h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It can't be everyday someone far away dreams of you... but don't worry, not in *that* way!

I was out touristing, and passed a restaurant, and you were in the kitchen, so I had to say to my friends, I know this guy! And we said hello, and you had to work again.

Then you had a series of really cool tv commercials for the hotel, happy people, great dining, lovely rooms with balconies, and as the finale, you would slide down the roof across the tiles and land with a whoop in the pool.

I told you it was weird!

Anyway, I hope the holidays in Spain were great, and that the christmas season goes well without too much stress!

Milla

That's definitely weird:

'...happy people, great dining, lovely rooms with balconies...'

Nope, none of them here! Though I do slide down the roof into the pool from the third floor

You've made my night, actually. I don't know anyone who's had a dream about me before, especially not lovely Scaninavian women. I once had a dream about Nina Persson from the Cardigans, but I don't think that counts

I didn't even know there was a pool... It looked vaguely mediterranean to me. Perhaps you are going to set up business in Spain?

It would be lovely to think that I might. I'm going to learn Spanish, just in case such an opportunity arises in the future. You never know, eh?

I've been considering spanish lessons... maybe. But then I might need to drop the tango. It's a tough choice!

I've always had a thing about Spain. People there really know how to live. I'd love to run a little bar in a small town out there, somewhere like Ronda or Pamplona, maybe even Granada. Everything about the place works for me. And you never know what might happen next month or next year, so maybe I'd like to be prepared, just in case. The problem is that there isn't a course for beginners locally, only for 'advanced' speakers, and the Spanish I've picked up on the road isn't good enough grammatically for me to manage.

Tangoing is quite an art. How long have you been doing that for?

I'm not sure! Four years? An intense course for beginners (four nights in a row), a weekend class, a beginners semester (or two... not sure) second level for a couple of semesters, third level this autumn. And a break somewhere in betweek. So it's early years still!

Actually, I think I'd like if they spoke Spanish in France... I like Provence very much, and French too, but something about Spanish intrigues me. I've never been in Spain even!

That's some level of dedication! 'Early years'??? Wow, I'm impressed by that Did you spend all that time tangoing, or have you learnt other Latin dances as well?

France is nice enough, but when I was hitchhiking I used to hurry through it as quickly as I could. There's still an element of the frontier in Spain; it's a very wild and passionate country, but the people are gentle and kind and very funny as well. And each part has its own identity, which makes travelling around incredibly interesting. It is an intriguing country, no matter how often you go.

One day I'll go. One day. Perhaps I will like it more than Provence? I'd like to see the Languedoc too, near Spain, but not quite there. The way you describe it, it really sounds great!

Tango is really hard! It does take years to be good. It's very frustrating, and sometimes I wonder if the minute of flow in a 1½ hour class is worth it, but then, when the flow is there, it's so great!

I tried salsa almost ten years ago, but it's not for me... not sure why.

It depends what you like about Provence, really! I like to think of Spain as an attitude more than a country. They used to say that 'Europe stops at the Pyrenees', and there really is something unique about it. I write a lot about Spain - I adore the Alhambra A27975153 and I've just finished writing a history of the country up to the 16th Century

I have two left feet when it comes to dancing. Watching a tango is thrilling, I have to admit, although I'm not sure I could ever actually do one myself

Christmas A Camp for you:

http://h2g2aviators.com/player/?&v=QKSFt4SAgio

Thanks for the sentiment, but how cheezy! And she doesn't even know the lyrics of the most famous song in her own language!!! I hope you've had a good couple of days in spite of work, and get some well deserved rest and fun now!

Silent Night is German, right? Nina Persson is Swedish I like her voice - I'm a big fan of A Camp and The Cardigans. If I ever get over to see you, it might coincide with seeing them!

But yeah, cheesy. Me and Christmas are strangers - I see it from the viewpoint of a 70-year-old guest at the hotel. I've never had a family Christmas, so it's easy to imagine a kind of sentimentality that doesn't necessarily exist. It would be weird and cool to see what Christmas is really like for most people, to see if it's what I think it is.

Rest comes in January, hopefully, although I do have Monday off. I might just have a long drive over the moors and get out at some of my favourite places

? Oh, if I must...

Silent night is German, that's right, but she sang the first verse in Swedish, and had to peek at her notes. She can do so much better than this! And she has a nice voice, strong and brittle at the same time.

I'm not sure she lives in Malmö right now? I thought she moved?

It must feel very odd, watching others christmases in the hotel. Perhaps hotel christmases aren't the usual thing for them either? Or do you have people coming year after year to be with you?


and one for Lainey

I'm sorry, I see what you mean now! You'll have to excuse me, my vrain doesn't always work as it should at this time of year. I thought it was funny that she had to look at her notes

She lives in America now, but A Camp only ever seem to tour in Scandinavia (not many people have heard of them elsewhere, I guess). And they have a new album out in the spring, so I guess they'll be playing a few times to promote it.

We do have some people coming to us year after year. Some have come so many times that they've made friends with each other! One couple have been coming to us for ten years now, and others are close to that. I suppose people just don't want the hassle, so it's easier to come away - sometimes the whole family, grandparents to grandchildren, will come

What a tribute to your hotel! That means it really is a wonderful place to come!

No worries - Swedish and German aren't too far away, any non-speaker might mistake them.