October 10, 2006

What I Ate

I woke up at 3:30 A.M. and couldn't get back to sleep. Jet lag sucks. Finally I decided to get up and look at my pictures. Then I started to get hungry, so I decided to post all my food pictures. So. Here are just a few of the items I ate in Spain.

The famous Pimientos de Padron, my new favorite food. Only we can't get them here. The peppers look like jalapenos, but they are not hot, except once in a while you get a hot one, so it's like playing Russian Roulette in your mouth. They fry these quickly in olive oil and then sprinkle them rather liberally with coarse salt. These peppers are on almost every menu in the northwest, but we sadly couldn't find them anywhere else. Actually we did see them on a menu board in Sevilla on our last day, but the menu board did not seem to belong to anyone. It was just sitting in the street, driving us crazy.

If Brian had these at The OB Vine I would eat them every single day. I am serious. WAIT! They ARE grown here in California. BRIAN! If you start making these I will come in every day instead of only five days a week. Check it out. Shannon's Favorite Vegetable in the World.

Our favorite tapas bar of the whole trip - O Bispo in Santiago de Compostela. We ate there something like twenty times in four days.

This is not a food picture, but a picture of a bar called O Cortello in Pontevedra. It was one of the craziest, weirdest bars I have ever been in, and we had incredible fried calamari there two nights in a row. This place is not for the squeamish. It is dirty, there is a dog in the kitchen, and there are some pretty strange goings-on. I loved it in there.

We always ordered coffee in our room when that service was possible, but one time Mom accidentally ordered a complete breakfast (to the tune of about thirty-five bucks.) This is what we got. Check out the pile of bread-type items. Thankfully we had plenty of zip-lock baggies and we were eating muffins from this breakfast for weeks. Also, I caught a slight cold around that time, so we figure St. James was responsible for the slip-up, so that I would drink some orange juice. St. James was always looking after us after I hugged his statue, I think.

Mmm... a bottle of Ribeira del Duero, looking at a castle keep, in our room in Vilalba. Later I ate the freshest piece of fish I have ever had in my life, but I forgot to take a picture of it.

A fat plate of Cabrales cheese (zip-lock bag came in handy here as well) and chorizo cooked in hard cider, at the Parador in Cangas de Onis near the Picos de Europas mountains.

Probably our favorite meal of the trip and we had the same thing two nights in a row - room service in our fantastic room in Cervera de Pisuerga. Potatoes, tomatoes and peppers baked in a clay pot, a steak sandwich, wine, and German MTV. I was in heaven.

The breakfast room at the Parador in Cervera. Please take note of the bottle of Syrah for the people who like a little strong red wine with their cereal.

On night, on a whim, I decided to order a room service meal of many bottles of wine and some different baby foods. Just kidding. This was a display of possibilities though, of which Spain has many.

Spanish stews kick ass. This one is potatoes and chorizo, and I ate it in the Rioja with a fine bottle, of, uh, Rioja.

Just so you don't get the idea that eating is Spain is perfect, voila, a misfire in Bilbao. The wine was off and the chorizo squirted me when we finally had the balls to ask the bartender for a fork. The two old dudes drinking big-gulp sized brandies and singing tunes from the pre-Franco days were kind of humorous though. Someday I want to go back to Bilbao and go to all the bars there, which could take a couple of years, even if you visited a few a day.

Then we got to the south, where Clive and Sue fed us lots of healty food which at that point we surely needed. Clive, now known as Man of La Plancha, cooked up all these vegetables for us the first night on his grill. They grow all their own vegetables, watched over, at the moment, by Guard Bunny.

Another delicious dinner from the creative minds of Clive and Sue. Pork kebabs, rice, mushrooms and lots of wine sure tasted good after a day of spelunking and uber hiking.

Red peppers stuffed with a seafood mixture and topped with two cream sauces (carrot and asparagus? I think.) A lovely presentation and a tasty dish, in a quiet restaurant in El Bosque. There was a little boy in there that was kind of tripping on my hair though. He came around and stood by the wall near me for a while, to try to figure out how purple was possible.

After I had to say goodbye to the Czech architects from the Sherry tasting, I decided to go for some Spanish boys instead. Just kidding, this is just a picture of a picture, silly.

Posted by Shannon at 6:44 AM | Comments (1)

October 6, 2006

Don´t Mess with the Guard Bunny

This is Guard Bunny, the rabbit that watches over the road to Clive and Sue´s place.

I kid you not.

We are packed and ready to head to Sevilla tomorrow, to get our flight home. I have that icky feeling in my stomach, the one you get when the journey is almost over. We have had such an awesome trip and the last week with Clive and Sue was like hanging out with old friends (that know all the best places.) Tonight we are going out for a last meal with them. Last, I guess, until the next time. This has been a real adventure and I feel I have seen parts of Spain that tourists rarely see. I have been in the middle of a movie, in the middle of a painting, and in the middle of a song. All on this trip.

It will be strange to be home, but it is always good being back home in OB. I´ve got Albarino and Jamon Jamon Ruffles that will bring me back, at least for a minute.

Onward.

Posted by Shannon at 10:56 AM | Comments (2)

October 4, 2006

Down the Rabbit Hole

You are probably all wondering what happened to me. Basically, I am being held captive in a cool house surrounded by mountains and gardens and stuff. I can´t make any attempts to escape because there is a guard rabbit watching the road and also, there are scary drain pipes that you can fall into if you aren´t careful. I know this, because I have seen the rabbit and because Clive and Sue´s landlord fell in a drainpipe. So I guess I am trapped here and am being force fed all kinds of fresh garden vegetables that Clive cooks on a big metal thing on an open fire, and then we have to have stuff like lemon merengue pie and chocolate mousse that Sue made for us. Then I have to get in a jeep thing and be driven around to Roman ruins and white towns on the sides of mountains and places where they force feed me wine and fried fish. It´s been rough, let me tell you.

I feel like I have been traveling a really long time. You get to a place where you seem to have forgotten what it is like to be home. Where is home, anyway? Maybe I can just hang out here for a while longer and remain a captive. Yesterday I went to a Sherry tasting thing and there were some cute Czech architect students types at our table, and I was REALLY thinking it might be nice to hang here for a while. Only they are probably going somewhere else soon, like Cadiz or something, but when you think about it, there is probably a constant stream of young backpacker types at Sherry tastings. Right? It´s like, almost a perfect world.

