La Navidad y Primera Semana de January 2012 in Spain with Dan

Back in my favorite cafe the day after Dan has returned to Florida....hopefully I can write without too much emotion as I mourn his return and rejoice in our visit!  What a lucky mother I am to have an almost 3 week visit with my 28 year old son...and, based on his interaction with a certain young woman, it is lucky I got it in when we did!

We had several days together in Vigo before our trip and at the end of it which worked out very well.  Dan had the chance to meet some of my friends here, go to my school with me and help with a class (movie discussions which will not surprise those of you who know him!),visit with my friend Leticia who popped through for a couple of days, attend the Dia de los Reyes parade the evening of January 5th and generally see my Vigo.  The morning of December 22nd, we hopped the bus to the airport and also the pick-up site of our rental car, Sparky - so dubbed because she was a Chevrolet Spark - a mini-compact.  With a map, Jill (our GPS) and Dan's calming effect on me as the driver, we set out for Portugal!

Sparky

Two hours later, we parked at our hotel in Oporto, the Hotel Aliados.  We immediately set out to look for a place to eat recommended to us by my friends here, Ed and Rebecca.  It was delicious homestyle food (pork, cabbage, black beans and rice) and very popular...notice the unlabeled bottle of wine on the table; they charge you 1.50 euros no matter how much you drink!  No, Mom, I only had a glass for "digestion" as they say here.

Casa Guedes - home cooking!

Then, per my friend Felipe's orders, we went to the Majestic Cafe for our coffee and dessert.

Majestic Cafe

After all that, a long walk along the Duero River was just what we needed and did.  We finished the evening at a cafe listening to Fado music, the local ballad style of singing.  The next day, we got in the car and we were headed out of town when a bus driver honked and pointed at our right rear tire.  We pulled over and looked and sure enough, it was almost completely flat.  Dan asked for directions to the nearest air and as we drove looking, we saw a Michelin sign so I stopped.  An employee of the garage brought a tank of air to the curb to fill the tire and then asked if we wanted him to check it for a flat (all this Portuguese from him and Spanish from us!)?  Fortunately, I decided "yes" and he put it on a lift, took off the tire and found a screw imbedded, repaired the tire, aired the other three, put valve caps on all four tires and charged us ONLY 5 euros for this incredible act of kindness while we waited! We headed for Lisboa via stops recommended to us by Cristina and Fernando, who helped immensely in the planning of our journey.  Couple of asides:  we had brilliant sunshine EVERY day of the entire trip and, the Portuguese government must make a mint on all of the road tolls!!

First stop on way to Lisboa was Coimbra, a medieval university town set high up on a hill and defined by old buildings linked by narrow, winding streets - we walked them because as you will see, we drove way too many of them later in the trip!  Lucked into a cute lunch spot with a friendly owner who gave us maps, brochures and good advice on how to see the town.

Typical Portuguese tiled buildings

Back in the car and on to Nazaré, oops, missed that turn!  Oh well, on to Óbidos!  Since it got dark at 5 PM in Portugal (different time zone), we wouldn't have had time for both anyway.  Óbidos is a tiny medieval town still completely enclosed by its walls... which also had a Christmas fair going on for the kids!  We ambled through and saw the town and its parador and I finally purchased a winter purse of cork - pretty interesting, I think!  Don't know yet if it'll pass my daughter's inspection...  Stopped for a taste of the traditional treat:  small dark chocolate cup filled with sour cherry liqueur.  Cup was great but liqueur tasted like Robitussin cherry cough syrup, ick!

Main street of Obidos

View from parador out over the countryside

Chocolate cup and liqueur

  Dan did well with his rich hot chocolate, he said.  Back on the road again to Lisboa...Jill earned her fee getting us into the city center and finding our hotel after dark.  We even had free parking!  One weird thing in Portuguese hotels is that you have to purchase wifi time in hourly increments...tough on Dan and his Skyping of the young woman!

