Last week, my dear friend Erin over at La Tortuga Viajera invited me to participate in HostelBookers 7 Super Shots, and while I wanted to take her up on it right away, narrowing down my favorite photos to just seven was really tough! If the assignment had been to simply choose the seven shots I consider my best, it would have been much easier, but the images would probably have been very different from the ones presented here (save the last one). But throw me a bone, I’m trying to stick to the categories! For some of the ones I’m truly proudest of, check out my photo page at stephaniedosch.com/photos. While you’re at it, stop by my Flickr stream as well. In the meantime, enjoy these 7 Super Shots.

1. A photo that…takes my breath away

I was all set to choose a photo of Menorca or the Aeolian Islands, but then I remembered this panorama of Crater Lake in Oregon. With a rainbow. It doesn’t get much more breathtaking than this.

2. A photo that…makes me laugh or smile

There was no doubt that this category had to go to my little traveling companion, Boo. All of the photos of him make me smile, but I don’t think I’ll ever top the one of him snuggling with Boo the Burrowing owl at Masseria Susafa in Sicily. Too much cuteness for one frame!

3. A photo that…makes me dream

What’s dreamier than a secluded beach on a remote Cambodian island during your honeymoon? The best part: we didn’t have to shell out for a luxury resort to enjoy it. HostelBookers, take note: Lazy Beach is where it’s at—and this hermit crab contemplating the horizon knows it.

4. A photo that…makes me think

It was pure coincidence that I spotted this silver fox by the side of the road in Mt. Rainier National Park. Iñigo happened to be driving and I just about gave him a heart attack by shouting for him to pull over (a bad birding habit). But it was one of those moments where the stars aligned to give us this incredible sight; there was no one else around and we had him all to ourselves—though Iñigo was mostly recovering in the car. I guess the experience made us both glad to be alive!

5. A photo that…makes my mouth water

I have a lot of yummy food pictures that get me drooling, from baklava in Istanbul to marzipan in Sicily and hot chocolate in Barcelona (noticing a trend here?). But for this category I decided to go savory—and stick closer to home—with a shot of my mother-in-law’s albóndigas, or meatballs. No, it’s certainly not the best food photo I’ve ever taken (shots of pintxos and Nerua come to mind), but it reminds me of home and family and simple deliciousness, and that’s what really matters. Fortunately, my suegra gave me her recipe before we left Spain, so consider this a whetting of the appetite, as I’ll be sharing her tips with you soon.

6. A photo that…tells a story

This one tells the story of Iñigo getting his butt kicked at tic-tac-toe by a crafty little girl in Cambodia. As per their agreement, he then had to buy souvenirs from her. Her mischievous smile says it all.

7. A photo that…I am most proud of (aka my worthy of National Geographic shot)

A tough category, as I have a few that I look at and say “Man, I love that shot.” In the end, though, this lion in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro crater trumps the rest—I am using it as my desktop image after all. Not bad for a point-and-shoot, eh?

Now I’m inviting my fellow bloggers to take up the HostelBookers 7 Super Shots challenge. Line of Sight, Jenny Neill, Find Your Joy, Not Hemingway’s Spain, and Regensblog: you up for it?

I’ve been back in the US for a little over a month, and while I’ve enjoyed placing my cookie order with a neighborhood Girl Scout, slurping noodles in Chinatown after the New Year parade, and watching the Super Bowl with a bunch of new friends, I’m really missing some things from Spain. For instance, Iñigo and I find ourselves heading down to Little Italy for a decent cup of coffee, and I’ve already made tortilla twice (he proposed a once-a-week tortilla night, and I may end up acquiescing). And don’t even get me started on cheap beers, clean subways, and a sane tipping policy.

Funny how the tables have turned; my group of americanos in Madrid would take requests for peanut butter, chocolate chips, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch whenever one of us went home for a visit. Now I’m trying to lure friends from Madrid with the promise of a comfy sofabed, when really I just want camels to bring me all the Spanish products I miss. (Not really, though a little something stowed in the suitcase would certainly be appreciated.)

