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!!