Next day, we did a very wise thing, we purchased Gray Line city tour tickets at their reduced winter rates so we could hop on and hop off and see all the sites in our one allotted day...which happened to be Christmas Eve.  We began with a ride through the converted site of a 1990's exposition:  quite modern and futuristic.  Next, to the old town area of Alfama where we climbed to the top of a hill to see the Castle.  Stupendous views and it was all free for Christmas Eve!

View from castle over Lisboa to river

One of them is the gargoyle!

Lisboa tram

Typical Portuguese bakery

After our descent, we hopped our bus to Belém - a traditional area of town by the  Tejo River.  Of course, we ate at Pasteis de Belém and had their grilled sandwiches with their well-known dessert, a custard type tart that quite literally, melts in your mouth...and I don't normally like custards or puddings!

Eating at Pasteis de Belem

  We explored the Museo de la Marítima which Dan especially liked.  Returned on our bus to the Centro (downtown) and our hotel.  For Christmas Eve, our hotel recommended we try a nearby Indian restaurant, which we did.  Excellent food and we met a family from the same small town in California as my college roommate, Beth, and her family!  It is a small world as I have been reminded so many times during my Spanish adventure.

Christmas Day and we are off again heading due east for Spain and specifically, the town of Mérida.  Dan's first stay in a hostel, he said, and why didn't it have bunk type rooms?  He learned that "hostel" means many different types of lodging, including our room with its own bath!  After circling for 30 minutes or so looking for a parking place (not many cars get moved on Christmas Day), we finally found one very close to hotel after all!  Once again, the hotel sent us to a very good local place for tapas for our Christmas Day dinner...shrimp, pork tenderloin, potatoes, salad, wine, bread....yum!

Christmas Day tapas

After eating, we walked through the deserted town to the river to see the Roman bridge and check out the hours to see the rest of the Roman ruins the next day.  And, they were fantastic!!  Amphitheaters, theaters, old homes, Alcazaba, columbariums...all in excellent condition considering their age.

Roman bridge

Amphitheater for gladiators

Theater for actors

Way to water cistern

At top of theater steps

year is 35 AD for this tombstone

The streets were hopping on the 26th and we enjoyed watching all the activity as everyone was out "paseando" (strolling and windowshopping).  Back to Sparky and on to Sevilla...everything was about 2 1/2 or 3 hours away so we never had a long drive which was very nice.

Arrived in Sevilla without incident but drove in circles for a while when we got there...police had streets blocked off for holidays which Jill did not know.  With help of Sevilla map in book and Jill, we finally found our nice small hotel which incredibly, had parking 1/2 block away!

Our hotel in Sevilla

Very nice receptionist recommended two local places for tapas which we headed out to try:  more pork, cold cuts of unbelievable Iberico pork products, pate, a hamburger for Dan!, asparagus, sanmorejo ( a creamy gazpacho), real gazpacho and more I can't remember!  We wandered happily for a long while checking out the new city...only problem was when we tried to return, we kept wandering in circles!  You'd think it would be hard to "lose" a cathedral the size of Sevilla's, but we did for a good while!  Finally, we located it and thus, our hotel.  Returned to do some hand wash so we could be clean the rest of the trip...The next day we found out why the guide book said don't try to do the Cathedral and the Alcazar in the same day! We refueled for breakfast at a local cafe where the hit was the chocolate y churros.  they thought we were so funny when we asked them to take our picture!

Chocolate y churros

We started at the Cathedral which was so large it was a bit overwhelming to me and a little creepy to Dan.  We both enjoyed our 34 story hike up to the top of the Giralda, the minaret at the Cathedral left from the Arabic days.  From 711-1492 AD, Spain was under Arabic dominion.  The views from there were stupendous.

