Some people move to Spain to change their lives and career. Others simply take their work to another country – something that is much easier to do in this online world in which we live.
I am constantly fascinated by the life stories of those who have made the bold move to live in a foreign land.
And I have been mightily fortunate in meeting some enterprising, entertaining and energetic people.
In my days as a television sports producer I often had the journalist Graham Hunter on programmes as a guest. He always came across as a little different from the usual occupant of a press box at football grounds. He often wore shoes with no socks. In London and in winter! Maybe Spain was coursing through his veins even then.
He moved to Barcelona so that he could be in a cultural and classy city. But football also played a part in his move. He knew that FC Barcelona would soon be the best team in Spanish football. And he was right.
I envy Graham for being able to watch one of the greatest football teams of my lifetime. And he gets paid to do so. Now that is what I call a result!
Graham Hunter reporting from Spain for Sky Sports
But that was not the main reason for the move, as proud Scot Graham told me.
He said: “Spain in general, and Barcelona in particular, is a place where the family is still celebrated and children are the centre of your life. Louise and I wanted us to have more enjoyable and relaxing times together as a family.
“Even more than the Scots, the Catalans are fiercely determined to hang on to their customs and their idea of how society should function. Arriving here I was reminded of life in the Aberdeen village I grew up in 35 years ago. People are more polite, the streets are safe, nothing opens on a Sunday and grandparents are not locked away indoors.“
Visca Barca!
The forthcoming book by Graham Hunter
Barcelona attracts tourists for many reasons, not least football, and there are many apartments to rent in the city that are within easy reach of the ground.
Graham has been busy writing an authoritative book charting the success story of Barcelona and that will be published and available for purchase around the turn of the year. But, i wondered, doesn’t Graham miss the excitement of meeting deadlines in national newspapaers?
He says: “Sometimes I miss the extreme stimulus of working on a daily paper but I am pleased to be succeeding on my own two feet. I had two fantastic business trips to the city including my all time career high when, in 1999, Manchester United won the Champions League final in the last minute of the game.”
View from pitch side
Lionel Messi, left, and Daniel Alves with European Cup. Photo by Graham Hunter
“Most importantly my wife and daughter came here for a long weekend a year later and they loved it. That was the key element for me when it came to choosing the cosmopolitan Barcelona to be our new home.
“We moved a little up market to a lovely apartment, also within walking distance of the Camp Nou where my favourite team, Barcelona, play their home games. It has a lovely balcony, all the space we require and a shared pool on the ground floor. The neighbours are friendly and we feel part of the community. What more could one need?”
My own life in Spain would have been a good deal less enriched had I never met the prolific author of books about Spanish food, Luis Benavides Barajas.
Luis Benavides Barajas
He is a culinary historian and former award winning owner of restaurants in London.
In the 1970’s he ran one of the very first and most famous Spanish restaurants in the capital. It was called ‘Dulcinea’ (in tribute to Don Quixote) and it figured in all the good food guides of the time. His regular clients included many of the stars of stage, screen and music. Tom Jones always favoured the duck, apparently!
In the 1980’s Luis and his late English wife Susan decided to move back to his native Spain and they settled in the town of Almuñécar on the gloriously warm Costa Tropical. Later he moved inland to the town of Padul, just outside of his favourite city, Granada.
Luis says: “I got to know Granada when I returned to Spain after 27 years in England. It is a unique place. It is very Moorish and has so much character. Only Seville compares to it.
“I like Granada because it is a city you can walk around easily and it varies greatly once you walk through the narrow streets behind the main thoroughfare. It is full of character. Granadinos are very conservative people in their outlook and they are proud of their city.”
Cooking the books
Former restauranteur Luis, right, at lunch with friends
So after living in England for twenty seven years, why did he return to Spain?
“It was my wife Susan who wanted to come back to Spain, for all the usual reasons. It was a very cheap country to live in back then and, of course, much warmer.
