Renfe Fast Train to Madrid
Trip Start
Apr 27, 2008
1
24
27
Trip End
Jun 05, 2008
Madrid,
Spain
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Some things have become obvious to us as we travel Spain and they are:
-The big cities lure us; they are full of excitement, beautiful and broad walking streets, mimes, music-makers (even combos), and brim-full of culture. There is never enough time to take it all in, but that doesn't stop us from trying!
-Spain is clean. There are cleaning people in every town, large or small, on duty at most times of the day. Thatīs a good thing. Being a Virgo, I have to mention a lot, don't I?
-Spain recycles. There are containers for glass and plastics everywhere. Paper is recycled but I didn't see any public receptacles
We're in Madrid, city of parks!
.-Spaniards have cell phones, surely. But, unlike the Milan of 15 years ago when Dick and I saw the Milanese with their phones glued to their ear at all times, few Spaniards talk and walk, walk and talk. You hear me.
-The women of Spain have slimmed down in the South. More svelt, much more stylish (in a Spanish sense), more contemporary!
-We have come full circle as we near the end of our trip. ETA, the Basque separatist group which uses violence to get its point across, strikes twice while we are in Spain. The leader is arrested. When Franco was in power, he forbade the Basques from speaking their own language, Euskadi, among other forbidden activities. They never want to be a part of Spain.
-Spain is made up of 17 autonimous regions. Each one is as different, or moreso, as the states of the U.S. Character, traditions, history, sympathies, and maybe even language (completely different, not just a different dialect). But remember, everyone must speak el castellano, whether they want to or not.
-In the south, Andalucia and Extremadura, there are olive trees as far as the eye can see. And this is no small bird's eye view! Mostly old and gnarled with huge trunks, some newly-planted. It looks like they pollard them as they do most all trees here. Pollard: "To cut back a tree nearly to the trunk to produce a dense mass of branches".
...and wonderful structures.
That's exactly what the trees look like--a rather large person on a bad hair day. We didn't see any cork trees here like we did in the north. I have been looking for them as my students used to give cultural reports in class, many on the Spanish cork tree. One student, Brach, informed me that there are cork trees in Northern California, too! See how students can teach us, too?-So many of the Spanish streets being very narrow, many cars have retractable side mirros. Cool, as our granddaughter, Catania, would say.
As we near the end of the trip, we head to Madrid via one of their fast trains, Renfe. It is a lovely morning as we whiz by agricultural fields, farm houses, small towns, olive trees and ADC. (The "c" stands for church, cathedral or castle.) Lucky for Sue, a Spaniard has the seat (not SEAT) directly across from her! Interview time. He (who I will call Juan) described the flora and fauna, answered agricultural questions, and then went in for the kill! The USA. He had little to say that anyone could interpret as complementary. Bush didn't sign the Kyoto protocol; the USA thinks it can dictate to the world, that it is above other countries, etc. How could I take offense the way we feel about Bush and the mess he has gotten us in? However, I had the feeling that Juan doesn't really understand the USA, as I am sure we don't understand Spain
The welcoming gates
. Juan is a governmental worker for Granada and was headed to the international meeting on water (lack of...) in Zaragosa. Barcelona is begging for water; Galicia is inundated. How to resolve the issue? It is a question bigger than Spain and most of us.-I am thankful for these conversations, for getting to know a wee bit who the Spaniards are.
Conserve water. Take shorter showers. Don't allow the faucet to run while washing dishes, etc. Don't water lawns or even plant them in the first place. We must all be a part of the solution. But, I am wandering. Next up: Madrid, the capital! Last up: Home!
Ciao, Dick and Sue
