In the immigration/baggage area of Madrid’s Barajas Airport…

Rivalries exist throughout the sports world. America has its Yankees-Red Sox and its Duke-Carolina. England is where Manchester United and Liverpool, and Chelsea and Arsenal each tilt twice a year. And in South Africa, the Kaizer Chiefs-Orlando Pirates rivalry brings Johannesburg to a halt. Very rarely is the rivalry actually political, however, as is the case in Spain’s larger-than-life El Clásico, the 254th of which takes place today in the first leg of the semifinals of Spain’s Copa del Rey.

Not to overlook that the mutual quality of play is great—FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are almost always among the most talented and victorious clubs in the world—is the fact that each club also has a long association with differing politics. Barcelona has long represented the identity of its liberal home, Catalonia, while Real Madrid gained the reputation for being the “establishment club” during the Francoist regime in the middle of the 20^th century. While this division has not always been so cut-and-dry, polls conducted even today show that Madrid’s followers tend to adopt more right-leaning views, while Barcelona’s are more closely aligned with the left-wing.

Adding to the hysteria, extremist political groups on both sides were born out of support for their beloved clubs, and went onto become known for hooliganism and violence. Ultras Sur, for example, was created in 1980 as a far-right Real Madrid group, while Boixos Nois started the following year as a far-left Barcelona group. In 2000, when former Barcelona star Luis Figo made his return to Camp Nou (Barcelona’s home stadium) as a Madrid player after a transfer, Boixos Nois threw a pig’s head at him. Other groups have followed, with one of the most violent of the Barcelona groups—the Casuals—having evolved into a full-fledged criminal organzation.

Feature film-worthy drama aside, there’s also football, with the teams squaring off twice a year in La Liga, and occasionally in other tournaments like Copa del Rey and UEFA’s Champions League. In total, the clubs have played 253 times, with Barcelona winning 105, Madrid 92, and 56 draws. Those numbers include “friendly” matches, though—of “competitive” matches (the Royal Spanish Football Federation has some convoluted logic as to what differentiates these two classifications), Madrid has won 88 times, Barcelona 86, with 46 draws. Conclusion: it’s pretty competitive between these two, even if there isn’t a clear-cut way to judge who has been more successful. That is why the rivalry is followed around the world, with one of its most anticipated showdowns—the 2002 Champions League semifinal—having been played to a worldwide audience of more than 500 million.

In case you miss today, you won’t have to wait long for the next one. The teams will play the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on 27 February, and again the following week in La Liga.

Image credit: Barcaloco.com

Nearly half a million Spanish citizens fled the country during its Civil War between 1936 and 1939 and during the ensuing Franco regime, mostly to France because of its proximity and Latin America because of the cultural synergies. Now, perhaps due to its low birth rate which has made Spain generally open to immigration over the past few years, the country has opened its doors to anyone who can prove that his or her parents or grandparents went into exile during the war or the first few decades of Franco’s dictatorship that followed.

With anywhere between 500,000 and 1 million people eligible, Spanish embassies are expecting to be full of applications, particularly in Argentina, Mexico, and perhaps most the most intriguing of them all, Cuba. The irony is that this decision comes at the same time Spain has started paying economic migrants from non-”Latin” communities (read: Arab, Muslim) to return home, citing language, a Catholic heritage and history as a reason for welcoming certain migrants over others. “We can’t just open the doors unlimited to everyone,” Spain’s director general of immigration said in a Monocle article. “It makes sense that we do everything for those who have a right to be Spanish.”

Before you even finish reading this post, chances are your friends in Spain are getting ready to eat—again. See, the Spanish don’t believe in the three square meals a day traditionally enjoyed by much of humanity. Here, it’s actually more like six. But before you worry about heart attacks and blood clotting that this sort of gluttony must surely lead to, fear not—the meals are small, and people here tend to enjoy healthy lifestyles full of walking and exercise.

So without further adieu, let’s introduce you to the meals enjoyed in Spain throughout the day—a far more intricate exercise than your typical breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Timetable of Meals in Spain

8:00am:  El Desayuno

A small meal typically eaten at home consisting of coffee and some bread or pastry—perhaps churros (think stick-like Spanish donut) or porras (similar to churros but slightly thicker).

El Desayuno: churros and a cup of hot chocolate (or coffee)

11:00am:  Tapas

Small plates eaten between breakfast and lunch, typically at a local bar, each of which serves its own specialty. Hot or cold, the selection of tapas varies greatly by region, and even by restaurant, but some of the most common are the Tortilla Espanola (Spanish potato omelet), Patatas Bravas (potatoes with spicy tomato sauce), or Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp cooked in garlic).

A selection of tapas available in a Madrid restaurant

A close-up of a tortilla espanola…

2:00pm:  La Comida

The largest and most important meal of the day, this historically consists of several courses and is enjoyed slowly, with most Spanish people taking a 2-3 hour siesta (break) from their jobs or schools between about 2:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon. This tradition is more confined to rural areas now, as most Spanish businesses today offer the standard 1-hour lunch break, which is still enough to feature a large meal with a soup, a protein, salad, dessert and a coffee.

Lunch in Madrid

A fine Valencian paella

5:30pm:  La Merienda

This is a small snack between lunch and dinner, usually consisting of a piece of bread with some lunch meat or chocolate on top.

A typical Merienda

9:00pm:  La Cena

Dinner for Spaniards consists of similar meals that may be enjoyed during La Comida, just in smaller quantity—perhaps two courses. Families typically eat around 9pm, but this may be much later in the summer, when it is not uncommon for people to stay up well past midnight.

Dinner selections are similar to lunch, just smaller

Midnight:  Dessert

This is by no means mandatory, but it is typical for people here to enjoy a light snack prior to bed, which often consists of a churro and some hot chocolate (very similar to El Desayuno). You’ll see this sold frequently by street vendors in popular nightlife areas.

Sending some summery thoughts your way…

The Puerta del Sol, or “Gate of the Sun”, is the center of life in Madrid and the symbolic center of Spain. The radial network of Spanish roads begins here, with just about every Spanish road (and all of the 250 bus lines in the city) measuring distances from here, but it is more commonly known for its social elements.

Originally one of the gates in the city wall that surrounded Madrid in the 15^th century, in the subsequent decades and centuries it became the place where people gathered to hear the latest news and gossip (after all, Twitter wasn’t around in the 17^th century). While it no longer serves this purpose today, it has remained the place where Madrilenos meet up. The square also hosts a large New Years Eve celebration (The Eating of Twelve Grapes) and just about any political rallies that take place in Spain.

Where Life in Spain Begins…

My ID:  8:18am, Thursday, 13 June 2002; San Sebastian (via train from Biarritz, France)

(Image credit: Keta/Wikipedia)

The moment I walked into this nice seaside town, I felt a good vibe. Being by the shore with palm trees reminded me of Southern California, one of my comfort zones.  I was also much more familiar with Spanish than some other languages, so I felt more confident to be able to communicate. Also, being from America, there were so many times I had stared out into the Atlantic Ocean from Virginia Beach or Brooklyn and wondered what was on the other side. Now, here I was, staring back.

(Image credit: Wouter Homs)

I spent hours walking along the shore, and up a large hill to a statue of Jesus that overlooked the city. My favorite place was a rocky edge of the sea at the base of that hill, where the refreshing greenish-blue water rattled into a foam as if inviting me into a hot tub, with a strong smell of seaweed and saltwater consuming me. My friend said it reminded her of the Little Mermaid’s rock.

(Image credit: gospain.about.com)

The weather was overcast—all I could see was a westward haze as the sea blended seamlessly into the sky—but I felt relaxed. And welcome.