Today I went down in a cave and saw some prehistoric paintings that were 35,000 years old but I have to say, caves are not my cup of tea. Caves are scary and slimy and dark, but the paintings were pretty amazing. If I weren´t so scared of caves, it would be kind of cool to find one and paint something in it, then in 35,000 someone might find it and be like, who IS that blond guy and are those beans and noodles or what?

There is so, so much more but my mind is sort of on overload, what with Czech youngsters and Fino sherry and Roman bricks and all that. Tonight we have to eat some gazpacho and some pork thingys cooked on a big metal thing, and I will try to write more tomorrow.

Posted by Shannon at 9:48 AM | Comments (2)

September 29, 2006

Adios, El Norte

Tomorrow we are leaving the Rioja for Bilbao, and Sunday we are leaving Northern Spain for the south.

The Rioja is incredibly beautiful. But it is a place that needs time. There are layers of beauty. I´m not real fond of some of the towns to be totally honest. (Like Abalos, where we are staying.) The land though, is really special, and in time I am sure I could even find Abalos special. Well maybe not. Anyhow.

Today we went to the Dinastia Vivanco wine museum down the road, and before you get visions of little dusty rooms with an old wine press and a couple of old corkscrews in them, let me tell you that this museum was AMAZING. They had wine artifacts from ancient times up through the ages, and a crazy carved ivory staff with a guy eating a naked girls foot, and a painting of Jesus pressing grapes in a vat with his crucifix on his back. Plus films of every part of the winemaking process, as it was in the old days, and as it is now, like picking grapes, making bottles, and making corks. Really and truly a great museum.

Then we went and ate a Big Lunch. It was awesome. We have been starving ourselves trying to see too much. I think you have to make a decision - see a monastery or eat a big lunch. Today we chose the lunch. We ate at a place in Laguardia, the walled town where they have wine cellars bored like a swiss cheese underneath the town... leeks stuffed with ham and cheese and topped with cream sauce, a huge piece of cod cooked only with olive oil and coarse salt, and the Riojan dish of potatoes and chorizo, sort of like a stew. Plus a bottle of Rioja, of course. Then we drove around for a while, then we came home and packed.

Lunch always makes me want dinner so we are going to try the stuffy hotel restaurant again tonight. There are lots of Spanish here so maybe it won´t be like a few nights ago when it was just middle aged English couples. Not that middle aged English couples aren´t sometimes a riot, but here they didn´t say much until the end and then they all started talking to each other.

So we head to the south on Sunday to Clive and Sue´s, which will be a whole new experience. We can´t wait.

Oh one more thing, I forgot to write yesterday, that on that Desperate Housewives show, one of the housewives was a NUN.

Posted by Shannon at 11:10 AM | Comments (1)

September 28, 2006

Visions of Green (Peppers)

I can´t stop thinking about food. Two things: Pimientos de Padron, and Fried Chicken. You know how sometimes you get a bee in your bonnet about something, and it totally consumes you? Well, Pimientos de Padron have consumed me. They are these little green peppers they have in Galicia and Asturias at almost every tapas bar and restaurant. They fry them in olive oil and then sprinkle them rather liberally with coarse salt. They are really addictiing and I think we ate them for every single meal last week. But here in La Rioja - no Pimientos de Padron! I saw some raw ones at a veggie stand and I almost bought them to bring back to the hotel to BEG the chef here to cook them for me. I mean, I would pay fifty euros for a plate of those puppies. Well maybe not fifty euros but I think maybe I might, well, do something random or unsavory. Well, maybe not. But I really want some. BAD.

And then, we went to this church in a town called Santo Domingo de la Calzada or somethingorother, where once upon a time there was a miracle involving a chicken and now, they have a live chicken and a live rooster in a cage in the church. So we were walking through the town and I swear to you, I smelled fried chicken. A la Kentucky Fried. I was like, Mom, do you smell that fried chicken? I WANTED it. I never want fried chicken at home. Maybe it was really fried zucchini, but they were also cooking chicken stock, so the overall aroma was one of fried chicken. But whateves. It was a good smell and I can´t stop thinking about it. That and Pimientos de Padron.

I think part of the problem is, I am hungry. Really hungry. Tonight we are going to eat Jamon Jamon Ruffles and Chocolate for dinner, because there is nothing else in this town except the hotel restaurant and it is unbearably stuffy. Speaking of ham, the other night on TV there was a Spanish take-off on Desperate Housewives, and on the show there was a cocktail party and George W. Bush was at the cocktail party. And he says to the Desperate Housewife that is having the party, MAS JAMON POR FAVOR. Or, more ham please. It was a comedy.

It´s harvest time here in La Rioja. The vines have big, fat, almost obscene clusters of purple-black grapes on them. And there are flatbed trucks everywhere, filled with grapes, going 25 miles an hour. Driving through these little villages, it is easy to almost run over someone with a juice-stained white apron crossing the street. (Which brings me to this point - why white? Why a white apron? Hmmm...) The land is very beautiful here, and we have seen some really cool stuff. But I am starving. Starving!

Speaking of starving here is how it is up here. Yesterday we were hungry so we decided to go get some cheese and bread and stuff and have a picnic in our room. So we look in one town, and there are no food shops. So we go to another, bigger town, and there is this big sign that says Supermercato. So we park, can´t find it. We look and look. All we saw was an auto parts store with dudes coming out with grape juice stained aprons. So Mom went into a Farmacia and asked, and the lady came out and showed us where it was. So we walked down there, but it was the auto parts store - said right on it, Autoservicio.

Der! Autoservicio is a food shop! No wonder we are starving, we don´t know what the hell is going on!

Well, I gotta go and eat my Jamon Jamon flavored Ruffles now, with some Rioja. Today we went to a winery that is built in caves below a town. That was pretty cool. But the shrimp with a quarter cup of mayonnaise I had as a tapa after that was gross. Man, I want some Pimientos de Padron BAD. But I guess I already said that.

Posted by Shannon at 12:35 PM | Comments (1)

September 26, 2006

Pimp this Town

Well, here we are in La Rioja, where I am having an episode of melancholy because I did not want to leave Cervera de Pisuerga. It was so insanely beautiful there, and that Parador was, without doubt, one of the finest places I have ever stayed. Last night I sat on our little balcony watching the mountains as the sun was about to go down and there were hundreds of spider webs floating in the air. Like there were spiders in the trees spinning webs to be let loose into the sky. And when I went to sleep I didn´t want to shut my eyes because there were so many stars. It makes me a little teary, thinking about it now. I am sad because I am not there. But this is travel, right? On to the next adventure and if it´s not right in front of you, well then, find it.

