Monday, April 10, 2006

Spanish Envy

This morning I came down with what feels like a severe case of Spanish envy.

Marie pushed me over the edge in her most recent post . You'll see why in this extract, Fortunately, I'm in Barcelona, and actually have no business making my own coffee inside when I could be in a café meeting the eSwede for a morning espresso (he popped down for the weekend to distract me from Donald Duck coloring). I've sung the praises of Rentalona before, and I'm doing it again; what a great deal they offer. I have my own tiny studio near George Orwell Place for 56 euros a night, and the eSwede got an entire apartment just 50 meters away for 72 euros a night. Wow.

Barcelona is lovely. I was stunned when I got off the plane from Kuwait. Even the airport seemed so colorful after the beige desert. I went straight to a sandwich shop and had a bacon sandwich.


Perhaps that would have been bearable but it only adds to a recent overload of delicious posts about Spain. Wandering Woman, in Salamanca wrote, Sunny, sunny, Sunday morning, after savoring my El Pais, a marmelade-smothered tostada and a frothy café con leche in the Plaza Mayor, I paid my 6 euros to go along on the Turismo walking tour of Salamanca. It is an image that has stayed with me since reading it.

At last but not least, Sal recently wrote of his days in Barcelona from his home in Castilla-LaMancha. There was a small wine shop in the neighborhood in which I lived in Barcelona. In a small room at the back of the shop, the proprietor—a man whom I credit for showing me “the light” about wine...and whom I discredit for revealing himself to be a pathetic, drunken ass shortly thereafter—operated a tiny, hidden bar for “select” customers. This bar featured a small, ever-changing list of wines by the glass—each of which was hand-selected for its excellent price/quality ratio. It was as brilliant a marketing gimmick as it was an educational experience.

In tasting glass after glass—many of which the proprietor was too drunk to remember when tallying my bill at night’s end—I was able to explore (and finally appreciate!) the depth and quality of Spain’s vast offering of wines and wine regions.

9 comments:

Sal DeTraglia said...

Thanks, Lady Di. Sometimes I take this country for granted, and even start fixating on its annoying aspects. So it's good when someone else reminds me that Spain is, in fact, a pretty great place to live.

Even if I am being reminded with my own words.

Sal

Mozza said...

6 days in Barcelona and it's my favourite city.

Di Mackey said...

Lol, I'm glad to be useful Sal.

Thanks mozza, so it seems I'm only person in the world who hasn't been to Spain yet.

The Wandering Turk said...

Ahh...I feel jealous. My next European trip will feature Spain...I don't exactly when - too many places to go but Spain is in the top 5.

Di Mackey said...

It will be good when you're travelling again, mr wandering turk ... it has been noticed that you write most when you have a trip to write about ... ;)
the demanding one.

The Wandering Turk said...

Well - wandering woman (I feel like calling you Wonder Woman instead - far more apt) - this thing called work and then life after work usually alternatingly kick my butt when I'm at home. Travel has become my outlet for renewal, rediscovery and figuring out bits of this thing we call life. BTW I have a friend who just got back from New Zealand and she has entirely different itinerary for me so, that gets back in the top 5 travel to dos. Oh - and you're not the only person who has not been to Spain :-).

Di Mackey said...

Wonder woman or canavar ... hmm a pupil used to call me juddah ... the name changes :)

New Zealand ... I'm trying to get home, have booked for June 1 but have to find devious means of earning money in the interim. The powers that be don't seem to care about me as an individual ... how can this be???

Okay work AND life are viable excuses for not devoting time to keeping the demanding one up-to-date lol, and your cat/s seem time consuming too. Anyway, your San Francisco jaunt is making up for the time of silence. :)

Anonymous said...

I wonder if you have any telephone contact details for Rentalona?

I booked a flat with them in the early hours of 10 May, paid the deposit online, and they sent an automated reply but no booking confirmation or contact details.

I have had no answer to numerous emails, and the only telephone number in the website (+34 93 310 0826) does not answer.

If you have contact details for them I would appreciate if you could either post them to your blog, or email me at visualarc@gmail.com

Regards

Yarema (a bit worried)

Di Mackey said...

Hi Yarema

I don't know anything about rentalona ... perhaps http://mariejavins.blogspot.com/
Marie might be able to help.

Good luck.