Lunch in Barcelona

During my stay in Spain I made sure to try all traditional foods including tapas, tortilla, paella, gazpacho (cold tomato soup), jamon (large slabs of cured pork found hanging from the ceilings of bars and restaurants), grilled fish and rongto.

Jamon hanging from a bar in Seville

My favourite dish was the paella which I ate at the famous restaurant in Barcelona called Sant Pau.  The smell as I walked in was amazing.   The paella is a rice dish prepared with seafood. Of all the foods in Spain, this is the most popular. In this dish, savory yellow rice is combined with tomatoes, onions, peas, shellfish, squid, clams and chicken drumsticks. These ingredients are cooked in a large saucepan over an open fire with olive oil and salt.

My Paella lunch dish

Spanish foods are much different than Australian foods.  The foods here are more traditional and there are some foods that we Australians would think is disgusting, like land snails. Most meals are covered in different sauces and spices like chilli and tomato sauces, syrup and seasoning.  Spanish food is heavily influenced by seafood available fresh from the waters that surround the country.

Mealtimes also differ to those I am used to in Australia and I normally had about 5 meals a day.  A light breakfast of coffee and a pastry is served at 7am.   A mid morning snack of half a sandwich or small tapas is served at 10.30am.  Lunch is the biggest meal of the day consisting of a hot meal which is usually served at 1pm.   Everything typically closes in spain between 2pm and 4pm to allow time for a siesta (sleep!).   Meal number 4 is served at 6.30pm and is a light meal or snack.  The final meal of the day is served as late as 10pm which is a ridiculous time to eat but I had trouble finding a restaurant that would serve me prior to 9pm.

I will certainly miss the flavorsome tastes of Spain when I return to Australia. 

Colourful dresses

As I took a horse and cart ride through the town of Malaga there were plenty of local people shopping and the clothes they were wearing were very traditional and different to what I'm used to.

Many Spanish citizens dress in their traditional wears for festivals and bullfights which include heavy and rich colourful fabrics and gold and silver decorations.

The national dress of Spain is the Trajes de faraleas for the females and traje corto for the males. The Trajes de faraleas is brightly coloured with many layers of ruffles in the skirt and sleeves that swish around as they walk. The traje corto is short jacket worn with highwaisted pants, white shirt, coloured waistband and the notable wide brimmed hat known as the sombrero de alanche.

 

Running of the Bulls and More!

I visited Pamplona where the seven day long San Fermin Festival is held and includes the famous "Running of the Bulls."  I was not brave enough to actually be chased by these beasts but I was very curious and wanted to hear all about it. 

My travel guide, Maitane, informed me that the Encierro (Running of the Bulls) is a yearly event that involves running in front of a small group of bulls that have been let loose, on a course through sectioned off streets of the town.   Runners are dressed in white and red.

Men being chased by the bulls

Among the rules to take part in the event are that participants must be at least 18 years old, run in the same direction as the bulls, not incite the bulls and not be under the influence of alcohol.  The length of the run is approximately 830m and at the end of the run the bulls enter the main bullring where they are featured in an afternoon bullfight. 

Bulls entering the main bullring for the final bullfight

Spain stages more than 3,000 festivals each year but the seven days of bull running are the favourite in terms of spectacle and excitement. 

Another festival which would be awesome to witness is the
"La Tomatina" - Valencia Tomato Fight Festival.  Every year around 30,000 people descent on the Spanish town of Bunol to throw more than 240,000 pounds of tomatoes at each other.

Flamenco

Tonight I attended a tradition Spanish Flamenco show in Seville.   The theatre was decorated with Spanish items including Manila shawles, bullfighting capes and photographs of famous people which created a cosy atmosphere.

The flamenco dancer was accompanied by guitar, clapping and singing. She looked very gypsy like in her bright red dress covered in black polka dots and ruffles.  I could hear the sounds of her castanets as she danced and tapped her feet to the rhythm of the music.

I was captivated by this unique art form and here are some of the pictures I took from the show.

Roles of Men and Women

Since arriving in Spain I have noticed a vast difference in the role of local men & women.  There have been a few occasions where I have witnessed men acting superior to women.  I was on a train traveling to the countryside and saw that women were expected to offer their seats up to men. On another occasion during a tour of a quaint museum I witnessed an elderly man speaking rudely to a group of girls.  When they complained to the tour guide she gave them an insight to the past roles of women and how they have changed dramatically throughout history.

The Spanish dictator, General Francisco Franco, influenced the role of women during his time of rule from 1939 to 1975.  He essentially closed spanish women off from society and the rest of the world.  Married women were not permitted to have a job.  They couldn't even open a bank account, apply for a passport or sign a contract without her husband's 
permission.  The  role of the spanish woman was simply to be a housewife and mother.

Luckily since Franco's death women eventually gained their independence.  They began to go to work and more importantly receive an education. They even became involved politics.  In fact today, there are more women than men in the Spanish cabinet.

Spanish prime minister José Zapatero with his women cabinet ministers

I guess the elderly man berating the girls at the museum still lives in the past!



 

My visit to the Cathedral

Today I visted the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.  What an amazing building. The cathedral is the reputed burial place of Saint James the Greater, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ.  This cathedral was simply huge and was more like a castle! I just had to learn more of its history so went along with a tour group.

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

It was explained that Catholicism is the largest denomination of Christianity in Spain. Approximately 71% of spainish people are Catholics.  However, over time and due to the recent waves of immigration, the number of Muslims have increased and Islam is now the second most popular religion in Spain.  Interestingly enough, most Spaniards do not participate regularly in religious worship and most, especially those of the younger generation, choose to ignore the Catholic teachings in morals, politics and sexuality.

Inside the Cathedral

Spain has a wealth of historic churches and cathedrals, many in desperate need of restoration, including this beautiful Cathedral which is one of the most important holy places in Christendom and a place of pilgrimage since the ninth century.

As I  found out, it is very important to dress appropriately to enter a  place of worship.  If wearing shorts, a vest or have bare feet, you won't be admitted.  I noticed women who were refused entry whilst they were wearing short skirts.