Also I miss the German Mtv we had there, we got to watch Pimp My Ride last night which amused Mom to no end.

Today we drove for several hours along a questionable road through great expanses of high desert and sometimes, forests. It was a completely different reality, and I feel like I have passed through something like twenty five eco-climates since we got here. Spain is a lot like California, this way, and many times I have been reminded of California. But today we had a picnic in the shadow of a medieval castle. You don´t see that, in California.

Now we are in Abalos. When we booked the room here I knew it was a quiet town, but this town is, well, DEAD. There is nothing going on at all as far as I can tell, unless, and this could totally happen in Spain, at exactly 8:21 doors open and all the people spill out. Tomorrow we´ll get out and check out La Rioja, but I am not exactly stoked that we will be kind of stuck here at night. Oh wait, this is travel right? WE CAN TAKE A CAB TO ANOTHER VILLAGE FOR DINNER. (Obviously, we won´t be driving, not while inhaling Tempranillo.)

Also, we made it here today without getting lost! I think I am getting the hang of it - it´s called Connect the Dots. Only instead of dots, substitute towns. That seemed to work today. Tomorrow? HA HA HA HA HA.

Tonight we are eating in the hotel dining room and it´s going to be stuffy. But the menu changes every day and it looks fantastic. Avocados with goat cheese.... mmm. Fig ice cream. Mmmm.

Onward. There is a computer here (probably to appease the people who just can´t sit still, like me) so I should be able to post more often now. And also answer some email, so hang in there, peeps.

Posted by Shannon at 10:52 AM | Comments (2)

September 25, 2006

Reasons to Have Extra Wine with Dinner

Of all the crazy places for an internet cafe, we have found one in the town of Potes at the bottom of the Picos de Europas. The fact that I am sort of illegally parked makes this all the more thrilling.

It is so beautiful up here, it is out of control. In fact the whole journey has taken us through so many beautiful places... through valleys with trellised vineyards so thick with black grapes that the whole hillsides are varying shades of purples and greens, to some of the most beautiful coastline I have ever seen. We have drunk wine in old monasteries and driven the curviest roads on the face of the planet. Also, we have gotten seriously lost on several occasions. But what would driving in a foreign land be without some frustration? All the better to have some extra wine with dinner, right? Oh wait, I already do that. Extra wine for mom then.

There has been some humor around the whole driving around getting lost thing. Before I left I told Clive who we will be staying with down south, that I had printed out some Mappy instructions. He was like Mappy? HA HA HA HA HA. So now whenever we can´t make sense out of the map (and he was right, TOTALLY forget about Mappy) we just laugh a la Clive Style, HA HA HA HA HA. Hey, the number of the highway just changed mid-route for no reason! HA HA HA HA HA. Hey, how come we are heading west now instead of south? HA HA HA HA HA.

Yesterday we were driving along a gorge at the bottom of the Picos, through all these little towns in the rain, and we rounded one corner and here comes a whole herd of cows and two cowherds up the street. We stopped and the cows were running into the car, sticking their heads in our windows (well almost) and it was like behind in another century, or at least another decade. Earlier we had missed a turn outside Oviedo and driven some time before we figured that out (HA HA HA HA HA) so I stupidly (now I can hear Clive laughing) decided to take a couple of back roads to make up the time. Well, forget about MAPS much less Mappy. We got impossibly lost on top of some hill and we were like Wha the Fa? Finally we asked some guy at a bus stop for directions, and his friend came in a car, and they led us to the highway. That was the first of maybe four confusing road moments of the day.

Anyhow. Now we are staying at a Parador in the foothills of the Picos, the Parador of Cervera de Pisuerga, and it is oh, so worth that drive. Our room is huge with wood floors and a view of the hills and a lake below. Last night we ordered room service, and I have never, ever had tastier food from room service, ever. We had thinly sliced steak on a baguette, and a casserole of potatoes and peppers served in a clay pot. I love the Paradors. But more on that later.

Now, after I retrieve my car from it´s questionable spot, we are headed up to Fuente De where they have a cable car that takes you up the sheer face of a cliff, and tomorrow, we head to the Rioja.

Northern Spain has totally exceeded my every expectation. I love it up here.

Posted by Shannon at 4:14 AM | Comments (7)

September 23, 2006

A Note from Asturia

Greetings from a land with no internet cafes... weird huh? So I must be quick as I am on our hotel´s business computer. Later I can fill in the gaps.

We have gone from touristy (Santiago de Compostela) to a local´s town (Pontevedra) to some extraordinarily beautiful, remote places. The past two days we covered a lot of ground and now we are in the impossibly picturesque seaside village of Cudillero on the Asturian coast.

I don´t know when I´ll next see a computer... but I will write more when I can. It is awesome up here. Tomorrow we head into the Picos de Europas.

Posted by Shannon at 9:42 AM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2006

Tales from a Granite Town

We are leaving Santiago de Compostela tomorrow and I feel kind of sad. This is such a cool town. This morning we were walking through the praza to get a coffee and barreling through the archway on the left of the cathedral of St. James were four young men who had just completed the 500 mile or whatever journey on the road to Santiago. They rounded that corner and they just lit up. The praza is filled with people who have made the journey, laying down and looking up at the church. And inside the church you can put your hand where a million pilgrims have done before. It´s pretty wild. We went in the church and went through the part where they have the weird statue of St. James looking down on the cathedral. You walk behind it and there is a priest there taking donations and everyone puts their head on the back of St. James. I wasn´t going to do it, but the priest was like, Mira (look) and he showed me that I had to do it. So I did it, I put my head on the back of St. James. The crazy thing is, I was really tired today, I think between the journey and the chorizos my body is sort of exhausted, but after I put my head on the back of St. James I was suddenly filled with energy. I swear! We immediately went and had some more chorizo and wine and I STILL have energy. St. James rocks.

Anyway. This is a city of travelers moving around in circles, but the people who live here seem completely accepting, sometimes friendly, sometimes slightly indifferent, but I haven´t come across one place that I haven´t felt completely comfortable in yet. It´s a cafe society, and I love that kind of place. It´s also a student´s town and that is clear when you walk though the public park and they have a display of photojournalism on the sides of the path. The display we saw is about violence and war, and at first I did not want to look, but we really couldn´t help it, because the photographs were very powerful. There was a section on the Sudan, and a section on Palestine, and a section on Iraq. The photographs were big - maybe three by four feet - and they were images we probably would not see in the U.S. So when you walk through the park in Santiago de Compostela, you get a lesson, and for young people, this is really important. Especially in the world we live in right now. It was a balanced viewpoint, I would say for the most part, but there were some pretty disturbing images. The photography was so good that some of it was actually beautiful in an achingly sad kind of way. Anyway.

