ShannoninSpain

A last lunch in Malaga, train to Madrid and sunset in Dallas Fort Worth. #lovewhereyoulive #lovewhatyoudo #hastaluego

Something about this country has captivated myself and many other expats for centuries; from Hemingway (I am NO Hemingway) to the Richard Gere , who was in Málaga when I was there. Alas, not every dream can come true….enjoy the shopping, views, food and the joy. #lovewhereyoulive #dowhatyoulove #dreamsdocometrue

Yes…like all things seafood for me, I can devote an entire post to Espetos. Beloved, traditional, named for the method of cooking (on a spit/skewer); typically fresh caught sardines. At the chiringuitos and restaurants in Pedregalejo, there is a competition for the best in all of Málaga-we ate at last summer’s winner and ate well.…

Plan on seeing a lot of properties, walking your ass off, being flexible (Spanish time unless you are catching a train), and perhaps encountering Sid the largest seagull I’ve every seen. ask questions……this gate on an adjacent street is the entrance to the original stables below my apartment; I’m hoping to acquire this as well.…

After years of dreaming, searching, telling everyone I knew that I hoped to one day own a place of my own in Spain; it happened. Two weeks ago today! It’s been a whirlwind and my blog is jet lagged, but here we go… I’ll go back from here… the facade, the views of the catedral,…

It’s been a busy week for me & a tough one for my native California. My heart hurts for California; so many with so little & so much whose lives are forever changed. After years of hoping, dreaming and talking about it I have a little gem of a piso in Spain. Stay tuned-its a…

Dias de los Reyes Magos. The church bells that ring in coordination for an hour or more for days, the lines for the cakes grow, what a joyous season. It is remarkable and one of the highlights of the Spanish year-traditions carried through the centuries. Back in the city I just might end up living…

I’m giving Cordoba a second chance; upon arrival at the train station I was less than impressed; so wrong! Put it on your Spanish bucket list-ahora. I often wonder when traveling who walked these streets before me? Not 100 years ago but 1000 or more and what was life really like then? Have you ever…

Yoga is all about mind/body/the breath. However yesterday I was forced to find something else while trying to keep from throwing up in my Bikram Yoga class at my favorite, but authentic studio in Madrid https://www.barquillohotyoga.com/ . I had to focus on something. That something was a tattoo on another students very lower back that…

I have to share this gem in the Las Letras barrio in Madrid. Really great service, Nomad restaurant, “vibe” (ugh), location and habitaciones. https://www.vinccisoho.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=GoogleMyBusiness&partner=8221 Cafe and later lunch at the Nomad-que buena pinta. https://www.vinccihoteles.com/hoteles/madrid/vincci-soho/gastronomia/ Share your favorite boutique hotels….

Cafe to start the day. Holiday markets, decor, shopping and so many on the streets walking and enjoying this new year. Tell me about your 2024, your wishes for 2025…por favor

Hoping this 3rd ShannoninSpain blog edition is a charm. Elizabeth Barrett Browning I am NOT. The first time a similar phrase was seen in print was in 1839, in Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s work Letters Addressed to R.H. Horne: “The luck of the third adventure is proverbial.” Full disclosure….plan is a few days in Magnificent Madrid, a couple…

Took the train to Madrid for my last night in Spain yesterday; what a difference from Malaga! Having spent 10 days moving at a slower pace, in a less expensive city, with fewer people, it was a bit of a shock. Fortunately, I know my way around. This time, because it was only one night before my return…

Started the day with a hike up to the Gibralfaro-https://alcazabaygibralfaro.malaga.eu/es/ I was fortunate to look at this beautiful fortress from the 1300’s every day from my apartment; even more spectacular on a day with clouds coming in, no one at the top and trying to imagine what it must’ve been like to live there, protect the…

It doesn’t take a genius for us to know that living is learning and learning is living. It can be scary, but also so amazing. Whether its tasting a new dish, speaking a foreign language, trying a new anything; the Nike slogan comes to mind? Just Do It! Yesterday I tried a new dish during my last day…

