I got a comment about a week ago on a post last year about Exit Glacier. Tomás Serrano left a comment, "I was there today. It´s a wonderful place, but ask your knees... It worths!!!!" (I don't look at old posts for comments, they come to me by email.) I linked on his profile and checked out his blogs. He's from Spain and wrote a children's book called Salfón: El limpiador de tejados. His blog also mentioned that he was leaving copies of the book for Alaskans to find. So I emailed him about clues where we might find the book. (If you're in Valdez, he left one in the library there.) He seemed like an interesting guy.
It turned out he would be in Anchorage on Saturday and Sunday so I invited him over for breakfast. Sunday he came over with his wife and two children and we had a great time together - including a trip to the botanical garden and Glen Alps.
We had a great time Sunday, thanks to the blog and Exit Glacier. They should all be back in Spain now. They stopped in Chicago for six or seven hours and I just got an email from our friends there who picked them up and showed them around on their stopover. There are so many interesting people in the world and it's fun to have this sort of opportunity to show Anchorage off to people who so enjoyed seeing it.
Oh yes, he left an autographed copy of Salfón with us. And if you want to know what
El limpiador de tejados
means, you can copy it here, then paste it into the window at translate.reference.com (make sure it is set to Spanish to English) and you can find out.
I should add a note about another blogger friend, Ropi, who studied Spanish as well as English. He's been accepted to study applied economics at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. He did mention that he is going to drop Spanish and study Russian. But wait Ropi, and first read Tomás' book.
Ahh, now the cover of Salfón: El limpiador de tejados makes sense. Gracias!
ReplyDeleteWhere can I buy this? Two of my children are learning Spanish. :) Did he also illustrate it?
ReplyDeleteYes, he is also the illustrator. You might be able to find out on his blog
ReplyDeleteSteve, you know how much my family and I appreciate your hospitality and the good times we have with you. Never we´ll forget. I wish meet your wife and you someday in Spain; we have your blog for the moment.
ReplyDeleteFor the interested friend in Salfón, I´ve seen it in Amazon. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSweet, it is very refreshing to read this now as I have become a little jaded about blogging. However, I too have met fellow bloggers and that was thoroughly enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteGreat story - I love chance meetings like that. They are what the world was made for.
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of El limpiador de tejados and can vouch that it is indeed a lovely book with fabulous illustrations!
Finally I didn't drop it. I wanted but I couldn't. :P Anyway I restarted blogging.
ReplyDelete