Month: April 2007

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notes

My mother

la Mezquita, Cordoba

This post is dedicated to my mother, Lou, who died on April 11th 2007 aged 63, and is pictured above in Codoba’s Mezquita, a place in Spain she dearly loved. My mother spent most or our childhood telling my sisters and I things like ‘How could you be bored on a day like this?’, ‘Get outside and enjoy all the beautiful things in the garden!’, and ‘stop moping, life’s too short!’ Every time a beautiful landscape was lit by a warm evening glow she would exclaim ‘Look at that wonderful light!’, so that now I can’t go anywhere at the beginning or end of the day without looking at how the changing angle of the sun causes everything it falls upon to change for the better. I know some people feel uncomfortable with posts like this, but it is simply to pass on these messages – never be bored on beautiful days, always look at the light, and, if in doubt, ‘just get out and do something!’ – a favourite piece of advice that worked pretty well for me, and, in case you’re wondering, has everything to do with Notes from Spain.

Luckily she is survived by a Ducati-driving inspiration of a father who rode a motorbike 2000 km across India with me last year and doubtless has many more such journeys ahead. Where next, Dad?

Categories
notes

The Great Madrid Escape – A few words…

I just wanted to say a big front-page thank you to everyone who made it to Madrid last weekend for the Great Madrid Escape. 30 adventurous individuals from all over the world (as far afield as Sydney and L.A.!) were in town and, despite never having met, got on tremendously well.

Marina and I have never organised anything like this before and we were nervous all weekend that people might not enjoy the places we took them to. But of course everyone was in a buoyant holiday mood, the food and wine was up to scratch, and energy reserves were summoned by those who made it through to daily post 3 a.m. finishes.

Many people remarked that this would never have happened 5, even 10 years ago… the idea of 30 strangers who met ‘on-line’ getting together and meeting in person would, until recently, have just appeared plain wierd. But that is perhaps testament to how the net is changing the world. Geographically disparate people with shared interests get to know each other well enough on line to know that getting together in reality is going to be absolutely fine.

So, saludos to all of those brave enough to follow Marina and I around the restaurants, bars, and Metro stops of Madrid for the weekend. Thank goodness none of us had anything of value picked from our pockets, and hurray for the sunny weather. There will definitely be more of the same in the future, thanks again to everyone, and watch this space!

Categories
notes

Any NFS readers in Barcelona?

If so then forum-user Ozgur would love to meet up!

Categories
Spanish Food and Drink Tapas of the week

Mejillones a la vinagreta / Mussels – Tapas of the week

mussel - mejillon, tapas

What in the name of Don Juan is that? Why is it that alien-yellow colour? And what terrible things did I do in a previous life to deserve another plate of these with my beer? These are the kind of thoughts that pass through my head when a waiter is cruel enough to push a dish of Mejillones a la vinagreta across the counter at me with my drink.

This is when an important Spanish bar etiquette question arises: can you ask to change free tapas that you would no sooner eat than fly to a distant planet that shares their same radioactive colour? Well, it’s always worth a try, a polite ‘puedo cambiar la tapa por otra cosa, es que no me gusta…‘ usually yields something slightly more comestible… unless you’re with someone that actually appreciates these things, in which case you’re stuffed – Marina always eats mine and claims to love them. Apparently the mussels are boiled, one half of the shell is removed, then a vinaigrette including chopped up onion, green pepper, and tomato is poured on top.

Well, first the sardines and tomato, now this. Spanish waiters have really got it in for me these days. I promise to find something I can rave about for next week’s tapas!

Categories
Living in Spain

On the Spain blogs this week…

A few interesting snippets from some of my favourite Spain blogs this week:

Andalucid takes a trip down to Cabo de Gata, a corner of Spain well worth exploring.

Gabriella at Catavino.net decides it’s time to swot up on Iberian Wine.

Katie at España Profunda wonders what on earth happened on the Spanish roads this Easter.

South of Watford fills us in on the end of the Esperanza Aguirre tale – ‘Espe’ is the President of the Madrid regional government who can’t pay her heating bills.

Graeme also has some stunning photos of the Picos de Europa.

Finally, Nicholas Mead’s boiler packed up, leading to another classic run in with Spanish customer service.

Are you blogging about Spain? Have you got a favourite Spain blog? Let me know in the comments!

Categories
Defining the Spanish Spanish Culture and News

Defining the Spanish – Passion and Wild Abandon

Torre de Cuerdo, Gaucin
Photo: Toro de Cuerda, Gaucin, by John Harris
Last week there was a passionate response by Spanish readers of this blog to a post I wrote linking to a satirical article making fun of 24 hours in the life of a Spaniard. It made me think that it might be interesting to attempt a serious definition of the Spanish, and the question of passion and wild abandon (recklessness?) seemed an interesting place to start.

Are the Spanish passionate? Can they be reckless? They speed up at the site of orange (or recently red) traffic lights, let seven-year-olds play with fireworks (in Valencia at least) and run in front of bulls – all that suggests a recklessness to their character that you won’t find in, say, the UK – but that may just be because in the UK all the things that seem to make the Spanish wild and reckless have long ago been quashed by rules and regulations designed to put safety ahead of wild abandon and fun. A shame, as anyone who has been to a riotous Spanish fiesta will know that there is nothing better than a good dose of wild abandon once in a while.

