While Spaniards gracefully promenade about their lovely cities with style and nary an observed stilleto heel slip, the boyfriend and I clomped around in our sensible shoes like the hairy American giant and giantess that we are (apparently grown directly in a petri dish from Klutz Laboratories, U.S. Division). How did we ever get so big and tall to appear as Gulliver's hick cousins in Lilliput? And why did I feel guilty for craving an extra-grande biggie-sized coffee with lotsa cream and not be satisfied with these one-ounce shots of espresso I kept paying almost three Euro apiece for?

I really don't want to go Accidental Tourist on anyone. Although we spied Burger King and Starbucks off in the distance, we pretended not to notice. I was proud of my resolve - after all, there are empanadas and falafel and cheap beer galore - but the insecurity of realizing that the U.S. way of life is, well, kind of ridiculously luxurious and that I am far more American Gringo in my everyday comings, goings, and dinings than I ever knew.

So here is the short list in praise of Spain:
1. Hardly anyone is overweight. Between the relentless walks and the tiny tapas morsels of food offered at cafes, Spanish people don't tend to expand like their American friends. And if some rare Spaniard is quite obese, you can be certain that he will be wearing a Speedo at the beach and bending over frequently while directly in your line of vision.
2. Conservation of resources is the standard. There are timers on wall switches, a minimum of A/C, apartments are small, and sub-compact cars are the rule. I only saw about a dozen SUVs in ten days of travel. I don't think I saw a styrofoam container during our entire stay. Spaniards are not generally wasteful in the way that Americans thoughtlessly consume energy and stuff.
3. The cities are beautiful. There is no Wal-Mart Supercenter destroying the integrity of the small business infrastructure. The plazas and parks are numerous. The cathedrals are breathtaking. Barcelona and Valencia seem so functional as urban centers.

And here's the list of Things Spain Would Need in order for me to stay there longer:
1. Big Gulp cups for coffee and homebrewed sweet iced tea. And Tab.
2. Extension of hours for cafes and bars. We all want a siesta, honey, but can't people take it in shifts and just be open when I'm really hungry? Now the ice cream vending machines helped - they really did - but I believe that my ice cream/pastry/chocolate quota for 2007 was used up during my vacation.
3. Less octopus and processed meat (that pink stuff they put in every sandwich and on every plate) and a few more vegetarian options. I'm not even a vegetarian any more, but those slices of pink stuff could drive me to it.

NTD