“I had to reinvent myself so I set about writing books on the regional cooking available in Spain. I look at the history of Spanish food and how it has developed. For example, in the only book that has been translated into English, ‘The Alhambra– Under the Half Moon’, I explore the food that was popular in Andalucia at the time of the last Moorish King of Spain, Boabdil.
“Publishing your own books is hard work these days, especially at my age, but I am pleased that I come across so many people whose mothers or grandmothers have my books in their kitchen.”
I have been lucky to eat some great food in Spain, but the majority of that has been in northern Spain, where Luis himself hails from. His home town is Toro, near historic Zamora.
One thing that has often left me mystified in Andlaucia is why so few restaurants serve fresh vegetables. Especially when the weekly markets are full of them.
Read all about it
A book in English by Luis Benavides Barajas
Luis says: “It is because many of the chefs don’t know what to do with vegetables. Too many kitchens use frozen or tinned food which is a pity because it is the freshness of the ingredients that make all the difference between good and bad Spanish food.
“For example, Habas con Jamón is a wonderful dish providing the habas are fresh. But so many places use frozen broad beans. It just doesn’t taste anywhere near as good. The dish goes back many centuries. I found a recipe for Habas con Jamón going back to the 16thcentury.”
Keeping it fresh
Habas con Jamon
And what about tapas bars themselves. What should people looking for before deciding upon which bars to frequent?
Luis says: “Home cooking is essential. Look for somewhere serving home cooked food and a bar run by professionals. The character of those cooking and serving the tapas will make all the difference to your experience.”
On my travels around Spain I have sat in some homes with stunning views. But being served English tea while sat on the couch in the home of Michael Rainey has to be the most memorable view of all.
His home in the Albaicin quarter of Granada directly faces the Alhambra Palace.
Groovy man!
A room with a view from Michael Rainey's home
I was amazed that he has a television in the same room. I cannot believe I would watch TV when the ever changing, magical view of the Palace – set against the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada mountains – is just there. Out of the window.
Michael Rainey was a leading member of the fashion industry in the nineteen sixties. His hip and trendy designs were all the rage when his first shop opened in Cale Street and then when, later, he moved into the Kings Road in West London. His flowery shirts and boldly coloured kipper ties became a must have for young men.
Suits you, sir!
Mick Jagger wearing a jacket designed by Michael Rainey
Michael provided the latest look for many of the British film and pop stars of the age. He clothed the likes of Mick Jagger and the other Rolling Stones.
If a pop group or singer appeared on ‘Top of the Pops’ in the 60’s, the chances are that they were wearing outfits designed by Michael. The Kinks, Donovan and many more.
Flower power
Michael Rainey in the 60's
He also dressed home grown movie stars such as Terence Stamp. His trendy London clothes shop, ‘Hung on You’ was where people went to be dressed in the flower power style of so many of their idols.
Like Luis Benavides Barajas, Michael is no longer a young man, and I wondered if the steep cobbled streets of the Albaicin can be too much for a man in his seventies.
He told me: “I get around on my scooter. Its is the best way to navigate Granada. The positive thing about living in this part of the Albaicin is how quiet it is. The loudest sounds come from the local birds and the timeless clanging of the bells from the many local churches.
“The view of the palace from my private quarters and from the rented apartments is amazing. I never take it for granted. I’m always aware of it and just to sit and contemplate its symmetric order does have a soothing and calming effect. Spain is full of magical views but, in my opinion, none are on a par with the one I see every day.”
It is a long way from London in the swinging sixties and life has changed considerably for Michael. And that is also the case for many of the colourful characters I have met who have settled in the country.
Staying power
A view towards the Albaicin, Granada
The one thing I have learned from meeting all these people is this. You must be adaptable, resourceful, imaginative and be ready to change your outlook on life when living in Spain.
And be patient. The people who have settled best in Spain are those who have given it plenty of time. Theirs is no overnight success story. But their stories are a success because they stuck with it and didn’t jump on the first plane back home.
Spain is now their home.
