Today I am taking a different type of walk, a walk down Memory Lane to reflect on a trip to Spain taken in August 1974. It will be the third post in my “Fifty Years Ago” series.
The concept of “Fifty Years Ago” began in August 2019 when, just for giggles and for a brief pause in my nature walk posts, I decided to time travel back to 1969 after hearing and seeing endless social media retrospectives about the first footsteps on the moon and the Woodstock Music Festival. That post is found by clicking here.
In 1969 I also had a first, albeit not as monumental as the above feats. I took my first trip abroad, a turbulence-filled Transatlantic flight headed for a month-long visit to Germany and Austria. I was accompanied by my father, who was returning to his homeland for the first time since emigrating from Germany to Canada in 1950. My grandfather died in April 1969, so my grandmother, now retired, spent the Summer in Michigan, so Mom did not travel with us. Truthfully, my 13-year-old-self thought the scenery and food were great, but since I spoke no German, my father’s aunt and uncle spoke no English and no one paid me much attention during this three-week vacation, suffice it to say I was happy to be back home again.
Last year I took a long look-back at the year 1973.
I didn’t post about any more significant events in my life five decades prior until last year as 2023 marked 50 years post-1973, a year of many changes for me, among them: finishing high school and starting college, my first job, my first car and a 10-day trip to Puerto Rico to visit friends of the family. That post is found by clicking here.
To me, 1973 marked a turning point when suddenly I felt like an adult, even though I had just turned 17 in April that year. I was the youngest of 613 students in our high school graduating class. For me, the year was significant due to newfound freedom thanks to a having a paycheck as opposed to allowance, plus owning wheels, a brand-new 1973 VW Super Beetle in Biscay Blue.
Three weeks spent in España in August ’74.
I mentioned family friends that I visited in Puerto Rico during Spring Break my last year in high school. They lived there for several years on a work assignment. We had a wonderful time as they wowed me with all the local tourist venues and beautiful beaches. The last day of that 10-day vacation, Alfonsa and Werner floated the idea of a trip to visit Spain, Alfonsa’s homeland, the following year. Well I was all in for that idea, so we coordinated the dates and I booked my flight shortly after returning home. We would reunite once again and it was sure to be another trip of a lifetime.
So, in August 1974, the first year of college under my belt, I took a three-week vacation from my job at the diner and flew to Madrid for a meet-up with Alfonsa and Werner. We stayed with Alfonsa’s family in Madrid while visiting the touristy places there, then left on a two-week journey down the country’s midsection, then traveled up the coast of Spain.
There was no language barrier, since Alfonsa, a Spaniard, spoke fluent Spanish, so we were able to stop at tiny towns to sample regional fare or enjoy local entertainment at a leisurely pace, unlike an organized tour where you are on a tight schedule. I enjoyed myself immensely.
In compiling this post, I do concede that many of the photos are dark or unclear, except some that were taken with Werner’s 35mm camera. My photos were taken with my trusty Kodak Pocket Camera.
We visited all the touristy places in Madrid.
We began by going to the top of the Hotel Plaza Mayor to get a panoramic view of this busy city.
Then back down to ground level we stopped at two very busy streets. The first was Jose Antonio Avenue …
… and Del Prado Avenue, where Werner handed his camera to someone for a photo of the three of us.
The visit to the Royal Palace was breathtaking, with a lot of opulence to take in. Hmm – looks like I almost stepped out of the photograph here.
Madrid is brimming with historical architecture, like the Plaza Mayor, which opened in 1620 and is in the center of the City.
There are many monuments like the Arco de la Victoria (Arch of Victory), a triumphal arch commemorating a victory in the Spanish Civil War.
In this monument you may recognize the characters from Don Quixote the novel by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. The Monument to Cervantes in The Plaza de Espana has Don Quixote riding his horse and sidekick Sancho Panza riding his mule.
This is the Cibeles Fountain.
Here I am on the steps to the Prado Museum.
The three of us gathered at El Retiro Park and got a passerby to snap our photo.