Onward with our day yesterday, last night we basically walked around eating and drinking in various locations, and walking back to our hotel at 11:00 or so, we got corralled by this crazy guy, George, who proceeded to tell us all about the roving minstrel bands of Santiago and sell us a CD that he basically had nothing to do with (but autographed anyway.) I knew we were going to buy a CD from him, there was no getting out of it. So now the new rule is, if someone tries to sell us something, I will simply say, But I bought one from you YESTERDAY! That´ll get rid of them. George immediately disappeared from the praza, presumably to get a couple of copas de vino tinto with the cash he made off the sucker American ladies. He was fun, and it was worth getting suckered, to have the experience of getting suckered by him.

What now? It is the afternoon, that time between the fifth and sixth tapa. We´ll wander a bit, and I have to get some photographs when the light is good. This place is really and truly beautiful. Tomorrow we head to Pontevedra, and I am sure we will say that about it, too.

OK, time for more Albarino. Onward!

Posted by Shannon at 7:10 AM | Comments (2)

September 18, 2006

Estamos Aqui!

It´s about 7:15 in the evening of our second night in Spain. All´s I can say is, I really,really, really love this country.

We are in Santiago de Compostela, and our hostal is on the very edge of the big square, Praza do Obradoiro. I can´t even begin to tell you all how amazing this square is. The cathedral is massive and every time we walk out the door it´s the first thing we see. When the cab dropped us off yesterday, totally exhausted, our jaws dropped. It´s a pretty impressive public space, let me tell you. I wasn´t really prepared for it.

There was a public demostration in the praza yesterday, and the entire square was filled with people waving flags that said ``S con luma.´´ There was a big stage and a giant screen, and in between the people talking on stage, they showed images of the fires that recently ravaged this area, and then politicians talking on screen with words like ```manipulation,´´ ``incompetence,´´ and ``lies´´ imposed on the bottom of the screen. The people in the square were very emotional and heated and it was pretty powerful. Me and mom pretty much got it that they are not too happy with the way the government is handling the pursuit of whoever started all those fires. I know nothing about why and when and for what reason but I could still feel it. I almost started crying.

The rest of the city is a maze of twisting streets and houses made of granite. There are bars and restaurants everywhere. Everywhere. This also reminds me of Venice - wherever you go, there is some really cool little spot to have a glass of wine and a tapa.

Speaking of tapas, can I start talking about food now? After our bit of time checking out the demonstration, we walked down the hill to a little bar. It was just a local bar - nothing special. A couple of local guys drinking beer and reading the paper. At this point we were really tired - you know that 23 hour journey and now I am not feeling so great kind of tired. I saw the owner in the back frying up a Spanish tortilla - the frittata of eggs and potatoes that is a staple in every Spanish bar. She came out and we ordered two glasses of white wine, and she poured them and then brought us a couple of squares of the freshly made tortilla, and a dish of olives. Then she brought us a little dish of pimientos padron, the little flash fried green peppers that we fell in love with on our first trip here. We had two more glasses of wine and some other guy gave us a plate of banderillas, pickled vegetables on a stick. And when we asked for the bill, I was shocked. It was 5.20 Euro. 5.20 EURO. The day before, stuck in O´Hare airport for four hours, we dropped about seventy bucks in the Wolfgang Puck Cafe for four glasses of wine, a salad, and a little pizza. The equivalent in this bar? SIX DOLLARS. For better wine, too.

After that we slept for a while - we had to - but then we went out and had more tapas. In one place, a little dish of miniature chorizo and a plate of bread brushed with tomato and oil, and in another some empanadas stuffed with tuna and some fried sardines. Then we went to a really cool wine bar and had some of the local cheese - called Tetilla because it is shaped like a woman´s breast (I think) and some red peppers stuffed with a seafood mixture. This was my big splurge of the night because I ordered a reserve Rioja at the whopping price of 4.50 Euro a glass. It was a fine night of eating and drinking, and it all came in for well less than a couple of rounds at the O´Hare airport.

The Spanish know how to do it right, food and wine-wise, that is for sure.

We walked home through the square, the cathedral all lit up, and watched some young musicians dressed in costumes play and dance. There were probably fifty people there, watching them, laughing, and singing along. Then we went home and totally crashed.

Today we really got out and explored. It´s an easy city to walk in, clean and safe. It seems extremely livable. I know where I am, I can get around, I don´t get lost - I move from campo to campo. Did I tell you this place reminds me of Venice yet? We had to stop, of course, for a couple of tapas. We had bread topped with a mixture of lettuce, mayonnaise and ham, and bread topped with cured chorizo, and bread topped with a pickle and fresh anchovy marinated in vinegar and sugar. We also had more pimientos padron because we are seriously hooked. I´m hooked on this city. Gotta go have some more tapas now. Bye. Oh, actually some messages. Stella - I was happy you talked me out of the big suitcase my very first day. Deborah - you need to spend one week in this city when you come here next year. Clive - I bought a little bottle of that crazy brandy you were telling me about. Everyone else - this place rocks and I am never coming home. Just kidding. OK now it is really bye, because I have to go eat some little sausages now.

Posted by Shannon at 10:12 AM | Comments (3)

May 4, 2004

Lost in Translation

At a cafe in Sevilla during Semana Santa, we sat down at a table and were given a menu that almost gave me a rupture then and still gives me fits of giggles now. The menu, clearly created and photocopied for the fiesta, came home with me in my journal.

Each menu item is offered in a full size portion (racion) and a half portion (media racion.)

Media racion in a straight translation = half racion. Media racion in screwed-up English translation: Stocking racion.

Hmmm. How does "half" become "stocking?"

But it gets better. Check out of some of these menu items.

Lom Lunny Dry
Cane Loin
Loin Flesh Oven
Tuna Pickles

Let's try to break this down.

Lom Lunny Dry. The Spanish dish is called "Mojama." This is a blue fin tuna prepared in some manner. Lom Lunny Dry? What Spanish-English dictionary is this? At least it was only 6 Euro for a Stocking racion!

Cane Loin. Probably Spaniards crack up when we say stuff like "Tender Loin." They probably threw this one on the menu with a snicker. As far as I can tell, "Cana de lomo" is either a meat cone, a meat bone, or meat in a draft beer from Paraguay.

