Tetouan

Morocco

May 5, 2013

Buenos días a todos,

From the congested hillside city of Tetouan in northwest Morocco, I drive north through rolling farmlands to the Mediterranean coast.  My goal for the day:  Lunch in Spain! 

No, I will not ride a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar to Algeciras.  No, I will not fly to Majorca.  Nevertheless, I expect to achieve my goal.   

Aventura, Florida

December 3, 2002

Hello,

This past summer I read a travel article about Spain called “Extremadura, a land of rugged beauty.”  My wife, Alice, and I had been to Spain twice before: Barcelona, Madrid, and Burgos in the summer of 1967. Then  Seville in the spring of 1970.  Now, on my own, Extremadura in the far west of Spain is enticing. So, I book a flight, a rental car, and my first night. 

I arrive in Madrid on Friday morning, November 22, pick up the car, and head west to Extremadura—“a land of rugged beauty and the home of the conquistadors, Pizzaro and Cortés.”  My destination is the city of Cáceres, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Got your atlas handy?

Madrid

Spain 

Saturday 

November 30, 2002

Sunny and Cool

Dear Family and Friends, 

Saludos de España!

My guest room at the Sofitel Hotel is handsomely decorated with solid walnut furniture and gentle gold, brown, and mint green pastel accents. First Class all the way!

I am sipping an agua minerale con gas from the mini-bar.

Today I relax. I am tired from my travels.

My flight from Madrid to Miami on Saturday was oversold so I “volunteered” to fly tomorrow.  Business Class! I thought “volunteering” was unpaid. You would be shocked to know, in their desperation, how much the airline “paid" me. A three-figure voucher!  Plus, I am overnight in this four-star hotel, enjoying three lovely meals, all courtesy of American Airlines. Though I think I do have to pay for the mini-bar refreshments.

For today’s lunch, I choose a colorful salad of sliced codfish and chopped vegetables with that heavy Spanish olive oil I love. My second course is grilled swordfish with roasted potatoes and red peppers, y una cerveza también. Creamy fruit tart and café con leche for dessert.

I know my choices are a little redundant, but the alternatives are meat ravioli or roast pork.

After lunch, I take a walk and sit in a little park to think about the meaning of life. Then my siesta. Dinner is a Grand Buffet!

Lunch here begins at 2:00, and dinner no earlier than 9:00. Despite this traditional schedule, Spain is a thoroughly modern country.