Macster Uncensored

Ay Dios Mio, I have neglected this temporary travel blog far beyond what I ever imagined, but I am determined to finish my recap of my Remote Year from 2019-2020 and with only two countries left to cover, I might as well get on it, even though it's been more than a year and a half since I was in Valencia, Spain. When tourists think of Spain, they typically don't think about Valencia. They think about Barcelona or Madrid or perhaps they think about running with the bulls in Pamplona. For those in the know, maybe they think about Mallorca (Majorca), the beautiful Mediterranean Island where tennis superstar Rafa Nadal calls home. I, like most American tourists I assume, was not very familiar with Valencia prior to our landing there. I knew it was by the ocean and that it allegedly housed the Holy Grail, the one Indiana Jones allegedly found in The Last Crusade, but other than that, I basically just knew it was in Spain. I wound up liking Valencia quite a bit. I could have lived on...

First and foremost, Europe has great Christmas markets. I mean, it's still very clearly the same capitalism dressed in red and green tinsel that we have with the Christmas shopping madness in the States during the holidays but somehow it feels purer and less commercial. They are outdoors, the weather can be nice or frigid or even snow-filled, there is mulled wine, hot chocolate, coffee, apple cider, baked goods, piping hot foods, candy, and chocolate at every turn. There are trinkets and handmade goods and wood-carved reindeer. There is just pleasantness that comes with the Christmas markets in Europe that mask the commercialism of the holiday in a way that makes it feel all warm and fuzzy. The markets feel like a place where you would find Santa strolling around for fun.  Christmas weighed on my mind frequently whilst we were in Portugal. We arrived in Lisbon after several of my fellow remotes and I had just celebrated Thanksgiving in Budapest. I wrote about my thoughts on cele...