Back from Spain
Well, that was awesome. No surprise, I'm sure, to those of you who've been to Spain. As for those who haven't: Go. Now. Of particular interest: Montjuïc in Barcelona, Parque del Buen Retiro in Madrid, Toledo (a quick train from Madrid), and the Alhambra in Granada.
As for Tom Friedman-esque reflections on how Spain explains the world, or makes the case for Globalization 3.0, or whathaveyou... well... let's see... Spain is a country that depends to a great extent on a vibrant tourism industry, so naturally there are a lot of beautiful things to see. But, perhaps less naturally, a lot of poor and unemployed people live and work there in cities that, though modern in many respects, aren't really comfortable places unless you're very, very wealthy (or over for a quick vacation). For the significant majority of people--middle class and poor--who don't fall into that category, city life isn't all that glamorous. And the switch to the Euro predictalby made things more difficult. Stuff (with the exception, I found, of olives, paella, and some wines) is expensive! More expensive than in American cities, but the people are, on average, less well off. I'd have to imagine that that's a deterrent to some travelers, as well, which is bad news for the workers whose livelihood depends on those travelers spending money.
And this shows, quite clearly, that under-regulated international trade is awesome, the world is flat, and that the next six months will determine whether we ultimately succeed or fail in Iraq.
Comments
Welcome back. We tried to keep America warm for you while you were gone.
Granada is my favorite place in Spain.
My best memories were the luthiers on the rad heading towards the Alhambra as well as the nighttime walks.
I think I'd second that. Granada is about as charming a place as I've ever been. I additionally had the pleasure (and sometimes aggravation) of being there during Semana Santa, which they celebrate enthusiastically, night after night, with hours-long processions, featuring floats and children dressed (sort of) in KKK costumes. The place was absolutely bursting at the seams.
I think the secret of Americans being able to handle the effects of a truly devalued dollar when traveling in the the EU, Japan (actually almost everywhere), etc. is to wear lots of GOLD, sell it there for EUROS or YEN, and spend like a native. While gold is heavy, soon it will be less of a hassle to ship it from your NY vault than to have to carry shipping trunks of $20.00 bills.
It's probably a mixed blessing that Americans don't travel much outside their country (like most other developed nation's citizens do), because they are mostly shielded by the in-your-face fact that the US Empire is nearly ready for the Visigoths to put an end to our illusions of grandeur.
Did you wear a Canadian maple leaf on your clothes in Spain?
There's a legend that a blind man is asking someone for some change in Granada and the person being asked is implored by someone else that they should give them something, because there is nothing sadder than being blind in Granada. I'm inclined to agree.
I can only imagine what Smeana Santa must be like there.
If I didn't speak Spanish, I'd have been a Canadian imposter
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