Adiós,España!
A few short notes:
Living in Spain, all the while, trying to
“live Spain”.
“We lived in Spain.” Even to my own ears, these words sound strange … but yet, to me, it was so much more than just a visit or a stay.
Here on this peninsula, situated in a “corner” of Europe, we found a place of history ...
Here on this peninsula, situated in a “corner” of Europe, we found a place of history ...
.... and
tradition, ....
... of welcome and generosity, ...
and just of plain old fun !!!
Spain can be, well,
gently immersive, as it pursues it's relentless quest to conquer your heart!
Our friend Jo summed up Spain
this way: “So rich is Spain, so open her heart, you feel like you've been here a lifetime…. and yet metaphorically, only arrived
yesterday.”
To this I say, if
it was all a dream, it was a wonderful one!
A lucky meeting, by chance!
He said: “We Andalusians are different from you Canadians”!
”You are so very nice but like the Germans, you plan and work and then work some more.... and I guess, this is important to you.
We, here in Andalucía, like
to wake up to our beautiful climate,
to smell our beautiful blossoms,
to enjoy our beautiful food,
to relish our beautiful country side,
to love our beautiful families,...
.... in short, to live for the day.”
To this I say to you, Matías, “Carpe Diem!"
On Art and
Architecture:
Spain has something for everyone, be it the nightlife
or the arts, be you a foodie or just into sports. It's all here.
And if you love photography and want to capture the lines,....
.... or the history, and culture of a place, ....
.... come to Spain my friend,...
... but, be prepared to immerse yourself ....
.... and to be in awe.
Knights-errant we
were:
Like Don Quixote, Spain’s oldest literary figure, who
with his faithful companion, Sancho, embarked upon a quest to "tilt at windmills",
Linda and I followed our own path that led to the discovery of fascinating forteresses of the Moors.
We took highways and byways, in 6 different cars, (like this funny Opel with its rear doors opening to the back), and allowed the road to
lead us ..., well, wherever.
"Sure, Charles is a good driver!!!"
Next year, we’ll return to continue our quest to "tilt some more windmills", maybe a little further afield …
… but hopefully still within earshot of beautiful flamenco music, within sight of centuries-old traditions, and never too far from a beautiful beach....
... and oh yes, maybe we’ll even have the courage to take in a traditional bull-fight…..
.... after all, we did eat crickets in Mexico.
Here's hoping you’ll be there with us as we continue to explore nooks and crannies of this country whose national anthem, to this day, has no words!
Hasta la vista!
Linda and Charles