Golf in Zaragoza

Ok, ok, I have to tell you about golf in Zaragoza.  Believe it or not, one of the most complicated things here.

First, finding a golf course in Zaragoza is a challenge in and of itself.  One day I saw one on the way to Madrid along the highway and got very excited.  Later, after a bit of research, I find that to play there you need to be a member, pay 120 € and have a handicap.  Of course, I had none of the three magic things to open the gates of golf (the 120€ I was simply not willing to spend after playing Bear Mountain in Victoria for 65$).

Then my search continued.  By accident I stumbled across a "public" golf course in the modern Expo site.  It is a pitch and putt, 18 holes, looks nice.  So I figured to give it a try.  The price was also ok: weekend rate of 25€ for 18 holes.  I got a friend to call to book a tee time....

But of course, that would have been too simple.  Supposedly, in order to play at any non-private golf course in Spain you need to belong to the Spanish golf federation and pay an annual fee!  In the meantime, the golf course on weeknights is completely empty.

So on Sunday I decided to go there anyway just in case the guy on the phone was mistaken.

We got to the course and indeed, we could not go play.  The good news was that there were people on the golf course so they must have filled out the forms and joined the federation.  We ended up going to the driving range, which looks more like an acre of Dubai real-estate: sand, sand, sand.  The upside is that if you hit the ball 50 yards, it rolls another 50 :)

Balls were cheap, and after an hour and a half of brisk swing action we ended up in the clubhouse for a refreshment and, of course, to fill out the mandatory forms to join the federation.  I suppose the urge to play on the green vs the sand did overtake and I gave into the annual fee of 60€.  So now I patiently await my membership card, which is just as important as the healthcare coverage.  The process seems similar too.

P.s. After the driving range we stopped by s special seafood fair, where the region of Spain called Galicia were displaying their culinary delights, most of which were seafood.  I had octopus with potatoes, mussels and some other yummy seafood, all of which was to die for!

The other day I even tried percebes which are gooseneck barnacles, which are delicious, but maybe weird to look at.

Now off to waiting for my card.  Dreaming of golf.



[To see pictures, click on the title picture to go to the gallery of the Blog pictures]


Anatolijus

Complex History of Spain: Belchite

The other day we took a trip to a nearby town of Belchite.  It is about an hour away from Zaragoza, but a nice drive through a landscape that reminded us of driving through Kamloops: deserty looking hills with very green grass at the foothills.

Belchite is a small village with big history.  In 1937, during the Spanish civil war, Franco was fighting the socialist-communist forces and the village was one of the key gateways to Zaragoza.  The little town was almost leveled to the ground in fierce fighting.  Supposedly British, US and other allied forces fought Franco's army, but eventually they lost.  Some 6000 people lost their lives there.  After the war, Franco ordered the people of the village to build a new village besides the destroyed one, leaving the ruins as a reminder of his victory and his enemies' defeat. (you can find more info on the history of Belchite here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Belchite_(1937) )
We got there on a very sunny day, which certainly helped when seeing what remained of once tranquil village.  It is amazing that some structures of houses, 2 churches and a convent are still standing, while significantly Tedder prates since their day time.

We walked into the main church and it was amazing to see some of the decorations still in tact.  It was, though, an eerie feeling, trying to walk through a skeleton of a village.  Many people say you can hear ghosts in the village.  At one point we heard a children's quite singing, very clearly.  Could have been from the new village, or...

It was an interesting experience, and a reminder that peace comes at at a significant price at times.  Even the children felt sad seeing such destruction and desolation.

After, we went to the new village, kids played in the nice park and we went back to Zaragoza.  A very special experience.


[To see pictures, click on the title picture to go to the gallery of the Blog pictures]


Anatolijus