With that in mind, here’s a list of the things I’m currently jonesing for. Now if only Madrid’s Metro system would fit in a carry-on…

Food

• Jamón ibérico – prosciutto just doesn’t cut it
• Lomo ibérico – my one true pork-product weakness
• Spanish cheeses – those harder-to-find varieties like Idiazabal that go so well with the pork products
• Good and inexpensive olive oil – why is it so pricey here??
• Good and inexpensive wine – I miss the drinkable, €4,50 bottles (we got a $13 one the other day that was pretty bad)
• Nespresso capsules – and machines: they’re 25% more expensive here
• My mother-in-law’s meatballs – but at least I have the recipe (more on that coming soon)

Health and beauty

• Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse multi-usage dry oil – French, awesome, and hard to find here
• Klorane Shampooing sec extra-doux dry shampoo – Ditto
• Licor del Polo toothpaste – for Iñigo (I totally get that: I always brought American toothpaste back to Madrid with me)

Miscelaneous

• Alpargatas from Casa Hernanz – size 43 please! (Yes, I have giant feet.)
• Moka pot – for when the French press doesn’t cut it (which is always, according to Iñigo). €5 for a big one at the hardware store there; $25 for a tiny one at Bed Bath and Beyond here.
• Fans from El Rastro – I did bring a stash with me, and it’s cold and snowy now so I won’t be using them for a while. But you know I’ll be getting my Spanish mama on when summer rolls around, and I need to be prepared.
• Spirits – are there just crazy alcohol taxes here or something? Pick us up some duty-free gin on your way over!
• Any of the boxes we left in Iñigo’s sister’s storage space – seriously, get in touch with her before you come.

So the take-home message this week is: visit us! And bring one of these things with you. See you soon!

P.S. Don’t forget to pop over to my Facebook page to vote on a new tagline or leave your own suggestions—and “Like” me while you’re there!

No, that’s not Madrid’s skyline.

As you may know, Iñigo and I made a big move to New York in early January, so the last month has been filled with boxes, suitcases, and sore arms. And learning the MTA. And buying Costco memberships. And looking for furniture on Craigslist. You know, the fun stuff.

Yes, it’s a far cry from the terrazas of Malasaña, but hey, it’s New York! Errands take me to the Flatiron building, city-related show tunes run through my head constantly, and walking down the street makes me feel like I’m in a movie. And that picture? That’s the view from my kitchen window. So it’s hard to complain. (We still don’t have a sofa, but we have a great view!)

It’s all a new adventure.

As we get settled into our new home, theViatrix will also be adapting to its new HQ. You’ll notice I already have a new tagline (though it’s not set in stone yet—any suggestions?) and an updated About page. For now, I’m going to continue to write about Madrid and Spain as much as possible, and in the coming weeks you can expect to see posts on Basque pelota, Madrid’s under-the-radar museums, and my mother-in-law’s recipe for albóndigas (Spanish meatballs—yum). But naturally I’ll be mixing in thoughts on repatriating, readjusting, and exploring New York. And if there’s anything you’d like to read about, just let me know.

In the meantime, I’d like to direct you over to The Spain Scoop, where the lovely and talented Scoopettes blog about all things Spanish, and where this week, they’ve interviewed me! For a behind-the-scenes look at theViatrix, plus some off-the-beaten-track recs and my favorite foods in Spain, check out the interview.

Have a great weekend!

From Playmobil figurines to video installations to 17th-century works of art, Spaniards go nuts for belenes.

When I was a kid, I used to love setting up the nativity scene. We had a beautiful, white-porcelain crèche that I would thoughtfully (and very carefully) arrange on the mantle: the shepherds with the sheep, the Kings with the camels, and the angels behind the Holy Family.

Here in Madrid, things are a little different. Kids collect a hodgepodge of figurines and outbuildings to build massive recreations of the town of Bethlehem and the scene of Jesus’ birth in their living rooms. Wood, plastic, ceramic—anything goes.

But the tradition of making nativity scenes extends well beyond the home in this, let’s face it, only nominally secular country. In Spain, you can find belenes, as they’re called, not only in churches but in shops, schools, and government buildings. (Belén, by the way, is the Spanish translation of Bethlehem, and also a fairly popular name for women.)

