Spanish Friends: THE HORNS OF PAMPLONA,
IS HE BOLD ENOUGH TO RUN WITH THE BULLS?
The skies are overcast on this July morning as I make my way through a thick crowd of people on Calle Santo Domingo. I am searching for my new Spanish friends, but everyone here looks the same -- white shirt and pants, red neckerchief, sneakers -- and for a moment I begin to think I am on my own. Alone among all these faces.But I find them, and now I know this crazy thing might really happen. I am standing in the street where I will soon be running for my life, holding a rolled-up...
Spanish Friends: A LITTLE BIT OF SPAIN AT YOUR TABLE
When Carmina Abramson is invited to someone's home, she usually brings some form of tapa she grew up eating in Spain. Now married to an American, Abramson thinks that tapas are a way to introduce friends to her native culture. She does the same when she entertains Spanish friends. "When we get together, it makes us feel closer, more connected," says the Newton resident, who moved from Madrid seven years ago.Tapas were first introduced here in the 1980s,...
Spanish Friends: We've Caught Up To Franco's Spain
From watching television, I see ``El Gordo'' has come back to haunt me. In 1965 and 1966, I spent a school year living and studying in Barcelona.Francisco Franco, the fascist dictator who gained power in 1939, was still in power. For all of my Spanish friends, the pressing question of the day was when he would die and free the country from his tight control. (He lived another decade.) The other pressing question was how many tickets of the Christmas lottery --...
Spanish Friends: ALL CULTURES NEED A SOCIAL GLUE
Not long ago, my youngest brother spent a year of college in Spain. Over the Christmas break he and some of his Spanish friends took a trip to Germany.When they entered the Berlin subway, they were startled to discover that the payment of fares was handled by an honor system. To the Spaniards, the practical significance of this was clear: Riding the subway was free. My aunt is a classical guitarist, and a lifelong resident of Mexico City.While on a concert tour of Europe she got off a...
Spanish Friends: YEARS IN MADRID WERE TRULY HEAVENLY
If you know me, you've heard me rave about the three years (1956-59) I lived in Madrid, Spain. It's been almost six years since my last visit, so I'm hoping to fly over soon. Por eso, vaya conmigo hasta al cielo, Madrid. (I've forgotten most of my Spanish, but I'm trying to say "come with me to heaven, Madrid.") Spanish friends said Madrid was heaven on earth. True! I thought I'd return to live there...