Spain

OPWA Update

September 2017

Spain

Some of you may have pondered the matter of public nudity on Spanish beaches.  I can now speak with a modicum of authority having spent an entire afternoon strolling Barconeleta's famed waterline.  The weather was perfect; it was a holiday weekend, the last before local schools started; and the Mediterranean shoreline was packed with thousands of sun worshippers.  Few were in the chilly water, so one had to carefully pick one's way through the throngs. 

Ben, Deb, and I would later agree that 25% of the females were topless and 5% of the multitudes were totally nude, the latter group tending to cluster together.  The sea was a deep blue and busy with sailboats and small watercraft, which mostly occupied my attention, but I did occasionally look groundward causing me to observe the following. 

The level of pulchritude was highly pleasing and perhaps unsurpassed. While nudity is not flattering to a meaningful portion of the population, such was not the case in this locale. It was like Mardi Gras taken to the fourth power.  Everything was extremely tidy.  There were no beach umbrellas or chairs, everyone lay on towels or beach blankets.  Vendors trod through the masses of unclad people offering cotton beach blankets.

Several months earlier son Ben and his bride of one year Deb called to inquire if Judy and I would like to join them for 11 days in Spain.  After a few milliseconds of contemplation we agreed and made plans for a trip that would take us to Barcelona, Seville, Cordoba, and Jerez de la Frontera.  Over a million Americans travel to Spain each year, along with another 70 million from other parts of Europe, so I don't pretend to have any great insights based on my first visit to the Iberian peninsula, but I do have some observations:

Barcelona's La Sagrada Familia is one of the most inspiring edifices I've encountered.  Construction began in 1882, and it is still a work in progress with a projected completion date of 2026.  It's open and functioning while construction continues and hosts nearly 3 million visitors a year.  It is a testament to human ingenuity. 

Spanish cities, like most of Europe, feature old districts surrounded by and quite distinct from newer portions.  Wealthier citizens and tourists are attracted to these venerable areas because they are so unique.  Hotel Neri, where we stayed in Barcelona, was originally built in the 12th century, with an exterior little changed but now featuring uber-modern rooms and conveniences.

We were fortunate to fly from Barcelona to Seville and from Jerez back to Barcelona on sunny, cloudless days affording an aerial view of the many older towns still enclosed by walls.  Buildings are confined within these boundaries leaving the countryside devoted to fields of cotton, olive trees, vineyards, melons, and oranges.  It's all very tidy and pleasing to the eye.

It's mildly incongruous to stroll around a large city, hearing only Spanish yet identifying the speakers as blue-eyed blonds. 

It's increasingly difficult to tell someone's nationality by attire. Fellow tourists are readily identified following their tour guides communicating with their charges via ear buds, but it is not as easy to specify their country of origin without hearing them speak.  I'd suggest lederhosen, berets, or bowlers be worn in the future to assist the unwashed like me.

We traveled by rail from Seville to Cordoba and from Seville to Jerez de la Frontera.  The trains are clean, on time, quiet, inexpensive, and take you to the central city where most activities are within easy walking distance.

Deb is proficient in Spanish, which was helpful but not essential.  I accompanied Ben and Deb as they checked into their hotel in Seville.  The hostess greeted them graciously in English.  Deb responded to one of her queries in Spanish, and the lady brightened, "Habla Espanol?"  Then they conversed in Spanish until Deb used the word, "el billette."  Then the hotelier bristled slightly and inquired, "Oh dear, did you learn Spanish from a Mexican?"

We never had a meal that was less than delightful.  Ben and Deb are meticulous planners, relying extensively on Yelp and Trip Advisor, which may have aided us in our dining experiences.  I'm more of a stumbler, "Hey, this place looks good."  After I noted that the food and wine are every bit as good as any we've enjoyed in Italy, Ben observed, "They just haven't branded Spanish food as well as the Italians.  The food is so varied, it doesn't easily lend itself to simple characterization." Cheese and butter are used sparingly, replaced by olive oil.  This pleased me owing to my dairy aversion.

