TAWOMG - The Joys of Modern Society

Dear Friends,


I am sitting at Barcelona's airport, waiting for my flight to Porto that is delayed. That should sound familiar to people used to travel. At checkin the company's representative couldn't tell me whether the early flight from Porto to Barcelona was cancelled or not, meaning that I don't know whether there is an airplane flying in right now or not. So, I have no idea whether the new official estimated boarding time will be met or delayed again.

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In the past twenty years I have been through this situation dozens of times. The official explanation is always either "technical problems" or "adverse weather conditions". Sometimes it is indeed, but quite often one realizes that there were not enough passengers booked on the cancelled flight. Was it really technical conditions that determined a flight to be cancelled or cost saving, with absolutely no respect for the passengers? Last time that my flight was cancelled a TAP representative told me that the airplane had technical problems and they had to substitute it by another one arriving later from another European city. When I asked at the lounge I was told that there would be no problem with the new boarding time, because the airplane arrived to Porto the day before...

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It is a fact that flying has become an unpleasant thing. Years ago I decided not to fly with a given company anymore. Then I made the same decision about another one. Soon I realized that this was not really an option, because all companies do bad things from time to time and I would end up not flying at all. Today the only company that I refuse to fly is Alitalia, which in my opinion deserved to be let down.

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The service level offered by the companies was downgraded, but that is maybe the least of the evils. The airports are almost always full, security controls sometimes are a nightmare and people behave as they behave. Just to mention one example, people wouldn't believe what some idiots do with their mobile phones when going on board. I am very sorry for people that are dependent on them and that cannot turn them off and relax. Only fifteen years ago I was the first among my friends to own a mobile phone in Germany. We could live and work without them. As a matter of fact, I am convinced that we lived better and were less anxious without them. Once in a flight the stewardess had an argument with an imbecile that insisted that he had to finish his conversations before turning off, despite of the fact that we were at the runaway and ready for takeoff!

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The other plight is iPod and similar gadgets on board. It is a sign of our time that people are selfish, want to listen to their own music and are not willing to share experiences and emotions. Compare the experience of listening to a concert in a theatre, that you share with others, with the isolation of earrings that build a barrier between a person and the others. However, it wouldn't be that bad if people that listen to their music listened to it alone. The problem is that quite often it is so loud that anybody sitting nearby will be disturbed by the noise. The very few times that I politely asked somebody if he or she could reduce the volume of their music, instead of apologising they treated me as if it were me causing trouble, not them.

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When I was a kid I thought that it would be great if I hade to travel (and fly) frequently for work. There is a long time that I have realized that nothing could be farther from reality!

Wish you a nice week,

Maurício

TAWOMG - Salamanca

Dear Friends,

Last week I had to drive from Portugal to Barcelona. On my way home I stopped in Salamanca, where I spent the night.

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Salamanca is one of my favourite places in this part of Spain. As so many university cities around the world, it has a fair share of young population. Young people, particularly students, help to make any place a lot livelier. Many years ago I spent a Friday night there and it was big fun. This time I enjoyed strolling in its streets in a cold and clear sky winter night.

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The city is beautiful and worth a visit. It has plenty of historical buildings. Some of them, like the Cathedral, Monterrey Palace, Casa de las Conchas or the University Building are quite impressive. Once I was amazed to learn that the Lisbon earthquake was also felt there and left its marks on the Cathedral's tower. When one sees how thick those walls are and think that Lisbon is almost 800 Km away, then we can figure out how devastating the earthquake must have been. We should be thankful that it didn't damage what many consider the most beautiful Plaza Mayor in the country. It is the jewel of the crown.

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There, at Plaza Mayor, a new restaurant was opened about two years ago. It is called Plaza 23. By now I have had dinner there in four different occasions. Each time it was an exciting experience. Their Chef, Roberto, is a very creative cook. All that I have tasted there was delicious. Maybe Europeans won't find it surprising that a city the size of Salamanca has such a good restaurant. In fact, in many European countries we can find lots of top restaurants outside the big cities. For somebody coming from the new world, that is always something amazing though.

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After dinner, I had the opportunity to chat a bit with Roberto. He is a pleasant young person, with clear ideas about his cuisine. He told me that he worked before in Catalonia and that he is very fond of it, but he preferred to go back to his hometown. I congratulated him and told that I had had an excellent dinner. He was clearly pleased to hear that.

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I wish Roberto all the very best for his future. Hope he stays in Salamanca for a long time and continues to create such good dishes. It will be an extra good reason to go back to Salamanca time and again.

Maurício