He tenido unas vacaciones fenomenales… Unas Navidades en familia, con los
seres queridos todos unidos. Bansko, Sofia y Salónica han sido mis destinos
para despedir el año pasado y empezar el nuevo.
El 2017 fue algo intenso y aunque mi vida aparentemente no ha cambiado
mucho, siempre hay cosas sobre cuales me gustaría reflexionar….
Nueva etapa en 2017
Descubrí el África profunda… Aquella parte del continente con belleza
impresionante y contrastes que apuñalan directamente al corazón. Descifré el
significado de la frase de un gran amigo – “es un infierno disfrazado de
paraíso y viceversa”. Palpé la realidad de
la calle y descubrí que mis problemas cotidianos no son nada, porque hay sitios
en la tierra donde el único problema es comer tres veces al día. Donde los
ricos son los que tienen electricidad, agua corriente, sanidad aceptable y
educación secundaria. Que puedes tener
un móvil y no tener colchón en tu cama. O que cojas el avión a Paris por un
simple dolor de muela. Y que, en aquel mundo tan dispar, la piedad casi no
existe…. En fin, llegamos a aquella conclusión que las únicas cosas que nos
igualan todos los humanos son el amor y la muerte. Muy griego clásico, ¿verdad?
Transición 2018 - Grecia
Aunque la tragedia clásica no fue el motivo de nuestro viaje a Salónica,
volví sin contar los años entre dos visitas. Resulta que son diez. Han pasado tan
deprisa, y me pregunto si la falta de piedad del tiempo es lo que más nos
hierre con los años. La presencia de las
batallas perdidas y el cansancio después de las ganadas. Y aquel Mediterráneo
impasible en su majestuosa eternidad…
Bansko
We all have a place that
has marked our lives. As I have repeated many times: for me it is Geneva. Another
one is Bansko. I still remember the
small town, with ancient houses and special people that still speak a
dialect you’d need translation from. Two
decades ago, there was ONE decent hotel and the rest were guest houses and
small B&B. Later, the big ski business and… construction invaded this
beautiful site and turned it into a famous European resort, full of eating and
drinking tourists!!!
However, each time I go back to
my favorite Kempinski (me and my sister have left so much money there, that we
could've bougth some shares with), I find a story, an image, a moment to keep for
myself:
Christmas in the same traditional
tavern, with patriotic songs, Gipsy Orchestra and finally, the owner (a nice
chap, I must say) taking us back to the hotel, at 1 a.m.: a kind gesture, provided we had drunk three bottles of his best wine, from his proper
vineyard. Me and my sister trying to be
reciprocal (verbally), but the result was, obviously, pathetic.
Species of extinction, the
Bansko Grannies.
They were sitting under the winter sunshine, in
front of a GSM shop on the Main street. I approached them with the request for a photo. The
younger one looked at me annoyed and replied – “Go somewhere else!”, but the older, the one with the Armani glasses, cut her: “Don’t be so picky! Look how nice the
girl is!” and she posed as a real star… Extremely happy with the “girl” word, I
made the best photo I could. May both ladies, as ladies they are, remain healthy and happy as long as possible. My wishes derive from the unwelcome sadness of that moment, when I had the vision of the next generation of Bansko grannies, driving their Hammers and
wearing Moncler jackets and Moon-boots.
Franco Café
For years we have been passing by
the Main street in Bansko, drinking coffee at “Franco” and leaving the place
without any trace. Suddenly, my Spanish mother in law, while
walking down the street, looked at the name and exclaimed: “Look someone has named his place on Franco!”. Of course, she was thinking about the late Spanish
dictator... And, of course, we discovered not to be the case, but that small
remark gave us the chance to hear the amazing love-story of the owners, while
enjoying a cup of the special hot chocolate and observing their three years old
daughter sleeping in the corner.
