Made it to 597 Candles
A birthday story. Or two…
This is a response to the May Birthday prompt started by KiKi Walter in her wonderful pub — The Memoirist. Seems appropriate for me to participate since I was born in May.
I turned four while living in a 15th-century hotel in northern Spain in 1955. It was a rather strange birthday party.
My father was the restaurant manager at the Hotel de los Reyes Catolicos, located adjacent to the cathedral where the pilgrimage route known as El Camino de Santiago comes to an end.
The party was held in what I could best describe as a prep room between the hotel kitchen and the dining room. My guess is that my dad organized the event.
A large table had been set up with a throne-like chair awaiting the birthday boy.
The table setting was far from child-appropriate: fine gold-trimmed monogrammed china, large glass goblets, and silver cutlery. No Disney paper plates there. Aside from some decorative paper hats, the atmosphere was rather formal.
The kids at the party were mostly unknown to me. They appeared to be the sons and daughters of the hotel staff. I had…
