It's Not About the Tapas: A Spanish Adventure on Two Wheels

by Polly Evans

Single, stressed, and living amid the hustle and hurry of modern Hong Kong, Polly Evans had a of mountains and orange groves, matadors and promenades–and of a glorious, hassle-free journey across Spain by bicycle. But like any decent dream, Polly’s came with its own of thighs screaming with pain and goats trying to derail her, of strange local delicacies and overzealous suitors. In fact, like any great traveler, Polly had bitten off more than she could chew–and would delight in every last taste of it.

Exploring the country that gave the world flamenco, chocolate, sherry, Franco, and Picasso, Polly takes us from the towering Pyrenees to the vineyards of Jerez de la Frontera, spinning tales of conquistadors and kings, vibrant history and mouthwatering cuisine. In the end, this hilarious, irreverent, always engaging memoir of a journey on two wheels unveils a lot about one modern woman, even more about an utterly fascinating nation, and countless reasons why it’s better when you do it on a bike.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Spain, Memoir, Humor, Cycling, Travelogue

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Nan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I skipped through the last half of the book because Evans gets rather mean-spirited about the residents of the small towns she stops in. She also seems to dislike retired people who go on holiday in the places she visits. This cycle of going to a new town, writing about how boring it is, disparaging the locals and making fun of elderly women's hair colors got old after 100 pages.

Her writing style is nothing new - it's the voice of the post-"Bridget Jones" 20 or 30 something female writer who's trying to be witty/funny/self-deprecating. Evans doesn't pull this off, and if anything comes across as a bit whiny and intolerant (and completely obsessed with losing weight and looking like a "real cyclist").

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave Polly Evans' It's Not About the Tapas two stars because I liked the Rick Steves-esque treatment she gives the history of the regions she travels through. That is to say, she gives a tongue-in-cheek synopsis of historical events to keep things light and humorous, even if some of it is speculation.

What I found completely off putting about her story is the depiction other people she encounters. The only people "as good" as she is are her friends that visit for the last couple pages of the book, they are of course, perfect. If we are to believe Evans, Spaniards are everything from ignorant simpletons to insane zealots. Even other tourists don't meet her approval as she projects imagined personalities and values onto people she doesn't even bother to converse with. Sadly, even her own parents don't escape judgment.

While I suppose colorful personalities make for a more interesting story, it really isn't impressive to portray an entire country as fat morons.

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

A rather unpleasant little book which I skim-read. Polly Evans leaves her high-pressure job in Hong Kong to cycle 1,000 miles round Spain on her own. It's admirable to achieve this, but unfortunately Polly's brand of "humour" relies on sneering at everyone she meets because they are not up to the exacting standards set by her and her well-off, sophisticated friends. Crowded places are sneered at because they are full of tourists. Worse still, elderly tourists, who despite being wrinkly, ill-clad and with dyed hair, appear to be having a good time. Tiny villages in the countryside are sneered at because the streets are not lined with bars and restaurants and there's nothing for Polly to do (her leisure activities appear to be highly dependent on shopping). Hence their inhabitants must all be snivelling feckless peasants. Given how much she dislikes the countryside, one wonders why she chose such an itinerary.

She shows no empathy with anyone, or any desire to talk to the people she meets other than to demand food, drink, and hotel rooms, and then be dissatisfied with the result. She doesn't even have the excuse of not speaking the language, because she had lived and studied in Spain some years before. She claims to speak the language "after a fashion", enough to order a beer, but she's clearly better than that as she can eavesdrop on conversations between strangers. If you don't like foreigners or discovering other cultures, perhaps a career as a travel writer is the wrong choice.

The one good point about this book is that she covers events in Spanish history in a brief and fairly entertaining way. But it's not worth ploughing through the rest for these bits.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard read for me. I'm traveling to Spain in a few months and I liked the play-by-play descriptions of travel and tourism and sights and sounds, but Polly Evans is so disdainful of the locals and customs that it made me feel bad. This book was a gift from someone who thought I would find it funny. A lot of other people have found it funny, so my reaction shouldn't be seen as the norm. I think the reason I didn't laugh was because I didn't find humor in ridiculing the people of Spain, who often came across as stupid and ugly.

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I knew the country and I spoke the language after a fashion"
"I knew how to order a beer"
"I set myself a target of a thousand miles and six weeks in which to cover them"

And yes, all 91km of this author's Spanish adventure where planned, a glass of wine in hand. Of course, they were also planned in a time before she learner that "the word puerto meant pain".

