This fascinating, somewhat beautiful image of a virus doesn’t express the enormous frustration that I feel at being laid victim to another illness here in Spain.  I thought that I was healthy and strong; I thought that my immune system was working at peak performance.
Shortly after arriving in Barcelona last year, Katie and I - and to a lesser degree, Oscar - suffered an incredibly virulent stomach illness.  Another one followed, but not as intensely.  Life went on and a few colds andflus didn’t scare us in comparison with those …

My first breath of Spanish air, I breathed in Barajas airport in Madrid.  I was surprised to find that air carrying the smoke of countless cigarettes.  For a young, sheltered Canadian it was unheard of that people should be smoking inside a public building.  The guards with machine guns were also smoking, which was a real oddity to say the least.
Since that day in 1997 things have changed somewhat, but not as much as I would have thought.
On January 1st, 2006, new laws came into effect that restricted the smoking …

Life in modern Spain is much like life in any first world nation.  Okay, obviously there are differences, but what I mean to suggest is that the major components of daily life are the same.  The conveniences and hassles of modern life are common to many countries - cars and parking; houses and mortgages…  People enjoy the vast array of consumer products available to them and try to balance spending with income as well as work with free time.  In that regard, life in Spain is very much like life …

You’ll have to stay on the lookout to keep up with me!  (Or you could just keep reading this blog as I shamelessly point out all of the writing that I’m doing around the internet.)
I’ve recently met a guy who’s putting together a very ambitious site that will map out every eating establishment in Valencia.  He’s helping me bring Ivan In Valencia up to speed and I’m contributing some writing to his venture, Eat-In-Valencia.com.
To take a look at my first article there, just click here.  It’s the first of three …

Living in the old quarter of Valencia, we hear church bells ringing all the time.  For the most part, I have no idea why and today was no exception, though their ringing was exceptionally vigorous.
I hadn’t even know that today - Jan 22 - was a holiday until a Spanish friend mentioned it in an e-mail a couple of days ago.  That’s what happens when you work from home; you lose touch with your community.  Well, we aren’t in Valencia so that we can spend our lives online so I …

After a lightening-fast decision making process and a hurried series of good-byes in Barcelona over Christmas, we finally (only four weeks later) arrive in Valencia. Only a little wrinkled…

Part 2 of 3 recounting how circumstances brought us to our new home in Valencia

Part 1 of 3: How we were quickly convinced that life was conspiring to make us happy in Valencia

Hurray! I’m in Valencia!
The first obvious question is: who cares?  (The first obvious answer is YOU, since you are reading this - thank-you!)  But really, as a newbie on the blogging scene it’s difficult for me to imagine just where this excercise is going to take me.  That said, I’ve never let a little uncertainty get in the way of a new experience.  (Okay, seldom…)
And now, in order to prepare you for a habit of mine that you will confront regularly if you stick with me and this blog, I …