I knew nothing of Paczki until we moved to the Chicago area years ago. For those who haven’t heard of them, think: filled donuts. Originally a Polish specialty, paczki are now deeply Chicagoan. Available all year round at certain bakeries, their big day is Mardi Gras, when everyone with or without Christian heritage can haveContinue reading “Mardi Gras? In Chicago, it’s Paczki Day!”
Tag Archives: Holidays
An Omicron Christmas
People don’t go overboard with holiday decorating in our part of Peru. There are stalls in the market selling artificial trees, garlands and ornaments, but there’s not a lot to see along the streets. Since Christmas falls at the beginning of the summer, there’s an emphasis on having get-togethers, going to the beach, and celebratingContinue reading “An Omicron Christmas”
My favorite things, Monterey edition
In just under four weeks, we’ll set out from the Monterey Peninsula, where we’ve spent eight months sheltering from Covid and its aftermath. We’re not leaving the US yet, but moving on to Bainbridge Island, Washington, for the month of August. Much as we are looking forward to exploring a new region, and taking aContinue reading “My favorite things, Monterey edition”
Thanksgiving
I might have been disappointed that we only had a single guest for Thanksgiving dinner, but this is 2020, and having a guest was the Best Thing Ever. Lyra came to see us and brought Pandora, an endless source of fun. Jonathan sharpened his knives and made spatchcock turkey (remove backbone, lie flat to cook).Continue reading “Thanksgiving”
Family Visit
We had the best holiday in a long time, with all our girls coming to Peru. Lillian and Neil came from Champaign, IL, Lyra from Los Angeles, and Amanda and Jim from Los Angeles. It wasn’t as logistically awful as it could have been, with one group arriving on the Friday night before Christmas andContinue reading “Family Visit”
Holiday Time at the beach
It’s almost Christmas and we’ve been watching the neighborhood get ready for the holidays. Decorations are not that extensive, though the city has installed a tableau including Santa along one street, and there’s a Christmas tree on the beach. Until the last weekend before Christmas there wasn’t much decoration. On the weekend, though, booths sellingContinue reading “Holiday Time at the beach”
Fiesta Weekend 2018
This year the Fiesta of the Virgin of Lourdes is once again the biggest weekend of the summer. People return to Barranca from all over the world to visit family. I’ve met people who live in Austria, Israel and the US all back to visit and enjoy the summer and participate in the festival. ThereContinue reading “Fiesta Weekend 2018”
Last 24 hours of the Merce festival/spectacle
We watched a projection called Awakening the Dragon, at the Casa Batlló, one of Antoni Gaudí’s bests known architectural works, the night before the end of the festival. It does look like a big lizard is crawling around the roof. The roof line, altered by Gaudi, is an undulating form that was said to beContinue reading “Last 24 hours of the Merce festival/spectacle”
Correfoc: A crack in the Gates of Hell
Barcelonans are fearless. They make human towers up to eight people high: Keep in mind that the people you see at the bottom of this photo are the second tier. They are all standing on people underneath. Also note the size of the child climbing to the eighth level–the one wearing the helmet… BarcelonansContinue reading “Correfoc: A crack in the Gates of Hell”
La Mercé: Great big giant heads, parades, fireworks, music, dance…
From the title, you get the idea. La Mercé is the annual festival of Our Lady of Mercy, one of the patronesses of Barcelona. It spans a week, this year Sept. 18-24 and there are more events than one person could get to. We went to see the giants and the giant heads before theyContinue reading “La Mercé: Great big giant heads, parades, fireworks, music, dance…”
Llywindatravels 2022 