In It's Not About the Tapas: A Spanish Adventure on Two Wheels, you will find:

-Despotic Catholic Monarchs -The joys of being a new face in places that haven't had 'fresh meat' since 'the days when Julio Iglesias was sexy' -Wilfred the Hairy Where there is hair, there is happiness -The origin of tapas and an eight step guide on eating your fill -How to
suitably insult foreigners like a true Basque You call them a 'stumpy ear' -Hemmingway -The 1998 Tour de France -That mysterious state they call 'the exercise high' -Siesta!!! -Catalonia -The dubious excitement of watching "men in tiny shiny trousers and pink silk tights sticking spears into bulls" -Gaudi's utter brilliance -The Spanish Rules of Machismo -The town formerly known as funky
...and much, much more.

I picked this up before leaving for Spain, trying to get a feel for the culture mostly. I liked it. I'm seeing a lot of negative reviews, with the main complaint being that the author's quite negative in her perceptions.
I think though- in particular as regards to her perception of the people- this was simply a matter of cultural difference, combined with the fact that its hard to make a good impression on someone who's speeding past you on a bicycle.
For example in Ireland, you catch someones eye= you smile at them, they smile back. Them's the rules. We're a friendly bunch of people. Where I am in Spain however, you catch someone staring at you, you smile, they stare a while longer before turning their attention elsewhere. Despite this unfortunate difference, everyone I've met has been really nice. I think the big thing for this author was not really taking the time to really talk to people.

One negative statement on her part however, I will not even attempt to excuse-
"the courageous show of patriotism that is pa amb tomaquet? No. Try the delicious culinary genius that is pa amb tomaquet.

Anyways, to sum up: not great, but good. I think anyone traveling such a distance on two wheels is entiteled to bit of snark, and what I did enjoy was all of the healthy dollops of Spanish history and culture. In fact, that is really what makes up the bulk of this book, so be forewarned those who'd find that sort of thing dull.

[Kathleen Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can’t recommend this book for three reasons: First, it didn’t age well, being inspired by Lance Armstrong’s “It’s Not About the Bike.” Second, the author - though a journalist by trade - is guilty of clunky, awkward hyperbole and amateurish wordchoice in her attempts at humor. Finally - and most importantly - it lacks richness as a travel narrative because she seems to have made no real human connections with anyone in Spain.

Every chapter is the same: She arrives in a town sweaty from cycling, checks in to a hotel full of inconveniences, spars verbally with the desk clerk or some other member of staff, and then wanders around in search of a place to eat. More inconveniences, since they never seem open when she’s hungry. A digression about a person or historical event from that town. Wake up the next morning, on to the next chapter.

these digressions into Spanish history and the arts, I admit, were interesting and good (I added a star because of them) - but very obviously serve as filler to make a boring, soulless cycle through Spain into a book.

I read this with a student who is currently studying abroad in Spain, as part of a kind of “directed readings” college course. The student chose the book from a list; neither of us had read it before. We both agreed that Polly Evans misses the entire point of travel: connecting with other people, not just places and a trimmer waistline after all that biking (that, in Evans’ own words, seems to have been her only takeaway). I was proud of my student for taking this view: she’s making the most of her time abroad, eager to learn from others. If only all travel narratives could accomplish that!

[Sally906 · Rating 3 out of 5]

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE TAPA’S is the first travel book written by Polly Evans from her series of adventures across the world. Set in Spain IT’S NOT ABOUT THE TAPA’S was quickly joined by other travelogues set in South America, New Zealand, China and Canada. For some unknown reason this was the last of her books that I have read, and I am glad I saved it for last as I don’t think it is her best work. She starts off really well and had me in stitches as she brings Hong Kong alive and her reasons for leaving. However, once she has purchased her bike and arrived in Spain she seems to change gear [pun intended] as she sets off on two wheels across the country.

I do like how she brings the history alive of each place she visits, and real interesting stuff too – not just facts and figures. Spain has a long, fascinating and often blood thirsty history. Unfortunately Evans is only able to skim the surface but the trip is her focus after all. I loved reading about the Queen who dragged her husband’s dead and decaying body around Spain, another king who kept pickled heads (I kid you not!), as well as the history behind the Basque separatist movement, why pork is so popular, the origins of flamenco dancing and just how influential the Moorish civilisation was on Spain.

Trouble is, she spends quite a lot of time complaining about her experience. In her other books she meets some really extraordinary people and seems to like the people she meets despite the cultural differences. Evans seemed to not find much to interact with Spanish over, she seemed unhappy with the lodgings she picked, the towns she went to and the people she met. When she did see something that fascinated, such as the elderly pensioner ladies all dressed in black but with brightly tinted hair, her she related it with clarity and wit and brought the people alive.