Loin Flesh Oven. Ahhh, my favorite. It sounds like the title of a porno movie! I about peed my pants when I read this one. This came from "Lomo Mechado" which according to my Eating and Drinking in Spain book, this can "mean any number of things, but most often refers to a roast." Please, elaborate, what else can it mean? There has got to be something sick and twisted somewhere in the usage of this term.

Tuna Pickles. This is pretty tame compared to the others, but I bet one could get children to eat their fish by calling it a "pickle." I, for one, am going to attempt this dish very soon, because anything that is pickled or is served with pickles rocks.

So on this day, we ordered a simple plate of "Prawa," a Fino for me and a beer for mom. I wasn't yet into my Fino phase, but that's what I got and so that is what I drank. We peeled the little shrimps and watched all the locals celebrating the first day of the fiesta. Someday I will go back and order a Stocking Racion of Loin Flesh Oven. It will probably be on my mind until I do.

Posted by Shannon at 3:52 PM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2004

I'll have some fried worm crisps and a Scorpion vodka chaser, please.

I guess it is a sign of a good trip when you don't want to go home.

Today is our last day in Barcelona, and our last day in Spain. Last days are sad days. So we will try not to think about it.

Yesterday it rained hard most of the day, a strong and slanted rain that made it impossible to walk too far. Thankfully, when the sun was out the day before we realized it might be the last of the Spanish sun for this trip and made good use of it. Yesterday we did not wander far. But you don?t really have to... the area right around the apartment is enough. Every tiny street has something cool to look into or at. We did go into the Picasso Museum, even though we were hesitant because of long lines, and even worse, long lines of school groups. It was stuffy and crowded inside, but I am glad we went. We had an incredible lunch at a sit-down tapas place called 99.9% de Origens. They serve "historic" dishes from the region. This was our second meal there - the first meal I had these incredible cannelonis stuffed with meat and covered with bechamel sauce. They were so good I ordered a second one the first time, and wanted more for lunch yesterday. We also tried a fantastic meat stuffed baked apple... and toast rubbed with garlic and tomato, and a piece of fish with a garlic sauce. A bottle of red wine and Crema Catalana. What else is there to do when it is pouring rain? Then I slept.

Last night we entertained, my mom's friend Isabel and her husband Javier, and their two delightful children (and anyone who knows me knows I don't throw around words like "delightful" too often when it comes to children.) I roasted a couple of chickens and some potatoes and onions, and fried some little green peppers and cherry tomatoes in butter. We had cheeses and chocolates and strawberries. It was great to cook for people in our cute Barcelona apartment. We are having lunch with them today, then they have to go home to Montpellier, France where Javier is working as a scientist. They come from Seguenza (near Madrid) and just spent the holidays there. Having those kids around will take the edge off a bit as I am really feeling quite sad that we have to leave.

This morning we got up early and went to La Boqueria, the huge food market here. As a foodie type, it is pretty embarrassing that I waited until my last day to check this place out. It was so colorful it made me dizzy. There was so much to look at, it made me anxious yet wanting more. There were snails and skinned rabbits and roosters hanging from ropes. There were crazy fruits I have never seen before, and plastic cups of exotic juices. There were strings of multicolored peppers and chocolates and bars with guys drinking wine at 9 in the morning. And let's not forget about the Cheddar Cheese flavored worm crisps and Scorpion vodka. Just when I am getting into Barcelona, I have to go.

The sun is attempting to come out. We will try to see the Sardana dance tonight, have a few farewell tapas. I have really fallen in love, so I imagine each bite will be accompanied by the threat of tears.

Spain! What took me so long.

Posted by Shannon at 1:58 AM | Comments (0)

April 15, 2004

Don't forget to look up...

I think I did Mr. Pep a disservice. His voice is not so much like Barry White's, instead perhaps more like Richard Burton's. Sorry, Pep.

Today we walked and walked and walked. We saw lots of Gaudi. We saw lots of cool buildings. We saw millions of French schoolchildren. We were going to take the tourist bus, the one that stops everywhere, but the lines were long. So we mostly walked. It is hard not to look like a tourist walking here - you want to keep looking up at the buildings, into the pastry shops, even down at the ground. Even the sidewalks are interesting here!

But, I must admit that I am getting tired. It's been close to three weeks since we left, and I am feeling a bit weary. Tomorrow, we are entertaining - some Spanish friends of my mothers are coming into Barcelona to see us, so we are going to cook for them. Then Saturday, our last day, I just want to go to the park and drink wine and not think about getting anywhere.

Tonight we are going to hit some tapas places around the apartment - we may even go back to Cal Pep because last night, we went there to see what everyone was eating (which was mostly the same stuff we ate the night before) and we discovered a menu! So if we go back we will be prepared.

There is so much to see here in Barcelona. I need at least a month (but first I have to recover from this trip, before I think about that one.)

I wish I could be a professional traveler.

Posted by Shannon at 9:04 AM | Comments (0)

April 14, 2004

There are lots of suckers born every minute

So, here we are in Barcelona. After Granada, which for the past couple of days has been a green and relaxing place of magic, with chirping birds and cherry blossoms flying through the air, I need to shift into big city mode again. We've walked a lot today and discovered, to my delight, a couple of great wine shops and a kick-ass cheese shop. Two cheeses (WHOLE cheeses, not hunks o?cheese) for 4 Euro! Good cheese too - a great mild goat cheese with pepper and a cylinder shaped Brie type cheese. I've already bought several bottles of wine causing my mom to have a furrowed brow... hmmm, how will we drink all that? Whatever we have left I will sneak onto the plane to drink on that longass journey home. We have been a bit shocked at the price of wine and tapas in the bars here so far. I think we got pretty spoiled. Which brings me to the point.

Cal Pep. This tapas bar/diner is in every tour book and also, has been written about plenty on internet sites I trust (like Chowhound and EGullet.) So, I was practically peeing my pants to go. So we went and were the first to get in. It was 8 P.M. They open the big metal door and everyone goes in and sits at a long counter that seats about 20 people I'd say. All the seats were immediately taken. Mr. Pep came over, and since I knew you just tell him if you want fish, or veggies or meat, I just said, "Pescado." I didn't even finish that one word before he shoots out this volley of words in whatever trippy language (Catalan? Basque?) AND in his ultra weird voice (a cross between Barry White and Mr. Magoo). So, we figure let's just see what happens. First one of Pep's helpers (and there are a few) pours red wine for mom and white for me, and the bottles remain - they will keep refilling as we drink. Then the food starts coming - rapid fire. First a couple of toasts with tomato (boring.) Then some fried artichokes. (Just OK.) Steamed clams. Tortilla, which was runny - I liked it but mom hated it. Fried fish. All the diners were being served rapid fire like this. It was like, McPeps. We were starving and ate fast, and all of a sudden we were done - in TWENTY FIVE MINUTES. Some diners left before us! And we were in and out in under thirty minutes.

