Reading Part 2 I got teary eyed - you called it right down to the breeze and kids - It's so easy to accept the fact we all love and miss Spain and to joke about things we miss and kind of bide our time til we get on the next plane. And then I read something that just hits home - and cry like a baby.

-a cafe con leche

-walking through the patio de los naranjos in cordoba's mezquita. having one of the gardeners throw me an orange as they harvested them. and ahhhh..that sweet smell of the blossoms as you wandered the streets.

-being made to look ridiculous while trying to play football with a group of ten year olds in el escorial. i must have made all of them look like pele.

-a bit of tio pepe and gambas a la plancha.

-a walk through madrid's plaza mayor at 1am through the cold night air.

-and i too must agree on flying into barajas. seeing that moody, mysterious landscape of the meseta. can still clearly see all of its hues of brown, gold, red, amber.

-mazapan from toledo

Okay, I can't resist responding to this thread. It is so good to know that all of us have been swept off our feet by this place, especially when people at home don't understand. What do I miss so much?

*dos besos
*a fountain or statue in every plaza, and a plaza every few blocks
*watching generations of families taking their evening stroll
*stopping for "pastas" on the way home, and the way the baker wraps them for you
*knowing that no matter how much you have to do, you can't get it done during siesta, so you have to relax
*taking a nap in the park
*cafe con leche - none of this $4 for coffee at Starbucks thing
*sangria!
*meeting people, talking, and dancing until the metro opens again
*abuelas with their abanicos in church

I could go on forever, I'm sure we all could. I know I left a piece of myself in Spain and I have to go back to get it! Thanks for the chance to share!

Here's my dos duros:

-O.N.C.E. vendors with their familiar cries of "Me queda para hoy"
-La lotería de Nochebuena, and the little chicos singing "125.000 pesetas"
-Petardos on Nochevieja, no matter where you are
-The light mist that permeates the air in Santiago de Compostela about 300 days out of the year, and mixes with the mystic feel of the old quarter
-Ochos
-Palmeras con nata
-tortilla de patata, in a bocadillo or out, it's the best!!!
-Hórreos in Asturias, and the surrounding countryside...(you must see Covadonga)
-Little old men in their black boinas and canes walking together in the parks discussing world issues and soccer matches
-Little old ladies with their shopping carts full of great bread and fresh produce for that day's mediodía comida.
-croquetas
-jamón serrano and jamón de jabugo..¡ñam ñam!
-Reading Quixote under the windmills at Consuegra
-Reading Unamuno in the ageless classrooms at the Universidad de Salamanca, and touching the names, like a blind man discovering an unknown texture, that are carved in its benches.
-Homemade queso, made by loving family tucked away high in the Pyrenees
-The way every Spaniard always has room for one more friend on their social calendar

That's it...I'm buying a ticket!!

The one thing I hate about Spain: LEAVING

What a great thread! I have been touched by all the sentiments. I take solace that there are many others who share the love of Spain.

Likes:

The smell of Seville...was it orange blossoms? it smelled wonderful the whole time we were there.

Cafe cortado (less milk than con leche)

Pimientos al padron

Jamon!

Ice cold fino Sherry available everywhere

Strolling. Which in turn means losing weight, even after eating so much!

Tapas. For someone like me, who loves to taste a little of everything, it was a dream come true!

Not understanding the babble around us in bars and on the street, so you could imagine that everyone was having a deep and interesting conversation, and not just talking about their laundry or something.

The history. The art. The people. The whole vibe.

Dislikes:

All the smoke

The dog droppings on all the cobblestones in Jewish and Gothic quarters (especially Granada)

Being nervous about pickpockets and rosemary toting women

Having to leave.And not knowing when I'll be back.

part 3: sitting on a bench by the Catedrales in Salamanca at sunset, watching the storks (YES, storks!) swoop in and out. Catching an organ concert in the Catedral Nueva. Going to the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca around 8 to watch the women and men circle the plaza like they have done for hundreds of years. In Santiago, seeing the pilgrams make their way to the Catedral for the mass. Walking down the Rua do Franco and seeing the great seafood in every window. In Santander: the Sardinero beach on a cloudy day when it's just you and a few old people walking. Going to the Universidad Menendez Pelayo and seeing the likes of Mario Vargas Llosa. In Trujillo: hiking up to the castillo and looking at the lovely town below, then going to the Plaza Mayor for a cerveza and some chanquetes fritos. In Zamora: going into Romanesque church after church, finishing with lunch at the parador. In La Corunya: hearing the fish auction on the dock at 6 am. Should I go on? Or just go there???

sigh.......I loved reading this post especially when I got to what missmadrid wrote......
every post brought back so many memories and i agree with all of them especially with the worst part being "LEAVING".
and i guess if that is the worst part, then the best part would be arriving ha, ha. and so many other things that i can't think of to list.
thanks everyone for sharing.

Waaaaaahh... <bawling like a baby> You guys!! As if we need MORE reasons to miss Spain! <sniff! sniff! Talk about having GROUP therapy!! hehehe..> Okay. You started this.. Now here's mine (probably some of those you have already mentioned):

* the 5-seconds before and the first touch of the Barajas runway (I literally, nearly cried...after having passed 18 months since my last trip in 1999)
* walking through an empty Plaza Mayor in Madrid at 4am after a visit to the Chureria San Gines
* walking through Huertas in Madrid during the day, consciously taking a turn down an unknown street and wondering how I missed such a gem in past visits
* seeing people napping in the sun on the steps of the momument to Alfonso XII which lead down to the lake in Retiro Park in Madrid
* Walking down an orange tree lined street in Córdoba and noticing.... Hmmm... that oh-so-sweet citric smell
* Hearing shouts, looking up, and seeing two older house-smock-wearing women talking passionately about something from their balconies across the street from one another
* The golden glow of the buildings, particularly that which holds the Tio Pepe neon sign, in Puerta del Sol at sunset
* A springtime sunrise over the terra cota rooftops in Madrid
* A bocadillo de calamares and a caña @ El Brillante in Madrid while watching the bar-man shouting food orders to the cook
* A nighttime/springtime drive through Casa de Campo in Madrid to "see the sights" along with a caravan of 100+ other gawkers
* A smartly dressed mother pushing a stroller
* A generation of children happier outside playing soccer in the street/park with friends than holed up indoors in front of a computer
* The 3-hour dinner with great food, long converstation, and a waiter who is in no hurry to get you out in order to make way for the next tipping customer
* Getting a pretty smile from a pretty madrileña you pass on the street
* Having the Spanish friends of your Spanish friends treat you like a friend and not like a tourist
* Waking up in the home of a Spanish family and being treated like a prince by the 75-year old mother of the house

I doubt anyone "got misty" with mine, but these are things that cross my mind at least every hour of every day. Hope we all make it back to Spain someday SOON!!!

Saludos, MadridMan

You couldn't have said it better Madridman! I really enjoyed "reliving" all these memories today....Keep them coming!!!!!