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Dish of ceviche

5 Barcelona Restaurants That Are Almost Always Open—Even on Holidays

In Spain we love to celebrate! We thus find many reasons to have a national or local holiday, which subsequently means that many restaurants are closed.But there are always those few wonderful underdogs that stay open on Sundays, Mondays, Festes Majors (like this one in Gràcia) and even during religious holidays.  As a visitor to […]

Sirloin steak tapas at Gandarias, San Sebastian

Where to Eat on Holidays in San Sebastian: Restaurants That Are Always Open

We understand the struggle: finding a great dinner spot in San Sebastian on many Mondays, some Tuesdays, and public holidays can feel like an impossible mission. Holiday season can be especially tricky in a small city like San Sebastian: many family-run bars and restaurants close their doors for small periods of time. But no matter […]

Crêpes are the central part of the Chandeleur holiday tradition in France.

How to Celebrate Candelmas the French Way (Hint: It Involves Crêpes)

If you believe most American shops and greeting card companies, the next major holiday to follow Christmas and New Year’s is Valentine’s Day. But here in France, another holiday sneaks its way into the fray in early February.  The holiday in question is Candlemas, or La Chandeleur, and the appropriate way to celebrate it is […]

Italian Antipasti platter

How Italians Do Christmas: The Italian Christmas Foods You’ll Find on Every Table

Like any other country, Italy has its own Christmas traditions that go back centuries. More than just pasta and pizza, Italian Christmas foods are uniquely distinguished by their variety, richness, and seasonality. Christmas in Italy is a time for abbondanza, literally, “abundance.” Italians sit down for long – we’re talking six or seven hours – […]

Glass of wine in front of Christmas tree

A Love Letter to Christmas in Italy (and the Family Meal that Starts the Season)

The Christmas season in Rome is the stuff of legends. I’ve always loved the holidays back at home, but the Italians manage to take it to a whole new level, with seven giorni di festa throughout the months of December and January. Every single Catholic holiday is celebrated with enormous quantities of pasta, roasted meats, […]

Christmas markets in Barcelona are the best way to get into the holiday spirit!

Christmas Markets in Barcelona

This blog post was originally posted on November 21, 2014, and was updated on November 27, 2019. Barcelona’s Christmas markets provide a classic European feel with a Catalan twist. Known as firas, Christmas markets here in the Catalan capital are unlike any other you’ll experience. And what makes the Christmas markets in Barcelona even better is […]