This would have all been fine and good, but the bill was 32 Euro. We walked back home saying, what the hell was THAT?

When we left there were at least twenty people waiting to eat. I am not so sure Pep was asking us/telling us what to eat. I am thinking, Pep was saying:

"Ha HA! I have not seen you before. Suckers! I will give you the McExperience you are used to, but the Basque way! And for a nice price! Nice for ME! Ha HA!!!"

OR:

"Ha HA! I am needing to put a second wing on my beach house in (enter pricey Mediterraean town here). I think you will help me to pay! Suckahs!"

At any rate, it was fascinating to watch Pep and his crew working and all the diners snarfing everything down really fast.

Barcelona is fast, I am trying to catch up. Our apartment is fantastic - the owners have taken special care, I think it is the nicest vacation rental I have ever rented. We are on a cool street with lots of shops and bars. There are two Japanese restaurants on our block! Also, today something very special happened. I found LIME POPSICLE COLORED LUGGAGE. Sadly, I no longer need luggage. But I did buy a Lime Popsicle backpack, because it exists. I think Barcelona is one of those cities that has many of the things you have always been searching for. So, in the next three days I could be finding alot.

Posted by Shannon at 7:34 AM | Comments (1)

April 12, 2004

That Mountain Air

Granada, in the Spring! It is fantastic outside. Yesterday we walked up to the top of Albaicin where, in a little campo, a bunch of hippies and singing gypsies were hanging out. This is the Granada I love. The colorful plaza, the colors of the hippie clothes, the arab sounding flamenco from the gypsy singers, the snow covered Sierra Madres and the Alhambra in the distance. We are going back up there today.

I just bought acorn liqueur and chocolate covered figs. We are leaving for Barcelona tomorrow, and I have a serious problem, I have bought Too Much Stuff. Will work it out, I am sure.

Our trip is winding down and so is my time here at NavagaWeb. More from Barcelona...

Posted by Shannon at 3:30 AM | Comments (1)

April 11, 2004

Easter Greetings and Random Thoughts

Well color me shocked. It is Easter and I thought that after all the Processions and Masses and Religious stuff on the streets and on TV Spain would be locked up tight today, but everything seems to be open. We even laid in a bunch of supplies just so we would have plenty to eat and drink. We are cooking at home tonight - a vegetable stew that I make that is sort of an arabic ratatouille served over rice, jamon and melon, lots of Rioja, a crazy Easter cake that we bought in Toledo, it is a serpent twirled up into a circle, with candied fruit on top. Interestingly enough our Granada apartment is not really set up for too much cooking, but I am pretty good at working with whatever tools are at hand.

One thing our apartment DOES have that I love, love, love is a TV with mega-channels. We have MTV with German subtitles that is showing the Osbornes all weekend, BBC Primetime, Arab weather girls, and much more. There are a few Spanish movie channels that show American movies dubbed in Spanish. I watched Almost Famous the other night, and a little bit of Steel Magnolias and Roxanne yesterday. They sure got the Dolly Parton and Steve Martin voices wrong. We also have a couple of Arab stations that show American movies and even soap operas in English, with Arab subtitles. The only bad thing is that I am missing out on alot of bad Spanish TV because this other stuff is better. Although, all the Spanish TV is 24/7 coverage of the Semana Santa processions.

On to my next thought - ham. The Spanish love of ham is beyond any love of a specific meat I have ever seen. They even have ham flavored Ruffle potato chips called "Jamon Jamon." They are soooo good. The first bite is overwhelmingly hammy. So you could really have your Easter dinner this way, the ham and the potato in one little salty package. We are trying to figure out how to get some Jamon Jamon Ruffles home.

Granada is lovely. There are alot of hippies here and much smoking of hashish and drinking of quarts of Cruzcampo beer in the plazas. We went to the Alhambra the first night, it sort of sucked. It was pouring rain and the combo of mega flashbulbs and loud talking in the very crowded Palace did not work in our favor. I wanted to scream "Basta!" the whole time. I wanted to use a people evaporator. We went back yesterday and it was not nearly as crowded, though the Spanish seem to have a serious thing about photographing themselves. I am glad we are not staying up there. Our neighborhood is near the Carrera del Darro, a very busy riverside street with lots of bars and cafes and hippie shops. At first I thought I was smelling incense but then I realized, it was something else entirely....

We are off to the Cathedral, where Isabel and Ferdinand are buried. Then for a walk around the Albaicin...

Posted by Shannon at 3:34 AM | Comments (1)

April 8, 2004

Bella Cordoba

Ahhh, Cordoba... after the craziness of the train thing and the madness of the festa in Sevilla, we decided that we would take Cordoba slow, and spend lots of time walking slowly and sitting in cafes and stuff. Lucky for us, it is a perfect city for this. I love it here. Something in the air invigorates me. Cordoba is all white, heat and dust. Tourism and day to day life mingle well together here. I can walk slowly and breathe deeply. It is that kind of place.

There are Easter processions here also (as there are all over Andalucia and Spain.) I have learned the name of the religious floats, they are called Pasos. In Sevilla, you watch the procession from afar. In Cordoba, you are part of the procession. From our hotel, which is steps away from the Mezquita/Cathedral, we can hear the drums coming so we run out, and the procession passes. Then we go back to the hotel, until 10 minutes later we hear drums again. Yesterday the first Paso was accompanied by sober young soldiers who protect the Paso with machine guns pointed towards the sky. This was very moving to me in a way that I could never explain. It takes them a while to get the huge Paso around the tiny corner and when this is accomplished, everyone applauds. Last night we went to dinner, a large meal for us because Cordoba has so invigorated us that we can eat three courses after walking all day. During our dinner a Paso passed down the tiny street, and everyone, including a waiter with an offering of red carnations, runs out to see it pass. After we are done eating we leave and there is another Paso coming, this time the Madonna with a flowing cape and fresh white roses all around her. We cannot move and the Paso passes an inch from our heads. Then there is nothing to do but join the hundreds who are following the marching band and the Paso down the street. There are tiny kids, older people, everyone seems to be eating sunflower seeds and spitting out the shells. Too bad I just ate three courses because I love sunflower seeds.

