¡Buenos días! Is it winter yet where you live? Luckily, it isn't very hard to get used to the weather here in Barcelona. It's a very mild coastal climate and not a dramatic change from Phoenix. We did have to wear sweaters for a few days last week, but the sun is back out and the laundry is starting to dry again! (I was just getting used to crispy clothes, but damp underwear was going a little too far)The photo above is from a mountainous nature preserve a little way out from the city. It's called Montseny, and we have some friends that live in a town at its base called Sant Celoni. Last Sunday we went on a 24 km hike along the mountain with them and a few hundred of their closest neighbors. The town had organized a big marathon (most people walked) that started downtown and went up on a ridgeline. There were pitstops every six to eight kilometers with water, fresh oranges, and pastries. The final rest area had sweet wine in little glass bottles with long spouts that you could pour directly into your mouth, while holding the bottle out at arm's length--a little messy, until you get the hang of it. At the end of the marathon there was a big barbecue with butifarra sausages--yummy! Does it sound like we walked or ran?
Of course, all of you have probably been following the U.S. elections this week. Don't think that it's any different anywhere else. I turned on the news before heading to work on Wednesday morning (Tuesday night) and I was a little surprised to see a graphic superimposed on the left-hand side of the screen during the entire news broadcast. It showed the number of Republican and Democratic seats in the House, and it was continually updated. A recap was done by the reporters every five minutes.
Everyone here was following the election this week. A co-worker approached me about the MO and VA races that would decide the Senate majority before I had even had time to go online to check the results. My class that morning was composed of four businessmen from a local multi-national with production facilities here in Spain. They knew more about the way the American political system works than most people at home. Between students and co-workers, we have probably talked to a hundred or so people about the elections and, at the risk of politicizing our blog and offending you, gentle reader, everyone is quite pleased.
Here in Catalunya they had national elections on November 1st. Students of mine who had just cast their vote for one of the conservative parties here were, nonetheless, relieved to see the Democrats win in the U.S. Why do I include this in our blog? I mention it because everyone we talk to--and this really is an international city, we had dinner with about twelve people on Thursday night, from seven different countries--loves the U.S. and either has visited or wants to visit. What they have found so disquieting is the lack of understanding on international issues and the unilateral approach to so many problems, whether they are political, environmental, or security issues. Everyone knows the U.S. is important, and here in Europe they want to see themselves working alongside it. Instead, the dominant policy at home has been to shun international accords to combat Global Warming, to take a step backwards on human rights issues like torture or indefinite incarceration, and to endlessly defend a war in which thousands of innocent people have lost their lives.
I know, I know, it sounds like a partisan rant. That is not my intention. For what it's worth, I've voted Republican many times. I only want to point out that people all over the world are very concerned about what we do in America and they want to feel as though we're working together to make the world a better place. This has already been recognized by the President with several post-election moves, and I think there's a good chance that things will improve in the near future. (Optimism is a habit of mine, even in politics).
So, we hope that everyone is enjoying their autumn and will not miss the "attack ads" that were probably the dominant form of advertisement up to now. As you prepare for your Thanksgiving dinner and start to wonder whether you really want to have another day of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, pistachio salad, yams or whatever else you will enjoy, just remember that we'll be here without even an oven to cook the bird in. I'm thinking about going out for paella. Of course, they are selling roasted chestnuts on street corners right now, which is a pretty neat tradition. I had heard the song, but until last week I'd never actually eaten "chestnuts roasted over an open fire."
That's all for now! Love, James and Maggie
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