I spent two weeks vacationing throughout Spain and just came back to the U.S.

I’d like to share some of my impressions of the country for friends who have never visited España or for those who may want to explore this part of the Iberian Peninsula.

But first, a disclosure.

I did not want to visit Spain.  As a Cuban-American who is very nationalistic, I resented the killing of the Cuban patriots like Martí, Maceo, Céspedes, and Agramonte when Cuba fought its War of Independence against Spain in the 19^th century.   This goes back in history, I acknowledge that.  But Spain has been one of the European countries that has invested heavily in Communist Cuba in the 20^th and 21^st centuries – business ventures that help prolong the suffering of Cubans and which are accessible only to those with foreign currencies. 

But I had to deal with an ultimatum that my wife gave me: “I’m going to Spain with you or without you.”  Well, I’m a sensible man who did not want to run the risk of my wife meeting a Don Quijote de la Mancha or an Antonio Banderas — and forgetting that I was still an inhabitant of Planet Earth.

I’m glad that I followed my wife’s advice.  I loved Spain.  Spaniards were a lot of fun to have around and were very courteous. 

In fact, I learned that a lot of what Cubans are like have their origins in Spain. Take for example the Spanish spoken by Cubans.  Words that are common in the Cuban vocabulary, I found them used in Spain: timbiriche (a small business establishment), botica (a pharmacy), atolondrada (a scatter-brained person), torreja (a Cuban French toast), tocino del cielo (a baked egg and caramel dessert).

And it’s a must when serving breakfast to Cubans to provide “churros con chocolate.” And being related on my mother’s “Cepeda” side to the Catholic Saint Teresa of Jesus, I made it a point to visit Ávila – where she was from. I was also pleasantly surprised that there was a traditional Spanish cake in Segovia with a name close to my Ponce surname: “Ponche Segoviano” – a layer cake that looks like a big rectangle of custard and marzipan that are topped with caramelized sugar, and which is decorated with a criss-cross design. It brought back memories when our son was very young and would call his grandfather “Ponche Ponche.”

Spain has been ruled by many conquerors throughout its history: Iberians, Celts, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors (Arabs).  Therefore, you will find Spaniards with different physical appearances and ethnicities in today’s Spain.  When the Catholic monarchs – Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand – defeated and expelled the last bastion of Moors territory in Granada in 1492, the Kingdom of Spain was created.  Jews were given the option to convert to Catholicism or face deportation. 

The Catholic Church played a very important role with the Spanish rulers.  The opulent altars and chapels in most Spanish churches were bankrolled with royal funds and those donated by aristocratic families.  When reading about the death-sentences issued by the Spanish Inquisition with the support of the Spanish rulers, I got a better appreciation for the soundness of the separation of church and state in the U.S. Constitution.

Most of the Catholic cathedrals and churches were built on top of the Muslim mosques after 1492.  The beautiful Mesquita of Córdoba is the exception — as a Catholic cathedral was built inside the Mesquita.  From an aesthetic and architectural perspective, I was more impressed with the Mesquita than with the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul, Turkiye. The latter was at one time a Greek-Orthodox cathedral, then a museum, and a mosque after President Erdogan converted it to a mosque in 2020.  When visiting it, I was upset that the Muslims had removed or covered up all vestiges of Christian frescoes or sculptures.  Upon visiting Spain now, I found out that the Catholics were no different than the Muslims in this regard. The saying that power corrupts is very true.

One of the many things that bothered me when my family emigrated to the United States is that the Cuban authorities forced them to turn over all their personal belongings and properties to the Cuban Government without offering any compensation. In my opinion, this is the equivalent of highway robbery! But the Christian authorities in Spain did the same thing with the Jews.  Those who did not convert to Catholicism were deported and their personal belongings and properties were turned over to the Spanish crown without offering any compensation to pay for the Reconquista of the Moors in 1492. 

One of the main cultural sites in Valencia is the City of Arts and Sciences – an entertainment-based complex designed by architect Santiago Calatrava – who followed the architectural designs of Antoni Gaudi (the famous architect who designed the famous La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona).  Talking about a beautiful modern design, this complex is unique.  While the local tour guide mentioned an upcoming concert in this complex of “reggaeton” music, he made a comment that resonated with me deeply.  He said that this type of music gave him a headache! I agree that it is an abomination to use “music” with “reggaeton.”

When asking around for the most popular dinner entrée, many suggested “paella” – while others pointed out that the one made in Valencia was the best one.  Thus, when I was at a restaurant in Málaga, I asked the waiter to describe what was in this paella.  To my great surprise, he indicated that it was made with rabbit and chicken.  Come on! – I said, as the paella that I was used to eating in Cuba came only with seafood.  The waiter said that I could order a “seafood” paella – but he clarified that the shrimp on it came with the shell and head.  This was totally unacceptable, as I don’t like to dirty my hands when eating dinner.  Finally, he said that what I should order was the “pelada” paella (with all the seafood served without the shells or heads).  I took his advice, and loved it.

