[The last renewal of this page: Aug. 15, 2017]

My dream to visit Spain again come true after 32 years separation! (July, 2017)

Now, as I have withdrawn woking as a salaried worker for many years, and am a business owner as a time lapse photographer, I am able to realize the opportunity to visit Spain again.
For about three weeks from July, 3rd, 2017 to 25th, I visited Spain again partly for meeting my friends and partly on business to shoot the time lapse movie for promotion of my job.



As I have traveled around whole the country for 38 days driving for 8,800Km 32 years ago, and therefore I knew what's there very clearly, I selected most impressive sceneries. It is a round trip starting from Madrid, for the region of Castilla y Leon, Arragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Andalucia, Extremadura, y comes back to Madrid.
After arrived at Madrid, I rented a car to start the travel for three weeks driving for the distance of 3,864Km, to shoot the time lapse movies.

The first impressions in Spain when I arrived at the Barajas International Airport were....
The air does not smell bad for the exhaust gas of the vehicle anymore! (It used to smell very bad due to the bad quality of gasoline)
All the vehicles are new and in beautiful conditions, and no rickety cars anymore!
Many super markets "Mercado" in town. (There used to be no super markets)
I found much less numbers of "Bar".
Fantasitic big buses are beautiful. Better than those in Japan!

The next morning, I departed for Avila, y then visited Segovia next. After shooting time lapse movies there, I went toward Palencia, where my best friend Ricardo is waiting for me.
What are these! Complicated network of highways now!! Hard to find the way even with a GPS (Car navigation)!!
There used to be only one highway in southern Spain for about only 100Km long. But now, it covers all the country!
Furthermore, most of them are free!! (Autovia) There are Autopista which is pay road, but there are not many. The pavement and the width of the road are excellent!!




The above pictures show one side of the highway for two traffic lanes. There are not much difference between autovia and autopista, although in autopista there are bigger and excellent service areas. The quality of pavement and the width of the lanes are super as a highway, and they are at the same level as "Shin-Tomei Highway" in Japan.
32 years ago, there was only one highway in surthern Spain for 100Km, but now whole the cuntry is convered with the highway network. Furthermore, most of them are Free! (Autovia) And wonderful pavement! What makes me happier is the the speed limit is 120Km/h. There are some radars to keep control, but before reaches to a radar, there installed a big sign telling us the radar is located ahead with a beautiful illuminations! There are no unmarked patrol cars, and there happened nothing even taking over a patrol car with a speed much faster than the limit. After all, it is possible to enjoy crusing at 160 to 170Km/h very comfortably.

These are traditional main roads. The pavement is so excellent, as good as a highway in Japan. The speed limit of the main roads in Spain is 90Km/h. However, in a section where the condition is good enough, it is 100Km/h! After all, people drives at about 140Km/h.



These are the roads in the worst category without the center line.Even though, the pavement is super! I am so sure that Spain has overtaken Japan far away as long as the road system concerns in last 32 years.

Now the time to go ahead towards PALENCIAwhere my best friend Ricardo is waiting for me!

A reunion after 32 years!! We had no words to express. He let me stay at his home for three nights.


First of all, toast with wine he made from the grapes harvested from the grape trees in the garden.






We went to the the village of Nava del Rey, where Ricardo was born, to meet his mother. She used to invite me for the meal many times 32 years ago.


In the next day at night, A party was held for those good friends who stayed together in the college dormitory of the University of Valladolid 32 years ago!
I felt very strongly that Spain has been changed a lot in last 32 years, however the friendship never has been changed.
In the next day, we went on a picnic to Vidrieros, a little village in the north in mountainous area to spend a pleasant time.






We visited our dear college dormitory of the University of Valladolid with Ricardo. It was unlucky because it was closed due to the summer holidays, but we remenbered that we separated here in front of the main gate 32 years ago.
I clearly remenber that he said "Now you have to go...!" with a sad face.
We wen to the dormitory for women as well. At night of the festival of dormitory for men, we all were drunken, singing a song with loud voice, we marched in a group to the dormitory for women, to pass water to the wall of the building of the dormitory, while the women students are throwing toilet papers from the windows. It was a tradition of the festival. I imitated to pass water again remembering those days.




I used to go and eat in a Chinese restaurant (Taiwanese) 32 years ago. It was only one Chinese restaurant in Valladolid. We went there and met the landlady. She remembered of me very well! I had been only one guest who odered a raw egg, cooked rice and soy source since then until now, she said. She remembered that I brought a Karaoke machine that I built, and sang a song there in the restaurant! She also remembered that I had an uncle who is a doctor owing a big hospital in Kyushu. We hug each other very strongly.
I was also able to meet again the teacher of private lessons of Spanish, who used to give a lesson every day. I felt as if I were on a time-machine.




I was also abled to meet my best girl friend in the University, Margarita, after 32 years separation. Thanks to Margarita, I could learn and know Spain, and learn Spanish very well.
Now she has two kids, one boy and one girl. Her daughter Paula (picture) is very cute, and we got on well together right away. She is attractive and smart. She is just like a daughter of Margarita!
It is true that we have been changed a lot from us in many pictures that I took then, however the friendship never has been changed at all.

Well, after the exciting reunions, now is a time for shooting tour!


AVILA




SEGOVIA




FRIAS




HUESCA
In Huesca, a British friend who is married with a Spanish lady from Huesca, and his wife are waiting for me to support and help my shooting work there.








