A Day in the City

   

Yesterday I headed to the city via the tram.  I decided to make it a full day of sightseeing, as if I wouldn’t be back another day. I keep forgetting that I’m not a tourist wanting to cram it all in, even though I talk like one.   

First stop was the market of fresh produce, cheeses, chorizo and Spanish meats, whole walnuts, eggs, pastries and of course, pan.  I sipped on my usual, cafe con leche, as I watched and heard the locals shop.  A lady next to me sat down, told her dog to stay, and came back with her cold brew.   This is really a dog town!

 

Next was the big retail store, El Corte Ingles, like Macy’s, except with a nice cafeteria and a grocery store on the ground floor.  Customers have to lock their roller bags as they shop in the market. 

A stroll to the Church of San Miguel, and alas, a group of tourists with a leader talking to them.  This was a first!  Nearby was a free music concert with a band playing jazzy, blues tunes.  Good times!

  

I passed by a little market and bought Spanish Paprika, sold by the gram.  I’m hoping I can bring it home because it’s one of my favorite spices.   I’ll definitely cook with it here though.   I’m cooking some for the family and they really appreciate it.

For my big meal, I decided to load up on carbs and eat Italian, before heading home.   La Tagliatella, served me well with huge portions - Ragu Antico - Pork sausage, burrata stracciatella, mushrooms, tomato, pesto pearls and basil oil.   I’ve never had or seen pesto pearls!   Deliziosa!

When in Spain, eat Italian!

First Hump Day

Yesterday was my first hump day.  I decided to treat myself to a dinner out - tapas!  The tapas bars are full of people enjoying beverages outside, mostly beer, wine and coffee.  Adults socialize and lots of children play soccer, scooter, run and play in the plaza. Only a few parties are eating food.  That’s because it’s only 7:30 pm.  You have to order inside at the bar and find a table outside.  I ordered patatas bravas (potatoes) my favorite, and some kind of chicken.  To my surprise, tiny crispy wings were delivered to my table.  A yummy fried treat!   Not spicy hot, just good flavor.  Yes, I got a to go box.

A funny thing happened when I ordered my food.  The Asian man was taking my order and I didn’t understand him, so I asked if he spoke English.   He used his phone to translate and showed me his phone.  It was in Asian characters!  I looked at him funny.  He quickly changed it to English and it said,  “I will bring the food to you.”Good to know because I didn’t know how it worked.  Moral of the story is don’t make assumptions.  

The sun sets at 10 pm here and it’s very weird.  Luckily, there are heavy metal blinds on the outside of my room that block out all of the light.  My room is up high and I leave my door ajar for the crisp air.  No air conditioning here, but it cools down at night.  

10:15 pm

 

Life is very different, in a good way!   I’m walking everywhere.  Recycling bins are everywhere and I see children emptying the trash. Teenagers hang out with friends, walking, playing sports and just having a good time.  The community is very safe, pretty clean other than the graffiti and there are no E-Bikes (unlike Florida).   The only noise pollution is the sounds of people socializing.

My daily routine is to take the girls to a park in the morning.   We’ve already visited several parks and the playgrounds are all different.  L, 5 years, rides her bike or scooter and shows me the way.  She’s very street smart, stops at the crosswalk, walks her bike to the other side and stops when needed.  A pretty good listener too.  Thank goodness so my anxiety is lessened.  Dad told me she’s street smart.  Proper training as they would say.   She also likes to climb up high, swing high and basically give me an elevated heart rate every once in awhile.   

The little one, J, follows her big sister around and is able to carry her own.   She cries a lot when her sister is out of sight and I mean a lot!!! She calls her Ta Ta in the sweetest little voice which is Basque for sister.   

Best hump day in quite some time! 

Videos were taken between 8:00-8:30 pm

Up in Smoke

My first weekend was quite exciting.   Our little town made the local news on Friday.   In the afternoon, we witnessed a massive black smoke fire coming from a very nearby factory.  Within a few minutes, Dad went into emergency mode and we all got in the car for evacuation.  We went to his parent’s house nearby until it was clear to go back home.  The concern was the fire spreading and mostly the toxic air, since it’s a factory for personal hygiene products.  Luckily no one was injured and we were all safe and sound. 

Unfortunately, plans for the weekend were ruined, so we escaped to a little village of 200, Maestu, for a fun filled weekend.  The family has a lovely flat there and a bakery next door.   Oh my, cookies,  croissants and bread and more. What a shame!  I walked the entire village in about 15 minutes. It was so quiet with a few children hanging out, cars coming through the tiny streets and the birdsong of the swifts everywhere.  We visited the apple orchard which was a special treat.  Picture mountains, vegetable gardens and creeks on the property.  On Sunday, we had la comida, afternoon lunch with the extended family - grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunties, cousins!   It was a very nice gathering of delicious food,  company and Spanish language immersion.  A great way to end the weekend. 

 

Train station

 

 

Hot Neighborhood Vibes

Waiting for owner

I thought I left Florida for a cooler climate, but it’s been in the low 90’s.  Less humidity but still hot!  It’s a good thing I don’t mind sweating because I’m walking in the midday to see the area and then picking up the kiddos at noonish. It’s their last week and then summertime with Granny Nanny!

I wake up quite early to the sounds of birds   It’s about 55 degrees in the morning and perfect.  The sun rises to the right of my balcony and it’s definitely a room with a view.

I joined a gym and guess what?   There’s a bakery with tempting pastries and coffee just steps away.  The coffee here is so deliciously strong and inexpensive.  Now I have to decide whether to eat pastries before or after my workout.  Or both!

My new favorite soft drink is Kas and I’ve tried the lemon and apple flavor.  Both are delicious!

Enjoy the neighborhood!  

Lavender fields

Charcuterie

My cat is Felix and I walk down this street to go home.
 

  

Spanish Flora & Mas

Wow! Apparently, the grounds maintenance folks are on strike and the grass is overgrown with beautiful wildflowers and all sorts of grasses.  The elders are not happy, but I think it looks beautiful and thought it was supposed to look wild.  All the paths are lined with nature, benches and playgrounds.  Lots of people walking to and fro and well behaved dogs following along leashless. 

A stroll into town to buy a few items including Chinese sauces.  I promised to make fried rice for my family.  I found a couple but didn’t see sesame oil.  I asked for help.  It’s so strange to look at an Asian man and hear him speak Spanish.  Even stranger is that he didn’t understand when I asked about sesame oil.   Oh well, I’ll have to do without.  A little rest on the way home at the local bar for a cafe con leche and croissant.  I sat and watched people chatting, drinking, playing soccer, children swinging, all having a good time outside and not on their phones.  So refreshing!

 

Mountain range in distance