Partridge Makes a Good Red Wine a Bad Red Wine

I’m just a little drunk here after celebrating my two-day nip into France from Spain with a great dinner. Serge, a restaurateur clearly in love with turning people on to good food, asked me what kind of wine I liked. I said Medoc. He lit up, and brought me a bottle from 2003. He said, “That was a very hot year.” I said, “Yes. Wasn’t that the heat spell that killed thousands of French senior citizens who had no air-con?” He said, “Yes, tragic…but this wine is excellent.” So, my guard is down and I’m just throwing together a ratatouille (spell-checker no help with that one) of observations.

Of all the places I’ve been researching in Western Europe, I believe Spain is the one where smoky hotels and restaurants are the most prevalent. I did find a place that has water in the ashtrays to absorb some of the smell.

Another thought on the “art” (and not, as locals insist, the “sport”) of bullfighting: Newspaper stories on bullfighting appear not in the sports section, but in the culture pages.

In Spain and France, republicans are the progressive ones — those against the king or the dictator and in favor of the Republic. They get confused when considering American politics, where Republicans are on the conservative side of the political spectrum.

I’m always amazed at how stupid and demoralized museum guards seem. Surrounded by great art, they show no curiosity or initiative. Sure there are exceptions. And sure they have boring jobs. But they could learn where the El Grecos are and when the Picasso will return to its normal place.

In Spain, big museums now require groups to rent “whisper systems” for €1 per group member. This gives each person an earpiece and the guide a mic and transmitter. Guides love it because they can talk softly and all can hear, non-paying members can no longer freeload on their commentary, and they broadcast at a unique frequency that can be heard throughout the museum but only by members of their group — so no one can get lost. For the rest of us, it’s nice because we no longer hear the babble of guides in various languages telling their stories.

I just saw an etching of a garrote-style execution in Barcelona. They sit you in a chair with a metal band around your neck and put a crucifix in your hand. Then, as a priest prays for you and the public gawks, they slowly tighten the band until you strangle to death. I knew this happened in the Inquisition (16th century). But the date on this execution was 1894.

I’ve been getting used to Vista on my new, fast, powerful, and tiny laptop. There’s just one problem: When it’s plugged in, I receive a low-level shock from the wrist board as I type. My tech man back in the office explained it’s because my adapter doesn’t engage the ground prong on the three-prong American plug. (Glad I’m done having kids.)

It’s fun being in travel stride. Setting up the room is key. I review my pillow options from the varieties in the top shelf of the closet. It’s been cold, so I find the extra blanket. I am proactive about asking for a quieter room if I get a room on the street and a lower floor. It can make a big difference. I gather up all the promotional clutter and needless remotes and hide them in a drawer. (I have an ethic not to turn on the TV — that’ll be the end when I start cruising.) And life is so nice after dropping by a market and picking up some fruit, veggies, crackers, and juice (apple is best at room temp) to stock a little hotel-room pantry.

It seems hotels put an eco-friendly note in the bathroom saying, “Help us save the world. Hang towels to reuse, toss in tub to be changed.” I hang the towels…and invariably, the maids change them out anyway.

Here in Basque Country, it’s politically correct for anyone with a website who supports the Basque movement to use .com rather than .es (the suffix for España).

Hoteliers tell me the economy is so tight and things are so expensive for people that vacationing French wait until they know the weather will be good before committing to a visit.

When you eat so late in Spain, each lunch is a kind of break-fast. For several days I’ve worked six hard hours with barely a drink or nibble. (That’s why Spaniards have a kind of mini-pre-lunch late in the morning.) When I finally sit down for lunch and the beer hits the table, my body sucks it in with unprecedented gusto and appreciation.

 

Javier, whose dad is a famous Michelin star-rated chef in Toledo (Spain), does his best to corrupt me at his restaurant. It was a lovely evening of being taught the importance of matching food with fine wine.
Enlarge photo

The other day, the son of a famous local chef taught me a little gastronomy. Javier said, “Food with wine completes the circle. But you must do it right. Partridge makes good red wine bad red wine. Partridge and white beans…that’s perfect with white wine. You must think with your stomach.” I’m still learning. The whole matching wine with food thing has been frustrating for me. But several times I’ve got it right this last week…and lift off…it makes a believer out of you.

