Chober and his buddies are building a little club on the beach that is aiming to provide services to beach goers and visitors, while at the same time providing events and opportunites for community members, particularly young people. Like his friend Francisco, Chober is concerned with the environment, and finding uses for discarded materials.

Francisco sees potential for creation and innovation in a wide range of materials: drift wood, shells, seeds, goat skin, even plastic debris. He is speaking with the governor about creating a tallerr, or workshop, that can be used to teach artistic skills to the young people of the area, as well as to showcase the work of other local artisans.

Ibiza is a wonderful holiday destination any day, but the summer solstice presents an opportunity to partake in an ancient tradition and celebrate all night long. Let’s join Tatiana for a cruise on a beautiful velero to visit some secret swimming spots and then we’ll head into town for la noche de San Juan.

A fishing village like Adícora can be a place of work and industry for locals, but also one of rest and relaxation for travelers. Chober comes from a fishing family and knows the trade, but he recognizes the growing importance of tourism. His generation realizes that the survival of both ways of life necessitates better care of the environment and increased ecological awareness.

Maria Lionza is said to have been born in 1502 to an Indian Chief in the Yaracuy region of Venezuela. Today she is revered throughout the Caribbean by followers of the syncretic cult which is named after her, but artists too find her an irresistably mystical symbol alluding to history, race, and sex. Her painting hangs on the wall of Francisco’s taller in Adícora.

Sometimes when we give advice it seems a little presumptious to tell people outright what we think they should do. It’s a little smoother to instead say what we would do if we were in their place, “I would watch more Spanish videos (if I were you).” Let’s have a look at how we do this in Spanish.

Vela, a word often used for “candle,” or “sail,” can also mean “wakefulness,” as in “vigilance.” It’s related to the verb velar, “to stand watch.” The name of the port city of La Vela de Coro refers not to the “sails” of merchant ships (as many assume) but rather to this town’s role as a “lookout” point for marauding pirates. One-eyed peg-legs are now less common, but the carnivalesque annual festival of Los Locos continues on.

Malaga gets over 300 days of sunshine every year, so it’s no surprise that Arume has chosen it for her vacation. She’s been studying hard and learning a lot over the past year, and luckily she’s agreed to fill us in!

The game of brisca uses 40 cards known as the “Spanish deck.” One aspect of play involves using body language to reveal your hand to your partner. This is why the gentleman says “we blink an eye and we do like this…” He is making a joke about this body language/cards relationship when he says “your head aches when you have the ace of oros.”

A consejo is “a piece of advice” and the verb aconsejar is “to advise.” Here in the Don Quijote classroom, we take a look at the grammar and language involved when doling out recommendations, suggestions, and the like, in Spanish.

Jesús Baz is the Director of Studies at the Don Quijote spanish school in lovely Salamanca, Spain. A true salmantino, Jesús has a real pride for his city, which is home to some of Europe’s oldest universities and has a very strong intellectual tradition. The school itself, in a beautiful old building that was formerly a convent, also houses a popular student café.

Carlos and Angeles are a young couple from Burgos, located about an hour and a half north of Madrid, a city that dates back to 884! The surrounding province is also known as Burgos, and tucked inside it is an equally historical town known as Lerma, which is where we meet up for a walk and conversation.

The verb pinchar means “to prick” or “to poke” and pincho is a spike or a skewer, so it’s not surprising that in the world of tapas (small portions that can be shared) pinchos (also spelled pintxos) either have toothpicks through them or can be eaten off the plate with one.

For nearly 50 years the Pérez Terradillo family has served vinos and pinchos, wines and snacks. Jose takes us on a tour to see the kitchen and the folks and gear behind the scenes of this celebrated restaurant in Burgos, Casa Pancho.

We happened upon Pipita on the sidewalk in Madrid and she introduced us to her traveling companion, Nuria Gonzales. Nuria hails from Asturias, in the north of Spain, but now teaches Spanish at a university in the USA. Lucky for us, they both agreed to an on-the-spot exclusive interview.