Sevilla Cathedral

View from Giralda including bullring

Next we went to the Alcazar and our confession is that we spent most of our time outside on yet another gorgeous day in the superb gardens...they even had a labyrinth which was a little scary for me! No pictures because my batteries and back-up batteries were dead.  When we left, we ended up in a plaza in the sun where Dan napped and I watched two young children play together who reminded me of Dan and Laura at that age...what a blessed life I have had.  We capped the day by going to La Carboneria, a local place where Flamenco is performed for no fee and the drinks are cheap!  Mainly locals there including complete families...late night but wonderful day.

Off to Granada - decided to skip Cordoba and stay two nights in Granada instead.  Found our Pension Landazuri located just where we wanted:  in the thick of things!  They also had parking just down the street - yea!  Run by a mother and her two daughters...definitely had the feminine touch on decor and plants!  No wifi (poor Dan) but we could walk 1/2 block to the Plaza Nueva and get a password from the news vendor and talk 30 minutes for free!  It must be love when you're willing to talk outside at 35 degrees!

Dan Skyping in freezing temperatures

Next morning we fortified ourselves with an American breakfast at Pension cafe and set out walking to see the Alfarin (Arab quarter) and the Sacromonte (gypsy quarter).  Sacromonte won because there was a very interesting Center for Interpretation about gypsy life which we toured.

Gypsy cave

  We stopped for some coffee and chocolate and then headed for the Alhambra.

View of Alhambra

Generalife at Alhambra

Nasrid palace

Ceiling in palace

Wall in palace

View of Granada from Alhambra

Skiing mountains viewed from Alhambra

Fort at Alhambra

You reserve an exact time down to the half hour for your tour but can wander grounds before and after your palace tour.  Our tour was at 3:30 PM so we went at 2 PM and toured other parts until our time for the Nasrid palace.  Even though I went there 40 years ago, it's still an unbelievable site - gardens, water, tile, painting, everything is spectacular.  Also had the chance to see museum exhibit on Escher - very appropriate with his repetitive patterns and all the tile patterns.  Closed out our day eating more delicious tapas at a local Bode .

Now we headed toward the town of Baeza but we planned to stay at Hacienda La Laguna, located about 8 kilometers out of town.  Unlike most of our hotels which we found in Lonely Planet's book on Spain, I found this one on hostelworld because book recs were all too expensive.  It turned out to be a school for hotel and restaurant management!  We got winter rates so it was very nice...excellent meals and room...and all located in the middle of an olive grove!  Dan and I did some good walking amongst the very old olive trees.

olives ready to be picked

huge trunks=very old trees

typical stone house w/banner many houses display

Close-up of banner

  We drove into Baeza, another medieval town, and walked its streets...Dan even gave tennis advice to a young local boy hitting balls against a medieval wall!  That evening, I was 'forced' to drink a beer in the cafe while Dan Skyped 'her' again...Amanda is her name.  We were thinking of Laura A the entire day as it was her birthday - 26, gulp!!

New Year's Eve and we would be in Toledo...if we could EVER find a parking garage and stop having Jill send us down streets that were so narrow we had to fold in both mirrors on a tiny car! I was very close to losing it but Dan's calmness prevailed and we eventually found a garage which wasn't even that far from our hotel...good thing since we were afoot with our bags!  Cute hotel near Toledo cathedral...had an 11th century view into Moorish well under glass floor in the lobby!

Hotel Casa de Cisneros in Toledo

View from our hotel window

One of best included breakfasts, too...excellent chocolate croissants!  We were starving when we arrived so once again owner sent us to his local place and we were only gringos there.  Dan had a local pork stewlike dish and I had venado(deer!) that tasted like beef bourginon(sp?) to me.  We then shopped and saw many swords and much jewelry.

NYE race in Toledo

At 11 PM, we decided to head for the main square and see what was going on for New Year's Eve - wow!  There was a live band called the Kronos who played a little bit of everything, including some 60's!  Dan was hungry again so we found a mini-mart type store and he got two hot dogs and we got some grapes.  In Spain, instead of blackeyed peas on New Year's Day, you eat 12 grapes beginning at the stroke of midnight and have to get them all in your mouth before it's midnight!  We did it so hopefully the good luck will find us...Toledo is a beautiful town and when a friend asked, Dan said it was his favorite.

