Randy Elrod's Blog, page 9

Dead Week

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day always seems weird. Some people call it “dead week.” In Spain, we call it puente–it is customary that when a holiday falls midweek, you bridge the gap and take the days between as a holiday. Time goes into a warp, neither long nor short. Everything is out of rhythm, out...

The Books I Loved in 2024

My Top 10 Books of 2024

Happy Holidays from España

Happy Holidays from Españya

What I Learned Spending a Day with a Master Chef from Basque Country Spain

Since my retirement at age 48, I have loved cooking, but now that we are here in Spain, it has become one of the supreme joys of my life. The Basque Country in northern Spain is celebrated worldwide for its haute cuisine. The combination of Spanish zest and French elegance is evident in every bite....

What I Learned Sending a Day with a Master Chef from Basque Country Spain

The Basque Country in northern Spain is celebrated worldwide for its haute cuisine. The combination of Spanish zest and French elegance is evident in every bite. Whether savoring pintxos in a bustling bar or enjoying Michelin-starred dining like we did this past September, each experience highlights the area’s rich cultural tapestry. But the real foodie...

Protected: Too Big for My Britches

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A Year in Spain (Part Two)

We moved to Spain a year ago today. The most significant difference has been how safe and calm I feel living here. The Spanish have a beautiful word for it: Tranquilo. Three hundred days of sunshine a year and welcoming and joyous people have done wonders for my mood. It turns out I wasn’t depressed....

A Year in Spain

As of December 7, we have lived in Barcelona for twelve months. To quote a line from a favorite movie, “Inconceivable!” It started in early 2023 with us dreaming, “Oh my, what if we could be like Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn, Salvador and Gala Dali, Pablo Picasso and Genevieve Laporte? What if we were...

Guapa

Original Watercolor on Handmade Paper 51 x 38 cm Guapa is the Spanish word for beautiful.