There are tons of belenes all over Madrid, but seeing them is one of those things that I had never taken advantage of. One reason is that standing in a long line surrounded by loud old Spanish ladies doesn’t sound like much fun, and besides, I can do that at the greengrocer any day of the year. The other is that I just never knew exactly what the deal was. So this year I made it my mission to see several of the most famous ones, plus a few more under-the-radar.

Boy, was I impressed!

Every belén is a little different, making it difficult to choose a “best” or a favorite. Many include water features or moving parts; some focus only on the key players, while in others the details of daily life are more interesting.

The belén at the Royal Palace, for example, isn’t the biggest in terms of area or number of figurines, but it may be the tallest, with large and elaborate buildings. My favorite aspect of this one was its fabulous details, like all the different cuts of meat and shapes of bread at the butcher’s and baker’s.

Nearby, at the Monasterio de la Encarnación, a simple scene of Jesus’ birth sits in the church. There are no buildings, no general Bethlehem population—just the Holy Family and the Kings. But this belén certainly isn’t sparse. The 17th-century figures (on loan from a monastery in Salamanca to celebrate the 400th anniversary of this one) are large and articulated, with spectacular brocade clothes—just check out the train on Mary’s dress. This may have been the most beautiful of the belenes I saw.

Speaking of simple, perhaps the humblest of all was a Playmobil belén I passed in a shop window in my neighborhood. Nevertheless, it made me want to get my hands on one for my collection of nativity scenes from my world travels (I’m fascinated by all the different cultural representations).

One of the most popular belenes in Madrid is the one that belongs to the regional government, on display in their headquarters, the Real Casa de Correos, right on the Puerta del Sol. I was thrilled to discover that at lunchtime on a weekday the line was pretty short (I’ve seen it go around the building). This is a BIG belén—150 m², with over 500 figurines and lots of realistic buildings, plus water features. Apparently, it took 45 people 2,500 hours to install, and it weighs over two and a half tons. Wow. I could see why so many people visit it.

The belén at city hall was similar in its set-up, but with larger figures and buildings. It had lighting that cycled through daylight and nighttime, including sunrise and sunset, plus a backdrop of LED stars. Pretty cool, though it made it hard to get pictures since during the “night” everything looked blue. I loved realistic street scenes and the random Bald eagle on a rock.

Finally, the most non-traditional belén I saw was a video installation at Telefónica’s ultra-modern flagship store on Gran Vía. We looked through a window as the video played over geometric representations of Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the angel and the star, illuminating them in colors and shapes. Pretty cool, though the loud pop music that occasionally drowned out the video’s accompaniment was distracting.

In the process of checking out all these belenes, I learned a couple of interesting things. The first is that they’re easy to visit—all clearly marked, and all FREE! Occasionally you have to wait in line, but if you avoid evenings and weekends, it probably won’t be too long. The other thing that I realized is that this is a great way to see inside some of Madrid’s iconic buildings. Want to walk around the palace’s courtyard, maybe even see the view? Using the belén as your excuse gives you access. Or how about the interior of the Casa de Correos? I had no idea it was covered with a modern skylight. And I had never visited the beautiful church at the Monasterio de la Encarnación. Free, free, free!

And what if you want to create your own Spanish-style belén at home? Look no further than the Christmas market in the Plaza Mayor, where you can get all the  wells, windmills, and wine makers you need, not to mention, moss, cork, and other necessary building materials. Just don’t ask for a caganer. ;)

For opening hours and addresses of all the belenes around the city, make sure to check www.esmadrid.com.

This week I’ve done another guest post over at PocketVillage, this time for their series on Christmas traditions around the world. Since there are a few really quirky ones here in Spain, I offered to write something up for them. Be prepared for some weird, earthy stuff (which lent itself to some earthy language—sorry Mom!). I came up with four weird Spanish Christmas traditions, so head over to PocketVillage to check it out.

And, in case you’ve forgotten what it’s like here in Madrid, check out my posts on Christmas in the city and welcoming the Three Kings into town. There’s lots going on in Madrid again this year, so check back for more coming soon!