We are in this procession for a long time, because the procession stops often, for someone singing a hymn from a balcony, or maybe because the guys carrying it need to rest. At first these long stops are OK; but after three we are ready to move. We duck up a side street and run smack into the long line of Nazarenes (people with cone heads and candles), this means there is another Paso coming. Somehow we know where we are going, and circle the old city completely, and coming back through the city walls there is another procession! They are everywhere.

Today is Thursday and most of the shops are closed, and will be tomorrow also. We are leaving for Granada tomorrow supplied with wine, olive paste, crackers, coffee, milk, and cookies, in case we cannot find an open store tomorrow. We will spend Good Friday Eve at the Alhambra, and relax on the terrace of our apartment on Easter...

Posted by Shannon at 3:56 AM | Comments (1)

April 6, 2004

Religous Processions and Mating Rituals

Sunday was the first day of the week long festival Semana Santa here in Sevilla. On Sunday, the whole city was out, dressed in their very best clothes. This could be classy or tacky, depending on which side of the tracks you live on I guess. The bars and restaurants were packed, and for the first time since we got here I saw a few scam artists. All the streets were filled with wooden chairs to view the processions. We tried to get close to some of the processions but unless you had a ticket for one of the seats it was pretty hard. Also you are trying to get close with about 500,000 other people.

Besides religion and hanging out in the bars with your friends, this festival seems to be a time for young people to "hook up." So, for the girls get a boyfriend, and for the boys, to try to get as close to sex as possible for an unmarried Catholic. I can group the festival goers into several groups.

Married Couples with Young Children Dressed up Like Dolls
Young People Who Have Been Hooked Up for a While (Holding hands.)
Young People Who Have Just Hooked Up (Swallowing each others tongue, butt grope-age)
Young People Looking to Hook Up (They travel in packs)
Old People (Also travel in packs, but mostly sit at cafe tables.)

Sunday was a big day. By 11 PM we were exhausted but I could hear the festival going until very early in the morning.

Yesterday (Monday) was a big quieter. We wandered all over and there were not many people out. (Recovering?) By the late afternoon though we could see hundreds of people coming in for the processions. I'll try to explain the processions - there is something like a float, but guys are under it and lifting it. You cannot see the guys underneath. These are practically structures with life-like figures on them, candles, fresh flowers. When the men underneath walk it looks like the figures are walking, too. In front and back there are little kids and adults with the cone like hats in white, black, purple. There is a lot of incense and sometimes people carrying crosses. Behind each float there is a marching band. We saw one come straight out of the door of the big Cathedral here and that was pretty remarkable. Then I decided I wanted Albondigas from this bar I like (henceforth known as that fateful meatball.) So we started over and got caught up in a big crowd. We saw one float come towards us with Christ on the Cross. Then we got a bit further down the tiny street and could move no more. Then a procession went right by us on the tiny street. It was a Mary float. Totally wild. We then made it to the bar but the bar was too crowded and we could not get in to get my fateful meatball. In fact all the bars and cafes were totally packed and both Sunday and Monday we had to eat in touristy places in our neighborhood. But, they both had excellent food...

well I had better go because we are going to Cordoba and Mom will kill me if we don't get to the train early. More from Cordoba...

Posted by Shannon at 12:57 AM | Comments (2)

April 4, 2004

Spain, Land of Extremes

Yesterday we woke up in Madrid worried and fretful. Now I hear there were extra trains and chartered busses but the only information we were getting was that all the trains, busses and rental cars were sold out. We packed and left the hotel early to go to the train station to try to get to Sevilla.

Before we left the room I said, "we ARE getting to Sevilla today." I was hell bent that we would get on a train or a bus or SOMETHING.

We didn't even get to the train station. We got into St. Augustine's cab.

As soon as we got in and told him we were going to the train station he shook his head and said No Tickets. They had just reported it on the news. Bus? No Tickets. Nada. I asked my mom to ask him, how much for a taxi? Mom said, no that is impossible. But she asked and Augustine said 400 Euro. We sat for a second absorbing that information. Then he said he would do it for 350 Euro. Let's go, we said.

We took a taxi from Madrid to Sevilla! 520 kilometers, five hours. After we subtract the refund from the train and the money we would have spent on an additional night at a Madrid hotel, we ended up paying around 75 Euro each for a taxi to take us across Spain. St. Augustine spent ten hours getting there and back. What a guy.

So now we are here in beautiful Sevilla. It is warm and sunny, and it is the first day of Semana Santa. The church bells have been ringing like crazy and the processions will start soon. It is so lovely here my heart hurts. Friday seems light years away.

Last night, we went to the El Arenal flamenco show, recommended by Doru and Colleen K. We were seated front center - I almost got taken out by a flying skirt. It was colorful and passionate and we couldn't wipe the grins off our faces.

Thanks for all the comments here... The train incident was a frightening and surreal experience. The knowledge that we could have been on a train and... well, let's just say I'm not going to worry about too much ice cream any more.

This place is glorious.

Posted by Shannon at 4:20 AM | Comments (1)

April 2, 2004

STRANDED

We are back in Madrid. Today, we got on our train and there was a delay, due to security reasons. Well the security reason was a bomb somewhere on the tracks. We were on the train for five hours. After three hours most people left but we found ourselves on the train with a group of about 15 Spaniards who refused to leave and also told us we could not leave. (Essentially.) The reason being if we get off the train we will never get to Sevilla. The police came and negotiators and it was totally bizarre. The passengers were refusing to leave and it was a big scene with much loud discussion by all parties at the same time. Eventually there was no hope and we got off the train and into Atocha station where all the people from all the trains were stranded too. One customer service person told us we could get on any train (assuming there will be a train) with our used ticket. Another told us no way. So, we are in Madrid. We don't know when we can get to Sevilla because it is holy week and every train is sold out. This is why the Spainiards would not leave the train, because they are pretty sure there will be no way to get to Sevilla for awhile.

We did not know about the severity of the bomb scare and how close we were to being on a bombed train until we got to the hotel. It was on CNN... the bomb was on our track and there was a 12 o'clock train, and then us (the 1 o'clock.) So, even though this has been a hellish and freakish day we are just happy that we are not in a worse place right now.

Onward. We are going to go and eat some fried seafood and try to chill out a bit.

