Spain in the 1990s

After my first backpacking experience – hitchhiking around Western Europe in 1991 – I decided to go beyond initial places and in 1992 toured Europe with Interrail train ticket. After crossing Italy and France, my first real destination was Spain: Barcelona, Sevilla and Madrid. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos from that time and my impressions were not written into a diary on time. Nevertheless, the most important moments from those times will be in my memory forever.

My main objective to visit Sevilla, was the Expo exhibition 1992. One of the biggest events in Europe that year, beside the Olympic games in Barcelona, attracted visitors from all over the world. As always on Expo, numerous countries prepared their pavilions to promote or present the country’s attractions, innovations, policies and customs. The theme for the expo was The Age of Discovery, celebrating the 500^th anniversary of Christopher Columbus reaching the Americas after launching from Seville’s port.

Over 100 countries were represented. Some of the most outstanding and creative pavilions structures were: Japan – the world’s largest wooden structure, Morocco – re-creation of a Moroccan Palace-Mansion, and Spain with the modernistic cube and sphere of the flagship.

The summer heat was intense, but I didn’t mind at all, because I was thrilled to experience this kind of event for the first time. With a tight budget, I stored my backpack in a train station locker and spent the day exploring the Expo and Sevilla downtown. At night, I found a quiet spot in a park or a peaceful area where I could comfortably sleep in my sleeping bag without having to pay for accommodation.

Generally, during this trip around Western Europe, I preferred to travel by overnight trains, which helped me avoid sleeping fees, while I spent my days wandering around cities.

Another interesting situation was my planning of daily activities. Since I didn’t know much about the important sights, my initial stop in a new location was usually a tobacconist. There, I would check out postcards to discover the main attractions, which I would then visit.

The 1992 Games in Barcelona were perhaps the most-successful modern Olympics. Almost 10,000 athletes representing 169 countries participated. After the Cold War came to an end and the Iron Curtain was lifted, for the first time in three decades, there was no boycott.

I traveled to Barcelona prior to the Olympic games, when prices were still reasonable and the city hadn’t yet been overrun by large crowds of sports enthusiasts.

Barcelona is packed with attractions and landmarks, making it tough to see all the highlights in just three days, which were available in my itinerary. Upon arriving by train at the bustling Barcelona Sants Station, I found a locker room and took advantage of the nearby Parc de l’Espanya to save on accommodation costs for the nights. Each day, I enjoyed affordable pizza or paella at local spots off the Ramblas, right in the heart of downtown. This lively area is filled with artists, entertainers, restaurants, bars, and vendors, all eager to do business with many foreign visitors who pass through. La Rambla boulevard stretches from Plaça de Catalunya to the Christopher Columbus Monument, divided into several sections with its distinct characters.

Columbus Monument was constructed in 1888 for the Barcelona Universal Exposition, commemorating Christopher Columbus’s first voyage to the Americas. The monument is located at the spot where Columbus apparently returned to Barcelona after his historic voyage in 1493.

In Barcelona, and in general, I visited most of the attraction from outside and left the detailed interior exploration for later visits, which occurred in 2004.

Barcelona is renowned for its distinctive modernist architecture, spearheaded by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí. The Sagrada Familia and Gaudi’s other remarkable buildings (12 in total) really left a lasting impression on me. His exceptional and outstanding creativity at the beginning of the 20^th century deeply marked the Catalonian capital. He managed to incorporate his particular modernist style in the unique way of life and local environment. His work is so distinctive and unlike anything else in the area.

The Sagrada Familia is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world.

The construction begun in 1882 and more than 100 years later the unique structure combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms is not finished yet. And it won’t be soon either.

If at the time of Gaudi’s death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was completed, it is a paradox, that the cathedral is not finished yet in 1992. The design of Sagrada Familia is inspired on nature, with interior pillars that mimic the appearance of trees. When I was standing inside and looked up, I noticed that the shapes of pillars transform, just like the branches of trees.

I am listing some other unique works of Antoni Gaudí, which called my laic attention:

Casa Batlló features a surreal facade, decorated with vibrant mosaic tiles, flowing shapes, and natural motifs.

Located on Carmel Hill, a charming public Park Güell features colorful mosaics, elegant curves and columns. Combined with playful mosaic sculptures, one of the largest green spaces and network of trails in Barcelona is also a great cultural experience.