Last stop, Salamanca!  Cold and colder here...let Dan out of car and he finally found our hostel for us...energetic desk clerk ran in front of us to the garage where we could park!  Friendly place and told us where the tapas street is that the locals go to...a little hike but worth it!  Remains of NYE's parties were still in evidence but we ate 7 tapas and 6 drinks for about $20 - all excellent and one was even guacamole because the guy lived in Mexico for a while!  We walked around the town and saw the main sights AND an interesting chocolate shop but when the sun went down, we went in because it was cold!

Plaza Mayor in Salamanca

Last day of trip is January 2nd, Monday, so we get up, eat breakfast and hit the road for Vigo - longest day of driving, a whopping 4 1/2 hours!  Texas is big, isn't it?!  Retraced our steps and returned Sparky and Jill and took bus back to my piso.  Good to be home and fun because Leticia is coming later tonight!!  More later about Dan´s last few and Leticia´s few days in Vigo...

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…

Meals, etc. in Spain

Today is November 20, 2011…almost 3 months here in Vigo…wow!!  Time has flown by…it’s Sunday and also Election Day here…beautiful sunny, windless 55 degree day.  Once again, after a short walk, I’m sitting at a bar/restaurant overlooking the Ria or estuary of the town – really the lifeblood of Vigo because fishing, canning, and shipbuilding are the major industries here.  And so gorgeous to look across at Cangas, with all of its red roofs, and out to sea where the Iles de Cites provide a mountainous backdrop for the Ria.  Several small sailing boats are playing follow-the-leader as their sailors learn their art.  I can even see the jutting out peninsula where I hiked with Cristina and Fernando a couple of weeks ago. 

During the past couple of weeks I have had the privilege to participate in two very typical Galician activities….both instigated by my school.  On Friday, November 11^th, classes were stopped after 11:30 AM…although all students and teachers were reminded to report to their last class of the day at 2:00 PM for roll call!  We had a “magosto” or chestnut roast in Gallego – there is no Castellano word for this, evidently.  The assistant director roasted the nuts over a fire of charcoal at one end of the covered patio.  Before you can roast them, each nut has to have a small piece of its shell removed so it doesn’t explode while roasting!  They are put into cones of newspaper after they are roasted to hand out to everyone.  I ate a few but have to admit that I prefer pecans!!  Meanwhile, there were soccer (futbol) games going on continuously, one class was having a bake sale to raise money for its field trip to Barcelona, someone else was playing the guitar, etc.  It was lots of fun and I had the chance to speak individually with many students who asked questions they would never ask in a group setting….more on that another time!  The day reminded me of the Garza school wide picnics we had each fall and spring.

This past Friday, November 18^th, the entire staff of the school was invited to attend a “cocido” at 3 PM.  It was all arranged at a small local restaurant but we paid individually.  Fortunately, one of the teachers I knew well was going and she lives near me so I had a ride in a car – a rare happening for me here!  The meal began with typical tapas of small bites of tortilla espanola and croquetas stuffed with ham and Bechamel sauce – they could be a meal all by themselves!!  Of course, red wine or beer accompanied everything.  We eventually made our way to the table for the main course of “cocido”.  “Cocido” literally means “boiled” which is what happens to the ingredients.  It reminds me of our meals of corned beef, cabbage and potatoes all boiled together.  However, “cocido” has cabbage and potatoes AND carrots, garbanzos and every part of a pig you can think of…yes, I tried pig’s ear and snout!!  I’m definitely not into crunchy cartilage!!  After all that food, they came for dessert orders…I had “natilla” which literally means “whipped cream” but is a very rich custard.  I could only eat a few bites I was so full…coffee followed and then, liqueurs!  There were two, one very similar to Kahlua and the other, to a White Russian.  Since they both had coffee in them, I could actually sip a little without putting my head on the table for an immediate nap!  By the way, the meal started at 3 PM and we left at 8 PM…just another typical Spanish meal!!