Posted by Shannon at 10:52 AM | Comments (8)

April 1, 2004

Attack of the French Schoolchildren

Question: How do you totally bore 175 Thirteen Year Olds?
Answer: Put them in a room full of El Grecos.

Here we are in Toledo. It is like Venice without canals or street signs. Impossible to navigate! Yesterday we got very lost. Today we saw most of the sights. We are the only tourists besides 1500 French adolescents on school trips. Mon Dieu! Walking down the tiny street you will suddenly come to a wall of kids. It rained more this morning than it does in a whole year in San Diego, and some of these kids reminded me of myself at thirteen with the really long flared pants soaking wet to the knee and the scraggly long hair.

Last night we went to a wine bar that was in the Rick Steves book (got it in a trade for my own book and actually it has come in pretty handy here) run by a guy with a really long name which I will post in my trip report. We got there at eight and he was telling us he only serves two to four people a night. We are thinking now, he only makes a profit on two to four people a night, because while we were there we had three glasses of wine each PLUS cheese, sausage, pate, olives... he kept putting stuff out, then he poured us each a half glass of cava and the total bill was 11 Euro! And there were at least eight other people there including a guy who kind of looked like Peter Sellers who was staring at us. I will write the details of this bar later, because it was a special little place and the proprietor was very passionate (he said he goes out every day all over Spain to inspect the grapes, all for US, he was sort of dramatic). We bought a bottle of wine that we tried there for 14 Euro, that we will enjoy in Sevilla.

We are going to the Parador after I finish here to check out the view from across the river and tomorrow we head to Sevilla. I am praying for heat and sun because it has rained every day since we got here and I am a sun worshipper.

Tonight Miss Jaen is going to be on TV, to tell her side of the "Miss Espana contest was fixed" story. Later I will write about the Reality Show "Il Castillo" where Spanish TV Fortune Tellers get questioned by members of the clergy and a lady with a fucshia feather hat.

Posted by Shannon at 8:51 AM | Comments (1)

March 30, 2004

Shrimps and Corruption

There is a huge uproar over the Miss Espana contest. Apparently some of the contestants got "special treatment." I know because I was watching a sort of Jerry Springer show but instead of an ugly guy (Springer) there is a pretty girl trying to keep things in/out of order. There were three contestants on the show complaining in a loud and relentless manner. The director of the contest was on a telephone trying to defend himself. I guess some of the contestants got "private interviews." Hmmm... wonder what went on in these private interviews? No wonder Miss Jaen smiled so much.

For lunch we had a tapa of chorizo at one bar and then some killer shrimps with garlic at another. This was on our way to the Thyssen Bornemisza museum, which is one of the coolest museums I have ever been to. The rain has not stopped but it seems a little warmer. I feel incredibly at home here. I think I need to move back to a city. Maybe this city!

Later I will write about the talk show where a porn star was being interviewed with a huge screen behind her, showing one of her movies. Dang.

Tonight we are tapas grazing tonight, on and around Cava Baja. I would be totally depressed leaving Madrid if I weren?t going to five other cities after this.

Manana... Toledo.

Posted by Shannon at 9:17 AM | Comments (0)

March 29, 2004

The rain in Spain doesn't want to stop

I love, love, love Madrid. This city rocks. We have been walking everywhere and eating a tapa here, a tapa there... I will save the details for the trip report. It is bleeping freezing here, and raining all the time. If I had cajones they would be freezing off. We have not let this stop us, but I missed out on the flea market and the Retiro park, also we won?t make it to Segovia - it is just too wet and too cold. I will be back though I know, I really love it here, forget Chow! Amsterdam if there was ever a city that needs Chow guide it is Madrid. There are tapas bars and hip places to drink EVERYWHERE. It is like my own personal mecca. We have one more day and then we head to Toledo.

So, last night we got home in time to watch the last part of the Miss Espana contest. As soon as we started watching they picked the six finalists. Instead of just calling the six finalists, the camera would focus on a contestant and then the finalist was made to wait in agony for like two minutes on camera and then very slowly the MC would say whether she made it or not. It was brutal to watch! The misses Barcelona, Sevilla, Jaen, Valencia, Melilla (I think) and Orencse (or some such city) made it. Barcelona was very weepy and heartfelt and got the most cheers. Jaen was the prettiest in that so perfect you make me sick kind of way, and very polished. Sevilla looked downright mean. The others were boring. The scoring system was as follows: There are a gazillion judges (Twelve? Twenty four? It seemed to take forever.) Each one rates each girl from 1 to 6. So if you get a 1, you get 1 point, 6 and you get 6 points. The totals are tallied on the TV screen and also a huge screen at the contest; still, the MC had to rattle off every score very slowly after each judge. If you thought the Oscars were long... Jaen took the early lead. It went up and down but it was a clear race between Barcelona and Jaen. Everytime Sevilla got a bad score she looked like she was going to kill that judge. Jaen smiled alot the silly cow. The others just looked scared. Jaen won, of course.

So that was just hours of entertainment. There is also a show here that we have seen twice as it seems to come on in the right-before-going-out-for-the-evening time. It is called Hecho Pareja I think. It is like the Dating Game but for older or perhaps socially inept people. The first day the woman and the three men contestants were in their sixties. On this day there were questions about sex and I heard the word "Clinton." Then they put on blindfolds and the woman had to slap the guys in their faces! The show last night was better, it was a pretty scary woman named Petra and the three contestants were a Clark Kent type guy, an Erik Estrada type guy (perhaps not packing as much as Erik) and a balding, fat freakazoid named Jesus. We got to see them do a sexy dance, push ups, and slapping (this time the guys got to slap Petra). Jesus won! I took a picture of the TV, I have never seen such a mismatched couple.

Later I will write about the comedy show involving a married couple, a whip, black vinyl, soccer balls, and a naked guy in the closet.

We have also been to the Prado and the Palazzo Real, I am not spending ALL my time watching Spanish TV. We are going to the famous Casin Botin tonight. We were suppose to go last night but somehow the time jumped an hour ahead and we missed our reservation.

My favorite thing to eat so far - well two things. A huge plate of fried seafood at a tapas bar in a cave under the Plaza Mayor (we thought we ordered a tapa... we are still learning.) Also a piece of bread that was toasted on an open fire right by the bar and spread with garlic and oil, at a taverna near the Prado. It was so GOOD.

There are incredible buildings and big boulevards with huge fountains in the middle everywhere... cool boho streets with too many tavernas to try and not enough time to try them... Madrid is surpassing all expectations so far.

Posted by Shannon at 9:43 AM | Comments (0)