Day #15. The Spanish are a beautiful people.

It's still summer in Spain. 

The Spanish, especially the young women (20-40 years old) and children, are a very pretty people.  They dress stylish. Their accessories match well just like in a fashion magazine. How the women wear those high heeled shoes on these cobblestone streets is beyond me. It's an ankle waiting to be broken!  The children all look clean and play in clothes that I would call our kids's Sunday best. Alot of the men are handsome but nothing to blog about. 

I enjoy sitting in the Spain city squares just for people watching.  I told this to my British friend, Jeff, and he said, "yes, that's true but then Spanish women go to seed."  I laughed out loud because I hadn't heard that phrase used that way. He explained to me that their lives must be difficult as they age because they look haggard and weary sooner than other european cultures. Yes, I have seen this in my journey as well. 

The Spanish are LOUD talkers. If you ever sit at a table in a cafe next to a big Spanish family, forget about hearing anybody else within 200 yards.  Even now we are 3 stories up in our hotel room with the window slightly open and I can hear loud spanish voices at 6AM. Americans are taught to have "inside voices", "outside voices", "hotel voices", "bedroom voices". Not the Spanish --one voice--loud. I've thought about making a Cue card that says "Volume Check!"  But I'm a guest in their country, so we just keep moving.  I realize Americans can be loud, too.  Once we stopped for lunch at a camino trail park and a small group of young Americans were having a belching contest. So we just keep moving. 

Our South African pilgrim friend (Camilla) would tell me that she was afraid of older Spanish women. I asked her why and she said, "because they are so bossy, short tempered and bark commands at you."  Maybe a lot of that is the language barrier. Everyone understands "sit down!" ; "go to sleep!"; "no wine!"; "no soup for you!"

Santa Maria at night from our hotel room window. 

Sunset last night at the Castillo--castle ruins dating back to the 800s

Small church as seen from castle