Blog

Here in Alicante the climate is virtually identical to that of Los Angeles, as is the population, assuming the year is 1912. That was when the City of Angels last matched present-day Alicante’s count of only 350,000 souls.

Possibly the idea of living in 1912 Los Angeles appeals to you. However, modern Alicante is not the same as turn-of-the-20th-century Southern California. Alicante today has faster and more reliable cars, for example, and way better Wi-Fi.

As much as we love it here, there is, to quote the great philosopher Dorothy Gale, no place like home. Once in a while we must return to the Motherland to see siblings and children.

Continue reading “The Call of the Attired”

We are walking from the main stage to the “tent stage,” a distance of maybe 200 yards. Two young men in their early-to-mid-twenties sidle up beside us, one next to Denise, the other to my right. In other circumstances the invasion might make us apprehensive but here, now, we are merely curious.

Continue reading “Two Cats in a Polish Dog Pound”

If you were in Budapest during the week of June 20, 2023, you will have observed, first and foremost, how very European is this capital city. The buildings are, by American standards, short (no skyscrapers); and, also by American standards, interesting.

Continue reading “Ruin in Hungary”

Denise and I were looking for European music festivals. We found one in Poland, called the Open’er Festival. Headliners include Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo, Arctic Monkeys, Li’l Nas X, and Sza.

Denise quoted the ticket price, which was quite reasonable. I looked over her shoulder and saw a reference to VIP tickets. “How much for the VIP tickets?” I asked.

Continue reading “Getting Hungary on the Way to Poland”

Dear Ephesians:

Back in the 1960’s, when I was a boy, the parish priest sometimes read to the congregation letters the apostle Paul wrote to you. The letters were polite, thoughtful, and well-written. Common courtesy would have dictated a response.

Continue reading “DAN’S LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS”

Weeks ago Denise and I began planning our trip to Antalya, Turkey. Unfortunately, our arrival was after those massive earthquakes, so we were powerless to prevent them.

Continue reading “Ante Up in Antalya”

Denise and I once danced by Río Cauca, the river into which Pablo Escobar, kingpin for the Medellin drug cartel, disposed of bodies. We were on our way to Cartagena, or at least thought we were, and would not have been there at all if I had larger eye sockets.

Continue reading “The Road to Cartagena”

This may sound strange, coming as it does from an American living in Europe, but I don’t get out much. For example, I do not drink in bars. I have liquor at home, and everyone there really does know my name. I don’t much go to restaurants because I can’t say that restaurant fare tastes any better than what I can rustle up at home. And I don’t go to the movies because I have Netflix and HBO.

The one thing Denise and I both love, and cannot get at home, is live music. That is why our first trip to Ireland was a little slice of heaven.

Continue reading “Music on the Emerald Isle”

When in Dublin we usually stay with Clarity, and this trip was no exception. However, after a few days of inconveniencing Clarity and her roommates, not to mention her two hyperactive dogs, we opted for a hotel. Denise quickly found The Gate Hotel, which looked great.

Continue reading “A Gaffe at The Gate Hotel”

You can drive from Bilbao to Bayonne in less than two hours, but we took a scenic route, along the coast. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day and we saw mostly fog, and mostly heard the thwap-thwap-thwap of windshield wipers.

Continue reading “Biding Time in Bayonne”