Articles

All text and photos © Karethe Linaae

SKOL – Marbella’s modernistic 1960s icon

The Cheery Cobblers of Ronda

AMONTILLADO & OLOROSO The sophisticated, aromatic, and bone-dry sherries from Jerez

Am I just Vintage or completely Obsolete?

MY FIRST PISADA Andalusian grape stomping in the 21.st Century

UBRIQUE – The White Village that became the world’s leather capital

Here comes the gas man!

Summer sizzle

FLIGHT ATTENDANT IN THE 1950s   With Sophia Loren and the King of Sweden on board

7 stops from Rome to Tokyo – Life of a SAS air hostess in the 1950s

The arduous and joyful task of restoring a village ruin

A helping hand

Creativity vs. destruction in times of war

A Norwegian bodeguero in the sherry golden triangle

CEUTA – a disputed pearl between oceans and continents

La Casa de las Cuatro Torres – unique in the world?

Cádiz – a touch of Havana on Europe’s southern tip

Ode to the smile

Having a heart in two countries

The classic art of Cordobese leather – 1000 years in the making

Once upon a time – Love in the time of Corona

May is for Azar

Meet Spain’s (only) genuine Norwegian olive farmers

A growing pleasure – 10 reasons to plant a tree

Do you choose April?

Progress vs Patrimony – Ronda’s eternal struggle to become a 21st Century town

Almond liqueur with an Andalusian twist

February is for …

Women of rural Andalucía – From illiterate to university graduate in three generations

«We choose the Costa del Sol» Meet four young Scandinavian golf enthusiasts who are spending the pandemic in Southern Spain

…and then came the snow…

The new Scandinavian eco cuisine – A conversation with chef Fredrik Anderson at Finca La Donaira

A jolly pedal along the Spanish Via Verdes

Autumn 2020 – Seize the possibilities within the limitations

A dozen + 1 reasons to spend a weekend in romantic Ronda

Tinto de Verano and other Spanish thirst-quenchers

The joys of community gardening – far beyond fresh vegetables

57! Me? How did that happen?

Spain’s one kilometre of freedom

Breathe in. Breathe out – week five of lockdown in southern Spain

Mindfulness through the quiet storm

Fighting for Andalucía’s public trails – Barbed wire fences and locked gates

An unforgettable visit to Juzcar’s Royal Tin Factory winery – dramatic history, natural synergy, exquisite wine and Boho interiors

Lérida and the lesser known Spain

Going Nuts in La Serranía de Ronda

Divine Spanish Holiday Treats – spending a day in our local convent kitchen

The Madrid Climate Conference and the ‘no-pasa nada’ rural Andalucía

Want to learn Spanish? Seven tips on how to go native

Long weekend in Lisbon – a pastel city portrait

A subterranean meeting with the new Neanderthals – La Cueva de Ardales

Nocturnal grape harvest at Descalzos Viejos – Possibly Spain’s most spectacular vineyard

Sensational Andalucía – sight, sound, smell, taste and touch impressions from the Spanish south

The Legends, Lies And Secrets Of Ronda’s Majestic Mina De Agua

The olive tree – a pictorial guide to its many split personalities and idiosyncrasies

Does anybody sleep on Andalusian summer nights?

When given two buckets of plums, tis’ time to make another Spanish liqueur!

What do Philippe Starck, olives and Ronda have in common? LA Organic Experience

When your new neighbours move in with a crowbar – Squatters in Spain

Visiting Setenil de las Bodegas – where the Heavens are made of rock

Ronda’s annual National Ham-Cutting Championship – Maybe soon a new Olympic sport?

Making an Andalusian wall fountain and still having ten fingers to type the tale

Doing El Camino Light – A week on ‘the way’

The many skeletons and secrets of our Ronda neighbourhood

From Delhi to Palm Desert – My Andalusian Tales travel the world

Algaba de Ronda – A retreat to Eden

Day trip to magical Zahara de la Sierra and a few notes on rural travel with octogenarians

Happy New Year, again – Meet the Muddy Pig

Coincidence or destiny? How my Andalusian tales became a book

Will the Spanish ever be on time?

SNOBB’s Annual Wreck Award –12 of Ronda’s Memorable Abandoned Buildings

All I want for Christmas is nada

Haberdashery Heaven – Discovering Spain’s love for sewing

Confessions by a former IATSE film technician

From Dust to Dust – Rites of passage in rural Andalucía

Unfolding the story of Andalusian doornails

After the Disaster – and why Less is almost always More

When Ruby, the New York Teabag Artist, came to Ronda

Looking for a new Camino? Try village-to-village walking in Andalucía

The rain in Spain…

Another Andalusian pet joins our family – Meet Leopoldo, the jasmine lover

This week’s escapade – the not so known corners of Old Town Málaga

Behind closed doors – Joining the sisterhood in the 21st century

Enjoying life’s simple pleasures, such as breakfast at Juan’s

Escaping the Spanish heat in tropical Norway and discovering how mom learned to swim in 1944

Jesús the embroiderer – a Gender Bender in rural Spain

Following the Roman trail through the Iberian south

El ‘Look’ de primavera – the annual Andalusian scarecrow style update

The battle of the loos – Another rural Andalusian tale

Pedro, El Herrero – our barrio’s last blacksmith

Hooch making in the Spanish south – How I became the creator of fine-ish Andalusian liqueurs

The bridge that divides us – Ronda at war over crumbling patrimony

The school that never was – The silent victims of political party bickering

‘Well-Matured Horse Manure For Sale’ and other WhatsApps you might only receive in rural Andalucía

How I against my better judgement became ‘La Teacher’ to a mob of Andalusian toddlers

Really? There are still people out there making brooms by hand?

