Discovery of America

Country: Spain

Manufactory: Lladro

Date of establishment: 1990

Sculptor: Salvador Furió

Size (cm): 33*72

Limited Series

Porcelain Story

This rare composition, dedicated to the discoverers of America, very quickly dispersed in its time in private collections. It is understandable - only 100 copies were released. I bought this piece of Spanish craftsmen in Ukraine, as it used to be said, for a big pull. But in connection with this, I would like to tell a little about something else - about my discovery of America. And not even about the discovery as a whole, but about one small episode.

It was in 1996, I think. My friends and I went on a short trip around the United States. During the week we planned to visit three different places - New York, Boston and Atlantic City. Before that, I had already been to America. But these were official visits as part of delegations. Which, of course, meant following a strict protocol. And all the acquaintance with the country took place, as a rule, from the car window during the next move from one official event to another. At the end of such trips, however, there were always a few hours allocated for the purchase of souvenirs. But can you see anything in such a short time?

This time it was different. My wife and I and several other couples were left on our own. And all our time was given only (!) to get to know America. After excursions, we were so tired that our legs simply fell off. And then one evening in New York, I opened some kind of advertising magazine in a hotel room and saw an offer to go to Atlantic City in ... a limousine. Meanwhile, our friends were just specifying how much it would cost to travel to this city by train or bus. It turned out that of all the options, the limousine was the most profitable in terms of money for a group of eight people!

This was our first limousine ride. By the way, the last one too. Because we simply did not have any more need for this, or any other case. Maybe that's why we all remember the trip across America in a huge limousine.

We drove five or six hours. The large saloon of a luxurious car had absolutely everything that can make a trip fun and memorable. And we were so good that we even started to sing songs loudly and, probably, not very harmoniously in different languages. When the middle-aged dark-skinned driver said goodbye to us, he sincerely admitted that he had never had to transport such a cheerful company.

We spent the whole day in Atlantic City walking around the city. Despite the cold December wind, we spent several hours on the ocean embankment lined with wooden boards. Some of us even dared to dip our feet in the cold waters of the surf. Then we were shown, however, the surprisingly beautiful halls of the Taj Mahal casino, which, as the guide explained, belonged to the "eccentric billionaire Donald Trump", which was not working that day.

And then, it was already late in the evening, they announced on the radio and on television: an unprecedented snow storm was approaching a number of American cities. The list of cities included both New York and Atlantic City. We did not take this information seriously. And, as it turned out, in vain. By morning the whole city was already in huge snowdrifts...

If you will allow me, I will complete the incredible continuation of this story of our discovery of America at another time.