It was in the evening of September 2014 that I was in my Apartment in Westlake Village, California when the blocked number materialized and immediately I recognized the voice on the other end was my agent, Kirk. Maria Pulera – an American director currently based in Spain – had invited me for a position of editing her movie. By Friday I hopped a plane to a country I had wanted to go to, ready for the adventure of independent travel in the heart of Spain.
After getting a glimpse of Madrid I had to fly to a different Spanish city but got to see the Mediterranean coastline and the colourful houses and buildings surrounding it by the sea. And so a rental car had me drive down the Costa Del Sol to Marbella, what has become my home for the next three months. The comfortable ocean-side villa I had was a home and office – perfect for getting right to business. He soon realised how much it reminded him of the Spanish coast as he had seen it in Southern California.
I was introduced to Stephen Fishwick, a British expatriate and an assistant editor with whom I was friendly. Editing thus became interspersed with café con leche and visits to the seafood outlets at Estepona. Spain’s passion for seafood drew me in and I was quickly enjoying the likes of fish and salads made from Spanish greens. It was very convenient to edit and there was a great work-life balance, all in all – it was like a dream!
S peaks with Steve were followed by nights of dinners and dancing and other entertainments in Marbella that included beautiful views of the sea, meeting lots of supermodels and eating seafood, which was initially perceived as a luxury but was multiplied by the intensity and quality of its taste. For instance, on those days we drove to Ronda and Seville to sightsee at the birthplace of bullfights and Roman architecture, especially the aqueduct. The most enjoyable trip I made alone was to Casares where Julius Caesar treated his liver with sulphuric waters and I also did likewise.
In that regard, the charm of Spain was impressed on me vividly. The café culture, hours of discussions over coffee and tapas, and the delicious and hidden sights and pints far from the main attractions made me miss this young, diverse, and great story of a country.
