Different vignettes and thoughts from the trip. . .
Genuine Gratitude For Tips
Spaniards are so grateful to receive tips. Waiters, cabbies, and tour guides all react with heartfelt appreciation to a 10% (+/-) tip. Meanwhile in America some people expect a 20-25% tip for everything, and they show little or no gratitude for it. If American folks aren’t careful, I’m going to go back to 15% tips.
Car Loses This Battle To A Horse & Buggy
One of the many memorable scenes from the trip was a kerfluffle between a car and a horse and buggy on our first day of the trip. In Cordoba, horse and buggy tours are a popular way to sightsee.
We were sitting in a small plaza at an outdoor table of a bar having a drink and some olives after our walk when it happened.
A horse/buggy taking a family around came face to face with a car on a tight road. There was way for the car to turn left down the pedestrian alley (or the horse/carriage for that matter). To the car’s left was the small, pedestrian-only plaza. For a minute, both just stopped, face-to-face, neither side blinking. Well, the horse may have blinked, but only literally, not figuratively.
The passenger, a woman of a certain age, got out and starting yelling at the buggy driver to, well, I presume back up. Horse and carriages do NOT back up, which did not deter her in the least.
The owner of the bar and other locals gathered around her, the car, and driver, and tried to reason with her. It was quite the crowd giving their opinions. Meanwhile the horse was not the least bit flustered, just standing there. The buggy driver (not sure that’s the technical name, but what do I know?). Finally the driver and passenger relented and backed the car up. The horse/buggy went on their way, and the entertainment was over.
The Best Spanish Soup
People who don’t know about Salmorejo don’t know what they are missing. It’s better than Gazpacho. Carol makes it, which means we don’t just have to have it when we’re in Spain. If you’ve never had it, you have to try it in Spain!
The Go-To Guy For Spain
If you are interested traveling to Spain, a must follow is my friend Nick O'Brien. Oh, we’ve never met, but hope that will change. Nick is an American who, after college moved to Spain to teach English and absolutely fell in love with the country. His threads about different regions, food, history, and more are amazing. Absolutely fantastic – follow him on Twitter: @NickLovesSpain. He’s a prolific poster and a VERY interesting fellow and follow.
A Record Setting Clam Meal
At our dinner at a locals tapas bar in Cadiz, I ate 43 clams. Sure, they were coquina clams (also called tellines) , the smallest clams I’ve ever seen, but can you claim to have eaten 43 clams in one sitting? Didn’t think so.
What’s Happened To Padron Peppers?
Padron Peppers are famed for the game of Padron Roulette – about one in every ten to a dozen are incredibly spicy, while the rest are just good eating. We had three orders of Padron Peppers this trip, and did not get a single spicy one. I’m hopeful it’s just early in the season instead of a result of climate change.
Spanish Pedestrians In The USA
Spain, like everywhere we’ve been in Europe, has a much more pedestrian-friendly culture than in America. Once again, we saw many cars come to a quick halt because pedestrians would cross at a zebra (stripes across the road indicating a pedestrian crossing) as the cars were barreling along.
In the US cars are supposed to give way to pedestrians at the handful of pedestrian crossings, but its not ingrained, so I always wait as the first three or four cars that would have run me over go past before stepping out.
I shudder to think about how many Spanish pedestrians (not just Spanish, but European peds) step out and get smushed like a crushed grape by American vehicles.
Speaking of Driving. . .Something I’ve Never Seen Before
In some towns/cities on separated four lane roads (two in both directions), the right lane is 30 kilometers per hour while the left lane is 50 kph. Wait, what? And I saw it enough that it wasn’t just a weird one off. Instead, it’s a weird many off.
Bond, James Bond
We walked past the pretty La Caleta Beach in Cadiz a couple of times. It was too cold and windy for anyone to be out on the beach, but it’s still noteworthy as the location for beach scenes in the James Bond classic “Die Another Day.” (Let’s face it, nearly every Bond film is a classic!)
Editor: Which Bond films aren’t classics? Writer: Hmmm. . .let me think about that. Oh, there’s that one the actor who only did one Bond film. Carol and I tried watching it one night and gave up because it couldn’t suck enough. Editor: Any others? Writer: (Playing the Bond theme in his head:) No.
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