New Beginnings in Spain by Sarah Barkley (early reader books TXT) 📕

Spanish! My name is Alberto."

“Well, I can tell I need a lot of practice. It’s my first time in Spain.”

“Once again, Welcome to Spain! I hope you have a very happy vacation. Now, to prepare you, when this bus stops, these people will once again run for the exit so they can be the first in line for Customs. Otherwise, you may be standing there for hours. Just follow me.”

“Oh, thank you so much, I will”.


Well, thanks to that kind gentleman, Molly did make it to the front of the customs line, and cleared in just a few minutes. Later, while she was standing outside on the curb, waiting for a taxi, a lady came up to her and asked if Molly could help her by giving her some loose change so she can afford to take the bus to her sick mother’s home. Molly quickly set down her bags, and reached in her purse for some money. The poor woman looked desperate, afterall. Molly handed her a few Euros. The woman thanked her, and went on her way.

When Molly reached down to pick up her carry-on bag, it was missing! She immediately flagged down a police officer who only told her that she was fooled by one of the oldest tricks in the book. One person
will distract an unsuspecting tourist by begging for money or asking the time of day, while their “partner” sneaks in and grabs what they can. Thank Goodness her passport and money were in her
purse, but they did get away with all her makeup, guide books and a few other things. She would just have to replace them later. She had the name and address of the place she was staying in Logrono, so she would just have a taxi bring her there, and she could find a shop when she arrives.


Molly leaned back in her seat and looked out the window as the motor coach drove through the streets of Madrid and then head NW for the 4 hour ride to Logrono. She watched as big buildings, traffic, and billboards flashed by her window. Exhausted from the trip and Customs and everthing, Molly leaned back, closed her eyes, and tried to sleep.

Sometime later, she was jolted awake by the bouncing around of the bus. Apparently, they had
turned onto a road that wasn’t exactly paved. She didn’t know how long she had been asleep, but when she slowly opened her eyes and peered out the window, she was mesmerized! The Spain she fell asleep to in
Madrid, and the Spain she was now looking at outside the bus window, were two very different places. Gone were the billboards, traffic, fast food joints, and skyscrapers of Madrid. Everywhere she looked now she saw gently rolling hills, gorges, wheat fields, olive groves, and rows and rows of vineyards. Mountains sprung out in the distance.

Every once in a while they would pass through quaint, picturesqe medeival towns. It was breathtaking. Driving through downtown Madrid seemed not much different than being in New York City or Miami, but this place here was a whole other world. At one point, the bus had to stop in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. When she stood up to take a look out the front of the bus, up ahead she saw
what appeared to be a ninety year old shepherd bringing his flock of about 200 sheep across the
road. Amazing. “God, I LOVE this place!”, she thought giddily. “I just KNEW I would.”


“Next Stop Logrono!”, the driver roared through his loud speaker.

At about 4:00 PM, local time, Molly stepped down from the bus, and looked around. From what she could see, this was also a pretty big town, but nothing compared to the size of Madrid. It seemed big enough to find a lot to do and a lot of people to meet, yet small enough to hold some of its Spanish charm. She had booked a room on-line before leaving the states at the hotel La Numantina on Sagasta Street. Accroding to the guidebook, it’s located right near the historic district near the Ebro River Bridge. It has private bathrooms, and it’s “clean, safe and affordable.” Just what the doctor ordered. She grabbed a taxi, gave him the address, and sat back to enjoy the sights and sounds of Logrono.

After checking into her room, she unpacked her bags, then laid down for a quick nap.

September 20th.

Fourteen hours later slowly opened her eyes, and at first had no idea where she was. Then, remembering where she was, Molly slowed dragged herself out of bed, and padded over to the window to open the blinds. She was rewarded with a crystal blue sky, and the most breathtaking view she had ever seen. Wow! that must be what jet lag was all about. She didn’t realize how exhausted she was from the day before, but now she felt great and ready to start her new adventure.


