Newsletter June 08. Postcards from España

I’m just beginning to get my breath back after a whistle stop trip across and down Spain with my daughter Amie. The idea was to visit Nichiren Buddhists that I had got started and who live in Spain, in order to chant with them and give mutual encouragement. About one eighth of the people who practice in Spain have been introduced by me or by the people I have introduced. This is one of my life achievements of which I am most proud. It was not as selfless as it sounds – all of the people I visited this time live in the most amazing places. I wanted to share this with Amie, to re-inspire her love of Hispanic culture, and to use her wonderful ability in Spanish to assist our passage.

Our first stop was Madrid to see Dario Viola and his sons, Julien and Shaun. Dario is actually Italian and speaks his own peculiar blend of ‘Spitalian’ when he works as a TV producer in Madrid. "Ees an esstravagannzaa!" is the way he describes all his productions. Shaun and Julien, whose mother Paula was American were brought up in Spain. The boys are tri-lingual. When Amie was younger she stayed with the family when she was studying for her degree. She says that mealtimes were like a bun fight at the United Nations with language and food to-ing and fro-ing in a frenzy of excitement. We all spent the evening together drinking Cava outside the Palacio Real with Dario giving us a history lesson on post-war Spanish monarchy. The next day Dario was giving cookery lessons to a group of Spanish housewives. Cooking is his main passion in life. Shaun is just as lovable and sweet as ever and Julien is growing into a very handsome young man!

Off to Seville, by train, club class. It is a most amazing experience. Glad to see all the money we put into the European Union has been well-used building a fantastic transport system around Spain. Wished we had had that benefit in the UK. Amie had arranged for us to stay in the Santa Cruz quarter in a house previously owned by a flamenco guitar maestro. I first went to Spain when I was seventeen and built a large part of my career there singing in Spanish on telly and touring all over. The British invasion had not yet happened and it was unknown territory for a young English girl. The Spanish took great delight introducing me to their food and culture. Amie and I headed straight to El Rinconcillo, the oldest tapas bar in Seville. Here they chalk your tapas order on the bar and you eat off huge old cerveza barrels while standing up. My main mission was to show Amie some really good flamenco dancing, singing and playing. I remember being completely entranced by it when I was young and I wondered if it might turn her on too. We sat gripping our champagne glasses in the Museo del Baile Flamenco. As the piece started I looked over at her to see her reaction.She was so excited the hairs on her arm were standing on end. She’s hooked, I thought. It made me so happy to share my passion with her. While everyone else sat engrossed, concentrating with veneration on every move we both found it very hard to keep still. The sheer exhilaration gets right through to you and makes you feel so alive.

Onwards we travelled to meet Charlotte Scott at Trasierra, her beautiful paradise an hour north of Seville. Charlotte has re-instated this wonderful old olive and wine press estanza and made it into a place of rambling courtyards and cottages, like an ancient walled village where everyone wants to stay, and a very Spanish way of life that everyone wants a piece of. She has brought up and self-educated her family here and they are all such a credit to her as are all her local Spanish staff. Giaconda, one of Charlotte’s daughters, has recently re-joined her from working in the UK as a superchef and she has taken over the kitchen – lucky us! I was curious to know how their Buddhist practices were going. It was thrilling to do gongyo and chant with them in this wonderful environment that they create every day and which they share with their guests. It is truly magical. Charlotte is starting to write a book about her unique experiences, if she puts the same love and care into the book as she has put into creating this paradise then I am sure you will enjoy reading it one day.

Down to Malaga by train and an hour drive along the coast to stay at the beach flat of my friend Dr. Scott Borrelli and Gerco, his partner. In the morning Scott and Gerco whisked us away into the mountains to stay at their home up on the top of the world. Scott used to work with me in London as a clinical psychologist so it was a great place and opportunity to let our hair down together for a change. So between chanting and doing gongyo together we gossiped, read the Daily Mail (which I NEVER do at home – honest!), watched really bad television, drank large amounts of Rioja, and talked about life, death and the universe. Amie and I were very sad to go home. We had a grand singalong to the airport accompanied by Roy Orbison singing 'Crying'. Magic!

Back on home soil Tony picked us up. He had recorded all the ‘I’d Do Anything’ TV shows I had missed and the Eurovision Song Contest for me to watch on my return. Now THAT’s what I call true love. The next day I had an all day TV fest. I was all Nancied out and I really loved the Song Contest. It neatly illustrated just how separate the UK is from the rest of Europe both culturally and politically. Personally I think that’s a real shame. I love the effort other countries put into their entries. Real showbiz abandon. I think they vote the way they do because they prefer that kind of song and presentation and they dont like Britain. I even liked the daft Spanish entry! It was so – Spanish, as it is today. And the UK entry was so – British – but stuck in some seventies time warp.

Oh and by the way, Jessie is MY Nancy. She has the potential to be a world class torch singer in the Judy Garland mould. You don’t come across many of those that often. Still, as they said, Jodie is a safe if unexciting pair of hands. If you have listened to my album, ‘Reviewing the Situation’ you will already know I am a huge Lionel Bart fan.

Thank you Amie, for organizing the whole trip, for speaking da lingo with such expertise, and especially for such a great time. Hasta luego.