 

Comments

36 Replies to “Partridge Makes a Good Red Wine a Bad Red Wine”

  1. Rick…..I do the pantry set up like you….fresh veg, fruit, orange juice, some snacks….of course beer and wine and bottled water….i eat healthy and cheap and when I want…..it’s a great way to feel like a local and I even enjoy the grocery shopping experience in a foreign land….keep up the excellent blog….

  2. Rick, I just recently started reading you blogs and I just want to say, Thank You! You are very inspirational. I got the chance to study abroad in London last summer and I didn’t get the chance to visit Spain. After doing a little research and reading your recent blogs I can’t wait to visit Europe (especially Spain) again.

  3. Although off topic, did you get a little shocked to see the american journalist was arrested for spying in Iran and given 8 year sentence. According to all sources there was no evidence. Glad this was not you and glad you did your program before this type of thing started occuring. What is next hostage situations.

  4. I’m always amazed at how stupid and demoralized museum guards seem. Go to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg to see where KGB agents went to work after the fall of the Soviet Union.

  5. Rick, I always enjoy reading your wonderfully descriptive Blog entries (I wish I could write like that!). Your last few entries have really piqued my interest in Spain. Your Spain & Portugal tour is definitely on my list!

  6. It is wonderful to sense that you still maintain such a high degree of excitement for travel. As I read your post I also am ready to step out the front door of a hotel in Spain! I like the idea of the whisper machines; maintaining the quiet will aid in improving the experience for all. I would really like to see that in the Sistine Chapel; I have always been disappointed by the irreverence there. Even with the insistence of the guards to keep quiet people still chatter right along. Makes the experience less than what it could be. Thanks again for sharing your current travels with us. I have read it twice today just so that I don’t lose any of your comments and I enjoy the experience of closing my eyes and being in Spain again.

  7. Thanks for the entry. Reading it is now part of my morning ritual. Ease up on the guards. It’s a job for them and not everyone necessarily has to have an appreciation for art. If they are unfriendly…well that is something altogether different.

  8. Regarding museum guards, the Castelletto in Brescia has wonderful guards who are proud and happy to tell you about the history of the area and to explain the displays in detail. Or maybe it helped that two of the women in our little group are extraordinarily beautiful… As for food and wine pairing, it truly IS a revelation when you get it right. Sometimes it is a happy accident for me as I am eating some convenience food and discover that the wine I decided to drink that evening actually goes quite well with Mexican chicken quesadilla hot pockets…

  9. Tom, I so agree. Our tour guide scared the beegeebers out of us by making sure we understood never to talk to the police -who are but a band of roving thugs- or museum guards-who are ex KGB. I am so glad I went in 2006 because in today’s climate even with two tour guides in tow I would uncomfortable. One of our group stepped off the curb into the street at the Red Square where you are not allowed to do that and the police came and were trying to arrest him until our tour guide bribed him with some some cashola. Great trip but would not return any time soon

  10. I agree that you might cut the museum guards some slack. I suspect their main job is to protect the art from possible attack, rather than answer questions. If anyone other than the curator is likely to know when the Picasso will be back it’s the person on the front desk, not some random guard. If you were stuck with the same pictures day after day (especially given that some art in some museums is not that great), with lots of school and tour groups trooping through, you might not be in a great mood either.

  11. Rick – if you never turn on the TV in Europe, you’ll never know how many languages J.R. Ewing (of “Dallas”) speaks. Or Doug Ross (George Clooney on ‘ER’). Seeing old American TV shows that are dubbed is a trip in itself. Also, some of the French commercials are so strange you can’t even tell what they are selling.

  12. Rick- reading your blogs in the morning really makes my day great! I really love hearing about your exciting time in Spain and I am sorry to hear that your laptop shocks you as you type. You must be very dedicated to continue on through the pain (good thing it’s low-level shock). Enjoy your travels and good luck with the wine and food mixing.

  13. Rick, my husband and I will be on the San Sebastian and Basque Country tour starting April 26. Will we get to meet you then?