Disenchanted with the way things have gone in the last few years, Spaniards overwhelmingly voted in a new government last week: the conservative People’s Party (PP). While their victory came as no surprise, it will be interesting to watch how things change, for better or for worse, under the new leadership.

But I’m not here to talk about politics. For me, the most fascinating part of the day was the voting process itself.

I haven’t been to an actual polling station since I was a kid, when my mom would let me punch the holes, but only if I was really careful. Once I was of voting age, I already lived away from home, so I’ve always voted by mail; and it looks like I always will, since Washington state recently implemented an all-mail-in system.

So I was thrilled to get the opportunity to accompany Iñigo to the polls in Pamplona last week (he never changed his registration location), and see how it’s done here in Spain.

First of all, polling stations are always in public spaces, so churches and private homes are out. In Iñigo’s case, that meant the local school, and in Pamplona, that means that instead of a gymnasium, there’s a frontón (handball court). Basque sports are a topic for another day, but I found it fitting. (We later discovered that one of the Basque nationalist parties, Amaiur, had chosen Pamplona’s major frontón as the location of their victory party. Politics and culture are inseparable up there.)

Here in Spain, when you go to vote, you have to check the lists posted to know where to cast your ballots, since there are many tables, rather than just one. This prevents having to discount an entire polling station if anything goes wrong. I was surprised, however, that these lists, which anyone can look at, include everyone’s birthdate and national ID number—personal details that would never be publicly posted in the US. Funnily enough, none of the Spaniards I spoke with had ever even noticed that; they just look for their name and go where they need to.

Now that we knew where to go, I saw that each table has a “president” and two helpers, who are called up jury duty-style to work that day. Also notable, each table has two clear ballot boxes, one filled with white envelopes, one with peach-colored envelopes. What’s up with that?

The first thing you need to know is that in Spain, citizens vote for parties, not candidates. There are national parties and local parties, so strongly nationalist areas like Catalonia and the Basque Country tend to be fairly well-represented in congress, by parties with those regions’ interests at heart.

Each party lists all of their potential congressmen on a piece of paper, in order of who will represent; so if that party wins two seats, for example, the first two on the list will take them. The voter chooses the paper of the party he or she wants and puts it in the white envelope. Important point: this vote also determines who will be president—he will be the candidate from the party that receives the most votes nationwide, in this case Mariano Rajoy, from the PP. (Local elections work the same way.)

Senators prove the exception to the rule: voters get a peach-colored paper and choose which senators they want—one less than the number of senators that represent their province. Navarra, which is all one province, gets four senators, so on the ballot, Iñigo selected the three he wanted. Peach-colored envelopes go in a separate ballot box.

And that’s it.

Almost.

What about the results? Well, here, as in the US, things aren’t so cut and dried. Just as the electoral college throws a monkey wrench in the results back home, in Spain parties have to reach certain thresholds within each region in order to win a seat in congress. While this system, known as the D’Hondt method, is how those Catalan and Basque parties win seats, dissenters say it really favors two-party politics and makes it hard for the smaller parties to earn much of a say. Indeed, even though the PP only got 44.62% of the votes, they won 53.14% of the seats (giving them an absolute majority); the socialist party, PSOE, won 28.73% of the votes but 31.42% of the seats. On the other hand, IU (the United Left) won 6.92% of national votes but only 3.14% of the seats. Hmmm…

This diagram from lainformacion.com illustrates what congress would look like if the D’Hondt method weren’t in place (the small, inner graph shows the actual results, and the bottom graph shows how many votes each seat cost each party):

Pretty interesting stuff, at least from a cultural perspective. Better than the American system? Worse? Just different? You be the judge… (And let me know what you think in the comments!)

The good folks over at Guiri Guide asked me to write about how my attitudes and Spanish experience have changed in the more-than-six years I’ve lived in Madrid. Here’s what I came up with:

1. I eat a lot more
2. Buying things has become an adventure
3. Walking down the street stresses me out
4. I’ve learned how to loosen up
5. Spain has taught me to prioritize

Intrigued? Head over to Guiri Guide to read my post on these five ways Madrid has changed me.

