Don Antonio and the best pizza in Valencia

italian wood fired oven It was a pretty spring day in Valencia, warm with a nice breeze. I walked to barrio Ensanche to try what I’d read was the best pizza in Valencia. When I arrived, I saw a fire in the Italian domed and tiled oven. I had a good feeling about this place.

It was 13:00, opening time according to Google, but the friendly employees said they’d be open at 13:30. I showed them that Google had incorrect open hours, and they pointed me to an older gentleman that I would come to know as Antonio.

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Our Favorite Methods To Learn Spanish

Updated 1 May 2020.

We get asked a lot – how’s your Spanish? (current status: B1/B2) Which is inevitably followed by, how are you learning? So, we thought we’d give an update on our progress, our experiences, and share our favorite methods to learn Spanish.

We arrived in Spain in July of 2016, and began our journey to learn Spanish (Castilian/Castellano). We’re from California where there are lots of Spanish names for places, streets, Latino owned businesses, Latino radio and TV stations, and lots of Spanish speakers. We were familiar with a few basic words, and some pronunciation, but were starting from knowing near-zero Spanish. So how do you learn Spanish in a hurry – at least enough to get by?  Continue reading

The Best Activities in Valencia For Kids

Girl with messy finger paint

Is Valencia a good city for kids?

You bet it is. The people of Valencia seem to adore children, and they’re welcome everywhere. There are lots of kid-friendly activities in Valencia, and we’re constantly exploring and discovering what our son and his friends like and keeping a list of the best. We’ve included active and passive activities, which will help you find something to do regardless of the weather or time of year.

Update: Christmastime activities in Valencia, from our friends Janis and Linda: What to do in Valencia this Christmas?

If you have any ideas to improve or add to this list, please add a comment. I’ll keep this updated as we discover new activities in Valencia for kids. For all-year-round activities, read on…

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Settling into Routines

The authors enjoying happy hourAlmost 3 months after leaving San Jose and now that summer is nearly over, our family is starting to settle into routines. We’re adjusting well to our new European and Spanish ways of life. We’ve learned some survival Spanish, no longer need maps to get around, are drying our clothes on the line, using the 24 hour clock, the metric system, celsius, and managing to get by just fine without a car.

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