Chapter 01: Where it all began
His name was José Maria.
He is where it all began. He swept me off my feet and I landed in Spain, thrown into a life I had only really dreamed of. No language, no idea of where I was, no understanding of the country I was now residing in - it was unbelievably exciting. Here I was, a small-town Australian woman in a beautiful village nestled into the mountains above Madrid. I was overwhelmed with it all.
José Maria was - and still is - a classical guitarist, who spent many weeks on tour, leaving me to explore. And explore I did. I immersed myself in trying to learn the language and wandered the streets, getting to know the rhythm of the town, I tried to communicate with the locals with hilarious results. The market was one of my favourite places. To get food, I would have to resort to the only communication skill I had - mime. The stall owners thought I was crazy, but always played along with me, teaching me new words each time while laughing at my antics. I began making friends, my Spanish still hopeless, but improving, and day by day I became more and more settled in this foreign land. Without José Maria by my side all the time, and being thrown into this new world often alone, I actually blossomed and realised language wasn’t really a barrier after all. The universal language is food and I understand this language quite well.
I would go into the local bar order a glass of wine and then choose a tapas to go with it. These small morsels of deliciousness were free with each glass bought, which meant one glass of vino could sometimes run to three when the tapas offerings were especially tantalising. I would be guided by the barman - I would point at a tapa and he would explain with a mixture of Spanish and gestures - and after much laughter, a choice would be made based on his waving hands and how good the food looked. The universal language at work.
One year in Spain turned into almost eight years, and during those eight years I studied, worked, travelled and lived in some incredible parts of the country. My favourite? The region of Andalusia.
Andalusia is colourful & vibrant, the people joyous and loving. Flamenco, the Mediterranean Sea, delicious fresh food, cheeky wines and cobbled stoned laneways meandering through old villages. White villages perched on cliffs, beach bars, museums, art, laughter and joy around every bend.
José Maria and I remain friends after all these years which is wonderful. He is an amazingly talented musician and composer of some renown. His music is a blend of deeply classical and vibrantly Spanish; it is breathtakingly beautiful. José Maria introduced Spain to me in a way I had never imagined and for that I feel completely blessed.
Here is a small taste of his brilliance. Enjoy…