Fully aware that hashtags can be slightly annoying, I hesitate to title a post with them, but I am so blessed to have found my passion, after years of toiling/grinding out appraisals (still grateful for that background!). Thanks to the trust of my clients and technology, I’m able to help everyone, work anywhere and be part…

Boca-Mouth in Spanish Boquerones-sardines (v. Anchoas)/Boquerones Fritos y a Vinagre Boquerones-Nickname for Malaguenos/those that live in Malaga Before you go all off on me about fish, fish heads, sardines, fried foods, I would like to express my deepest love of boquerones (fritos). Those that know me well expect me to order french fries when we are…

walk 150 meters and pay $6.25 to see a 1st run movie? Or two? Anatomy of a Fall (Golden Globe winner-WOW-incredible film) and A Taste of Things (Juliette Binoche-say no more) https://cinealbeniz.com/pelicula/detalles/20231205114342/anatom%C3%ADa-de-una-ca%C3%ADda A day of days! Raining in the city of sunshine today- not enough to dampen any spirits, but just enough to slow everyone down &…

Cadiz has a great pickleball club, pistas (indoor courts) and camaraderie. I was blessed to play with and against some of them last year in the Spanish Open and as is the case with this fabulous sport, we are friends and played together this past Sunday! Gold Medal Winners Vanessa y Maria Luisa! Beautiful Cadiz #cadiz #workhardplayhard…

Malaga to Cadiz & back 2024. I sit here on this Sunday night, in my apartment in Malaga, overlooking the Plaza de la Merced with the window open and listening to piano concertos? De Verdad/Seriously? Just so beautiful. I often don’t appreciate the in between? Sad, but true, wondering if any of you have ever been so focused…

been somewhere so beautiful you didn’t want to share for fear of the masses, development and/or changes? This is how I feel about Estepona….but first, a little history. My daughter and I first visited 9 years ago, when she studied in Madrid for her 1st year of college. We flew to Malaga, rented a car and…

You pronounce it with a whisper….ca dith-a whisper in terms of its size compared to other Spanish cities; a shout out in terms of history, beaches, el mar, the casco (centro), la comida (from the ocean!), the people. https://www.andalucia.com/cities/cadiz/history.htm While there is much still for me to explore in Malaga, the weekend opportunity to travel…

a day in the life as a student in Malaga… Traveling is an education, life is an education, moving one foot out of the sandbox, your comfort zone is an education. When we stop learning, taking risks (big or small), asking questions-what happens to us? ***currently studying 4 hours a day, private study and then homework;…

when you wake up to this… Sunrise Plaza de la Merced Malaga We all have shit; some more than others, some way worse than others, some pretending not to have any-not sure which is more detrimental? A humbling moment today (amongst many); surrounded by architectural, historical, physical beauty and wealth, a man outside a shop on…

Read this and be impressed! https://blog.visitacostadelsol.com/en/malaga-lights-up-christmas Inspirational, magical, hopeful, to be experienced in person…enlightening. #mimalaga #shannoninspain

Plaza de la Merced, Malaga, from my terrace, New Year’s Day 2024 Yes, those conversations in our heads can be brutal. Not wanting to turn this blog into a self help extravaganza, but was it really Mike Tyson that said this? As I find him dangerous this is in itself remarkable. If you’ve ever spent time alone…

How many expectations do we put on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Resolutions, the New Year? I’ve had a bit of a reckoning of late. A few weeks ago I fell and landed on my head and then in an ambulance and then at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Gatos. Not enough time for my life to…

There are over 20 white pueblos set amongst the mountains about an hour’s drive from Granada; a different world & way of life. Pueblos with anywhere from 100 residents to 3000 and the highest in altitude in Spain. It took me longer to learn to pronounce Alpujarra than to decide if I should join a…

As I wait in DFW for my flight NYE 2024 to Malaga, I realize, I never finished my ShannoninSpain in September of this year. A few more photos of Granada and then my last night in Madrid; playing pickleball with friends and a fabulous dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. Proveche! Last minute shopping…