[Karen Bordner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love travelogues - books about people who go to a different countries than their own and write about it. But this book was horrible, tiring, boring.
Our author decides to leave her job in Hong Kong and bicycle through Spain. She arrives in Spain and discovers that the Pyrenees have mountains (surprise!) and the mountains are steep!
She begins her trip and finds NOTHING she likes about the country. (". . . dull, dreary little towns. . . ") All of the locals seem stupid or dirty. All of the little towns are dirty. The cheap hostels that she rents are not luxurious. She makes fun of the people who venerate the Virgin of Guadalupe.
She only describes the scenery in a couple of places, and that without any kind of music. She only shows contempt for the people of Spain. When someone tries to engage her in a conversation about cycling, she "escapes" from them. And then she gets lost. And her history lessons to the reader seem as if they are taken from the Encyclopedia Brittanica or a tourist brochure.
She also could have used an editor. (". . .nowhere was open. . .") where exactly is "nowhere" and when does it close? There are no photos in this book - a book about travel. When I googled some of the towns, they appear quite lovely.
This is a terrible book. If you want a travelogue, read Willaim Least Heat Moon or Bill Bryson or any number of authors who have a respect for their subjects.

[audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, here we are again, standing at the foot of what I like to call The Jeremy Clarkson Paradox, shading our eyes and looking up towards the overwhelming unpleasantness of someone's personality while simultaneously enjoying the art they create.

Oh my word.

Many other reviewers have said it better but it's true: when Evans is covering Spanish history in a light and breezy manner, it's fairly enjoyable reading, but then she turns her xenophobic, fatphobic, and ageist views on the inhabitants of the country she's cycling through, and it all goes south real quick. So mean. Breathtakingly unpleasant and uncalled for.

And also, really, precious little actual cycling content?

That's a yikes from me, friends.

Luckily, if there is someone on this earth who enjoys reading cycling books more than I do, it's my sister and brother-in-law. So this book will make its own happy travels in a way the author plainly didn't.

[L.L. Van · Rating 1 out of 5]

She is trying to be funny but insults the Spanish people and comes across as a very privileged person. She cycles not much also, she takes taxis, buses and planes. I was put off more and more about the comments on mountain people, but when I got to the point when she got so annoyed her flight was cancelled, I really couldn't take more. Taking a plane from Barcelona to Malaga is not only unsustainable (why not a train?), but also not the point of a cycling trip in one country, in my opinion.
The only thing that kept me reading was the historic descriptions, although I am pretty sure they were not always accurate and were altered for "entertainment purposes".

[Sharyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because I am going to Spain and picked it for a book club where we read by topic, and this month is travel. Ms. Evans decides to cycle 1000 miles through Spain. The history sections of the places she visits were interesting, but I didn't find much humor in her descriptions of the people in the small villages she visits.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't very impressed with this book. Unless you want to know all about the history of Spain... from somewhat recent history, to the 1400's, then you might enjoy this... It was a little too heavy on the history for my likings...

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reads like a brisk ride through a pleasing, scenic country road with nothing but clean air zipping into your nostrils, prompting a smile that won't stop.
It's Not About the Tapas is written by Polly Evans, a former Hong Kong-based British journalist out to regain some physical strength after deadlines, and such added on some flab. You can feel the personal and spiritual victories each kilometer, or word, gives her.
It heled my reading, knowing very well some of the places she peddled through, as well as the Spanish characterics she brought out so well in varying scenes -- be it large city or obscure village. She started in San Sebastian, working down into and through much of Catalonia before including Arcos de la Frontera, Grazelema, Sevilla and many other places that I wish I could visit fairly often.
There is a certain joy of life in Evans' writing, and that, I wish I could capture for myself, too. Tapas is inspiring and escapist. I really enjoyed it.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read back to back with Andrew Pham's Catfish and Mandala, the two bike experiences couldn't be more different. Evans is on an adventure and Pham is carrying the baggage of a lifetime. Evans quits her job, buys a bike and starts off, hardening her body on the way. She's alone, navigating generally with a map and has no language in some of the more remote regions of Spain. I loved her intention, appreciated the historical asides, couldn't blame her for an occasional train, bus or taxi and applaud her readiness to eat what came her way. I felt uncomfortable though with her ridicule of imagined conversations and elderly natives. Evans' privilege is so clear.

[Phair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why don't these travel writers ever put pictures in their books? Evans is OK- she's nowhere near as funny as Bill Bryson & does tend to shove in a little too much from her background research re history & biography. I did enjoy her wry observations about people & many pop-culture references more than the heavy history. She talks a lot about food, too. Enjoyable, if a bit on the windy side.

[Julie Tat · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 stars for the first 50% of the book based on an enjoyable narrative of of experiencing spain via travelling on a bike. The history of Spain an added positive.
The 2nd half of the book (2stars) seemed drawn out and even the food/tapas stories was not enough to keep me engaged.
That said traveling alone on a bike through Spain is a big achievement.