CUENCA




TOLEDO





CAMPO DE CRIPTANA





MONTEFRIO





RONDA




ARCOS DE LA FRONTERA

Here is a final work of time lapse movie made from those shooting!

Well, this certainly is a great opportunity for me in many ways.
It is very normal as it has been 32 yeas dreaming to come back, and at last it came true.

I feel that I could get recover all the things about to forget, and get back the all the things about to lose.


What has been changed and has not been changed are very clear to me as it has been 32 years.

[What has been changed]

- They used to blow the air making a sound like "Chiiist! Chiiist!"(bolow the air strongly between the closed teeth) to call the atention of the people, for example when they try to call a waiter in a restaurat. But now, they raise their hand. (Incredible!)

- All the roads used to be classified in three colors, such as red, green, and yellow. Three colors used be used for the map and trafic signs as well. The red one is a main road, green one is regular road, and yellow one is a country road without center line. So once we see the map, we could imagine the senery there. But now, this classification disappeared. Most of red roads are transfered (rebuilt) as autovias, and rest of the roads are simply treated as a regular roads. (So regrettable)

- As I stated already, the quality of pavement and size of the roads are now much better than those of Japan. This is excellent! (VIVA ESPANA!!)

- It used to smell bad in the city especially in Madrid, because of the bad quality of gasoline for the vehicle. But now, nothing like that exist any more. (Feel relieved)

- There used to be so many old and bad condition vehicles in the street. Now nothing is different from Japan. Buses used for public transportaions are so excellent with big body in modern style, and better than those in Japan. (VIVA ESPANA!!)

- The floor of the bars used to be occupied with a lot of garbage, and therefore, I had to clean up the floor with my foot to make a little space on which I would stay to stand up. But now they are completely clean! (Incredible!)

- Spain used to be a heaven for those who smoke. Even in the classes, professors used to smoke an throw the cigarette to the floor. So used to do the same students in chairs. But now, all the indoor space such as bars and restaurant are strictly prohibited to smoke. However, thing is not so simple. As the air is so dry in Spain, under the shade is incredibly fresh, and therefore, most of bars and restaurant has a terrace outside, and there people can enjoy smoking eating and drinking! (I want to say, "The government of Japan, DO NOT simply imitate and follow to the western world without careful considerations!")

- People used to love passionately the bullfighting. But now about a half of the nation thinks it negatively because they are so cruel. (That's the way to go! For Japanese the bullfighting is not endurable...so cruel!)


[What has not been changed]

- Amistad. (Wonderful. Banzai Life!)

- When discuss with people, they do not listen to what the counter parties saying. They simply keep on insisting what they believe. They deny completly what the counter parties saying. They speak as if they knew well even for those they actually do not know. As a result, the discussion never developed logically and therefore, never advanced to reach to the final conclusion. (This is Spain!)

- For the breakfast they eat sweet cookies with chocolate with a cup of milk coffee. (Gees, this is so strong for the morning!)

- Delicious foods! Good beer and wine! (VIVA ESPANA!)
* I do not know what happened with me, but since I came back from Spain, I could not drink a Japanese beer anymore. I drink a can of Japanese beer, but less than a half, and feel bad, then I throw it away in a trash box.

- For Japanese and I believe for those in many countries, when we think of Spain we imagine flamenco! And when we think of flamenco, we imagine Spain! However, in Spain, except those who live in Andalucia (Southern part of Spain), they consider flamenco as a culture of gypsy, and is not a culture that represent the country. Many people feel bad if I say the flamenco represents Spain. (It may always happened to all foreigners. Many people in the world imagine KAMIKAZE, SAMURAI, HARAKIRI, GEISHA, FUJI-YAMA when they think of Japan. And when Japan is introduced in a program of TV, the BGM is "Sakura Sakura" played by a japanese harp. For japanese, these bore us very much.)

For the last.......Foods and Drinks! These made me so nostalgic!


Sopa Castella (Garlic soup) and Gazpacho (Cold vegetable soup)


Bocadillo de Jamon y Queso (Sandwich of raw ham and cheese. The most popular light meal.)


Left: Flan con Nata (Pudding with fresh cream) However, it used to be full of fresh cream around the pudding all the way so that the plate is not visible.
Right: Queso de Cabra (Cheese mad from the milk of goat) This is delicious! It used to be less popular before, but now it's much pore popular.


A noted product of Segovia, a baby pig roasted whole, Cochinillo. It is very cruel, but I ate it for the nostalgia. However, due to the so much fat, I felt so bad after the meal! (hi hi)


The best and most popular Spanish plate for Japanese is...Paella. It is so delicious!!
Right: Simply regular hamburger, but the meat in it is so good! This is an international food since many years ago in Spain.


Left: Sausage of the blood, rice, onion and spices. Morcilla. This is so good!!
Right: Spareribs of baby ram (about 4weeks old), Chuletillas de lechazo. This is really incredible! So delicious!!


Left: Spicy sausage, Chorizo. There are many styles. They all are so good!
Right: Cuajada. Made from a milk of ram. it used to be the best dessert for me together with Flan con Nata. Eat it with honey as in a picture.


Wine should be a Spanish! And it should be reserved! This was 16 years old, No words in front of the good wine.
Spanish beer is completely different from hte japanese beer which always talk about the freshness when it passed through the throat. It has an excellent taste and so smooth!! Microscopic bubles inside of the glass can tell us the difference.



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