I can remember, growing up, we spent a lot of Fourth of Julys in Madrid because of Dad's work directing the University's summer program in Madrid. A restaurant nearby fed us for meals - "The Drach" was the name of the restaurant, and we got to be very good friends with the owner and staff over the years. One year, we asked if they would serve hot digs and hamburgers in honor of the holiday. You probably have a pretty good idea of what we expected...which was not exactly what we got. Meals in Spain are a big deal, usually three courses at least, and generally take a couple or three hours, if done right. Needless to say, we were initially quite surprised when, on the 4th, our friends at the Drach brought out a first course of a hot dog on a plate, followed by a second course of a hamburger on a plate. We then understood a bit better why they looked at us so funny when we made our menu request. These were not exactly multiple course type foods. But they tried, and we laughed, and everyone enjoyed themselves.
Nonetheless, today is a Monday, and here in León it's just like any other Monday, just like July 4th was a typical day 235 years ago for George III, King of England, when he penned in his diary the words I chose to title my post today. The walk into town went by very quickly, for 12 miles. The weather was pleasant, we met a very nice bartender on one of our stops, and as you can see from the pictures, the hotel we are staying in is pretty dang fantastic. More on that later.
Dad met us in León, having taken the bus in from Mansilla. While he's not so much in pain any more, his left leg has is swollen such that he has a pretty bad case of "cankles" (i.e. It's hard to tell where his calf ends and his ankle begins), so we all felt better with him not walking today, though he did quite well yesterday, I thought.
I found myself thinking, on the walk in, on how life would have been different if things had gone differently for the thirteen colonies, and in the subsequent war. I can generally trace my family back to the colonies. Would I be a British subject still? Being in California, would I be a Spaniard or a Mexican? Would the central and south american revolutions of the 1800s have taken place without an Revolution in the British colonies in the late 1700s? What about the French Revolution in 1789? It very quickly becomes rather cumbersome to ponder how life might have been different; suffice to say that it certainly would be different.
I am grateful that things are the way they are. For all it's faults, the United States, in my opinion, is still one of the greatest countries in the world. This is a dangerously Amero-centric and imperialistic sounding statement to make, one perhaps brought about by my tendency toward political conservatism, but I would like to think that I am educated and well-travelled enough to appreciate what other places and cultures have to offer. I certainly love Spain like a second home, and I would even allow that France has some redeeming qualities, mostly in sharing with the world their excellent method for cooking potatoes, but no matter how many times I have been abroad, there is nothing like the feeling of touching down on U.S. soil. Of coming "home".
I am not a fanatical patriot, but I believe strongly that one should be supportive of their government (especially if they live in a place where they elect it) and those who serve it, while maintaining a healthy skepticism in order to prevent that government (and its public servants) from becoming a self-perpetuating entity. The government exists to serve it's citizenry, no more and no less. I am grateful we live in a place where we have the freedom (among many other freedoms) to ensure our government does this.
Ok, off the soapbox. Back to León. León is OLD. Like 1st century BC old. It was founded by the Romans as a garrison for soldiers to protect the gold, tin, silver and other precious metals flowing from Galicia (Gallaecia - part of the old Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis) through Aquitania, Transalpine Gaul and Cisalpine Gaul to Rome. It was later an important city under the Visigoths, but was partially abandoned after the Moslem invasion of 711. In 910 (that's STILL over 1100 yards ago people, and León was old then) the repopulated city became capital of the Kingdom of León, a theoretically vassal state to the Kingdom of Asturias, where the Reconquista had begun. In practicality, León was independent, and remained an independent kingdom until it merged with the Kingdom of Castile (Castilla la Vieja) in 1301, with the royal marriage of somebody important (or their child) at the time to somebody else important (or their child) at the time. Since then, León has been relegated to the status of provincial capital.
People in Spain have long memories, I've learned. Since we've entered the old Kingdom of León, I've been seeing graffiti pretty much everywhere saying "León Solo". Sometimes it's in Castillian Spanish (castellano), and sometimes it's in the old Leonese language. It translates as "León Alone". Clearly, someone misses the "Glory Days" of the Dark Ages. Nonetheless, this is an interesting social commentary. I read in a Spanish newspaper last week that 43% of Catalans would vote for secession if it were placed on a referendum. Spain is not so much a unified country as it is a confederation of different cultures and economies. Kind of sounds like the European Union, doesn't it? This is also why I think the EU is having such a hard time with it's currency and the economic crisis. Is Spain is made up of at least 12 groups of people who are all mad at each other and have been for 2000 years, that only complicates the arena when Spain as a whole is mad at the other 14 EU countries and has been for 2000 years. And vice versa.
It's also not so different from the US. So why are we different? A couple of reasons, I think. The thirteen colonies were never sovereign independent countries, nor did they all come from different, warring cultures. Additionally, because the US has a relatively weak (in my opinion) form of federalism, the states are generally left to make their own decisions, much more so this. The corresponding provinces (i.e. historical independent kingdoms) of Spain. An interesting tidbit: did you know that prior to the Civil War, the proper name "United States of America" was always used with the plural form of a verb, not the singular? In other words, prior to 1861, the United States are....not, the United States is...
Something to ponder.
I'd also rant for a bit that when people ask me where I'm from, I tell them the state, not the country, but I won't because then I would get a nasty comment (probably from my father) about trying to beat people over the head with my right-wing libertarianism, so I won't go there.
Our hotel (a parador of course), is fantastic. I will probably post tomorrow with pictures of the parador, but suffice to say that it's a medieval pilgrim hospital/monastery with all the tapestries, sculptures/carvings and gardens intact. I've included a couple of pictures of the outside, more to follow. We have a smoking deal: room, breakfast buffet, and three-course dinner (or lunch if we prefer) for 70 Euros a person. I was trying to figure out how they make money on that (it's what I'm trained in, I can't help it). Here's what I came up with, based on 2 people per room:
Total charge, 2 persons: 140 euros
Less:
Breakfast buffet, 2 persons: 30 euros list price per menu
Lunch/dinner, 3 courses, 2 persons: 74 euros list price per menu
Amount left for room: 36 euros
A quick search tells me the minimum salary in Spain is 9,000 Euros annually. Let's assume that housecleaning staff make 24,000 euros annually, it costs the company 50% of salary to cover benefits, and that the staff work 40 hours a week, cleaning a room in a half-hour.
40 hours/30 minutes per room = 80 rooms per week cleaned
24,000 euros/48 weeks (it is Spain) = 500 euros a week salary
500 euros/80 rooms = 6.125 euros salary to clean a room + 50% of salary for benefits = 9.375 euros of labor to clean the room. Let's say it costs 5 euros in supplies to restock and clean the room.
Total cost to use a room for a night: just under 15 Euros
36 Euros left over from meals - 15 Euros for using room = 21 Euros to cover overhead and profit, or 15% of the original charge. That's a little thin, but if the room were going empty otherwise, the hotel is ahead of the game, plus I've assumed full menu price on the food, so they are keeping their full overhead and margin on the food portion of the bill. By the way that 36 euros for the room is less than my parents paid for their one star room in Atapuerca, and there are five stars on the plaque outside the hotel here.
Point being, we're getting a deal, the Parador is making money, and if you ever want to stay at some fantastic places in Spain, I'll be happy to be your tour guide and/or chauffeur!
We have found a "Fosters Hollywood" not too far away which promises they've been an "American Restaurant Since 1971". I am dubious, but we will try it, to celebrate the holiday appropriately.
Happy 4th everyone!
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