Substack is hotbed of talented and engaged writers chronicling their travels and life in Spain. Each brings their own perspective and insights as they share stories of the culture, history and communities they are experiencing.
Here are a few that recently grabbed my attention. In typical Substackian fashion, they cover a wide range of topics, from a closed brothel to the power of urban design.
Spending Saturday in Jail in Segovia
Andrea Eschen / Snippets from Spain
“Thirty others also decided to pass a spring morning inside this prison, now called the Democratic Memorial of Segovia. It pays tribute to the men and women of this city, and of other places around Spain, who were locked up and tortured here for resisting Generalissimo Francisco Franco’s dictatorship and his Fascist regime. Usually, one doesn’t think of jail and democracy together.”
What the Mixing of Everything Tells You About a City
Rocco Pendola / How It Works (and Why It Doesn’t)
“Cities that work mix ages, not just buildings… In places like Valencia, nobody is pushed out of the public realm because of their age, their schedule, or their stage of life. Everyone simply occupies the city together.”
King to Mexico: “We’re sorry” (Kind of)
Ian Mount and Adrian Bono / The Bubble
“King Felipe VI (aka F6) raised a few eyebrows this week after casually acknowledging that there was “a lot of abuse” and “ethical controversy” during the Spanish conquest of the Americas.”
Spain’s abandoned mermaid brothel: A Mediterranean roadside ruin
Melita Cameron-Wood / Unpack. Pack. Unpack.
A stop at an abandoned club is reminder of the power of getting off the road and exploring.
The Scent and Flavor of Granada: Eight unmissable Places
Blanca Valencia / Gazpacho Chronicles
“An insider’s tour of Granada’s most aromatic corners, from tea shops to olive oil evangelists”