Oh No, not another sunny day… Living with Global Warming in the Spanish south

When tragedy strikes our Andalucian town. Moving beyond the pain

Bringing Spain to the far north – A fjord-swim adventure

Last days – An expat’s reflections on ageing and dying in Andalucía

From accused pet killer to pet lover – How Andalucía has changed me

Why is our beautiful Andalusian town not as ‘green’ as it ought to be?

The reincarnation of Gonzales, the scarecrow

‘Los Olivos’ gets a makeover. An Andalusian renovation story

A slightly tipsy, but ever so tasty visit to the golden triangle of sherry making

Monastic stay with infinity pool in Andalucía’s city of dreams

Four years in Andalucía and I am still pinching my arm

The ‘horrors’ of spending winter in Ronda

La Sierra – not for the faint-hearted, light-headed or high-heeled hikers

The (yet-off-the-air) Andalusian Extreme Makeover Home-Edition

Why I will never be completely fluent in Spanglish…

Vertical Thrill – Living on the edge in Ronda, Andalucía

The Hidden, the Buried and the Living History of Übeda, Spain’s Renaissance Jewel

My TOP TEN Andalusian Ruins and FixerUppers – The Official Countdown

Tamarind… Que? Why rural expats head to the Costa del Sol to stock up on exotic cooking ingredients

Rural Andaluz Hashtag Virgin gets a Lesson in the Lessons of Instagram

Getting lost in the Old Kissing Corner and other alleys of Sevilla’s Judería

At The Right Bar At The Right Time – How to get things done in Southern Spain

Forget about washing the car. It’s raining Sahara sand again…

Walking on air – the deadly Caminito del Rey has become a walk in the park

Waist high and nose deep in lavender

What NOT to do to survive the Andalusian summer

Sweeping vistas, legroom and bar trolleys – Consider the train next time you travel in Spain

“No, the other right…” Andalusian road tripping with a directionally challenged co-pilot

OMG, she is at it again!” When the wife prefers refinishing Andalusian furniture to cooking

Fashion notes from rural Andalucía- tassels, panache and bling

Finally moving into our house in Ronda, at 43°C through a wobbly ladder

Forget about Gibraltar’s tax-free, Bobbies and monkeys. Hike La Roca!

The never-ending house saga – Dangling wheelbarrows, tanned plumber’s butts and other Andalusian building tales

Cheers, chatter and chorizos – Andalusians on the hiking trail

The magical cork and why every self-respecting wine should want one

Victims of our Annual New Years Theft – Starting the year with a very clean slate

The house saga continues – De-construction and digging for dead moors

The backbreaking road to liquid gold – our first olive harvest

Oh to be an Iberian pig!

Permit? What permit? The eternal wait for Spanish construction papers

Surprise! Buying a Spanish house and discovering we have quintuplets…

Searching for the ideal Andalusian ‘fixer-upper’

Steady hands! Restoring a 350-year-old baby Jesus statue

Is it the heat or was that mountain talking to me?

When I was ‘barred’ from my first Spanish election

With obstinate donkeys, randy mules and strapping stallions on the trail

The joys of ‘getting lost’ – Hiking in Andalucía’s sierra

Fifty Shades of female regression return to our Barrio

Proudly ‘Andalu’. So why are the Spanish laughing at us?

The dubious past of the Vienna New Year’s Concert and WHEN did I start humming with the television???

Peace love and frozen fingers – Yuletide a la Scandinavia

Farewell to Sevilla’s legendary Duchess

Embracing autumn in Andalucía

The Spanish Quick-Fix method

La Feria de Ronda – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Nocturnal pilgrimage to Olvera in black and white

Community Gardeners Unite!

Embracing an 800 year-old giant

Mother Superior’s Mini Storage and other nun’s tales

“Roll camera.” “Zet.” “MOTÓR!!!”

BLOGGING TOUR – Passing on the baton

The World Cup comes to the village

When Ronda goes Rrrromántica…

Global goals & local action – our first annual ‘Ronda Limpia’ event

Who would have thought mom would move into a flat!

Ronda Limpia – Cleaning the town, one bin at a time…

A visit to Sevilla’s virgin-maker

Ronda, a worthy World Heritage Site?

An ‘Andaluz’ Christmas story

The mighty olive

A year in Andalucía

When the young buzzard came to town

Osuna and the unknown Spain

The most difficult and circuitous road to a Spanish driving license

Tinto de Verano and other Spanish thirst-quenchers

Community gardening Andalucía style – or “Who let the sheep in?”

How I finally became member of The Ladies of Ronda Dumpster Diving Society

Locked in the dark with 4000 bats and 30.000 year old human remains

My Andalusían Fields of Gold

The lesson of loss

Wild strawberries, skinny-dipping and other tales of Norwegian midsummer

Impromptu lesson in cooking paella for 50

Edging the void on quivering knees

Birth at a Roman ruin

Palm Sunday with the gypsies

Food shopping in the ‘hood’

Car Boot sale with Sunny and Cher

Costa del sol – development and decay

Jamón, Jamón

The Ladies of Ronda Dumpster-Diving Society

A yuletide interlude

House hunt and the secret of Andalusian sausages

Why Ronda?

On broke banks and Spanish cueing-culture

Tapas Hour – Opus 1

Back to school

A new day dawns in the ‘barrio’

Meeting Almodóvar

Serving Foie Gras in the sky

The amorous Spanish fly

The rain in Spain… (1)

Long Distance Living and how my parents agreed to marry over the phone