December 18, 2011

You know you’re assimilating when you start typing your blog in Spanish!  A little scary!  I’m sitting at the Vigo airport where a swim team member kindly dropped me off today after our meet so I can eagerly await the arrival of my son…and catch up with my blog whilst I wait!

Last weekend I had several nice opportunities…Friday night, my coordinator at my school, Blanca, and her husband included me on a drive to Pontevedra and San Xenxo where they were taking some madrileno friends to visit some mutual friends.  Unfortunately, the weather was stormy and the view wasn’t at its best….but, of course, we still had fun and I saw a very nice Spanish house on the coast.  We returned to Vigo (30 minutes away) to eat at a local taperia…..of course, when we walked in I saw a man I had met two days before on my javelin expedition and a woman who had been at our Thanksgiving dinner!  Everyone was teasing me that I knew more people in Vigo after only 3 months than they did and they had lived there forever…I enjoyed the teasing and of course, felt very “native” because of my encounters!

Saturday, after swim practice, my friend Teresa (PE teacher at my school and recently divorced) and I set out for a day of local sightseeing.  We had agreed that if she drove us places that I would buy our comida for that day and thus, it was a “win-win” situation.  The weather was still rainy but we set off for the nearby village of Baiona – an erstwhile seaside resort in the summer.  It has a very nice old town and a protected bay with the old fort from Roman times turned into a parador, which is basically an inn run by the Spanish government which turns places of historical interest into luxury hotels and restaurants. 

Exterior view of parador

Interior view of parador

We also scaled the Virgen de la Roca – an interesting statue by Antonio Palacios (famous Spanish architect) in which you can take a VERY small winding staircase up to her face and see the marble face and hands quite well.  Very exciting when you’re standing outside perched on a narrow space and the wind gusts (later we found out the gusts were up to 50 mph that day) and with your umbrella open you feel like you’re about to Mary Poppins to the ground! 

We were in boat in her right hand!

We found a special offer on paella in the old town and ate very well – my first paella since I arrived in Spain!  

Paella in the background and non-spicy peppers in the front

 We meandered our way back to Vigo checking out many beaches between Baiona and Vigo and a beautiful old church, also by Palacios.  Teresa then invited me up to see her flat (piso) which is in the building next to mine.  We chatted a while and then I headed for my piso because I was tired!!

Sunday was a wonderful day of sleeping late, writing my blog in another different café and talking to both kids on Skype on the same day!!

¿Estás contenta?

How many times a day in the US does a stranger ask you if you're happy?  I'd guess not very often.  As I sat earlier at a cafe working on my blog, I became aware that no one else was in the place except me.  Then, I noticed keys in the door.  I quickly jumped up and asked the woman behind the bar if they were closed?  She APOLOGIZED to me that only on Sundays did they close early but if I wasn't finished, I didn't need to leave!  Can you imagine this?  She and a man, probably her husband, were quietly waiting until I was ready to leave !  Then as I hurriedly paid for my coffee and toast and said I was through for now, she asked me if I was writing a book?  I said "no" just a blog to my family and friends in the US about my adventures in Spain.  Her next question was the title of this entry "Are you happy?"  I replied I was very happy and if it were not for family and friends, I would stay here forever.  She was so glad to hear that and suggested maybe I could retire to Spain some day!  As I walked home, I realized I needed to say the above because it so epitomizes the attitude of everyone I've met here.

For example, my dear friends Cristina and Fernando, who include me often on their adventures, invited me to join them on Thursday, December 8th (Dia de la Immaculada and a holiday), to go hiking in the mountains and eat a traditional meal at a small restaurant they knew of that doesn't even have a sign.  We drove about an hour to a site in the hills named Carballedo and commenced our hike following trail signs along small roads, wide paths and some narrow, steep ones that lead to a nearby village, a river valley and through a forest that made me think of the movie, Pan's Labyrinth.  We even saw an old cannon left from the Civil War.  Our group of 14 consisted of doctors, teachers, businessmen and a hairdresser.  They were very friendly and several asked the question I often get "Is Texas like the films or is there anything green there?"  I need to start taking my book about Austin with me so I have evidence!  Fortunately, Cris and Nando had seen it and backed up my assertions of hills and trees!

The group!