[Regina Rex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Funny travel writing. I get associations to a female Bill Bryson. She comes with a lot of facts as she rides her bike through Spain. But just half of the facts and anecdotes are interesting. Most of the time a negative outlook on the Spanish people, which annoyed me a lot.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun! Relating the true perils of touring, no legs to start. Sharing deep knowledge of Spain while interacting with interesting locals, trying new food& drinks. Me. Evans allowed us to follow along as she explored the Spainish way of life.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

* Cassette edition read by Lucy Scott. Pre Lance Armstrong coming clean.
Better than expected and not quite as "girly" as I was concerned it would be

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting little read. It's not very engaging and the author/narrator doesn't seem to have much personality other than to complain the entire away about animals, the landscape, the Spaniards, and everything else. She also has a very annoying tendency to become very condescending towards the various Spaniards she meets along the way, mocking them, their style of speech, how they talk, how they dress, right down to how they dye their hair. It made for a less than enjoyable read. The book redeemed itself with the absolutely fascinating historical tidbits about Spanish locals, legends, and cities. I learned more about the Moorish occupation of Spain than I could have imagined as well as the bits about the Spanish Civil War, bullfighting (bloody business that), and numerous artists. There was more personality in the historical parts than there were about the cyclist herself. Overall, not impressed, but does make me want to visit Spain all the more.

[Madalene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This bike travelogue of solo bike travel through Spain had a lot of fun parts, including little anecdotes about Spanish history that was perfect to read as I headed to Spain for the first time. The descriptions of the hills and navigating the maps was useful too, as I have no doubt that many solo women cyclists encounter lots of misinformation in a misguided attempt to keep them safe on the roads.

However, the book's main flaw is that the author spends a lot of time fat-shaming others on her journey, and commenting repeatedly on how pleased she is at dropping pant sizes through her six weeks of biking, while bragging about eating meals of chips and cokes back in her hotel room. I dare say she might have more pleasant interactions with the local Spaniards she encounters if she went out to local establishments and stopped judging their bodies instead of holing up alone for meals.

[Doris Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun read especially if you have visited Spain yourself. Author Polly Evans decides that life in Hong Kong is too crazy and she will quit and go bike riding in Spain....say a thousand miles. Never mind that she does not own a bike nor is in shape for that kind of riding. Other complications include her map reading skills and undisciplined eating habits. Soon she is riding in Spain with a change of clothing, and other necessities such as nail polish. Her panniers are overloaded and make her bike off balance....and yet she manages the trip along with some entertaining and informative information about Spanish history and culture.

[JD AReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Soooo condescending. This lady cycles through Spain bashing everybody and everything she sees/experiences there. It’s a pity since she may be able to write something good. Her writing could be fluid and humorous – sometimes. The historical information added was interesting – and the only reason I finished the book. Still, all these positive facts are overshadowed by her arrogance and distasteful disrespect!

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on the plane and it was a lovely travel and poolside paperback. Yes, some annoying and invigorating things happen. No, I would never be able to cycle up and down the Pyrenees in a million years. But, otherwise, it felt very much like something that could happen to anyone and without a terribly dramatic or romantic adventure. It doesn’t seem to leave the author very much changes as a result and is generally enjoyable during but not a terribly memorable book.

[Metal Nyankos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay read. I really enjoyed the mix of history and travelogue, but Evans tried a little too hard to be funny and was pretty disparaging about many of the towns and villages she stopped in (and mean and oddly dismissive to the locals, as others have said). But, this book came out in 2003 and I'm willing to chalk my issues with this book (in large part) up to that. Still, her book is worth reading and there were times Evans made me laugh aloud so there's good in this travelogue too.

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bike riding is a favorite exercise for me, especially along a beautiful lake or stream, but I would never want to do what Polly Evans accomplished in Spain on her bicycle. History of Spain, humor about her experiences traveling solo through Spain and food figure prominently. Loved her self-effacing sense of humor and her determination to accomplish her goal.

[Izzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polly Evans is a biker and a storyteller. Even though I don’t bike and knew almost nothing about Spain when I started, I enjoyed reading about her travel. Through her stories you pick up not only the local flavor but also some history. Glad I read it!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this one. She has some interesting history tucked into her travel narrative, but she did become a bit snarky towards the end of her adventure. Not sure I’ll travel with her anytime soon...

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

it's just a bit dull. Urbanite has a life moment, buys a bike she knows nothing about and sets off to a foreign land. Turns out that she doesn't really like cycling, or Spain. Waxes lyrical about tapas, but not revealing anything particularly interesting. Gave up after a few chapters