Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/80542
Beautiful SLOW IS Four weeks in Southern Spain BY ALISA SMITH MY PARTNER JAMES IS A FAN OF LIVING FAST, NOT Slow – so "vacation" is not his favourite word. "What are we going to do for a month?" he grumps, as I'm hatching a scheme for a four- week stay in southern Spain's Andalusia region. We've spent the past few years writing and doing speaking tours (for our book, The 100 Mile Diet), and I've found myself dreaming about a (clockwise from opposite top left) The La Guita manzanilla bodega in Sanlúcar, Spain; a typical Andalusian patio; Sanlúcar's 15th-century Castle of Santiago; fl amingoes along the Guadalquivir River; writer Alisa Smith at Pub Camarote, on the roof of Hotel Guadalquivir; fi shing boats moored at Bonanza Beach. peaceful place to think through a new project. "We'll work in the morning, swim in the afternoon and eat tapas at night," I say. When he hears the word "work," he peps right up. He's a workaholic, and thanks to the Internet we'll be able to keep in touch with our writing contacts. Besides, I tell him, a long stay in Spain will be a lesson in another way of life: we'll learn to take it easy. Amped up on North America's go- go-go culture, you really do need a whole month to adjust. So, after giving up our apartment and put- ting our furniture in storage (after Spain we've planned a few months in New York), we're off. Photo credit here WESTWORLD >> SEPTEMBER 2012 37