Are you an “energy vampire?” If you live in an apartment in the central part of the building you may be sucking energy from neighboring flats. In Hungary people who live in the central apartments are referred to as energy vampires. (In the U.S. this term has a slightly…
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Why is it that when we travel foods we normally do not eat taste so much better? While in Tarragona I tried several local and traditional foods. One day for lunch I enjoyed Andalusian Gazpacho and Paella. Back home I would never eat gazpacho, because it always seems to have…
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Building a tower of humans is an old Catalan tradition. The “castellers” form these human pyramids, which are called castells (Catalan word for castles). They can be up to 10 persons tall, which the lightest and youngest members of the team (colla) at the top. this is both a cultural…
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Catalonia is an autonomous region within Spain that is home to the beautiful cities of Barcelona and Tarragona. As I walked around these cities, I was fascinated by the windows and the coverings over them that help keep the sun out. It is an old idea, but one that is…
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I am leaving the family behind and flying off to Spain in a few days to participate in the European Network for Housing Research conference. I have attended this conference one other time – in Prague – and it was fantastic! I am looking forward to learning and sharing what…
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