Tipping tour
guide/ Carlos Pueblo
There is an
advertisement on the hostel wall for free tour to cover the
city on
foot. Free, if you insist not to pay the free tour guide, that is the
only income he
will receive. This is a kind of job in Spain and the guide
will explain
it at the beginning of the tour. Most of the tourist is very
generous;
therefore, after a 2 ½ hours tour, the guide should receive
some good
income. I have joined three free tour during my stay in Spain
and I enjoy
every one of it. This is a short cut for me understand the city
and its
history and cultural background. On the second day in Barcelona,
I walked
towards the free tour gathering point, la Plaza de l’Angel. The
Team left
when I arrived; therefore, I followed an advice to catch up
with the
team at a nearby museum.
Most of the
museum, churches, old allies, old buildings etc. in Barcelona
are with good
shape and good maintenance. She pointed three flags above
the Museum,
European Union, Spain, and Catalan. On the other side of a
civilian
building, there are some more flags with a Cuban shape flag triangle.
She
explained the reason. Catalan people, there are 4 provinces in the north
east part of
the country, have a strong desire to be independent away from
Spain. They
even admire Cuban who is independence. I am interested and
have checked
the history after I come home to Houston. After the tour, I did
follow her
back to the original gathering square and chatted her some more
about self-
determination. She says that she notices Taiwan’s situation and
insists that
Taiwan is not along, Basque in Spain, Quebec in Canada, Tibet
in China, Scotland
in the United Kingdom, and more. I have since recognized
that triangle
shape of Catalan flag in Barcelona, on my way to Portbou and
city of
Portbou near French border.
There is a
Chinese family from Shanghai, the adult daughter bring both
parents to
Spain for a visit. Mother who has been to Taiwan is very impressed
with Taiwan,
clean and politeness of Taiwanese. Her daughter explains to me
her plan to
take a night train south to Granada and visit the famous Alhambra
Palace of
the Moors. I was very close to Granada one day later at Cordoba and
decided to
skip Granada; however, I should go back in October. I always wonder
what has
been happened in Spain since the Re-conquesta, the expelling of the
Moors,
Muslims, and Jews. I thought that Spain missed the industrial revolution.
There are
two huge cathedral not too far between them, one was built in 200
years duration
by the kingdom while another in a less period by civilian. She is
a liberalist.
She pointed out a firing wall on a school yard by Francisco Franco
during the
Spanish Civil War. That wall still kept the bullets holes.
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