Gloriously long summer days. Tapas, wine and dancing into the early morning hours. So far, so Spanish. But the country’s long working day and late-night culture comes at a cost.
Here’s what I learned researching this story for @CNNTravel. Article link in bio.
According to the Barcelona-based @timeuseinitiative, Spain’s typical working day is 2 hours longer than most in Europe (9a-7p), shunting dinner and personal time later in the evening.
Even though Spaniards work only slightly more than the European average 37.8 hours a week, they get less sleep than their Northern European neighbors, 7.13 hours a night.
What’s happening? First, Spain’s time zone is out of alignment. During WWII, Spain’s military dictator, Francisco Franco, changed Spain’s time zone in line with Germany. Everything shifted forward by an hour and it hasn’t changed since.
As Marta Junqué of TUI told me: “We should be on the same schedule as Lisbon or London. Instead, in the winter we are on Berlin time, and in the summer, we are on par with Istanbul.”
Fallas and family! A week of churros and padel, marching bands and beach walks ❤️
Some pics I took while reporting on Valencia as the Green Capital of Europe for @CNNTravel. I learned a lot on this assignment: A whopping 97% of residents live less than 300 meters from a major green area. From the converted riverbed park of the Turia to the Albufera lagoon where Valencia’s famous paella rice is grown. All that green also provides an abundance of locally grown fruits and vegetables, available at municipal markets. Still, the city has plenty of challenges. Right now, the government is encouraging residnts to celebrate the city’s cherished Fallas tradition - fireworks, parades and bonfires - with more sustainable materials. To read more, click on the link in my bio.
The charred remains of a residential block here in Valencia. I spent the last 24 hours reporting on the disaster for CNN. It took less than 30 minutes for a single fire from one apartment to race up the facade and engulf the entire building in flames. Firefighters battled the inferno for more than 12 hours, rescuing people trapped inside. Sadly, not everyone got out in time. At least 9 people died in the inferno, national police have confirmed. Investigators are now trying to determine what started the fire and how it was able to spread so fast. The materials and construction of the building are under scrutiny, in particular, the aluminum cladding that encased the building. The mayor has declared 3 days of mourning. Throughout the day, Valencianos streamed in with donations to help residents who lost everything in the fire. If you’d like to help, the local Campanar neighborhood is banding together and fundraising at this link:
https://gofund.me/e9804a62
Posting some of my favourite photos over the last few weeks in Jakarta, Singapore and Bali with my family. From board games to padel matches and the many quiet, but equally treasured, moments in between. I even snagged a pic with Santa (aka my brother) at Universal Studios on Christmas Day! We have always been a family of travellers and explorers and we are rarely all in one place. So, even this time, when we came together to say goodbye to John McBeth (Grumps to us) there was still much to celebrate in being together.
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