Marijke Hezeman sampled Spanish cuisine on a recent trip to Europe.
I travelled around Spain with a railpass, which gave me great freedom. The Spanish people have a lot of celebrations and it seemed like there was some sort of procession or event on at most towns I visited. I had heard before I arrived that most people don’t have dinner till very late and still have their siesta every day. And it’s true! Villages just shut down in the early afternoon and everything is closed till about 4 or 5 pm when the towns become alive again. Even I got used to having a little siesta every day!
I shouldn’t forget to mention the tapas - can you believe that there are still places where you get free tapas when you order a drink? Tapas is like a snack - little portions of all sorts of things, the most popular being prawns, calamari, potatoes in a spicy tomato-based sauce (patatas bravas), sausages, tortilla (like an omelette) and everything with ham. It’s very easy to eat way too much as of course you have to try all the different ones!
One very big cultural event, and what Spain is famous for, is bullfighting. I went to see one in Seville, but with mixed emotions. It seemed like the whole town came out for this event ... all the ladies were beautifully dressed up and of course holding the trademark Spanish fan to get some cool air in the sweltering 40+ degrees. I also really enjoyed the Flamenco dancing that we saw in one of the local bars; it’s a very impressive dance and I’m glad I saw the real thing and not ones of those tourist shows. Even the cute little toddlers were joining in!
Of course, there is a heap of history in Spain. I visited the famous Prado Museum in Madrid and the Alhambra in Grenada. There is so much to see and do in Spain and unfortunately my trip was very short. But I had a good taste of the country and I will definitely go back one day (if only to taste the tapas again)!
