poco a poco

poco a poco

Life Abroad (Inside & Out)

Beyond the Postcard 🌅

It’s not all flamenco, siestas, and free tapas.

Jen Cook's avatar
Jen Cook
Aug 21, 2025
∙ Paid
a couple of women standing next to each other
Flamenco dancers silhouetted at sunset

Everyone carries a “movie version” of a place in their heads. But no matter how much research you do, reality almost always differs from the reel playing in your head.

For me, I imagined Spain was all Andalucía — flamenco dancers, elaborate palaces (Alhambra, anyone?), endless tapas. I imagined that everyone takes a …

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