Casa Milà masterfully combines natural elements to create a living space that is not only beautiful, but also functional. Unique undulating stone facade, artistic wrought-iron balconies and imaginative sculptures on the rooftop are just some of the highlights that impressed me.

I learned about the rich history of FB Barcelona at Camp Nou Stadium with a capacity for over 100,000 spectators; it is one of the largest football stadiums in the world. Its motto Més que un club – More than a club, has become a symbol of Catalan culture, which goes much further than football.

I walked through the Montjuïc gardens up to another symbol of the city, the historic fortress of Montjuïc Castle, situated atop Montjuïc hill, overlooking the city and the Mediterranean Sea. Originally built in the 17^th century and rebuilt in the 18^th century the castle has served different purposes: as a military fortress, a prison, and as strategic lookout point, which is its main feature also today.

One more captivating site in Barcelona is Arc de Triomf, which closely resembles Arc de Triomphe, the iconic Paris landmark. This arch is a remarkable example of Catalan modernism, built in 1888.

If the Neoclassical style of the French Arc pays tribute to French soldiers, the Spanish arch is built from bricks and highlights the importance of agriculture and industry.

The heat in Madrid was intense, with temperatures exceeding 40°C. I walked a lot, frequently searching for shade during the hottest part of the day when most Madrileños sought refuge from the sun. The capital of Spain has a different vibe than Barcelona and it is strongly marked by the royal buildings and historic architecture. Barcelona tends to be more laid-back and relaxed, reflecting the influence of its coastal setting and a leisurely lifestyle. Madrid’s architecture reflects a mix of Renaissance, Baroque and neoclassical influences, offering a rich mix of styles.

Madrid is larger than Barcelona; it features a more diverse architectural landscape, combining historic structures like the Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor with contemporary buildings like Cuatro Torres Business Area.

If Barcelona, as the capital of Catalonia, holds a strong sense of regional pride and identity, Madrid embodies a more centralized Spanish character, diversity and fusion of various Spanish regions. The city is known for lively nightlife, traditional tapas culture and world-class art museums like the Prado and Reina Sofia.

The Plaza Mayor is a major public space in the heart of Madrid, once the center of Old Madrid. This symbol of the city was officially opened in 1620. Its rectangular shape, lined with pillars and arches has been the setting for many public events, such as bullfighting, processions, executions, etc. I avoided overpriced bars and touristic restaurants on the account of simply walking around and appreciating the colorful buildings.

The largest palace in Western Europe and one of the largest in the world, The Royal Palace of Madrid with 3,418 rooms is no longer the royal family’s home, but it continues to be their official residence.

The Royal Palace, which was earlier a Moorish Alcazar, was completely destroyed by an accidental fire on Christmas Eve in 1734; it took 18 years to build the new one. The palace, which draws inspiration from Bernini’s sketches for the Louvre museum in Paris, is designed in a square shape and overlooks a spacious courtyard. During the visit, I walked around some of the rooms, observing lavish interiors and its superb collection of paintings and antiquities, which reach the climax in The throne room.

A green oasis in the heart of the city, El Retiro park, is dotted with monuments and gardens, which offered me a great opportunity for a stroll, watching people practicing jogging and rowing boats on artificial lake.

Gran Vía is famous for its vibrant nightlife, often referred to as the street that never sleeps. It’s home to some of the most iconic buildings in the country, restaurants, bars, design & clothing stores, cinemas and theatres. Quite a change from the original name, Avenida de Russia.

There are many other landmarks that I visited during long walks around the capital; from Puerta del Sol, to Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where Real Madrid plays football matches. Tasting tapas at Mercado de San Miguel was an exquisite experience, although this eating venue might have turned to touristic and overpriced for my taste. I chose not to watch bullfighting events, since I strongly oppose violence against animals. Nevertheless, I wandered around the Plaza de Toros and could hear the enthusiastic cheers from inside when the torero showcased his dominance over the manipulated animal, which never had a fair opportunity to fight against the supreme human being.

While studying in London in 1993, I made a closer connection with Javier, a Spanish guy from Alicante. We visited Scotland together over the long weekend and mingling outside of school hours. We were interchanging letters on a distance even after separating our ways and returning home.

Since my ultimate goal was to travel to Latin America, I was very keen on learning Spanish and I asked him about a possibility to spend a summer in Alicante, studying Spanish and staying with him to practice it more intensely.