Molly planned to stay in Logrono for about a week, just long enough to experience their fiesta of
San Mateo. Afterwards, she would head to Segovia, a medieval, quaint town a little SW of here. It was 8 AM, her first official full day in Spain. She got up, showered, dressed, grabbed her bag and camera, and hit the street.

The La Numantina didn’t serve breakfast, so the friendly, stout elderly woman at the front desk, who had introduced herself as “la Senora”, suggested a little place down the street where she could get a cafe con leche and something to eat. Since she’d slept through dinner, she was famished.

Molly found La Copa easily enough, and settled into a corner table on the sidewalk. It was mid-September, so it was still nice enough to sit outdoors. She ordered a coffee, a croissant and a TORTILLA ESPANOLA, a type of potato omlette popular in this region. She then sat back and browsed through a newspsper that somebody had left behind, while she took in the sights and sounds of this beautiful little town.

The newspaper was filled with stories talking about the Festival of San Mateo. Today was the first day, so the whole town was busy getting ready, whatever that entailed. This was the beginning of a week long festival celebrating the wine harvest. Apparently, September is the time to harvest the grapes aound here, and everybody thought that was a great reason to celebrate. Molly decided that she couldn't have agreed more. The newspaper was filled with articles on upcoming wine competitions, parades, bull fights and concerts. One thing was certain, throughout the next 7 days, Molly’s days would be filled with Spain at its finest, and her little hotel seemed to be right in the center of everything.

She decided that she would kind of take it easy all day, saving up her energy for the night, when everything got going. Upon returning to the hotel, Molly went up to “la Senora” to get her advice on what to do that night.

“Excuse, me, Senora, do you have a minute to spare?"

“Oh, yes, my dear. What is it?”

“Well, I was hoping you could give me some suggestions on where I can get some dinner tonight,and where I should go to take part in the fiesta.”

“Where to go?” La Senora asked with booming laugh, “You are already here! The fiesta is all
over, on every street, in every plaza. Yes, you can head down into the old part of town, just down the street from here, but every place you go you will see people eating, drinking, and dancing in the streets.”

“Well, I’m a little shy, do you think it will be hard for me to meet people? Is it safe if I go out into the streets by myself?”

“To answer your first question, I have this to tell you. Logrono is not Madrid, and it is not at the coast with the fancy beaches and high-rise hotels. Very few Americans come to this part of the country. Even fewer American girls who speak the language as well as you do. I can promise you this, you will meet as many people as you desire. But, I must warn you, the men in this town will flock to you, if you let them. Your fair skin and bright blue eyes will definitely stand out around here. And, you want to know if you will be safe? Yes, that should not worry you if you follow common sense. The Spanish man loves to flirt with a pretty senorita, but he is almost always a perfect gentleman.”

“Well, that’s a relief, I think”, Molly said with a tentative smile. “And where do you suggest I go for a light meal?”

“If it’s truly a light meal you’re after, than I would suggest just stopping by any bar when you get a thirst for a coffee or a glass of wine. An respectable bartender around here will offer you a fine assortment of TAPAS to keep you going through the night.”

“Tapas?”

“Si, tapas. At most bars in Spain, whenever you order a drink in the afternoon or early
evening, you will be given a small plate of some specialty of the house, complementary, of course.”

“That sounds wonderful! Gracias, Senora. Thank you so much.”

“Go out tonight and have fun!”, Molly thought to herself. That sounded like great advice. Everybody so far had been so nice to her, and she really did feel safe. With hundreds of people in the street dancing all night, she’d be just fine. Molly sprinted up the steps to her room to rest up and get ready for the night.


At about 9:00 that night, Molly put on her jeans and boots, turtle neck and jean jacket and headed outside. She was hungry, so she immediately headed to a bar on the corner, Bar Simpatia. It seemed friendly enough when she peered in the door. As a matter of fact, “simpatia” means “friendly” in Spanish, so she walked in and made her way up to the bar. Immediately, the bartender came up to take her order, “what do you wish, Senorita Americana?”

“Senorita Americana?”, Molly asked