Barcelona, Spain - Part 2

In this post I would like to tell you briefly about our tasting of Spanish specialty ham and the flamenco dancing concert. There is also a small clarification about Gibraltar.

As part of our walking tour on my first excursion, we went to a place that is dedicated to showcasing Spanish specialty dry-cured hams. After a video documentary, we all sat around high tables and were presented with a taste platter such as that shown in the photo below, and a glass of sparkling white wine to cleanse the palate. (I had water instead.) 

The hams, all from the hind leg, as seen in the other photos, differed quite a bit in flavour, depending on the amount of salt used as well as the breed of pig, its age when it was slaughtered and what it was fed. The ham I most liked, which was on the right of the plate, was from a pig that had been fed acorns. The nuttiness clearly stood out. But I must admit these gourmet hams were a bit too chewy and stringy for me. Most of the other passengers in the group seemed to really enjoy them, however.

My second excursion began with an early evening display of flamenco dancing at an old theatre-restaurant. While the place was quite humble and old, and two of the dancers looked as though they might be about 50 or so, the dancing was superb, especially that of the older dancers. The unbelievable speed at which all the dancers tapped their feet, their energy and vitality, their excellent choreography, their character dancing and the smouldering passion they portrayed, far outshone what the Riverdance company, for example, was able to achieve, even at the height of its fame. Their dancing transported me back to the Aussie film that became so popular - ‘ Strictly Ballroom’ - and how Fran’s Spanish father showed Scott, the young man played by Paul Mercurio who was trying to find his own dance style for a dancing championship, how to really dance.

It was impossible to obtain a decent photo of the dancing, as the dancing was very fast and because the venue was crowded, I could not get a seat close enough to the stage. But I hope the couple of photos I have uploaded capture a little of the performance.  

Footnote: 

I must correct some of the information I provided about Gibraltar and its James Bond connection. Or at the very least put a question mark against some of the claims made by our tour guide.  According to a James Bond buff who has contacted me, that hairy ride shown at the very start of ‘The Living Daylights’ was conducted down at the main airport, not up on the Rock, and Sean Connery only married twice. If any of you know any more about that ride, I would be pleased to hear from you.