For the Love of God and Pork - and Rin (Spain)

 

Back into Spain and we weren’t wasting time. We had been in Salamanca only a couple of hours and we were already in a Tapas bar with a drink and a couple of plates of food. If for no other reason, Tapas is why I would come back to Spain.

Salamanca was my favourite town in Spain. It has a nice old town area with impressive cathedrals and university buildings, and has a bridge across a picturesque river that was built by the Romans in year 89 AD.

 

The Spanish are almost religious about eating pork. Its served everywhere, in all different ways; sliced off the bone, cured and sausaged, grilled and barbequed, and served whole. We saw plastic wrapped piglets in the supermarket. 

The reason they are so pork centric is in fact a religious one. Back in the days of the Spanish inquisition, it did you a whole lot of good to show that you were a devoted pork eater. The muslims and the Jews were being driven out and killed all over Spain in a big cleansing effort. And what are the Jews and the Muslims forbidden to eat?  If you had a cured ham hanging up out the front of your house it meant you were a good Christian.

And Pork is not the only steady devotion from the olden days. Christianity is stronger than ever. So much so that the government, backed heavily by the church, has just made abortion illegal after it was made legal half a century ago with the big push for women’s rights. Also, the church is publishing manuals on how to be a proper (stay at home) housewife which are somehow popular. Worst of all, the government has just banned public protest. We were told that if you swear at a cop you will get in far more trouble under this new law than if you punch him in the face. It all seems like a big step back for a country that is supposed to setting a good example for nearby developing countries.

What the hell Spain? Too much sangria?

But in Christianity’s defense, this particular religion did give rise to the most wonderful time of the year. Rin and I spent Christmas in Madrid. In our little apartment we had a Christmas tree (of sorts) and presents under it (too many for people travelling with backpacks). We made it a special day, and I certainly had the Christmas cheer. We opened presents, ate finely sliced ham and cheese in bed, called home, and wandered around the empty streets of Madrid. A memorable Christmas, but it was never going to be as good as Christmas at home.

 

Madrid itself had some great Christmas lights and decorations around town, and it has been good to be travelling around Europe at this time of year.

We went out to the coast to the city of Valencia, which has a nice old town quarter and is famous for its paella. We wandered around to see the big entry gates to city, and went up top for a view over town. We also leather tramped it out to the harbour and beach, not particularly ideal in the cold, and wandered back through a slummy area.

Another cool thing about Spain is the big Bull silhouettes by the sides of freeways.

 

Barcelona was our final stop in Spain. I was somewhat disappointed by Barcelona. Like Lisbon, it’s just a big western European city, and I couldn’t really sense that the place had a soul of its own. What it did have though was long lines of cruise ship tourists (the absolute worst) and exuberant prices for marginally interesting attractions. I don’t get what all the fuss is about for this place.

 Barcelona is said to be the world capital for pickpocketing. I folded a map and some brochures and stuffed it into my back pocket looking like a fat wallet, and after five days in the city I didn’t attract the interest of a single would be thief. This city couldn’t even live up to a bad reputation.

There were interesting things to see though, it wasn’t all a total waste of time. The produce markets, supposably among the best in Europe, were cool. The abundance of fruits, vegies, hams, sausages, cheeses, animal carcasses and skinned heads, and fresh fish were visually dazzling, and I could have walked around in there for hours just soaking it all in.

 

The Sagrada Familia, a quirky old cathedral that is still being build was also a highlight. Its world famous and most people have heard about it. It was originally designed by the architect Gaudi, and has a strange, almost fantastical design. The inside was the highlight, and looked like something out of a science fiction movie. It was just strange. I’ve put a photo of it here but the photo doesn’t mean much – you have to be in this epic room to feel its eccentric grandeur.

Things I learnt in Barcelona:

1.       Christopher Columbus was a fool who brought back natives from Latin America, walked them into the royal courts at Barcelona, and said they were from India. Now all indigenous people from Canada to Chile are called Indians. Furthermore, after his accidental discoveries, he was brought home in handcuffs and stripped of his wealth for treating the natives so bad. Douche.

2.       Barcelona is the capital of the Catalonia region. Catalonia wants independence from Spain, and on a lot of balconies in the city you can see the Catalonia flag of yellow and red stripes, with a blue triangle and star at one end, which is a call for this independence. The locals are passionate about it, they refuse other Spanish customs such as flamenco and bull fighting, and Catalonian is the official language of Barcelona, not Spanish. Catalonia could very well be its own country in the future, but there would be an interesting path to this independence because Spain has no interest in giving it up.

We had New Year’s Eve in Barcelona and went to a big square in the centre of the city to watch the fireworks. I thought to myself, what a year 2013 was. What a year 2014 is going to be!

Spain was great (except most of Barcelona), but the real highlight of this part of my trip was my travel companion. Having Christmas and New Years with Rin over here made it special. It would have been a strange and slightly sad time of year to be travelling alone, and we got lucky in that she was able to come over for it. But it wasn’t just those big days. It was all the other days we have been lucky enough to have together this year, from Turkey to Morocco, Albania to Portugal. She has been the cherry on top of my trip, and my 2013.

With a final chococlate con churros (another reason to come back to Spain), we started 2014 together, looking onward to exciting times this year in New Zealand, and more immediately, France.

EK4NZ2014