You all know about my love for animals and, had it been up to me, a visit to Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, the largest bullfighting ring in Spain, would have been skipped, but I was not calling the shots so off we went for a sunny afternoon of bullfighting.
First, we stopped at the small chapel where the matadors go to pray before they enter the ring.
Before we entered this venue, I told Werner and Alfonsa I would watch the fight, but once the bull was injured or blood was spilled, I would shut my eyes, so that is what I did, while they filled me in on what was happening and when I could open my eyes again. Of course, if I had been watching, I would have rooted for the bull, so best I shut my eyes and stayed mum. These are a few shots I can show you.
We strayed from the city proper on a half-day trip to the medieval monastery of Lorenzo de El Escorial.
After Alfonsa gave us a thorough tour of her birthplace, we set out on the rest of our journey through the heart of Spain, venturing into the historical venues of Toledo, Cordoba and Granada, then on to enjoy the resort areas along the Southern coast, Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca before returning to Madrid to conclude our trip.
I must say that after two solid weeks visiting multiple ancient venues steeped in history with amazing architecture, it was difficult to keep them apart, so I am glad that when I got my photos processed I paired them with notes I’d taken each day, because fifty years later I would not be able to ID any of those shots without the aid of Google Image Search.
Other historical venues visited.
In central Spain we visited the ancient city of Toledo and stopped at Alcazar Fortress. The walled city is high on a hill and we went through the winding streets, sometimes walking, but also by horse-drawn carriage.
Toledo is the birthplace of painter El Greco and is famous for its jewelry, known simply as “Toledo Jewelry” or Damascene jewelry, beautiful black matte pieces adorned with intricate gold filigree flowers.
We spent a half-day touring the city of Córdoba with a stop at the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos.
We spent a full day in Granada, making a must-see visit to The Alhambra Palace, a huge complex which took a long time to tour and I’m sure we still didn’t see it all.
Tooling around Torremolinos.
It was time to take a welcome breather from ancient architecture and historical sites, so our next stop was Costa Del Sol, along Spain’s southern coastline, to spend a few days relaxing at Torremolinos, renowned for its beautiful beaches and nightlife. After culling all the cheesecake photos of Alfonsa and I in our bathing suits, that left only a handful of photos from this locale.
This was on our hotel balcony – yes, I am tall and she was almost a foot shorter than me, (even wearing platform shoes).
This was also taken on our hotel balcony.
The hotel’s play area was perfect for a pose by the cacti.
We went to a few nightclubs and another must-see, a club to watch flamenco dancing. I bought some castanets … ask me if I ever used them?
Next stop was more R-n-R at Alicante, another resort town.
Alicante and Costa Blanca are in Valencia, known for sandy beaches, near-perfect weather year-round and sweet-tasting oranges. This is where Alfonsa and Werner retired some 20 years ago. We relaxed at this resort in Costa Blanca a few days before heading back to Madrid.
But, before we departed and went our separate ways, the idea that we should reunite for our third trip in a row was suggested. Werner and Alfonsa were going to go to South America for a month-long trip in the Summer of 1975. Would I like to join them?
We were NOT reunited in 1975 as I had already committed to being the Editor of my college handbook, a job/title that I thought would help me in my career … it did not help and in retrospect I should have reunited with them on this South American adventure.
Thank you if you made it to the end of the very long, picture-laden post. I am joining Terri Webster Schrandt’s August 18th Sunday Stills Photo Challenge: Reunited.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Sometimes it is fun to look back. 😊
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Yes TD – it is fun and I enjoyed doing the 50-year lookbacks for 1969 and 1973, so I thought I’d do it for every year going forward. I did a lot of traveling in the late 70s/early 80s.
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Do you still see or hear from your friends?
