You really know you’re getting into the Spanish culture when you buy your first ‘Padel’ racket, especially when, like me, sport is not usually high on a list of favorite pastimes. Does padel have a life outside Spain? Not in England anyway, as far as I can remember. It’s a kind of half-sized version of tennis, with smaller, polystyrene filled rackets, and you can (try to) play off the walls at the back (a recipe for flailing around like a complete idiot for the first 20 games or so.)
But it’s great fun! Now I know what these Spaniards have been going on about for so long, plus, I’m one step further down the path to Spanishification! So thanks to a fellow local blogger (who isn’t Spanish but knows a lot about Spanish wine) for getting me onto the padel court.
Whatever next? Perhaps I’ll inadvertently develop a taste for squid in it’s own ink, or callos…
Notes from Spain by Ben Curtis 