Spain in a Nutshell...

As I sit in the casino turned computer lab on the 6^th deck of the MV Explorer, my head is dizzy with recent memories of my time in Barcelona and Madrid and the overwhelming excitement of visiting Rome in the morning.

I should be sleeping right now. Spain is not a country for relaxing. Its people and culture call for drama, passion, and above all, fun. I did not miss a second of it for sleep and am now paying the price. We only had one day between Spain and Italy, so today the ship was busy with students planning last minute trips and comparing hostel locations.Essentially, we were all trying to plan a week in Italy in one day on a ship without free internet. Fun. I made a lot of friends with my “MTV’s Guide to Italy” travel book.

Since I was too busy seeing the sights of Spain the past few days to write, I will attempt to summarize my time in this wonderful country. Please bear in mind my sleep deprivation in judging any factual or grammatical mistakes.

First let me say that any expectations I had for this country where either met or surpassed. The Woody Allen flick “Vicky, Christina, Barcelona” and the 1960’s Ann Margaret musical “The Pleasure Seekers” were about all I had to go on when it came to what to expect for this country, and neither prepared me for the vibrant spirit of this place. As our voyage pushes further and further away from my home and my comfort zone, my sensitivity to the acute similarities and differences in the human condition have heightened considerably. Spaniards have provided quality material for comparison to the people of America in almost every respect. Nothing brings out human nature in its rawest form like economic struggle, so it was quite easy to observe the social priorities of the Spanish people. After only a few nights in the country, it has become apparent that the common goal for all of Spain is to have fun.

Breakfast of Champions

Prepping for the "Boy scout" with Leah and Andrea

Cheers!!!

Americans dream of big cars, huge houses, golden retrievers, and summer beach getaways. Here, they just want to have a good time. How could you not preoccupied with partying in a place where dinner does not begin until 11:00 p.m. and clubs do not open until 1:30 a.m. at the earliest? Spaniards make having fun a priority. They plan ahead for late nights by taking siestas and often stay out until 8:00 a.m. when the clubs are finally closed. It isn’t only the young who engage in this nocturnal lifestyle. Three generations might go out together and savor dinner until far past most American’s bedtime. I found myself feeling pretty lame on the nights I got back to the ship at 4:30 a.m., as many of my peers made it much later than that.

Eating in Spain is another sacred priority. They eat light breakfast in the morning to recover from the night before, consume a substantial lunch around 2:00 p.m., save room for tapas and drinks in the evening around 7:00, and linger over dinner in the late evening at 10:00 or 11:00. And to think that at home mothers go crazy at the suggestion of dinner after 6:30! Food here is quite good. I’m ashamed to admit that I had previously assumed Spanish food would be an ancestor of Mexican food. I was expecting to find fajitas, tortillas, guacamole etc., but was pleasantly mistaken. It would be easy to describe the food here if there was something to compare it to, but there really isn’t. It’s just good. Delicious, really. Tapas, good. Croquetas, good. Café con leche, good. Churros, good. Cheap sangria, GOOOD. “Bueno” was the most frequently used adjective of the trip.

With so much attention given to eating and partying, one must beg the question of when Spaniards sleep. In short, they don’t. Spain as a whole gets less sleep then the rest of Europe averaging at 6 hours a night. In the entire time I spent in the country, four days and three nights, I think my grand total came to 10 hours. It was a wonderful time, but hardly a sustainable lifestyle.

In comparison to the United States, Spain as a whole puts much more effort into enjoying life. The region of Catalonia in particular has more holidays than any other region, and the diplomat briefing our ship assured us that the people take advantage of all of these opportunities to enjoy themselves. Spain’s economic woes become easier to understand after seeing the culture’s preoccupation with having a good time. After all, who has time to be an ambitious workaholic when they are planning out which tapas bar to frequent?

After two nights in Barcelona, Leah, Katie and I caught the Ave, a high speed train, to Madrid to visit two friends from TCU. If Barcelona was fun, then Madrid was amazing. Perhaps some of the charm of this city came from the fact that I was with a local, my friend Ardena, who spoke the language and knew the city, but I feel pretty confident that it was more than that. This city is full of the beauty one expects from a capital, but still retains a sense of charm. It seems silly to be gushing over a place I spent fewer than 24 hours in, but it was worth every penny of the excessively expensive train ticket (SORRY MOM!) and I would suggest this place to anyone.

In short, Spain was a smashing success. I’d go back in a heartbeat. Plus, I take great pride in saying that I was not arrested, drugged, robbed or pick pocketed. I was careful and safe and utilized the buddy system like nobody’s business. I saw the sights, soaked up the culture, basked in the sun, and took full advantage of the nightlife. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Always,

Bonnie

p.s. Happy Birthday Mom! Wish I could be there…