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No unfortunately I don’t Kate. Alfonsa passed away about ten years ago. She had a very bad stroke while my mom was still alive and was confined to a wheelchair, then she had another stroke and died in her sleep. They used to call us, then just me, a few times a year from Spain where they lived in a small apartment building she had bought before she met him. Werner called me to tell me she had died and said “now I can have my life back after taking care of Alfonsa all these years. I am going to book a trip to Hawaii and maybe I will come to visit you.” I was so disgusted with what he said I told him “don’t bother coming to visit me nor contacting me again.” So that was that. I know that maybe he felt that way, but to voice it and sound gleeful before the woman was cold, sickened me.
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Being a long term caretaker isn’t easy. He should not have said it out loud. Just quietly resume your life.
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Yes, I agree with you on the caretaking responsibilities that can wear you down. He was just a little too gleeful for my liking; yes resume your life quietly, but after a respectable amount of time for goodness sake.
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I enjoyed all your travels. What marvelous adventures!
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Thank you Anne – it really was an opportunity of a lifetime to travel with them and with no language barrier. I wish I had gone to South America as well – it would have been a great time, although she got her purse stolen with some jewelry she had just purchased. They had thieves on motorbikes who see tourists and zip by and just “purse-nap” or “camera-nap” and take off.
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I’m glad you missed the thievery.
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Me too – that was common at that time. I was on a Panama Canal cruise in 1982 and we were advised not to wear any fancy watches/jewelry and hold onto purses/cameras and stay with the group (it was a day trip to Cartagena, famous for emerald mines). So, one of the passengers, an elderly man, was walking around with an expensive camera on his neck and he was knocked down, camera taken from his neck by someone cutting off the strap and he was left in the street. He had to be airlifted to a hospital and was not reunited with the cruise ship.
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A great adventure for a young lass.
I enjoyed Spain, Madrid, Granada and especially Toledo
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Thank you Brian. Yes, there was lots to see and in retrospect I wish I had gone with them to South America the following year. Spain was a beautiful country and I was lucky there was no language barrier, so we could explore small towns, try more regional food and entertainment. Toledo was one of my favorites too.
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This is a delightful travelogue!
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Thank you Anne. I was lucky to do a lot of traveling in my teens and 20s and with no language barrier, I think we got to visit the big tourist attractions as well as small venues that might not have been on a more regimented tour itinerary.
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Your trip to Spain sounds amazing! The beautiful ancient arhitecture and historic buildings and cityscapes and coastline scenes… Do you remember what floor your hotel room was on? You looked pretty high up on that balcony! I had to laugh, I probably would have bought some castanets, too. (It’s a good thing you weren’t there in July or your friends might have dragged you to the Running of the Bulls!) Thanks so much for sharing your once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
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We did have a lot of fun Barbara and many times through the years I could have kicked myself for not going on a third trip with them. I don’t remember what floor our rooms were on – it did have a wonderful view though! I didn’t buy a lot of souvenirs, but the castanets got my attention for sure. I went with a tour group to Greece in 1981 and it included a one-week Greek island cruise. It seemed like every restaurant we visited and throughout the cruise, I heard Greek bouzouki music. So I bought tapes and we had Greek dress-up night on the cruise so I bought some earrings and clothing at a Greek marketplace/bazaar for that night – I was all caught up in the spirit of being there. I know I played that 8-track tape when I first came home and my parents said “that’s nice, but from now on you wear the headphones please!” 🙂
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When my grandparents came to visit us in Greece we took ferries to Santorini and Crete. I loved eating outside all the time and the food was delicious. The music was so different to what I was used to but seemed to fit the atmosphere perfectly. This was back in the 1970s – I do wonder what it is like now.
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I have Googled the Greek music on YouTube occasionally. Their music is lively, but also very soft and pretty as well. I like Greek food too Barbara. I worked in Downtown Detroit for years in the Downtown Business District, but just about a half-mile away you could go to Mexicantown for authentic Mexican food or to Greektown for authentic Greek food. For both of these areas, they were not huge restaurants, just small family-owned restaurants and specialty bakeries as well. I forgot you lived in Greece. Santorini is pretty with its white buildings and turquoise and red accents. I did not go to Santorini or Crete on the cruise – just Mykonos and Rhodes (the rest of the cruise was one day in Israel and one day in Turkey and a one-week land tour). For me it was 1981, so not too long after the 70s when you were there (if the late 70s anyway).