I also had the privilege last weekend of going out for two meals on Saturday, November 12^th, which were both very interesting as well.  My friends, Cristina and Fernando, invited me over to share their “comida” (midday meal) with them at their home.  This was/is my first invitation into a home here.  They live about 2 blocks from me on the top floor of their building with a wall of windows overlooking the Ria in their living/dining room.  They both love to cook and made an exquisite meal of “chocos” (type of small squid), shrimp, vegetables, etc. in a rice dish accompanied by a large tossed salad.  She made a flan for dessert!  He picked a local wine to have with it as well.  After being there about 2 1/2  hours and finishing my coffee, I said maybe I should be leaving and letting them rest because I knew she had had a cold the previous week.  “Oh, no!” they said, some friends were coming by to have coffee who wanted to meet me…so I stayed and talked with their friends ( a doctor and his wife, who is a special education teacher) who were lots of fun!  All of our discussions were in Spanish and I was sort of amazed that I could discuss politics, health systems, male/female differences, etc. in Spanish with Spanish people.  I finally excused myself at 8 PM (another 5-6 hour meal!!) so I could go  home and rest up a bit before my swim team meal that evening.

Before I knew it, it was 10PM and I was on my way to the swim team restaurant which was thankfully close by….we had 25 for dinner.  I ended up sitting near some of the women I knew better and it was lots of fun…the evening even included passing an apple from one to the next by placing it under your chin…I thought the cute young guy next to me might die of mortification, but he survived!  Next Sunday, Nov.27^th, is our first meet – they published on email the events by age and I found out under the Spanish Masters system I am considered to be 60 (already!!) because that’s how old I’ll be next year and the season extends into next year.  Quite a shock to see it in print for the first time !!  Then, yesterday at practice, the coach was weighing us and noting it down – I asked her if there was no privacy here?!  Good news was for my first weighing in 3months(after the “cocido”!), I was the same as when I left Texas.  Yea for walking everywhere!!

I think that’s enough for one reading….don’t want to put y’all to sleep….but stay tuned for a report on my Thanksgiving dinner on Nov 26^th at Cristina and Fernando’s where I’m cooking the turkey!!  And, also the swim meet the next day….Ciao, ciao!

Italy--Panamanian Style !!

What a great trip I had to visit my Panamanian friends, the de la Guardia/Calderons, who were transferred to Modena, Italy in July, 2011.  From everything they showed me, they have had to be traveling around the countryside each weekend! Friday, I trained to Santiago de la Compostela, 1 1/2 hours and then took a bus from train station to brand new, just opened airport terminal!  Ryanair got me to Milan-Bergamo safely and early....took Alex (my friend) and I a while to find each other but eventually, we did!  Of course, by then it was almost 1 AM and we had a 2 hour drive ahead of us to her home.  Needless to say, we did not rise early on Saturday!

However, that did not stop them from showing me the town on Saturday...we ate a bite in the main piazza of Modena after an earlier stop to stave off hunger with gelato.  The ice cream there is as good as everyone says and cheap compared to Baskin-Robbins type places here:  only 1 euro per scoop.  The chocolate was so rich it coated the inside of your mouth!  Ignacio, their 8 year old son, and I were co-conspirators in looking for gelaterias and opportunities to patronize them.  After walking round their quaint and gorgeous "non-tourist" town, we headed out to a "feria" in a small village about 30 minutes away.  I acquired another nacimiento(nativity scene) for my collection - it's in a scallop shell!
We supported the local Scouts by buying some roasted chestnuts and got Ignacio his first wooden rubber band gun - boy, did that bring back memories of my brothers shooting bees in the backyard!  He's so sweet that by the time I left he had not yet shot his 10 year old sister, Ana Lucia!  They both acquired silk worm cocoons with which they plan to spin silk.  A fun, relaxing day!