  14. Kathy and Tom, My wife and I just returned last week from a self guided trip to Moscow and St Petersburg. Happy to report all went well but you are right, you have to be carefull. I found Russia is a very expensive place to visit and you have to be careful not to spend more than you need to. It seems everybody is trying to make extra. The cost to foreigners is much higher than locals pay. I also saw someone stopped by the police for crossing the road between the Kremlin and Le Meridian hotel. You have to use the underground to cross over. Despite this I would go back tomorrow. Other than Israel, this was the best place I have ever visited.

  15. I appreciate your wine pairing thoughts. I’ve never gotten past red/white/sweet/dry…basic pairings, but friends have and it makes a nice difference when I eat with them. Responding to the Iranian poster: My in country Iranian friends tell me the uncredentialed “reporter” seemed quite focused on Iranian nuclear information and her contacts and depth of her work was what got her in trouble. As this subject is even a state secret in the USA, it is not unreasonable that Iran feels the same about whatever they have going…so a trial held in private may not be too odd. That Obama said: “I have every confidence”…that she isn’t a spy, he was careful in his words, wasn’t he?

  16. The Iranians consider her a foreigner nosing around in their country (which she is) and they arrested her. That’s not nice. But consider the USA’s Git’mo — with hundreds of innocents held for years without being charged and tortured with no regard to what the rest of the world thinks. Who are we to be so indignant?

  17. Glad to see you are enjoying yourself with food and wine! One of my favorite parts of travel! I don’t know about Spain, after what everyone has said in the last blog and I just watched the movie Vicky Christina Barcelona, I hope that was just hollywood!

  18. Rick, most of your blogs seem to center around one main theme and expand from there. This blog seemed to jump all over the place and I absolutely loved it! You talked about something, went off on a slight tangent, and returned to the topic. It was like getting little glimpses of your trip, rather than one concentration. Brings to mind that scene from Amelie where she takes the blind man through town to the subway, describing their surroundings along the way. :)

  19. I’m not sure I agree with your techie guy. I, too, am traveling with a “baby” computer (a Lenovo S10), and am using a three-pin plug with a two-hole input adapter, and I’m not getting any shocks (I’m not using Vista either – still on XP, lol). But if he’s right there’s an easy solution. A couple of times I’ve arrived (Greece, Hungary) to discover I’ve brought the wrong adapter plug, and been able to buy a “universal” adapter plug that takes all kinds of input, including three-pin American. Just head for the nearest hardware store. Or ask your hotel – my first hotel on this trip lent me a three-pin American to two-pin European plug, before a techie friend at home told me I could use the three-pin plug with a two-hole adapter, provided I was careful not to touch the pins when I unplugged it.

  20. I love your stuff, Rick. You are by far the best travel writer around. I don’t agree with you socialist political views, and I am still unsure of where you are at concerning your Faith. However, if ever there was a liberal that I would want to hang with it is you. As a career and academically trained missionary you have great insight on cultural sensitivity and I recommend your books and videos to all my friends and acquaintances in and out of ministry. I would suggest you spend a little of your well deserved financial success on a Mac. I know you are from WA., but come on, you should know better. :)

  21. I know this is off the subject and my message may get pulled but…. I am wondering if Rick Steves has produced any shows on Russia. I can’t find any on his website or on Amazon.com. Has he filmed Russia yet? Will he soon? Also, (I know this is off topic), does anyone know if there is a boxed set of Samantha Brown’s “Passport to Europe” show? I like to pair her shows with Rick Steves, because she featured activities that appeal a little more to younger women. I love Rick Steves, but Samantha was more whimsical and did things that young people would be interested in. Just wondering…

  22. Catherine, Couldn’t find that Rick has filmed Russia. As for Samantha Brown, I couldn’t find a boxed set, but Amazon has Season 1 available via Video On Demand for $1.99/show. Sorry for posting this here, but she didn’t include her email address so that I could contact her privately.

  23. Regarding your computer problem: There are adapters that ground and some just “adapt”. Perhaps you just need a different adapter. Or the problem could be the outlet is not grounded.

  24. Loved this entry partly because it was so “stream of consciousness,” just like I often feel when traveling. I have to disagree with you on foreign TV, though–the commercials are the best way to tune up your language skills, since they’re short, punchy and they really, really care whether you get their message. I can convince myself that my French, German, Italian, Turkish or whatever is pretty darned good watching commercials–right up till I try watching a current affairs program!!

