Our decade in Andalucía
Unbelievable, but true! Exactly ten years ago to the day, on a stormy night on November 3rd, 2012, my husband and I arrived in the small town of Ronda in Andalucía with a couple of suitcases. …
7 stops from Rome to Tokyo – Life of a SAS air hostess in the 1950s
Photo from the front page of the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, February 1957. Aase (right) together with the Swedish captain and air hostess from the first commercial flight over the North Pole.
One of the many times that …
The arduous and joyful task of restoring a village ruin
When we bought a ramshackle village house in Ronda nine years back, we had no idea that it would take more than two years to get the building permit from the municipality as well as the regional culture department. That …
A helping hand
People I have met that have impressed me the most, are almost always individuals who give unlimited of themselves in some volunteer capacity. The act of choosing to share one’s time, knowledge, energy, resources, conviction, or compassion is the …
Creativity vs. destruction in times of war
I am sad to say – just as we thought we could allow ourselves to stop being concerned about Covid, came Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and another war on European soil. Meanwhile the desperate draught in Andalucía is creating …
A Norwegian bodeguero in the sherry golden triangle
A bodeguero is a person who owns and runs a wine bodega. Other than bull fighters, you probably won’t find a more typical Spanish profession. Yet to some people’s surprise, there is a genuine Norwegian bodeguero right in the middle …
CEUTA – a disputed pearl between oceans and continents
Here is a riddle:
What place on the globe can you stand at a single point and see two major oceans, two continents, three nations and three kingdoms?
Answer: Ceuta
This might come as a surprise for many, particularly those …
La Casa de las Cuatro Torres – unique in the world?
Spain is full of history, and the greatest heritage is often found in its buildings. When travelling around the country, you can visit some of these historical marvels, and if you are lucky and have the opportunity, can …
Cádiz – a touch of Havana on Europe’s southern tip
‘What a difference a day makes’ sang Ella Fitzgerald, though when it comes to Cádiz, I would have to expand that to 30 years, as it was about three decades from my initial visit until I returned to the …
Ode to the smile
Imagine if you were a baby that was born in the past year and a half. Certainly, here in Spain all you would have seen on the street in your short life would have been masked people on the street. …