But make no mistake about it.  Spain has some of the best restaurants in the world per the 2024 list compiled by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy — with “Disfrutar” in Barcelona being ranked number 1, and Asador Etxebarri in the Basque Country ranked no. 2. You just have to know what you are ordering and their prices.

One of the most popular fish on the menus is “hake” or “merluza.” I remembered when the Soviet Union shipped merluzas when I lived in Cuba to relieve the food shortages, and Cubans were not impressed with them.  After looking at what they looked like at the San Miguel Market in Madrid (they look like eels) and having a tourist offer me a sample of one (too fishy taste), I stayed away from them.

American writer Ernest Hemingway popularized bullfighting to his readers in his novel “The Sun Also Rises.” The Festival of San Fermin in Pamplona with the running of the bulls are highlighted in the novel.  Hemingway idolizes the matador as an individual who confronts the existential challenge of death – which he vanquishes only if he kills the bull. He views the bullring favorably as a war with precise rules as opposed to the messiness of the real war where everything goes.  While I don’t think that I would spend my time in a bullring, who I am to judge a long-lasting Spanish tradition.

I’ve often heard about “The Camino de Santiago” when I visited France, and now when I was in Spain.  Someone explained to me that it was a pilgrimage leading to the shrine in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia where one of Christ’s apostles was buried.  However, I had difficulty in figuring out whether Christ had an apostle with the name of Santiago.  I did not know of any. Upon further research, I found out that this Santiago was no other than the Apostle James.

I insisted on visiting the Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen) near Madrid – the monument ordered by Generalisimo Francisco Franco to be constructed between 1940-1958 to honor the Republican and Nationalist victims of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). It’s ironic that Spaniards who fought for the socialists were called “Republicans,” while the nationalists were the conservatives and traditionalists.  While the site was used as Franco’s burial place after his death in November 1975, his remains were exhumed on October 24, 2019 by the socialist government.  When I stopped by the gift shop to purchase a book on the history of this monument, the sales clerk informed me that the socialist Spanish Government had banned the sale of “all” books related to this monument.  I responded that the Spanish socialists would not be able to ban my purchasing a book from the Amazon portal after returning to the United States. I refuse to allow any person or any government to prevent me from becoming more educated on any subject.  I don’t let anyone or any group do the thinking for me. This incident should serve as a reminder that censorship is a weapon that “all” socialist governments have in their arsenals. 

There were many reasons why Spain was late in joining the Industrial Revolution.  Key among these was the political instability throughout the 19^th and 20^th centuries triggered by civil wars, revolutions, and changes in government which hampered an adequate environment for investment and industrialization.  All this instability also caused a mass exodus of workers to other industrialized nations like England, France, and Germany – as well as to former colonies like Cuba.  There are better ways to solve disputes than by relying on wars.  Unfortunately, many countries have not learned this wise lesson — even today.  Two famous Spanish painters carried this message across to their canvases:  Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica” and Francisco Goya’s “The Second of May 1808.”

Because of the current wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, tourism – a very important component of the Spanish economy – has increased by 300%.  Thus, tourists need to plan their trips well in advance and most importantly, buy the tickets to important sites many months before visiting Spain.  It’s practically impossible to get tickets to visit the inside of “La Sagrada Familia” in Barcelona if you wait until the last minute. 

Spaniards are very unhappy with the tax rates in their country.  For non-residents, incomes are taxed at a 24% rate, and at 19% for European Union member states. This might explain why the conservative center-right European People’s Party (PP) received the majority of votes (25.83%) in the recent election for the 2024-2029 European Parliament, while Marine Le Pen’s ultranationalist National Rally had a blockbuster performance in France by scoring twice the support of a centrist coalition led by President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party. Many Spanish workers can’t afford to pay the rents or the mortgages in Madrid and opt to live in Toledo (a 45-minute commute to Madrid on the high-speed train).  The diminishing income by the high taxes has led many of the younger generation to not have any children or to delay having them until they are in their 30’s.  The smaller families has forced many businesses to rely on the immigrant labor force – something that I witnessed in the hotels that I stayed, primarily from Ecuador. 

Everything is fast-paced in Madrid, but it is a beautiful city.  A Moroccan taxi-driver pointed to pedestrians trying to cross the streets in a hurry to beat the red lights as “if the light was never going to turn green again.” Traffic accidents are common, as well as pickpockets.  But travelers will have a pleasant experience by exercising patience and common sense. 

Miguel de Cervantes is regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language, and there are many monuments honoring his legacy.  “Don Quijote de la Mancha” is considered his masterpiece, and you will find many references to his memory throughout Spain. One of his memorable quotes is “When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness.  To surrender dreams – this may be madness.  Too much sanity may be madness – and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be.”  Don Quijote was a dreamer, but he is not the only one.  Join us travelers by visiting España with an open mind.