Facebook post… This amazing couple #lovewhereyoulive#lovewhatyoudo#loveeachother -to have all this!!! They work every day except Tuesday, creating dishes in a beautiful plaza in a beautiful town and have for decades…and not only love each other (spontaneously holding hands!), but love what they do. Carmen and I had an an epic discussion about my favorite…boquerones, that…

eat to live? -only restaurants that I would recommend are included in the photos and websites *****and I live to eat. A remarkable burrata, not your everyday… even better filled with a sun dried tomato pesto and served with crackers that were paper thin, crisp, salted, yet could stand the weight of the burrata and…

Yes… The Alhambra was in my blog last year, but I was only in Granada for 2 nights. This time for 2 weeks, with another perspective and different routes-did you know there are 3 from the city? Water, flowers, incredible engineering for the time (13th century) and views from mi casa. My thoughts on writing…

Went for a walk last Sunday…9 miles through the countryside in Granada/ centuries in time/ saw no one else for hours…started in the Albaicin, then through Sacramonte (the home of flamenco & where people still live in cuevas (caves)), through miles of olive orchards, climbing a thousand feet or more and ended at the Alhambra.…

What an adventure… made it through numerous roundabouts & to the train station in Granada before my real excursion to my apartment for the next two weeks in the Albaicín. Thankfully I had some amazing salmorejo in Consuegra to sustain me for what came next! What should’ve been a 10 minute walk up the hill…

***full disclosure again-(I may need to go to one of those annoying acronyms) FDA! I have not read, nor seen, nor even heard the various written and theatrical tales of Don Quixote. This quote is from one of the “first modern novels” and perhaps the most famous line of any Spanish novel, that many of…

There is nothing like a wedding!!! A new beginning, el amor, friends forever… It’s easy as we get older to have a cynical view of them; depending on how long you’ve been married, if you are in a marriage that is unhappy or lost your spouse or just feel you can live without love (what?!).…

Here are some of my food experience and restaurant recommendations for Salamanca- ***i’ve been an embarrassment at times, let’s just say most of the time, to my children for my foodie obsessions…taking phots at extremely inappropriate times (please don’t ask my son (Balthazar)), asking ridiculous questions of staff and if all goes well, the chef,…

If you know me at all, you know I love pickleball and finding secret passageways-the road less taken. One minute you are on a street filled with tourists and another you are alone, walking the cobblestones that Miguel de Unamuno once did. Visiting Salamanca for the first time was mostly because the Spanish Open Pickleball…

Must say, as hard as I try, I still can cut things very close. Don’t, and I repeat don’t, ask friends or family about my ability to wait to the last minute and this morning was no different! Yes….65 years old and was last seen running down the platform to catch the train to Salamanca.…

If you are not looking down at your feet while walking, your mobile, your partner, you are looking into the windows. The shops cry stop… come inside & magically when you do you are greeted with a buenas and sent on your way with a hasta or gracias. Yes you pop in, yes you look…

Madrid is a city that invites, no begs you to walk; day or night the streets are both crowded with people, (from all over the world) or nearly empty and so clean & peaceful its hard to believe that in the center (el centro) almost 200,000 live amidst thousands more that work and visit in…

My way to beat jet lag and blend in is to sleep on the plane (if possible) and hit the ground running. Stay on local time, even if it means breakfast at lunch, dinner at midnight…oh and window shopping in between? #workhardplayhard #dowhatyoulove #lovewhereyoulive

Another of my favorite barrios is Lavapies-right up there with Chueca and Las Letras. Home to some amazing shopping and the world famous El Rastro; quite possibly the best open air market in Spain and the world. Lunch at Naia…where Munro & I first dined, then again and again! https://goo.gl/maps/vMAd9a42HuvZrfAR6 #foodie #lovewhereyoulive

Its difficult to describe if you have never been, but the shopping, the windows, the care that is given to display amazing works of art, fashion or even simple shoes and socks is remarkable. Where’s your favorite place to shop or window shop? #lovewhereyoulive #lovewhatyoudo

After a magical weekend in Granada…I returned to Madrid on September 11-a day that everyone in the world remembers where they were when that 1st plane hit the World Trade Center… The day begins with yoga and ends with a fabulous meal in Chueca…. Do you love Patatas? #lovewhereyoulive #lovewhatyoudo #foodie

So much more to this amazing city… It’s difficult to describe the beauty in words or even photos….

