KARETHE LINAAE
“I choose April” my father would always announce in his booming baritone around this time of the year. He was quoting the first part of a Norwegian poem from the 1870s, though he never continued, so I doubt that he ever knew the rest of it. Exactly 26 years ago I was very pregnant. In…
Andalucía is one of Europe’s foremost travel destinations with a rich and diverse cultural past. One can hardly put a spade in the ground without bringing some more ruins to light. Roman, Visigoth or Arab treasures seem to be discovered every time an Andalusian town excavates underground parking, builds a new road, or simply expands…
The almond tree, or el almendro as it is called in Spanish, can be found all over the Mediterranean region. Ever since the Phoenicians brought the fruit to these shores some 3000 years ago, they have been an important food source for the Andalusians. Almonds contain Omega 6, magnesium, potassium, calcium, Vitamin E, thiamine…
A common expression often heard these days is Corona-fatigue. After a year of masks, disinfectants and almost exclusively pandemic-news (except the US election…), is it any wonder that we are starting to get fed up with the entire thing? I can quite understand that people are feeling impatient and wanting to not give a damn….
When we bought the ruin that eventually became our Spanish home, the former owner did not know how to write her name on the sales contract. Granted she was over 90, but I had not expected to find illiteracy amongst the older populations of southern Europe. Was this still a common phenomenon in these parts,…
The Costa del Sol has long been known as a golfer’s paradise. The coast is home to some of Europe’s most luxurious golf clubs and has more than 70 of Spain’s 400+ golf courses, with several more under construction. The major attraction is the Mediterranean climate. With an annual average of 320 sunny days, balmy…
Visitors to Spain may have a few misconceptions about the weather on the Iberian Peninsula. Winter in southern Spain is not hot by any stretch of the imagination. Granted Spain is the closest one can be to Africa while still being on European soil, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have winters. Our town…
Historically speaking Scandinavians have not been known as the world’s most exciting gourmands. “But this has changed in the last couple of decades,” explains Fredrik Andersson, chef at Finca La Donaira, which is outside the village of El Gastor in Andalucía. Fredrik is part of the new gastronomic wave that favours simple dishes using only…
Las Vías Verdes is a network of Greenways that spreads all across the Iberian Peninsula. Since 1993 more than 3000 km of Spain’s abandoned train lines have been converted into these bicycle and pedestrian routes, as part of the European Greenway system. They can be used free of charge by cyclists, walkers, wheelchair users…
We live in strange and uncertain times. There are days when I prefer not to watch the news, as whole countries go back into lockdown, economies plunge, the USA segregates into Republicans and Democrats, and record numbers of CoVid cases are counted. It is easy to get a bit down by it all, but since…