An Affinity for All Thing Spanish

I love Spain for many reasons. I feel an affinity for all things Spanish.

It is more than likely mixed with my love of Cuba as well. Growing up in Tampa, the Cigar city, I have been influenced by the Spanish, Cuban and Italian peoples that worked in the cigar industry in Ybor City and West Tampa.

For many years I could not tell how to separate the influences. But when I traveled to Cadaques, Figures, and Barcelona I began to understand how each culture effected me. The food at the Columbia Restaurant, Las Novedades and the Valencia all carried Spanish dishes. The Flamenco was performed at many of the restaurants. The Columbia still brings Flamenco dancers from Spain. I loved it, I could travel to another country without leaving home!

One of my childhood memories was of the art at the Las Novedades and the Columbia. El Greco and Goya's work adorned the walls of the Novedades. I loved El Greco's dramatic use of lighting and elongated limbs of his human figures. The Columbia brought in painted tiles to decorate the foyers and seven dinning rooms of the world's largest Spanish restaurant. The Valencia also had wonderful landscape paintings by early Spanish artists. More recently the Dali Museum was founded in St. Petersburg, Florida across the bay. What a wonderful resource to add to the richness of Spanish influence and culture in this area! Visiting Dali's museum in Figures and his home in Cadaques in the Catalan region was a lifetime event. What wonderful artist Spain has produced! Gracias Espana!