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What port in Israel did you visit for a day?
It was in 1972 when we moved to Greece and crossed the Atlantic in a cruise ship. It was strange because the ship stopped in Haifa, Israel before it went to Piraeus, Greece. So we walked around the port of Haifa for an evening but I don’t have any clear memory of it. I remember the ship had to wait in the harbor until the sun went down before it could dock, because of the Sabbath. No work could be done on the Sabbath.
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Our port was also Haifa and we docked and had a tour bus ready for our day trip which was to the Wailing Wall, Via Dolorosa, Garden of Gethsemane and Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I recall one port we went to where all the passports were collected, then taken en masse very early in the morning to the authorities to be processed/stamped and then returned to us as we left the ship for our day tour. I think it was at Haifa. I remember I was the only Canadian on the tour (probably on the ship as well). We must not have been there on the Sabbath as there was no work interruption.
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I visited Spain as a high school graduation present. Went to many of the same sights that you did. I remember Torremolinos! I bought a small gold/silver ring there that I still have!
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That was a wonderful present for you Ally. Had you studied Spanish in high school or just in college? I was overwhelmed by all the historical buildings we saw – very ancient places, so Torremolinos was a nice break from all the history. I only bought some Toledo jewelry, which was unique and now you can buy it here in the States. I wish we could have visited the Rock of Gibralter.
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I studied Spanish in high school and Spain intrigued me. It was a beautiful country to see as a tourist.
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I always wanted to go to France after studying French for so many years. I’m not even sure I’ll ever make it to Quebec, let alone France.
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I love this 50 year look back, Linda! What wonderful memories you share. This is a great example of “reunited.” You were fortunate to be able to travel abroad as a teen. My husband, who’s middle name is Werner, traveled a lot in his 20s with his German-born father. I’m glad my parents took me to many national parks during my teens. Both you and I were lucky to have parents who cared about our well-being and education.
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Thank you Terri – I am glad you liked this post. I have had a lot of fun with the 50 years ago series. It was very special since there was no language barrier, so I feel we went to many smaller towns to try regional fare and see entertainment, like these flamenco dancers, more than we would with a traditional tour group. I am glad this post worked for “reunited”. Yes, all three of us were lucky our parents enriched our lives through travel, whether domestic or international travels. Like education, the experience is lifelong and something no one can ever take from you.
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Thank you for this wonderful tour of Spain! I’ve been to Barcelona and The Canary Islands, but would love to visit the places you highlighted. Your other 50 year memoirs were interesting too.
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Thank you Debbie, I’m glad you enjoyed this lookback and the others. I had a lot of fun putting them together. A fellow blogger went to Barcelona last year and it looked like a lot of fun. I wished we could have gone to the Rock of Gibralter. We did cover a lot of attractions during that three-week period though.
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I loved all these places, Linda, and also that you took pictures of your pictures so you can post! So nice to see you with your family.
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Thank you Pam – I had a lot of fun creating this post and the other 50-year lookbacks. I did travel a lot in my late teens/early 20s. I sure am glad I labeled all the historic sites and cities we visited as 50 years later they do tend to look alike. I scanned in all my photo albums back in 2017 and it took me all four days of the Thanksgiving holiday. There were a lot of photos as I had not only travel, but family albums of my own, as well as my mom’s albums of her family, most which I never met. So it’s been fun to include all these photos in my blog.
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A fun flashback!
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I love looking back Pam – simpler times!
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What a thorough tour of the country they treated you with! I imagine you’ll never forget it (but having the photos is extra special). I saw a bullfight while we lived in Guatemala. One bull did get a bit of a dig at a matador. Yeah, pretty much the bull always loses. They do, in this beef-hungry world.
