We miss Mexico. We miss San Miguel de Allende. We miss the Spanish language—how she is spoke—by 90% of el mundo del español; Spanish we can easily understand. We miss warm, friendly, unpretentious people. We miss relaxed, easygoing living. We feel like Calvin watching Saturday morning cartoons after eating three bowls of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs. Overstimulated.

That said, I'd go back to Spain in a minute. But I'd do it differently. I would:

• Reserve lodgings ahead. Mostly paradores.

• Spend less time in Madrid. The museums, the culture make it a top destination, but there's so much more to see.

• Rent or lease a car and spend much more time in the countryside.

• Go in the shoulder season of the shoulder season. November or March. Spain is a top tourist destination anymore, and it's jammed May through September. Under no circumstances would I go anywhere in Europe in the summer. I'd rather face crowds of Europeans than mobs of pudgy, tee-shirt-and-shorts-clad Americans. Like myself.

• Prepare for high costs. The dollar is weak.

Yep. In mid-2002 you could buy a euro for $.95. Today it's $1.35. But waiting until the dollar gets stronger won't work. Probably won't happen anytime soon. I'll wait a couple of years though, until the restoration work is completed and the scaffolds come down.

For years, we've visited The UK, France, Germany and others. Spain just wasn't on my radar. When I did think of it, the image in my mind was of a decaying colonial power, responsible for despoiling of the New World, itself crushed under Franco's fascist dictatorship. A non-player on the European stage. My main reason for going there this year was to enjoy a European holiday in a (probably second-rate) country where I now spoke the language.

What I discovered was one of the most exciting countries I've ever visited; a vibrant, sparkling society with a history as deep as any, combined with a 21st-century outlook.