Consuming alcohol in Spain is practically a requirement. What with the two-hour break for lunch that most Spaniards enjoy daily, who wouldn’t be tempted to have a glass of wine along with the midday meal? Dinner is sometimes considered incomplete without the requisite glass of Rioja or Cava wine. I, for one, drank my fair share of sangria and jerez (Spanish sherry) during a recent visit to Madrid.  

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Hey Let's Go fans! We're in the business of connecting travelers to all the information they could possibly need to enjoy themselves while abroad. To that end, we've partnered with with our fellow travel bloggers at Pause the Moment.

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C'est fini! My research stint is over. No more cooking fast food, eating brainy desserts, attending circumcision parties, or clubbing back-to-back nights (it was strictly business, I swear). From tiled mosques to pink-bricked monasteries, from cabernet vintages to vintage stores, it's been an unbelievable ride. Though I know now is not the time for regrets, here's what I would do differently if I could do it all again:

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Red or white? Spit or swallow? So many dilemmas!

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Next time you're in Bordeaux, try these tips to keep your French words straight.

Bordeaux is the wine capital of the world, the hub of southwest France, and a city teeming with beautiful people, wide boulevards, and several UNESCO-grade monuments.

Bordelais is someone who's lucky enough to call this place home.

Bordelais do not come from some place named Bordel. Right now, clever French students are thinking "France and français, New York and New Yorkais..." Wrong! A bordel is a brothel, or a word for any chaotic situation. Example: "Ooh-la-la, did you hear about the senator who got caught with the call girl? Quel bordel!"

-- Knock knock
-- Who's there?
-- A hand.
-- A hand who?
-- Gimme a hand! I think I lost mine...

This seems to be the running joke (albeit a very bad one) in the streets around Toulouse's Basilique de St-Sernin. There, door knockers take the shape of slightly disturbing, disembodied hanging hands. Possible scenario: you blindly reach for one in the middle of the night, and it suddenly grabs you and won't let go, as a mob of headless monks (Toulouse is full of old monasteries) rushes over to attack you. Shudder.

So what are the alternatives? A straight up bell would be nice, but now, even lions sound tame in comparison. Then again, they could bite your hand off.

Dear former dorm-mate,

I know it's you. Yes, you with the filthy hair and the smelly feet, who slept in the bed across from mine. Congratulations on taking off with my money. I'll admit it, it was stupid to leave anything in my backpack, but who knew that you'd be so interested in obscure foreign currencies. Do you collect them? Or are you trying to make your life difficult? You took bills that even the banks downtown won't change. Let's run down the list:

-- Kuwaiti dinars. Ok, I'll give you this one. It is the most expensive currency in the world (1 dinar = 3.6 US dollars). But where are you going to change it in Lyon? The airport? Going there and back will cost you half of what you stole. Oops.
-- Indian rupees. Wow, thousands of rupees! Actually, a thousand rupees is worth about 20 U.S. dollars. So there goes my rickshaw ride into Mumbai.
-- American dollars. Another win for you, sort of. That was enough for my welcome-back-to-America breakfast, when I land in Washington Dulles and can't find a decent airport eatery.
-- Qatari riyals. Another meal, I guess. I was saving those up for a lunch in Doha. Are you thinking of going there, too? Maybe we should meet up and exchange some notes. Banknotes, that is.

Also, thanks for leaving behind my driver's license. Was my picture with the awful bed-hair too ugly for you?

Broke, Bitter, and Still Blogging,
Roland