In accordance with his family I was offered hospitality and food in August 1994 in Alicante. We quickly found a Spanish school, where I was attending classes on a daily basis. A multilingual teacher had a specific, individual approach, explaining and talking to each student for 10 to 15 minutes, giving them homework and later, while I was doing the exercises, he was attending another student. 3 to 4 of us were switching, learning Spanish, English and French. This teacher was one of the most efficient teachers I have learned from.

Although Spanish is not the most challenging language in the world, communicating with people on the street was a completely different story.

Even after a month and a half I was not able to understand much, since strong accent, fast speaking and multiple unknown words were too demanding for my level of Spanish.

Javier’s mother is a great cook. She took care of me to never get hungry, while his dad was driving me from the summer residence on the beach of Arenales del Sol to the school. He couldn’t speak any words in English, but he was the most patient Spanish speaking person, teaching me new words, listening to my limited vocabulary and focusing on proper pronunciation. During the week, Javier was serving military service, on weekends we would do different trips in the area or just having fun on the beach.

I received one of the most important lessons of my life, when listening to Javier’s father, who used to say: “There are people who live to work and there are people who work to live! We work only enough to enjoy life.” I didn’t understand the meaning of this phrase immediately, but sometime later I realized what was the point. To these days I try to live this way and I think, I have been doing well.

Balancing work and personal life can sometimes be difficult, but Spanish people know how to do it. Especially along the coast.

Later, I realized that the whole Mediterranean Europe has similar attitude, for a contrast from mainland and northern parts, where work could easily be designated as the main priority.

PS: The photos of Alicante are courtesy of Javier G.C.

My first job position was as an apprentice, graduated from economics, after My Big American Tour. I was the only person speaking Spanish in a Slovenian manufacturer of agricultural machines, specialized for cutting, mowing and grassland harvesting systems.

My job was to find new distributers in Spain and sell the machines to the market, where the company saw the potential, but had never managed to realized it.

After the initial contacts and selling some samples, I received emergency calls from a new distributor, complaining that our machines didn’t cut the grass according to the expectation and they simply stopped working, when the load was too heavy.

I organized a trip to Oviedo and Galicia, where I would first hold commercial negotiations and later also visit the area, where the machines were underperforming. I would be accompanied by an experienced technician from Slovenian factory.

I arrived to a hotel in Oviedo, where I was picked by a local distributor. We discussed business in the office and later continued in a local restaurant. Dinner in Spain usually starts late (10:00pm) and doesn’t finish before midnight. We continued drinking and making plans to invade the Spanish market with red mowers, tedders and rakes, produced in Slovenia. The food was delicious, jars of sangria were being drained rapidly, until we finally decided to go back to the hotel.

The next morning, I checked-out from my room and descended to the hotel reception.

“Anything from the minibar, Mister?”, was the question from the receptionist.

“What do you mean?”, I answered surprised, since I had no previous experience with hotels’ policies on the snacks and drinks that were available in the room.

“Did you drink anything from the fridge or eat any of the snack in the room?”, he tried to be more direct.

I honestly answered: “No drinks, but I ate all the snacks and chocolates!”, since I firmly believed that they were free of charge. I packed them all in my suitcase, but I didn’t dare to admit it.

The receptionist couldn’t believe that I was able to eat a huge selection chocolates, chips and goodies, but I wouldn’t confess that my luggage was fully loaded with overpriced snacks. I had to pay for all of them, but at the end of the trip my employer refunded me all the expenses, including consumption from minibars.

The field visit turned out to be another exciting experience. We stopped in a meadow where the grass towered well over a meter high. As if it had been left to grow for the whole year.

Our technician remarked that he had never encountered grass this tall before in his all professional career.

Sure enough, the first lawnmower we tried only managed to work properly 10 meters before getting stuck in the thick grass.

Next, they brought out the top disc mower from factory portfolio. The tractor operator ventured into the tall grass, but after a short distance, he halted and shook his head in disbelief. Our mechanic stepped in, fiddled with the machine for a couple of minutes, and then waved to the driver to continue mowing. Suddenly, the mower effortlessly sliced through the grass, and the Spanish team erupted in applause. We celebrated late into the night, enjoying food and drinks while making plans for future business expansion.

There are many other places that I visited in Spain, but I haven’t included them in my diaries, because Spain is not just about jumping from one landmark to another one. It is about enjoying the lifestyle and connecting with people.