Que viva España

From Portugal we push on towards Spain, crossing the Meseta, miles and miles of nothing with bulls grazing happily and OSBORNE wine billboards. A stop at a modern motorway service area to eat a bit and taste the Aguila beer, very popular in the Iberian land, and then we go on. We arrive in Madrid around 19:00 for a so-called 'technical stop', since the real stay is in Lloret. So of the beautiful capital we can only see something in passing, trying to capture everything with our eyes, our mind and the camera, in expectation of a return that for the moment has not yet happened... Madrid is certainly magnificent: we go from the Prado, the park, the fine buildings of the Gran Vía that overlook the hotel we chose a stone's throw from the (later sadly) famous Atocha station, large and modern, an arena, the Bernabéu stadium that saw Italy victorious at the 1982 World Cup.

In the hotel the television reminds us that globalisation is under way, because on La Cinco, the Spanish twin of Canale 5, they broadcast the equivalent of a food programme. But this is not the moment to watch TV! We go out with our sunglasses on (even though it's almost 20:30) to stroll near the station. We get back late, and the following day, early in the morning, another long drive to Lloret. What can I say about Lloret? One of the pearls of the Costa Brava, invaded by Dutch, French and of course Italian tourists (I even meet a guy who lives near my house!!!), long beaches and hotels strictly with pool and self-service: you queue up in front of the dishes with your tray to choose what to eat, full of discos. Our hotel is a bit out of town; you have to take the bus or walk a long way to reach the beach and the promenades, but it's worth it because the area is quiet.

Opposite there is an arena and alas, since bullfights are held on Thursdays and Sundays, the next day there's bull on the menu!!!!! Among the excursions of the stay in Lloret: by hydrofoil to Tossa de Mar and a morning shopping in Barcelona. Here too the visit is meagre: the Ramblas, a glance and a photo of Gaudí's Sagrada Família, the Pedrera by the same extravagant architect, the monument to Christopher Columbus, the port. In the evening in Lloret P.R.s of every nationality and colour sell tickets for the discos. We go too, but we end up in a small, ramshackle disco with a very talkative barman of Algerian origin. A pity we only stayed a few days, but then two years later I came back, thank goodness! I really recommend the Costa Brava!!!