Tag: Festivals
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What is a Pawpaw and Where Have They Been All My Life?
Last Saturday morning, I was on my way to the 7th Annual PawPaw Festival at Long Creek Homestead to answer those questions. It was almost ridiculous how excited I was to try my first pawpaw. I had never even heard of pawpaws before last September when I saw an advertisement for the 6th Annual PawPaw…
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Frederick FiberFest: Spring Colors in Yarn
Last Saturday I ventured out to the spring FiberFest at the Frederick Fairgrounds. I wouldn’t consider myself a knitter, but I’ve been thinking about adding it to my toolbox of mindfulness practices. Mindfulness through yarn! Besides, it was a beautiful spring day, I knew that my favorite food trucks were going to be there, and…
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Ruta de Tapeo in Utiel: Getting to Know a Place with a Tapas Crawl
People in Utiel know how to throw a party. In this small wine village about 80 km west of Valencia, mid October is time to celebrate with the Feria Utiel Gastronómica. The Feria showcases local wines and gastronomy in the large public park called Paseo de la Alameda, but there are also events taking place…
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Requena Wine Fair and Harvest Festival
Two days ago we boarded a train to the wine village of Requena for the Feria Requenense del Vino – the Requena Wine Fair. Requena is part of the Utiel-Requena D.O. (Denomination of Origin), the most extensive wine producing region of the Valencian community. The native red grape Bobal makes up 75% of the…
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The Final Day of Las Fallas
Las Fallas finally came to its fiery conclusion on Sunday, March 19th with the midnight burning of all of the fallas sculptures. Called La Crema, this always happens on the Feast of Saint Joseph, who was the Patron Saint of carpenters. One of the underlying themes of Las Fallas is to clear out the waste of…
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Fallas: One Big Street Party
We have made it to the last day of Fallas and our heads are spinning. The sights, the sounds, and the smells of the festival have all come together in a whirlwind of sensory overload. Last night, Valencia threw 1,200 kilos (1.3 tons) of pyrotechnic explosives into the sky at 1:30 AM for La Gran Nit…
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Fallas Street Food
When bunuelo and chocolate and churro stands started popping up on nearly every block in Valencia, we wondered how there could possibly be enough people to consume all of these sweets. Now we know. This city is jam packed. I’ve read estimates of between 1 and 3 million visitors to Fallas and, after being out…
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Getting Ready for Las Fallas
Valencia is busy getting ready for Las Fallas, the most important celebration of the year. Every March, Valencia celebrates the arrival of spring by erecting giant sculptures, called fallas, in the city streets and then burning them to the ground on March 19th during the Feast of Saint Joseph (the patron saint of carpenters) and…
Julia Eats 