River and old water mill

older Galician house

We ended our hike back where we had started from:  the restaurant run by an 86 year old woman named Ines, my grandmother's name....when I told her this, she was delighted and insisted on taking off her apron before she posed for a picture with me.  We ate wild javelina shot in the hills nearby and cooked with potatoes, onions, wine and I don't know what else until it was so tender a knife was not needed.  The flavor was fantastic!  We also had a tossed salad, bread (of course!), wine,water and fried milk (tasted like French toast) for dessert.  The discussion was lively and enjoyable and I think I can really tell an improvement in my understanding of random conversations in a group.  They asked me what I was up to in Vigo and when I mentioned swimming they got a good laugh out of the fact that it took a foreigner to tell them about the adult swimming program in Vigo.  In fact, one woman, Soledad(Sole) was so interested that she will meet me tomorrow night at swim practice to give it a try!

Ines, the owner and chief cook

Spaniards always toast before beginning!

And, oh, did we begin!!

It was my idea of a perfect day:  good hike, good food and good friends!

December 3rd, A Visit to Santiago de Compostela

I took the train from Vigo to Santiago on Saturday morning - about 1 1/2 hours - and met Jenn, another teacher in our program who lives outside of Madrid.  Brian, another teacher who resides in Barcelona, flew in about 2 PM.  We played tourist and saw the beautiful old cathedral and other historic buildings while constantly checking out the endless array of shops.  I bought a Spanish flag and another "nacimiento" or nativity scene.  Before our evening entertainment, we sought out some tapas and wine or beer.  As the picture indicates, we did well!  They count your wooden sticks at the end of the evening and you pay based on the number and the shape of the sticks.  Basically an honor system that we never saw abused.  Our best find was a shop that exhibited women's crafts and had a traditional folk music show in the evening if 10 people signed up for it.  They did and we did!  The music was a young man playing the bagpipes which are the Galician folk music instrument of choice.  He also demonstrated his abilities on the tambourine and a small drum.  Part of the celebration was a traditional "quemada" or burning, in this case of a brandylike liquor which had sugar and various spices added.  Before we tasted the drink, we went around and read in Galician (interesting!) a chant to expel all the witches from the drink.  After flaming for a while, we all got a warm glass of this concoction - whatever it was, it warmed you up from the inside!  It was accompanied by sugar cookies made by a local convent.  Brian had booked us a cozy hostel called Casa Felisa (Happy House) where we spent the night.  The next morning after good coffee and wonderful large slices of pan tostado, we set out in our rental car for the Galician coast.

Bagpiper !

Jenn on the left and owner on the right during Quemada

Cathedral

Tapas Spanish style

We headed north from Santiago along the coast with the ultimate destination of Cabo Fisterra (The End of the Earth !)  My friends in Vigo had given me the details on where we should stop along the way to see certain sights and Brian was an excellent driver in our SEAT car model called 'Leon".  The more he and Jenn exclaimed at the beauty of the coast, the more I realized how lucky I was to be in Galicia and even starting acting like a proud native...hopefully not too obnoxiously!  After driving a bit, we decided food was needed so we picked a bar in a small town we drove through and entered.

As the picture shows, it was hopping on a soggy Sunday and mainly with men....we had an incredible platter of grilled shrimp and clams along with the usual free "appetizers"....in this case, cold boiled shrimp and 'callos', a seasoned (they use intestines of some sort?)garbanzo bean stew...yummy!  After our stop we resumed our journey north and found the 'horreo" or granary that is supposed to be the biggest in Spain.  There are many dotting the countryside and though not now used for grain storage, they are still used for general storage because they are solidly built of Galician stone and raised up in the air.  This one was located next to a gorgeous old church.

Horreo de Lira

After checking out these sights, we continued on our way to Cabo Fisterra with several picturesque stops along the way.  After several hours of our journey, we arrived at what was once thought to be the end of the earth.  Of course, we had to stop for coffee/tea and to check out the local crafts fair located in the lighthouse.

Cabo Fisterra

Finally, we headed back to the Santiago airport to drop off Jenn for her flight back to Madrid.  Of course, Brian and Jenn needed one more food stop!  I was so full that I just watched them enjoy a wonderful meal of pulpo (octopus) with clams soup - and tasted as well!- and a plate of chipurones (small squid )cooked in sherry - delicious as well!  See picture below!

