Red land, paella and mandarins .... Spain

15:01, 2h 41 min till destination, 32.000 m altitude with 807 km/h and -51°C ... The flight back home... After 4 days of visual pleasure.

First step was the language, that is learning it. With no sustained effort or intention. It just came to me easy, like spring after winter, like green after freezing. It happened pure and simple. Then the natural process of … development as human being, then school, then university, then a job… There comes the Opportunity. We got acquainted, we liked each other and out of our relationship the winner is me … But she, the Opportunity, has nothing against it …

After other trips that she put in my way I have the chance to go in the country of which language my being fell in love with for ever and ever and never will let go: Spain! The delegation to Valencia and the business there went well, the audit was left to be closed but the best meeting was the one of my heart and soul with this red land, this language spoken lisp, with these people so warm, that exudes passion from every pore. The passion for life!

I read just before coming here that the one thing should not be missed is the traditional Valencian food paella. And of course they have two types of paella, especially to satisfy my tastes too: marisco, with shrimps and shellfish, and valenciana, with chicken and rabbit. The last is my favorite, I am not a great fan for sea fruits and other marines that are not fish. They say it’s a recipe made by men. I don’t know who cooked mine but it was exquisite, delicious, extraordinary! The ingredients are rice, meat (chicken and rabbit), spices, olive oil and vegetables. And I think I felt a strong taste of the passion and love that was put in it…

After a great meal, a walk by foot a long the sea side it’s … idyllic… It’s beautiful to eat in front of the Mediterranean Sea… It makes you dream about … many things. Of course love is the greatest thing that the sea makes you dream about… And how it would have been if you were here with me … Or how it would be if I was hang in a hammock and rocked to sleep by the wind and caressed gentle by the warm sun… Dreams ...

The hotel I was hosted in is in a very beautiful area called “Science City”. Here governs sumptuous buildings with a modern architecture that make the lovers of this current to fall in love immediately.

Form Valencia to Lliria or Alicante, where the supplier has headquarters, there are a few tens of km (maybe more). Kilometers of beautiful beauty, breath taking landscape! And all I could think about was the regret for not buying film for my old fashion camera… Here, as to the highway that connects the airport to the city, it dominates the color of the land: red brick. And on this land with this weird color grow orange groves, olives, mandarins and almonds. Extraordinary view to my eyes! And strange also: there are mandarins fallen on the ground as we have apples or prunes or… It makes me want to ask Fran to stop the car, violate the private property and go pick up few mandarins… Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful…

Francisco, Bruno, Manuel, Armando, Emanuel, Angel, Nacho, Julio, German … What do they have in common besides the fact that they work together and I work with them? They have a kindness and warmth in their way of being that made me feel like home… I had the feeling I’m with … my people. And so it happened that I met only men in this business trip :) They are all beautiful, those listed above but also the ones I saw on the street, waiters from the restaurants and bars – especially the ones in bars… not that I saw many but the ones I have… About women, wow, don’t even want to start talking! Young or in their middle age, they exude passion, like they are shouting to Time: “you won’t grow me old and powerless, I will love till the end of days, so, come on Time, give me your best shot!!!” I think that it is very easy to fall in love here… So, extra caution, please!

As in many other situations, in the lines written above words haven’t served me well. I might have failed with grammar. I may not have transmitted the exact joy, happiness, delight, excitement and a feeling of good and well being lived in my dear, dear Spain, in her wonderful Valencia, with her amazing people. And maybe drafting could be better… But the memories … Oh, the memories will live forever in my heart! The desire to go there in vacation will stay lighted within me as a powerful candle…

I love you Spain. I miss you Valencia…