Badajoz: Bodonal de la Sierra

Extremadura is an Autonoma Communidad (state) in the southwestern corner of Spain that borders Portugal. It has two provinces, Badajoz and Caceras. I traveled extensively in Badajoz where my friend and professional colleague, Francisco Carlos (Paco) is an attorney for a local government, stationed in a sleepy but very nice, tightly knit town of Bodonal de la Sierra. Of all my travels in Spain, this town gave me the best glimpse of what a Spanish village life is like. This surprisingly was not too different from the big city life san big city attractions like clubs, theaters, museums etc. However, you never felt like the inhabitants of the village lacked basic amenities. Virtually everyone owned a car or cars, lived in very comfortable houses. Uniquely, buildings springing up today by village codes follow the pattern of the ancient exterior of dwelling places, creating the impression that the town is stuck in time. A typical communal entertainment is the regular bull runs in the small town plaza in what could be termed the downtown…the buildings facing the plaza are the town government buildings, the church, local bars and couple grocery stores. While the plaza is enclosed for the Bull Run, few brave young men jump into the enclosure to taunt the bull for a chase as in this YouTube video of one of such events. While most Americans would flinch at the entertainment at the expense of the animal, bullfighting and running of the bulls is still very ingrained in the Spanish culture that they won’t be giving that up very soon. All the lavish modern amenities shine once you get past the austere exterior. A theory advanced by my friend was that the austerity came from the Moorish/Muslim influence that encouraged external humility. This seems replicated in all the ancient cities I visited in Spain. Residential buildings that look ordinary outside, sparkle with intricately designed colored marbles and tiles once you open the front gate…and the deeper you went into the house the wider it becomes with majority of them having atrium where tall palms and so many other flowering plants add to the aesthetic beauty of the homes. Imagine having a front yard with multicolored blooming plants and nice hedges, and then bring that into the enclosure of the walls of the house. That is the view that awaits you behind the gates of some austere-looking homes from the street. If you thought the decorative brick and terrazzo work in the living quarters of most houses was a relic of the past, think again. While in Bodonal, a friend of Paco, Pablo, from Portugal, who is a skilled workman in such ancient art invited me to the interior of a new house he was aesthetically outfitting. I watched and help him lay out the marbles set in floral giant templates he had securely fastened to the floor canvas and lower sidewalls. Breaking and arranging the marbles looked chaotic until you stepped back to see the beautiful pattern he created in that seeming chaotic arrangement. Driving around Badajoz was like riding a roller coaster atop undulating mountain ranges. The landscape could not be more beautiful and peaceful. It looked virgin for the most part until you come upon ancient Roman ruins where most of the area was dotted with roman settlements that thrived there centuries ago. Within the state the ancient city of Merida in the Caceres province is a testament to a roman city that basically survives till date. At first blush you would think the area was remote and walled off from the rest of the world, but you would be surprised if you travel down to Zafra and visit a language institute where lots of Spaniard adults are actively engaged in several language classes; ranging from the European English, French, Dutch, German to many oriental languages. Spaniards appetite for languages could be traced to the usual Europeans interest in being polyglots as well as the economic integration of Europe. Others want to appreciate opera or some philosophical texts in their original languages. That’s what I call the spirit of Enlightenment. It’s so funny that here in America some are still fighting to protect an English-only language heritage.