Sunday dawned chilly but with no rain!  "Dawned" in a very figurative sense...because we all enjoyed moving slowly in the mornings and Saturday night was 'Fall Back' the time night in Europe.  They took me to their favorite place to eat which was named (I think) Casa de Montale- an old villa turned into a restaurant with excellent and reasonable food.  We all enjoyed a fantastic antipasti platter and then my primer platti was tortellini stuffed with pumpkin - very, very flavorful!  My segundi platti was veal cooked in Modena's own, top quality balsamic vinegar which was the consistency of molasses.  Delicious! All accompanied, of course, with a glass of the house red wine.  Ignacio and I prevailed on the group to wait for gelato later for dessert-which wasn't very difficult because we were all stuffed.  I had my first macchiato after the meal.  Then, off to the city of Verona!

If you know where Milan is in Northern Italy, Modena is about 90 miles southeast.  Verona is 45-50 miles north and slightly east of Modena.  It is an old city (of course, as my Italian friend Chiara once pointed out to me, everything in Italy is old compared to the US!)  and has an intact arena or coliseum in the center of the town.  We walked through all of the old town:  shopping galore of all brands, stalls selling food and crafts, and streets full of people enjoying their town on a Sunday night.  At Ana Lucia's request, and my hearty endorsement, we went to Juliette's house where the balcony is from which Romeo courted her!  Also, there's a statue of Juliette which local lore has that if you touch her left breast and wish, you will have good luck in love - I did it, so we'll see!!  We toured the inside as well which was typical of the time but not extraordinary.  After another gelato, we returned to Modena with our excellent chofer, Manuel!  Alex and I had a glass of wine when we returned and then retired...after another wonderful conversation...poor Manuel had to work hard to get a word in with us!

Monday, Manuel was still off work and the kids had no school.  We decided to go see an Italian mall and Alex wanted to show me the store I had asked about, Decathlon - a giant Academy/REI combination.  We ate tigelles(sp?) which were mini-round breads, sliced like a pita and filled with all sorts of good stuff:  salami or prosciutto or caprese or mortadella or ... and we each had a big salad, too.  They finally let me get a meal!!  That afternoon we delivered Ignacio to his Halloween party (of course, he had his Ninja costume on since he got up)...they did a Harry Potter party and had a cell phone in the wizard hat and the dad had the other cell and was placing the kids in their "houses".  He, actually, was from the Houston area but had married an Italian and lived there 15 years....he was very amusing as the hat!  That's why they had a Halloween party, too, because it has not really caught on in Italy....just all the expats miss it!  We went around all day with rubber bats stuck to our car windows and got some interesting looks!!  After dropping off Ignacio, we took Ana Lucia to her riding lessons.  She is quite accomplished as a jumper as she rode in Panama, too.  Her trainer here wants her to enter the European Equestrian Championships-it was quite fun to be back in the horse environment(some of you didn't know me in my horse-crazy years when I actually owned a horse).  Alex also has ridden much more than I and in the English style.  We returned to their house and had a few trick or treaters and the kids ran around the neighborhood with some friends - a perfect Halloween Eve!

It's already Tuesday, the day I have to return to Vigo...I can't believe it!  But, of course, they can't take me the 2 hours back to the airport without a last stop to show me more of Italy.  We didn't have time for Lake Lagarde but went to a nearby village, Il Borghetto - as the Spanish say "que precioso".  Built over water and as quaint and picturesque as you can imagine - my pictures don't do it honor!

And, of course, we had to have a gelato there, too!  The chofer got me to the airport in plenty of time for my flight - I think he was really worried I would miss it and have to stay longer - at least that's what I kept threatening him with!  My return was blessed as I made each connection and got back to Vigo at 9:45 PM after departing Milan at 4:15PM.  There are few people in the world as wonderful as Alex and Manuel and their adorable, sweet, delightfully age appropriate children!  Os amo siempre...