Well, here we are! We have been in Spain for almost a week and we are about half-way through our trip. We have completed our Spanish Wine Education and are making our way to Barcelona in a few hours. We’re excited because we get to take a train! In Spain! And it might rain!
I will write separately about my Spanish Wine musings, in
case that’s not your glass of vino. This post is more about my thoughts and
observations about Spain.
In a word: GORGEOUS!
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| Just a random view out of a hotel window. STUNNING!!! |
I had no idea what to expect from Spanish scenery. What I have found are mountains and rolling hills and steep cliffs and fields of grain and slopes of vineyards. There are rivers and mesas and pine trees and lots of leafy trees. Because it is mid-May, it is also SO GREEN! Apparently it will turn golden brown and yellow in a few months, much like California.
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| This is looking mostly north towards the Basque region. The Atlantic Ocean is on the other side of the mountains. |
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| Vineyards in the Ribera del Duero wine area. |
And that was an early observation by both of us – how much parts of the Spanish countryside remind me and Rob of California. Especially the central parts of the Golden State – inland from Monterey, where there is agriculture and wide plains.
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| This could easily be in the area inland from Monterey, California. |
We’ve toured the northeastern part of the country. At times we were closer to France than to Madrid. As we made our way south yesterday to a city called Zaragoza, the terrain flattened, the soil dried, and it looked much more desert-y. I’m really curious what Barcelona – on the Mediterranean and about as far east as you can go in Spain – will look like.
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| About an hour north of Barcelona. MUCH different terrain! From the train! |
The weather has been fun. Very Springlike. Sunny, fits of showers, cloudy, cold enough to wish I had brought jeans, warn enough to wish I had brought shorts. Mostly, menopausal.
We’ve gotten along fine with English. Rob said “Ocho” for
our room number and shocked the hotel employee that he – clearly an
English-speaking American – knew Spanish numbers and used them. It really
doesn’t take a lot to graciously try to express some international respect.
Nevertheless, we haven’t had any sizeable language barriers and have only
leaned on Google Translate a few times.
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| Google Translate has its limits... |
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| Photo added later – from an announcement in the Lisbon airport. The "finger walkway" ended up being the jetway to the airplane. |
The food. Well, we – and especially me – have struggled. I didn’t really know what Spanish cuisine is. It’s a lot of seafood and parts of cows and pigs I don’t really want to nosh on (cheeks, elbows, ears)... Our dinner menu last night was a great representation of what we’ve encountered. Squid, octopus, eel, truffles, mushrooms, tuna, and eggs plopped on top of things. At this point, I’m mostly surviving on bread, cheese, prosciutto, potatoes, almonds, and olives. Sure, not a bad life, but I’m really hoping Barcelona cuisine might offer some new options.
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| A pretty typical menu. Things sounded good at first and then they turned weird and unappetizing. |
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| This is what I ended up ordering from the other side of the menu. It was called "Melted Brie Toast with Iberian Ham" |
We’ve had a couple of “gastronomic experiences” arranged by our travel agent. We just canceled the final one scheduled for Portugal because it seems like a waste of fancy food, and the anticipation was prompting a gag reflex. Rob has been a champ, eating sardines and anchovies and squid ink. I’ve been less adventuresome and had chanterelle mushroom sprinkled with truffles. I can eat a lot of weird stuff (see years of Fair Food Feast Parades), but I have found my limit in Spain. In related news, my pants are a little looser…
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| This was the green course. |
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| I got excited because these looked like tacos. They were not tacos. |
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| This was dessert. We didn't eat the grass. |
Much like France, I have determined I am a bigger fan of street food, local stuff, pub fare, Spanish food that might be served in a home. Yesterday we went on a “Tapas Run” with Itzi, our tour guide. It was so fun! It felt like what every food cart pod in the US wants to be but will never achieve. Because the US doesn’t have the history, culture, or sense of just slowing down to enjoy life.
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| Tapas Run! Without actually running... |
Our tapas run was two streets in a town called Logrono. Each
doorway was a different specialty. We browsed from one tiny restaurant to
another, ordering just one or two items. The food arrived quickly and we stood
at small tables, nibbling, sharing, sipping on uncomplicated wine and beer
before moving onto the next round. The street was full of energy and noise and just
people enjoying life and food. WAY more my speed than fancypants celery sticks
coated with a pea-based béchamel sauce.
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| Roasted peppers -- so good! And fried cheesy things and potato things. YUM! |
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| Hey look! It's meat and cheese! |
Our hotels so far have been unique and striking. The first was a 12th-century abbey that has been converted to a tranquil hotel and spa in the Ribera del Duero wine area. It was quiet and peaceful and lovely. And a touch echoey.
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| The hotel's dining room and scene of the Gastronomic Adventure. And breakfast. |
The second hotel was a work of post-modern art designed by Frank Gehry who was the Guggenheim architect. The locals assured us they are grateful for the purple wavy eyesore (claimed to be a loping animal of some sort) on the edge of a medieval Spanish town, as it has “put the town on the map.” Have you ever heard of Elciego? Cuz that’s the town that’s now supposedly map worthy.
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| There are only 14 rooms across the front. We stayed in one of them. The room was "normal" but the view was anything but (see below). |
Last night’s hotel was a city hotel boasting it itself as a “bleisure hotel” where you can
seamlessly blend both work and pleasure. Honestly, it was a little too hip for
us, what with the provided yoga mat and biodegradable toothbrush. The bed slept
like a glorified futon – just ask our backs, hips, and necks. The view out the
window was also much more urban than our prior views. So, amusing for one night
but I’m grateful we are moving on.
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| View from our room in the Abbey |
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| View from our room in the bleisure hotel. The homeless woman relocated at night but returned to her spot during the day. |
So, so far we are having a great time and are thoroughly
enjoying Spain. But we are also a little hungry and a lot tired. I have been
smacked hard by jet lag and can’t seem to fall asleep before 2:00am local time.
So, I’m getting about 4-6 hours of sleep per night but it starts with
frustration. I fully expect I will finally be acclimated when it is time to
head home.
Next stop: Barcelona!
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