This week I’ve written a post on Iberian hot chocolate over at my dear friend Erin’s site, La Tortuga Viajera. Make sure to head over there to learn how to tell your suís from your chocolat mousseux, as well as just how crazy Madrileños went for chocolate back in the day. And don’t forget to check out Erin’s fun entries on everything from traveling in Istanbul to obsessing over Spanish grandpas.

But getting back to the sweet stuff, here are my favorite places to sip hot chocolate around Iberia.

Madrid

Chocolatería San Ginés is the classic old place, mentioned in Ramón del Valle-Inclán’s famous play Luces de Bohemia. Established in 1894, the chocolatería still retains its marble table tops and brass art-nouveau light fixtures. Its proximity to the Joy Eslava nightclub and loooong opening hours make it surprisingly popular in the middle of the night (I myself have stopped by at 4 am a time or two). And the churros are hard to beat.

Chocolatería San Ginés, Pasadizo de San Ginés 5. Open 9:30 am-7 am weekdays; 9 am-7 am weekends.

Everyone else will tell you their number two for chocolate con churros in Madrid is Valor (Postigo de San Martín, 7). But I prefer Chocolat, over in Barrio de las Letras. They don’t pump out churros all day long, so go in the morning or late afternoon when they’re fresh. This bar is much more local, the guys are super-nice, and, personally, I think the chocolate’s even better than San Ginés’.

Bar Chocolat, C/ Santa María 30. Open 7:30-21:00; closed Tuesday evenings.

Barcelona

C/ Petritxol, in the old quarter, is Barcelona’s chocolate street, and here you’ll find Dulcinea (number 2) and Granja Pallaresa (number 11), among other places. But my favorite spot for a suizo is Barcelona’s oldest milk bar, Granja M. Viader. The old-school vibe and the deli case in front, filled with every kind of dairy product imaginable, provide a pleasant setting for me to dig into that mountain of whipped cream melting all over my hot chocolate. Their ensaimadas are really tasty as well, and perfect for dunking if you have as much of a sweet tooth as I do.

Granja M. Viader, C/ Xuclà 4-6. Open Mon 17:00-20:30; Tues-Sat 9:00-13:30 and  17:00-20:30. Closed Sunday. http://www.granjaviader.cat/

Bayonne, France

Okay, not Spain, but it’s in the French Basque Country, which I think counts for something. Rue Port-Neuf is lined with many of the city’s original chocolatiers, and all of them sell delicious chocolate. For drinking, Cazenave is the place to go. Here you can sip a frothy hot chocolate under a stained-glass skylight in the salon de thé behind the shop. So French, so elegant, so delicious.

Chocolat Cazenave, 19 arceaux Port Neuf. Open Tues-Sat 9:15-12:00 and 14:00-19:00. http://www.chocolats-bayonne-cazenave.fr/

Hot chocolate at home

If you’d like to make your own Spanish-style hot chocolate at home, make sure to look for “chocolate a la taza” (“drinking chocolate”). You can find it online at places like The Spanish Table.

And remember, go check out my guest post over at La Tortuga Viajera!

Dear Readers,

This is one of those postcards that arrives after the sender has already returned home. Our trip was wonderful, and even after two and a half weeks, I could have stayed longer. I’ll reveal more soon, but consider these critters a little something to whet your appetite until then (fried spiders, anyone?).

Love,
The Viatrix

Dear readers,

Having a fabulous time in Cambodia. The temples at Angkor are like something out of a movie, and the number of them, as well as the uniqueness of each one, is unbelievable. Wish you were here! In the meantime, here are a few photos.

Love,
The Viatrix

Sunrise at Angkor Wat. (c)Stephanie Dosch 2011

Nature vs. Man at Ta Prohm. (c)Stephanie Dosch 2011

The many faces of Bayon. (c)Stephanie Dosch 2011

Succumbing to the jungle at Banteay Kdei. (c)Stephanie Dosch 2011

Intricate carvings at Banteay Srei. (c)Stephanie Dosch 2011

Roaming the halls of Angkor Wat. (c)Stephanie Dosch 2011