After the airport stop about 9 PM, Brian, who had a long weekend, and I headed for Vigo - an hour's drive.  He stayed with me for 2 nights as he went to work with me on Monday and visited my school.  In his hometown of Calgary, Canada, he teaches math and science but in Barcelona he is teaching primary school - and loving it, he says.  Monday afternoon, my teacher friend, Felipe, drove us around the beaches of Vigo so Brian could see them and he even showed me some I had not seen.
We returned to my apartment and then set out after dark to see the city of Vigo including Christmas lights.  I made some spicy chili from the seasonings stash my mother and father have sent me and we both enjoyed some picante in our meal!  Tuesday morning, Brian left for a visit to Pontevedra on his way back to the Santiago airport and home to Barcelona.  He was my first guest and a very gracious one - loved having his company here!

Thanksgiving in Vigo on Saturday and a Masters’ Swim Meet on Sunday

Sitting on a train going to Santiago de Compostela at 8:30 AM on a Saturday morning!  I must be crazy!  Actually, I’m going to meet a teacher from Barcelona and one from Madrid to see the city and to rent a car to see the country…but I digress.  Last weekend is the subject of today’s entry.

If you’re a regular reader, you know about my friends Cristina and Fernando.  Several months ago, she asked me if I would cook a Thanksgiving turkey and trimmings at her house so they could experience a typical American Thanksgiving Day meal.  Of course, I said “yes!”.  As the day approached, despite my best efforts, I began to get nervous about upholding the honor of all American cooks on that special day.  And, before I knew how difficult/impossible it would be to get all the ingredients!  I found out where to order a turkey (El Corte Ingles) to pick up the day before I was to cook it.  Also, I managed to find there several small jars of cranberry sauce.  But no sage was to be found? Finally, someone at work mentioned checking with an herbalist at a health foods store.  I scored some “salvia” normally used for infusions (hot tealike drinks) on the Friday evening we were to begin cooking – we being Cristina and I.  After 5 hours of chopping, dicing, guessing at measurement conversions, finding enough large containers to cook in, washing foods, etc. we had the dressing and sweet potatoes made, cooked and in frig ready to be heated up the next day.  The turkey was washed and plucked – yes, it arrived with many small feathers or feather shafts still in it!!  I guess that was to prove it was fresh?  I can promise you that I had never seen a turkey with its feathers until this year.  We seasoned it inside and out, placed apples, celery and onion in its cavity and then put it in the “magic cooking bag” as the Spanish began calling it.  They had never heard of a ‘plastic bag’ that could be used to cook with in the oven!  I left with strict instructions to not place it in the oven until 10:30 the next AM because we were not eating until 2:30 PMish.  Well, Cris had read so much about how long turkeys took to cook that she panicked and placed it in oven at 9 AM!  Needless to say, when it was served, we didn’t really have to carve it, it fell right off the bones onto the platter!!

Cris made broccoli, a purple cabbage dish and baked onions…and, of course, bread and wine – the staples of any meal in Spain!  To my great relief, the meal was a hit – even the gravy I made out of the pan juices, trying to emulate the years of watching my father do that each Thanksgiving.  Probably the biggest surprise to them was how good the sweet potatoes were.  Most everyone out of the 12 present had never eaten one before even though I had no problem finding them at a fruteria down the street?  Two other Americans were present, Rebecca and Ed, a delightful young couple who are teacher assistants in Vigo – she’s at Cristina’s school and I have hung out with them a bit in Vigo as well.  She made a delicious apple crisp for dessert and another guest made lemon mousse.  Even though there are no pecans, pumpkins or mincemeat here, we ate well for dessert!!  About 6 hours after we sat down to eat – after going around the table and having each say at least one thing he or she was thankful for – the guests began to leave.  We three Americans stayed and tried to help Cris clean up but left her with a load of dishes as we departed with our treasured leftovers!  I think we did a great job of representing the US people as good cooks!!

The following morning, Sunday, I was up and waiting on the street corner at 6:30 AM for a ride from a teammate to the pool to catch the team bus to our meet.  The amazing thing to me was seeing a large number of young couples obviously just returning from their nights out!  I found out later that most clubs close at 6 AM!  Our meet was in Carballo, in the northern section of Galicia near A Coruña, about a 2 hour bus ride.  It was such a fun day of comraderie and encouragement even though I was very nervous about my first organized meet in a good number of years.  I won first place in my event, 50 breaststroke!  Of course, there were only 2 women in my age group!!  I am in the 60-65 year old group because it’s based on your age next December(I have no idea why?).  For once, this getting older thing is working to my advantage!  We all ate lunch together at a local café and reboarded the bus for Vigo where we arrived about 4:30 PM.

Another wonderful weekend in Vigo…