I was fortunate enough to find a lovely apartment that had been fully renovated, with stunning views of this magical palace; a fortress and city built in the 13th century. There is something about the energy and beauty here that reminds me of a few places in the United States, the pink sunsets in Ojai,…

You all know my obsession with food, dining out, eating in general…and Granada has some dishes that are indigenous to the south, but like all of Spain, the day begins with un cafe-I was fortunate enough to stay a few feet away from the amazing cafe4gatos https://www.cafe4gatos.com/ In the south of Spain, like everywhere I…

I know you have been waiting my pickleball friends & yogis…Spain is stepping it up and I’ve experienced some of the best pickleball matches and intense yoga classes in the past few weeks… Andale Pues! I must say that the Spanish embody all that Pickleball is supposed to be; competitive, friendly, welcoming. I made all…

Well as you know by now, I am totally enamored with Madrid, Sevilla & Estepona, but the past two days I was fortunate enough to visit Granada and despite all my plans and thoughts about travel and retiring part time in Spain, Granada has changed my mind. It is difficult to put into words, but…

Whether you call it ir de compras or the pasear, Spain is a walking & shopping country. To pasear or to walk is a national pastime-doesn’t matter what city, the time of day or why. Young & old, friends, family, or solo it is a wonderful way to spend the day or night. In Madrid…

As in any big city, having a dog (less so a cat-sorry cat lovers) is quite an undertaking-just imagine…mostly pavement, living in an apartment, but like Paris, New York and San Francisco they are beloved. While I have only one photo here, I have seen more dachshunds than any other breed-yes the weiner dog! Either…

Where to begin? Breakfast is probably the best place to start…. My favorite waiter in Madrid; greets me every morning now with Hola Guapa! Pinxto y Cafe? Spaniards have gotten so many things right and breakfast is one of them-el desayuno. While I start out at home with some fruit and tea, I have learned…

Chueca is a neighborhood or barrio, one of many, in the center of Madrid. It was named after Francisco Chueca and its plaza and surrounding streets are considered home to the LGBTQ community in Madrid and del mundo. As I have found in life, labels don’t necessarily define a person, a home, neighborhood or city.…

Success is earned, one step at a time. One of the most invaluable skills a person can have is being able to clearly express what they want. Sometimes the hardest part of finding success is gathering the courage to get started. As long as you’re learning, you’ll never really fail.  The most successful people don’t…

Why Spain, why the obsession? Travel, the love of learning more, finding more… My mom, seen above on her 85th birthday, instilled a love of nature and adventure that is remarkable. Leaving nursing school to marry my father and then later in life completing her degree in natural sciences, she has led a life of…

If you live in a city where you walk everywhere like Madrid, one of the 1st things people (especially women) do is look at you feet. Is it possible to have the most fashionable shoes and walk without pain? Porsupesto!!! (and socks) #shoes #fashion #socks #tiendas

How many times have we doubted ourselves, our decisions, whether on the grand scale or small? How many times have we resisted or forced changes in our lives? I’ve made some major changes in the past 5 years including work. I have been blessed to have transitioned from appraisals to sales in real estate; something…

As I sit on the balcony that will be my home for the next few weeks, in Chueca, I wonder what’s left… How much time do I have, do we all have to truly live and love what we do, where we live, one another, ourselves? Covid-19 definitely changed things for everyone. Walking the streets…

How many times have you heard me talk of my travels and travel plans (Covid included), at times to the point where you all just are kind to me and look away-hah! This year, the past 2 years, has been traumatic for everyone in the world. Covid-19, losing loved ones, politics, elections, invasions-how often have…