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It was quite a tour of historical and beautiful sites – that’s for sure Eilene. I am happy to have the memories and the photos and I am glad I labeled those photos in the album as I may not have remembered all the names. We had no matadors injured that day. My friends did say two of the bulls were brought to their knees and collapsed – I didn’t watch. At least the meat of such a large animal would go to good use and not to waste.
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It’s true that the meat is given away, but meat from a stressed animal is not all the edible, from what I hear. I’m glad that bull fighting has been outlawed in most places. Always a good idea to label photos. A couple years ago I went through mine, labeling and writing what I remembered about them. Tucked those pages into each album. Now for the digital mess…
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That is interesting about stressed animals and inedible meat – I didn’t realize that Eilene. If I had it to do it over with the digitization of all the albums, I would have used a handheld scanner. The flatbed scanner did not scan the large album pages very well, so I had to turn them around and thus some photos were cut off. I still have “raw images” that I have to enlarge and then crop to be able to use in my blog. One day I will finish that project. I do it as I go along and use them.
I do hear the ads for Legacy Box … this is a company that digitizes everything, from photos to slides to old movies and videos and make “share sites” for families to access. It is wise to digitize the photos as they supposedly fade and deteriorate, although I have a B&W photo of my grandparents holding my mom as a newborn in 1926 which was in excellent condition when digitized the albums. I did it because the pages’ binding were separating from the posts and spilling out of the albums.
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I still have not digitized the old photos. I tried a rapid scanner, but it made a vertical white line through all the images. A waste of money on that! Doing them one at a time is no fun. So, I do them when I use them for the blog. Someday, maybe, it will get done, one way or another.
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It is very time consuming, but I am glad I at least scanned them. I never looked at those albums in years as they were all in boxes in the bottom of a closet and a pain to get out as I had to move other things. Good to know about the rapid scanner. So much to do, so little time to do it.
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Wow, you have been to so many places Linda, what a trip. I love all the photos and how you explained what you were seeing. Amazing what you have seen. I have never left the US. 🙂
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Thank you Sandra – I’m glad you liked the photos and I’m glad I labeled them in the photo album or else I would have had to do a lot of Googling to match up the historical sites with their names. I did do a lot of traveling in the late 70s and early 80s, so I am grateful for that opportunity. I had a few more places left on my bucket list (Alaska, France and Italy), but I don’t think I will travel again like I did in the past. You, however, have seen a lot of the U.S. I have been out West and down South, but never to the East Coast except New York where I spent a week in April 1976. I would like to go to the New England states one day.
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It’s hard to believe that 1973 (and now 1974) is 50 years ago!
What a great trip, and a great opportunity. Having friends there to give you a personal tour is a rare thing for most Americans abroad.
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Yes 1973 was a great year of firsts and 1974 was a good time spent with these friends of the family. It was a trip of a lifetime for me and really for Werner as well as he had never been to Spain before either. [Wow, you are really catching up JP! Kudos to you for doing so. I once was behind 14 days, then lost my internet from an ice storm, so became 18 days behind in Reader and I thought I’d never catch up.]
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How lucky you were to be able to go there at such a young age. The trip looks amazing Linda! What fun it must have been writing this post and bringing back all your memories.
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Yes, it was a fun trip Diane. They were good friends of the family and since Alfonsa was born and raised in Spain and there was no language barrier, we got to see the regular tourist attractions as well as many out-of-the-way places. I did like going back and reliving some of those nice memories from 50 years ago. It seems like a lifetime ago now.
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What wonderful memories you made on this trip. I know you will always treasure being able to visit these sights.
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Yes Rebecca, that is so true. I really jumped at the chance to join them on this trip. We did see so many tourist attractions, plus visited small venues which we would not have visited had we been with a tour group.
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What great memories! You look terrific and you looked like you had a great time.
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Thank you Susan – hard to believe it was a half-century ago! I did have a great time with them and we saw a lot in three weeks’ time. I’m looking forward to your Portugal and Spain pictures coming up shortly. I wish we’d visited Portugal and the Rock of Gibralter – we needed another week!
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