Did you smell that? I have always had a keen sense of smell - my mom joked that when I would arrive home from school that I could tell if she had eaten a chocolate bar earlier in the day! Scents have an additional importance because they can trigger memories and emotional responses. Having traveled to four countries in four weeks this spring, I began to contemplate how the aromas of foods and other odors revealed cultures and lifestyles - whether pleasant or not - and how they might provide reminiscent thoughts in the future.
Our first stop was fabulous Florence! While walking through the narrow cobblestoned streets, it seemed that the Italians have perfected the bread, cheese and sauce combination of pizza. While this may not seem like a pleasant description, the scent of slightly burnt bread and pizza will always transport me - in a positive way- to the alleyways of The City of Flowers.
Although in the same country of Italy, Rome provided its own variety of fragrances. It did not smell of pizza but more the bakery scents of pastries like cornettos and other flakey delicacies. For some reason, Rome also smelled of strong men’s cologne - not certain if it was from the local Romans or the crush of the myriad of tourists. Being there in late spring also brought the sweet odor of orange blossoms - the area exhibited many bitter orange trees. (As an aside - Spain also shared bitter orange trees, but they were not in bloom when we were there. In Seville, the Spaniards use the fruit to make a famous marmalade.)
Arriving in the seaside city of Lisbon, I anticipated the famous custard tarts, but the town smelled more of an Indian influence with curries and Middle Eastern spices. We stayed in an area overlooking a long tiled plaza so those food aromas may be because of our location. You also can’t be that close to the ocean and not have some sense or scents of beach and sea as well.
Seville, Spain surprisingly smelled of fish as we passed by the markets and even the grocery stores. Although it had been an inland port at one time, the fresh fish odor was rather surprising. One pleasant encounter at the local market was a well-known chef perusing fresh catches for his upcoming meals - and for publicity as he had four cameramen following him!
Granada, Spain was more about the fresh air as this is a much smaller city. The tourists are drawn here to visit the beautiful Alhambra that over looks the city. The gardens there were in full bloom, so the roses did provide a lovely aroma during our tour of the palace and fortress.
People may think of Madrid when Spain is mentioned, but this was my least favorite city of our month-long sojourn. Madrid smells of a big city - mostly car and bus exhaust as well as cigarette smoke. These are obviously not the type of scents that will draw us back in the future.
Barcelona is a beautiful city and offers a variety of foods. The smells associated with this city may be more fried foods from the La Boqueria as part of La Rambla. The tornado potatoes and fried wraps were only a handful of the delicacies offered. The fruit stands with freshly squeezed juices and smoothies did lend a tropical aroma to the plaza as well.
Our ten days in Israel provided some unique eating experiences and scents. The food was much better than anticipated as were the aromas. Although the vegetarian options were numerous, the grilled meats - chicken, lamb and beef - permeated many restaurants. The smell of cucumbers, which seemed to be served at every meal, is something that will also bring back memories of our adventures in Israel. In Jerusalem, the market quarters smelled of peppers, garlic and other spices that were displayed throughout the alleyways in open bowls for tourists to purchase.
Traveling has always enriched our lives, and the scents we have encountered will surely help bring those memories back to life when we cross them once again - wherever and whenever we catch those aromas.
