We arrived back from Spain at 11:30pm. The booked taxi did turn up and we careered through the Yorkshire countryside, rolling around in the back seat. We fell 23 degrees C in three hours, down to a welcome of three miserly degrees above freezing. Why are butchers always cheery? As I brought a couple of …
Author Archives: Salatheel
Private smiles
Smiles, it seems are a cultural thing. The Spanish do not indulge in the habit where strangers are concerned. Brits and Aussies bestow them fairly liberally, I suppose it’s a mixture of politeness and signalling non-aggressive intent. My smiles are automatic, but were rarely returned in Spain. From an outsider’s perspective the Spanish are a …
Undies require two pegs
It is always interesting to go to foreign lands and see their domestic arrangements. For instance, how can life proceed without a kettle? Hairdryers and irons are always found, but kettles rarely. Now we are in Madrid, this is big city living and we are the proud possessors of both a kettle and a bath. …
Moorish is moreish
Cordoba has always been a melting pot and today is no different. We wander through streets thick with milling tourists, and for the first time we have struck gold with the marketing opportunities. Tacky tourist shops line the narrow streets. Tiles and dolls, frocks and leather vie for attention. All very expensive and very, very …
The Rain in Spain
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. Except that today it fell mainly on us and we were in the hills. Hornachuelos, the gateway to the Sierra Morena. What name could me more enticing and more Spanish? It perches on a ridge formed by two ravines. In the time of my novel, it …
Pining
So we have arrived in Cordoba. What a difference the sun makes, the clouds are covering the sky from horizon to horizon, and the Guadalquivir river is brown. So we are playing spoilt children and pining for sunny Seville. My friend sets off to do some shopping, just a few things: bread and salad. But …
Salatheel 