My favorite breakfast dish featured fried eggs served over a bed of French fries, adorned with Iberian ham (think proscuitto).  We dined at a highly ranked tapas restaurant in Barcelona called Tickets.  Reservations must be made 60 days in advance. They have a menu from which one might select their choices, or one can choose the 'surprise' option. We chose the latter and embarked on a sixteen course, three hour extravaganza including: Foie gras with eel, paper thin beef wrapped around a salted bread stick, caviar on puffed pastry, suckling pig tacos, puffed fried potatoes (like those served at Arnaud's and every bit as good), tomatoes wrapped in basil leaves, smoked cherries over a bed of dried ice, Wagyu steak served in strips, steaming portobello mushrooms, figs, exploding olives, octopus fried in bread crumbs served on a bed of rice (mindful of lobster tail), and for dessert a smoked cherry served in a rose, passion fruit gelato, and sponge cake.  Each dish was served exquisitely with separate plates and silver. Of course, the biggest surprise arrived with the bill, but it was worth it.  After dinner, we waddled to a neighboring cocktail bar.

Coca Cola and John Deere are dominant brands.  During our train travels I never saw a tractor that wasn't JD green.

I called my brother while we were gone.  He said, "Where are you?"  I replied, "Seville."  First words out of his mouth, "Be sure to get a haircut."  Surely he's the first to use that line.

I'm happy to report that statues honoring Columbus remain unmolested in Spain.  We toured his tomb located in the Seville Cathedral, the largest Christian Church in the world, completed in 1502.  The Giraldi Tower adjoins the cathedral and is noteworthy for Kansas Citians.  J.C. Nichols travelled to Seville in the early 1900's, surely inspiring his subsequent creation of America's first shopping center in the 1920's, the Country Club Plaza, featuring a smaller replica of the famed tower.

Google Maps is essential for pedestrians navigating the streets of the old towns.  Apple's app lacks the needed precision.

Selfie sticks are a curse.  Everywhere people walk around taking videos of themselves with tourist attractions in the background.  In contrast, I annoy people by writing about my travels.

Jerez is the smallest of the cities we visited and less touristy.  Situated 20 miles from the Atlantic port city of Cadiz and about 60 miles from the Mediterranean port city of Gibraltar, it is known for flamenco, Andulucian horses, and sherry. We toured the Gonzalez Byass winery, the makers of Tio Pepe sherry.  We learned that Magellan spent more on barrels of sherry than armaments for the first circumnavigation of the world, undoubtedly contributing to the loss of all but 18 of the 230 departing adventurers.  We also learned that the oak for the 10,000 casks in storage came from Missouri.

Deb treated us to a dinner at a local wine festival.  We were seated at long, white table-clothed tables in the Alcazar gardens (formerly home to Spanish royalty).  Before each of us were six empty glasses and tableware for a five-course dinner.  A flamenco guitar player performed while we waited.  Then two ladies sat at a table facing the 60 guests.  One looked very much like Lady Mary in the television show 'Downton Abbey'. They spoke about 15 minutes in Spanish, the first glass of wine was served, then the first course of food.  The ladies again spoke, presumably about the next wine we were drinking.  This continued for over two hours with copious pours, elegant service, and wonderful food.  Ben observed her speech becoming increasingly slurred as the evening progressed.  It could have been a perfect SNL scenario, aided with some exaggeration, with Lady Mary increasingly in her cups.

  

The city streets in the old sections of towns are tiny.  On our cab ride from the Seville airport to our lodging, I was amazed that a cab would actually enter some of the streets.  Fortunately, he had electric retractors for his mirrors leaving several inches of space between buildings. 

The cabs were uniformly clean and air-conditioned, a very good thing as it was hot on many days.  I never once heard a cabby use their horn.  They were uncommonly patient and particularly courteous to the pedestrians who blocked their path.

Police / military were highly visible around all the major tourists attractions.  They carried pistols and automatic rifles.  Most noteworthy, they were big and uncommonly fit, no donut munchers in their midst.

I loved everything about Spain, but the best part of the trip was spending time with Ben and Deb.  And that is that.

OPWA

Sadly, book sales languish.  I'm optimistic there will be a Christmas rush.  Look for my ads in the NYT.

All the best,

Chuck