint Spanish balconies. For nearly the past two weeks, my daily walks have also included dodging thigh-high piles of trash, kicking broken beer bottles and
El Parque del Buen Retiro is one of the largest, and certainly the most famous, public parks in Madrid. The Spanish capital’s equivalent of New York’s Central Park, provides city dwellers a chance to connect with nature on a smaller
I finally have finished telling the story of my three week trek through France and Italy and can now share some stories from Madrid, the city I have been living in for the past two months, teaching English at an
It seemed like a grand idea—spend three weeks travelling around France and Italy before beginning a year long teaching assignment in Spain. And for the most part it was, with one exception: luggage. Schlepping a year’s supply of belongings up and
The bill for my pizza came and I was faced with a dilemma: all my money was in my money belt, buried underneath my shirt and shorts
I’d heard many a wild story about Napoli. Of the gypsy women who feed their babies a substance that turns them blue to solicit sympathy from tourists. Of the swift pickpockets who manage to steal from even the most savvy
“You’re too pretty for Halloween.” This is what student after student and teacher after teacher told me as I graced the halls of the Spanish Elementary School where I work, clad in my Snow White costume to celebrate Halloween in Spain,
When researching what to do with my last free day in Italy, I was quite torn. Visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa and get a photo in front of one of the most famous icons of Italy or Cinque Terre,