And how about passion? The Spanish might not be as romantic as the French, but they have just as much national pride, and will defend their favourite national dish or corner of Spain tooth and nail… and boy can the guys at the bar talk about football. So passionate in fact are the Spanish when it comes to a healthy discussion about almost anything, that many newcomers to Spain often mistake a lively conversation on a street corner for a full scale argument – though the Spanish word for argument is ‘discusión‘, so I don’t know where that leaves us!

Before I am shot down, I would like to add that all this passion and recklessness is balanced by a seriousness of character and respect for correct manners, comportment, and indeed a respect for respect itself, that it is hard to find elsewhere, but we shall come back to that later. In the meantime I want to start two small lists, perhaps you can add to them below in the comments?

When the Spanish are at their most passionante:

  • Talking about Spanish cuisine or the beauty of Spain
  • Discussing politics
  • Arguing with difficult or dishonest taxi drivers or waiters
  • When someone has ‘faltado el respeto‘, shown a lack of respect, or been ill-mannered

    • …

…and reckless?

  • Playing with bulls, while drunk, in town fiestas everywhere
  • During Las Fallas, anywhere in the Valencia region
  • Behind the wheel of a car (according to accident statistics – over 100 dead again this Easter)

    • …

Do the Spanish strike you as passionate or reckless? Is there a link between the two? What would you add to these lists?

Categories
Spanish Food and Drink Tapas of the week

Sardines and Tomato: Tapas of the week

Tapas: Sardines with tomato

Not for the faint-hearted this one… Cold sardines are Fishy with a capital ‘F‘! Crunchy too, as you get the bones and all… OK, you may be able to tell that I am not a big fan, but if fish/Omega 3 is your thing, this tapa goes down a treat with a cold beer on a warm sunny day – the tang of the sardine combining beautifully with the refreshing tomato, and the bread underneath to soak up the juices and provide a bit of extra sustenance – it’s really a meal in itself!

So, I might ask to swap for something else, but what would you do if you took your place at a bar in Spain and this arrived with your beer?

Categories
notes

Happy Easter from Notes from Spain!

We’re taking a few days off for Easter, I hope you all have the chance to do the same. Have a great Easter break, and in the mean time, we’ll still be checking in daily at the NFS Forum – see you there!

Ben and Marina

Categories
NFS Spain Photos Spain Travel

Flickr Spain photo of the month: March

From all the amazing shots in our Flickr group last month, your vote went to Fred Shively’s “A town called Lanjarón 4: an early escalator“:

Lanjaron 4, by Fred Shively

You can see more of Fred’s photos over at Flickr. I’d like to add another winner, Steve, with his amazing photo “Fiesta in Gracia“:

Fiesta in Gracia, by Steve

It was taken at a local fiesta in Gracia, a neighbourhood in Barcelona, complete with political speeches in favour of the okupas, drummers, 2 dragons, and a group of people firing antique muskets into the air! Steve commented, “I’ve no idea if it’s an Easter thing or not. It seemed very pagan with the devil costumes and dragons.” It seems the pagan and the Christian are often closely mixed in Spain… You can see more of Steve’s photos on Flickr, and at his daily photo blog, bcncamara.blogspot.com

Categories
500 things Spain Travel

500 things! And the Winner is…..

First and foremost, many thanks to all who sent in the 100 entries to our 500 things to do in Spain before you die competition, all of which will end up in the charity book (see below). The quality was excellent, and picking a winner was extremely difficult. But, a winner there must be, and so… the prize goes to…

Rod Brookes! Rod, who blogs at Rods Spanish Stuff wins with this entry:

“Walk through the pine forests of the Parque Natural de la Breña (a few kilometres south of Vejer de la Frontera and west of Barbate on the Costa de la Luz) on a sunny Autumn day, through the distinctive trees that form a bizarrely shaped continuous parasol formed by exposure to the savage wind here. Pass the Torre del Tajo to the mirador which overlooks the sheer cliffs and gives you such a magnificent view, on your left down the coast to Tarifa (and even Morocco on a clear day), and on the right over the Cape Trafalgar lighthouse to where the battle was fought about 200 years ago. At the end of the day, drive down to Trafalgar in the orange light of sunset, walking past the kitesurfers and windsurfers packing up, up to the memorial, around the lighthouse and onto the almost certainly deserted beach.”

Why did this entry win? Firstly, it brings to light a little-traveled corner of Andalusia, a stretch of one of the last unspoilt areas of the coasts of Southern Spain. It’s an area I know fairly well, and one that is exceptional in terms of its wild nature and fascinating landscapes (those wind-blown parasol trees…) Secondly, it was one of several high quality entries sent in by Rod, all of which will go towards helping to make the forthcoming book a resounding success…

What next? The book

We now have a book to put together! The original idea of the competition was to gather entries for a guidebook that will then be sold for charity, with all proceeds going to the Spanish Red Cross. The competition netted around 100 entries, a fantastic level of participation, but that still leaves some work ahead if we are to reach the 500 target. The first job will be for us to organise the entries into categories, to edit and spell check everything, add more information where necessary, and then to start filling in the gaps. We’ll be asking for your help again over the coming weeks. For now, many thanks again to all who sent in entries, and watch this space for details of the book!

Photo above by Rod Brookes