  25. Hi Rich, I am from San sebastian and i dont´t agree with yoour coment about .es and .com and “basque movement” as you said. there is not basque movement, there is just a terrorist group like a “mafia” who kills ,blackmails and extorts inocent people and very little people supports them. Othe thing is people who are “nationalist” (they think that Basque country shoul be independent from spain but with legal and no violent methods).

  26. Whether I’m in Italy or Spain or France or wherever, I value dining as locals do. That enhances my travel experience. Plus, it’s a great way for the solo traveler (such as myself) to interact with other people. Travel writers with multiple visits to a particlar region or country have the decided luxury to spend extra time ferreting out quality characteristic finds in dining. In turn, the writers inform their readers to help refine their search for what’s good to eat (should they choose to follow that advice).

  27. At last count I was up to 50 countries, and the only place I’ve eaten hamburger is the US (and not much there after the first 6 months), and steak usually only in France besides the US. I love eating local! It’s one of the easiest ways to feel part of the local scene, and maybe get to chat with someone who lives there – or at least another traveler.

  28. Rick, once again your post prompts most interesting opinions among your readers. Thanks for all the views, they make that blog reading tiny corner of my day.
    Larry from springfield.

  29. Some of my most cherished moments were the conversations had with people I met in hostels and street cafes. And of course, they turn you on to the real neighborhood haunts, stuff that’s not even in the Rick Steves’ guidie. Even more interesting is when you talk with residents of the country who are immigrants; like the Tunisian man I talked with on a Paris city bus, or the Russian woman running the laundromat a couple of short blocks off the Ramblas. Listening to their aspirations for something better–and their subsequent disappointment–reminds me that everyone desires the best life possible, based on their own definition of what that is. Ironically, my security word is “amass”–that’s what we should do with knowlegde each and everytime we’re fortunate enough to travel and engage other cultures.

  30. I forgot to mention that several years ago on a visit to Spain (in a restaurant) I had pig’s cheeks. Absolutely delicious–so glad I didn’t miss that culinary delight. I also enjoyed the laughter of two of my dinner companions who were too inhibited to give them a try. Their loss.

  31. In reference to some of the comments above. My name is Jeremy and I have visited 18 countries. :) Now that this is out of the way, I will say eating local at a restaurant is great. I don’t want to go where tourists are. However, while traveling in Europe for nearly a month, I broke down on my last day and went to McDonald’s (Ironically, you will NEVER see me eat at McD’s here in the state). While there, I asked a girl in French what time it was. From there, I spent the rest of the day and the evening hanging out with her. Went to the doctor’s office (she had a brief appt), saw a movie in Paris, she took me took an authentic, local Lebanese restaurant and saw parts of Paris and a part of life I would have NEVER seen on my own. To this day, I still keep in touch with that girl and it’s been 5 years since I was on that trip. So never discount eating local, don’t discount an occasional taste of home, and don’t think you can’t meet Europeans at a place to eat. Rick, thanks for writing. I love the way you write and it brings back memories of my trip to Spain.

  32. I don’t go to Europe to eat at McD’s. But while out and about in Paris one day after being in Europe for a month, I just wanted a quick bite. Normally, I prefer to eat local and LOVE the opportunity to try the local food. Like Kathy said above, it’s one of the experiences of traveling. However, I wanted to counter both your points by saying there are times you don’t always have to eat local and you can meet locals by eating. Outside of Europe, I have not eaten at a McDonald’s in years. However, McD’s is where the younger generation will go in Europe so it turned out to be a good chance to a nice young woman. It was an awesome experience and that day with her I got a taste of Paris I could have never had on my own.

  33. I agree that McD’s can be a good place to meet young locals. In China you can try Pizza Hut or KFC, too – in fact KFC seems to be the local favorite! I did once eat at a McD’s in Simferapol, Ukraine – it was close to the train station, and I wanted a clean toilet. Turned out the toilet was besieged by young local women putting on makeup. Also ate at one in north Malaysia – interested to see there was a “uniform’ head scarf for the women working there.

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