Showing 1-20 of 20 results
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The Camino’s Ugly Side
Blog: Ottsworld - 25 May 2012
The Camino de Santiago trail is gorgeous – but like any beautiful creature it also has it’s ugly moments. It’s easy for you to sit and look at all of my Camino de Santiago photos and be swept up into the stunning landscapes and simplicity of life along the Camino; however before you book your [...]
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Postcard from Sarria Spain
Blog: Ottsworld - 21 May 2012
“No one grows old by living, only by losing interest in living.” I left this quote along the trail to inspire others this week. Yet as I walked on through the week I realized that this was really the theme of my Camino week 4. I met an American man who was 80 years old [...]
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Postcard from Astorga Spain
Blog: Ottsworld - 14 May 2012
After a lovely break in Carrion de los Condes and getting treated to a scrumptious steak dinner from a retired doctor from Canada, things could only go downhill from there – and they did. Fast forward to me puking in a albergue toilet to begin week 3 of my Camino de Santiago journey . I [...]
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Postcard from Carrion de los Condes Spain
Blog: Ottsworld - 7 May 2012
Most of this week I felt like a cartoon character – the one with the big cloud over my head with rain pouring down just on me. However, instead of one cloud following me wherever I went along the Camino, there were multiple clouds all lined up and circling like planes at O’Hare airport trying [...]
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Video: Easter processions in Zamora, Spain
Blog: La Tortuga Viajera - 26 May 2011
I’m sure you’ve all been waiting on pins and needles for the Easter processions video that I promised . Finally, it’s here (phew!), however you might not rest any easier after seeing it. How does this peculiar tradition make you feel: Awkward? Spiritual? Humbled? Uncomfortable? If you are having trouble viewing this video, please click [...]
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Procession perplexities
Blog: La Tortuga Viajera - 13 May 2011
I didn’t expect to feel so sick to my stomach. I’d seen many awkward images of Spanish men wearing the white, cone-shaped hoods before. It wasn’t anything new. And yet, there I stood, with my tummy knotted in discomfort as though I were witnessing something horribly awful. It was Maundy Thursday and dutiful Catholics lined [...]
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¡Campeones!
Blog: Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog - 11 July 2010
A large screen was put up in the Plaza Mayor of Burgos this afternoon so that soccer fans could watch the final match of the World Cup. Right now as I’m writing this, the Queen song “We are the Champions” is blasting from speakers on the street below my house. No, Spaniards don’t just [...]
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Shepherd for a day
Blog: La Tortuga Viajera - 25 May 2010
After an hour and a half drive north of Madrid that ended with a long trek on a one lane dirt road, we found ourselves out where Jesus lost his keys (one of many Spanish sayings to describe that you are in the middle of nowhere). We would soon find that it was just [...]
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Road trip to León and Asturias
Blog: La Tortuga Viajera - 27 April 2010
Ahh, Northern Spain, why do I love you so much? (I suppose I could say the same about Eastern, Southern and Western Spain as well, but never mind that) After my recent trip to Santander, I just couldn’t turn down another opportunity to head up north and discover some new cities and pueblos. [...]
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Day tripping from Madrid
Blog: The Adventures of D - 19 April 2010
Madrid is nearly dead smack in the middle of Spain, so naturally, day trips from the capital are easy both in terms of closeness and bus/train schedules. There are two main options for traveling in Spain — the bus and the train. Recently, a high-speed train was added, and while it gets you places far [...]
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The “Nativity on steroids” of the Burgos Cathedral
Blog: Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog - 4 January 2010
Visitors view the humongous Nativity of the Burgos Cathedral. I have memories from when I was a child of helping my mother set up the Christmas tree and the Nativity set in our home. I never really liked doing the task that much because there were always so many lights to put on the tree [...]
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Merry (ongoing) Christmas from Spain!
Blog: Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog - 31 December 2009
As part of the Christmas festivities in Burgos, a "Christmas Fair" was set up in the Plaza Mayor in which people purchased crafts from local vendors. I’ve decided to title this post “Merry (ongoing) Christmas.” You may be asking yourself why I’ve put the word “ongoing” in the title and the answer is [...]
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Chocolate con churros: Harder to order than one might think
Blog: Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog - 29 November 2009
During the winter, churros stands like this one begin to crop up all over Burgos. It’s easy to eat these delicious delicacies; however, it’s somewhat more complex to order them. The winter has finally arrived to Burgos. The days are darker, the temperatures are lower, and the people of the city are [...]
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The Cathedral of Burgos: A treat on the inside
Blog: Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog - 21 November 2009
Not too long ago I wrote a post about the exterior of the Cathedral of Burgos, a thirteenth century Catholic Cathedral. As far as cathedrals in Spain go, this one is a bit on the famous side — and it’s no wonder why. The building itself is beautiful. Just the other day I paid another trip to [...]
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Big rocks and vultures: A visit to “La Yecla”
Blog: Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog - 5 September 2009
As most of you who read this blog probably already know, I recently took a trip to the Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos. What you probably don’t already know is that I made another stop on that trip in addition to visiting the “singing monks.” That other stop was to a nearby natural park known as “El [...]
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The chanting monks of the Santo Domingo de Silos Abbey
Blog: Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog - 23 August 2009
I just got back from visiting the Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos and thought I would share a little information with you about the monastery and the monks that live inside it. The monastery is located about 45 minutes outside the city of Burgos in a quaint little village known as “Santo Domingo de Silos.” [...]
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The Cathedral of Burgos: Breathtaking on the outside
Blog: Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog - 19 August 2009
Here in Burgos, we are lucky enough to have a Gothic-style cathedral known as the “Cathedral of Burgos” (unique name, right?). Construction on the cathedral began way back in the year 1221 and the marvelous building has been standing ever since then. As far as Spanish cathedrals go, this one is actually a bit on the famous [...]
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Get fit with Spanish bicycle renting programs
Blog: Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog - 4 August 2009
Here’s a pretty cool idea that the Spanish Government came up with to both cut back on car pollution and keep people healthy at the same time: bicycle renting. Basically, bike “docking stations” like the one pictured above are starting to crop up all over Spanish cities. The idea is that a user can go to [...]
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Come on ride the train
Blog: Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog - 1 August 2009
I don’t know if this is exactly what Quad City DJs had in mind when they created the song “C’mon Ride the Train” back in the mid-1990s. It’s the Burgos “choo choo” tourist train and, for a small fee, it will take you to the most important monuments in the city of Burgos for your sightseeing [...]
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Burgos Fiestas #6: Partying in Spain is messy
Blog: Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog - 29 July 2009
My regular readers know that, over the last couple weeks, I have been writing a mini-series on the 2009 Burgos Festivals – the biggest party of the year in the city of Burgos. To finish up the mini-series, I thought it would be appropriate to write this post about the tons of garbage that were produced (and [...]
Showing 1-20 of 20 results
