They say that memories triggered by smell are the most powerful and long-lasting. Familiar odours can bring back, in depth and detail, experiences and places visited many years before. As one website explains: “When you first smell a new scent, you…
10 things I’ve learned I can’t live without
A few weeks ago, I reached an important milestone – both in my life, and in my time lived in Spain: it’s 10 years since I arrived here in Seville. Back in September 2003 I came to this beautiful city…
Five things Spanish people say a lot (and what they really mean)
I’ve written about lots of fiestas lately – music, dancing, flamenca dresses and general Andalucian excess on all fronts, laughing in the face of austerity and denying the very existence of “la cosa“, as some prefer to refer to la crisis obliquely,…
Feria de Jerez: Ladies’ Day
Andalucia has a (richly-deserved) reputation for a being a region of Spain that loves a fiesta. From April onwards, at any one time, several towns and cities around southern Spain are filled with people throwing up their arms and dancing in…