A friendship like a gran reserva

On the way down from Asturias, we will stop in Valladolid to visit a few wineries as well as to see my friend Fermin who I haven’t seen for ten years.

Twenty years ago Fermin used to go out with one of my best friends. When they split up he went to live in Italy. I came to London and we didn’t hear from each other for a while.

When he came back from Italy he settled in Valladolid. I knew he was well via a common friend, Luis, who also lives in London.

Over the years Fermin and I have become very good friends. Why if we have lived so far apart? Perhaps having the common experience of living abroad has brought us together.

Leaving your home country has a significant effect on one’s life. Suddenly, everything you know disappears: family, friends, language, landscapes, culture, values…The sense of loss of identity can be overwhelming when you arrive in the foreign country. Obviously, there is also the excitement of starting a new life by yourself and meeting new people which enrich your life and give you confidence.

Perhaps knowing people who have gone through the same experience creates a strong bond between them. Our friendship has matured and become strong and round, like a gran reserva.

We have spent three days in Valladolid and have seen him when he has been free from work. Despite these short meetings, we have had enough time to catch up. Life seems to have treated him well, he looks happy.

He has been an excellent host. He has used his contacts and arranged things for us to do and places to visit around where he lives which we will talk about in separate posts.

He  has also introduced us to the people he is close to.

Thanks Fermin and Jose for making our stay in Valladolid so memorable. Good luck with your studies and enjoy your new house, which is beautiful!

We really hope you can both make it to Guisando over Christmas and we would love to show you our Spanish house.

Note: we have updated Our Route page

SM