by Madison pollard
After nearly two years living abroad, I had visited about a fifteen Spanish cities, my list short of Cordoba. I threw my hands up and made the most budget-friendly AirBnB reservation, crossing my fingers it would be worth the trip. Every day since Los Patios, I feel so grateful for how that final weekend getaway …
Amsterdam is a seriously special city which I had taken too long to visit while living in Europe. The perfect opportunity arose when two of my best friends decided to visit me in Spain. Imagining the perfect week in the Mediterranean sun, kicking back with pintas, introducing them to the Andalucian views of mountains and …
I visited Ronda when I was a child. I barely remembered it at all, given that it was almost twenty years ago and I was six years old. Still, I’m shocked. After returning this winter with Jeff, I realized it was one of the most memorable places I’ll ever visit and probably in my top …
I’m so thrilled to finally be getting to this post. Budapest was the last leg of our big Christmas trip. A couple of months have gone by and I’ve had time to let the memories steep and time to reflect on the menus I wish I’d ordered more from. Of Prague, Athens and Budapest, I …
Athens is an interesting city to characterize. There’s no simple way to do it. We were the classic example of tourists who came from across the world to see the sight of history’s earliest democracy. A couple of young Americans, recently graduated with degrees in philosophy and political science. Picture perfect story line or what, …
Prague and Budapest had everything you could want in European destinations – stunning city centers, history, great food, varied restaurants, a busy buzz around town, diverse museums, an edgy side, friendly locals, easy transportation, a sense of safety and even an artsy side. Street art was visible in Prague, though this scene was not quite …
1. Falafel from Falafellas I can’t say enough good things about Falafellas. I had read about it prior to our visit on a couple of other blog posts and was intrigued immediately. The real thing lived up to the hype. Falafellas offers a small menu – two sizes of falafel wraps and two sizes of …
Damn, it feels good to be documenting the delights a new location for the first time in… eight months?? Has it really been that long since my last border-crossing travel? Well, I was back in the U.S. for awhile over the summer, working my butt off to get myself back to Spain for another year’s …
1. Pan con aceite y sal Spain-specific cuisine and eating styles have been eye opening for me as one who loves to cook and research food. All I know is, I never would have considered a piece of bread with olive oil and salt as breakfast before coming to Spain. Now, I can’t shut up …
Since I was home in Richmond, VA for the summer, a lot of friends have asked me how it is that I’ve come to live in Spain and what I’m doing there. I love talking about this because the fact is, you can do it too. Teaching English has opened the world up to me, …
If you’re reading this, my guess is you’re a new expat or student getting ready to move to this special little city called Murcia, and you’re looking for some information about living here. When I was first accepted to a Spanish teaching program that places North Americans across Spain, I was imagining life in an …
I’ve mentioned in previous posts how much I enjoy being able to sit outside and eat and drink – a practice much more common in Europe than in the US. When you’re in a new place traveling or living, you can learn so much from observing while enjoying the local cuisine or street food. People …
When my family came to visit me in Spain, we decided to spend half of a week in big cities and a couple of days in the smaller town of Girona. About an hour north of Barcelona, tourists flock to this destination for its infamous cathedral, featured in Game of Thrones. We thought this would …
I’m hoping that if you’re reading this, you’re a soon-to-be expat in Murcia, Spain. You’re planning all of the details of your visa paperwork, starting to check out flats on Milanuncios, sifting through posts on the Facebook group for auxiliares in Murcia and thinking about all of the traveling you’ll do while living in Spain. …
1. Enjoying the one-of-a-kind tourist attractions I don’t throw these words around in the form of recommendations lightly. But Valencia’s ‘tourist attractions’ are probably among the cutest in the world, especially for kids. I could wait to bring these photos back to Murcia to show my students. Chances are, you’ll easily stumble across these …
The Tower of Belem is on every list of things to do when you visit Lisbon, but it’s not exactly in Lisbon. Belem is actually about five miles from the vibrant, seven-hilled center and it’s its own charming little escape from the hustle and bustle. You’ll probably want to take a bus or taxi to …
I visited Valencia for the first time during Holy Week and loved it. It’s a vibrant city with just enough of a small town feel to be able to accomplish a lot in a matter of two days. Most of what I accomplished was eating. Valencia’s regional uniqueness in terms of culinary tradition lived up …
So Lisbon stole my heart, pretty much right off the bat. From the moment I realized I could figure out the metro system without incident at midnight (thanks for the delayed flight, as always, Vueling). Walking through the Baixa district at night on the way to check in at my AirBnB, meeting my hilarious and …
I haven’t been writing much on The Mad Kitchen lately as I’ve been traveling for two solid weeks for the lovely holiday break of Semana Santa. I have a quite a bit to share about the travels to 5 different cities and enlightening food inspiration. But first, I feel compelled to expose a little about …