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Publisher Ed Avis, the sweet Joselina, and Editor Kathy Furore in Bar Universal in Barcelona.
Publisher Ed Avis and I recently returned from a month-long working vacation in Spain. It was a fantastic trip, full of visits to myriad restaurants and beautiful, historic sites in Barcelona, Madrid and Málaga.
But the most memorable parts of our adventure had less to do with touristy excursions and delicious food, and more to do with the people we met along our journey: sweet Joselina, who served us our first dinner of tapas and wine at Bar Universal in Barcelona and remembered us every time we stopped in for a drink; Elena and Juan, owners of the small neighborhood newsstand Ed visited every morning to buy the local paper and to chat with the kind couple he considered his newfound friends; Elias, the charming host of our paella cooking class, who took us from a tour of the famous La Boqueria Market to his lovely apartment overlooking Las Ramblas, where we helped prepare and then feasted on the traditional dish of Spain; and Martin, the interesting, talented artist who taught us the art of mosaic-making in his light- and art-filled home studio.
And then there were all of the others, people whose nameswe never knew, who so kindly helped us navigate everything from directions to dinner menus. No one expected us to speak Spanish or Catalan, (although we always tried, Ed faring far bet- ter than I), and in most businesses, employees almost always asked if we wanted information and menus in English, Spanish or Catalan. And we never once experienced even a hint of the anti-tourist sentiment we’d been warned to expect.
The month was a lesson in life that I won’t soon forget — one so important to learn, especially in the divided times we’re living in: No matter the country we came from, the country we live in, the business we’re employed in, or the language we speak, every one of us deserves to be treated with the same kindness we found in Spain.
For more about the food portion of our adventure, click here.
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