My Spanish adventure has been an unforgettable journey of growing experiences impacted by interesting people and places along the way. I feel confident and well-prepared to face the next chapter of my life and must say that it really is a small world after all!

¡Adiós España…te echaré de menos!

Besos

Thankfully, my mom came over to help me with the huge transition. She arrived to Madrid last Thursday, and we spent the first half of her visit exploring the city and surrounding area. I loved giving her an insight on my life here over the last six months and even managed to run into a few familiar faces from my language school while strolling through the center.

During our time in Madrid, we stayed at the Apartamentos Ramon de la Cruz, which provided the perfect accommodation at a reasonable price. The place had a large sitting room and kitchen and included breakfast items equipped with the amazing Nespresso coffee maker. In addition, it gave us space to store fresh meats (aka muchisimo jamon!!), Spanish cheeses and colorful produce purchased at Mercado de la Paz in Barrio Salamanca. Although I’m ecstatic to get back to the diverse cuisine in the States, I will truly miss a good leg of ham accompanied with cheese, olives and a bottle of Rioja.

We made a short day-trip to the town of Aranjuez but opted out on touring the palace due to the high entrance fee and the feeling that once you’ve seen one palace, you’ve seen them all…Instead, we ate a huge menu del dia at El Rana Verde and bought some asparagus…apparently the finest is grown in Aranjuez.

After a weekend of walking, avoiding the rain and celebrating my birthday at The Penthouse Terrace on top of Hotel ME, we packed our bags and caught an early bus to Granada on Monday. I booked us a room at Hotel Puerta de las Granadas, a centrally located hotel with a beautiful garden terrace, a cozy room and a calm atmosphere, and we spent our time eating tons of tapas and getting a history lesson on the Spanish/Arabic culture.

To our surprise, we had booked a morning visit to the Alhambra on the most beautiful day of the entire trip! The sunny gardens, decorative palace and massive fortress provided excellent panoramic views of the city with the snow-covered Sierra Nevada as its backdrop. As expected, tons of tour groups had the same idea, but, overall, Spain’s most popular tourist attraction didn’t appear overwhelmingly crowded during this particular visit.

As a continuation of our “go, go, go” travels, a friend of mine invited us to visit the coastal town of Almuñecar. He drove us along the most beautiful mountain roads that eventually dropped straight down to the Mediterranean Sea. Exhausted from so much traveling, the remainder of the day was spent relaxing on the beach while watching a gorgeous sunset and eating a home-cooked seafood dinner. Unlike the majority of coastal towns in Spain, Almuñecar has not yet been tainted by an abundance of tourists. It has its fair share of Northern European retirees but still maintains a local feel with its amazing tropical fruit market, local bars and pebbly beach.

We arrived late to Madrid tonight and are now in the last stages of my big move home. I should try to get some sleep now even though it seems next to impossible…

To start the week off, I experienced an Arabian night with a trip to Casa Arabe for its free Monday night movie showing at 19.30h. Casa Arabe is a fairly new building located next to Retiro Park. All the movies come in the original arabic version with Spanish subtitles. This week’s film was an intense documentary that left me full of thoughts and contrasting opinions on the diverse cultural insight. The building’s current exhibition portrays the art of arabic calligraphy displayed around the main floor. Foodie alert: One must not leave without visiting the modernized teteria downstairs. They offer a cinnamon-flavored arabic tea served in silver teapots with decorative glass cups and a fantastic baklava pastry.

I decided to lighten up my mood on Tuesday night with a free screening of the 1950s movie Calabuch (a.k.a. The Rocket from Calabuch) in La Academia. This place offers movies varying from short films to award-winning documentaries. Keep in mind that one must arrive early and wait in line in order to get a good seat. For this reason, it’s a good idea to stop by the nearby cheese store for some free samples of worldly flavors that leave you educated and satisfied.

To add more to the cultural agenda, I discovered the Fundación Juan March located in barrio Salamanca. The center currently demonstrates a Latin American theme incorporated in both the exhibition hall and classical music concerts. On Wednesday night, I attended a rather long piano concert by the Uruguayan pianist, Humberto Quagliata. I later returned for the hour-long guided art visits offered every Thursday and Friday. The contemporary art really makes one think, and it helps to have a free explanation on what the artist wants to express.

These are just a few examples of the free events offered around Madrid. I feel extremely cultured at the moment and continue to search for more ideas…tomorrow I’m making a trip to La Casa de América for a Chilean short story acted out by classical music. Qué bien!

Ávila is a religious town full of churches and monasteries and gives particular honor to the life and birthplace of Santa Teresa. This woman is so famous that she even has a dessert named after her: Yemas de Santa Teresa. Yemas are made with egg yoke and sugar, and pastry shops line the streets selling boxes of these yellow-balled treats in addition to a large selections of tea cookies.

I arrived around 11 a.m. and decided to stop by the tourist office for recommendations on what to do and where to eat lunch. The staff was so rude and unhelpful that it gave me a bad first impression of the city. If you need recommendations, ask the people in the stores and streets rather than wasting your time with those paid to give help. Being the touristy city that it is, keep in mind that one must pay to do and see everything. I’ve seen my fair share of churches and monasteries and decided to skip all the tourist traps and, instead, make a walk around the outskirts of the city.

Ávila is an UNESCO World Heritage site surrounded by a Roman Wall called the Muralla. Rather than pay to walk along the wall, one captures a better feel by viewing the wall from the outside. It’s an impressive structure with several look-out points that truly give one a fairy tale feeling of nobility. In addition to the wall, one can venture off to a nearby river that provides a fantastic view of Ávila.

If visiting the city with a group or with a big wallet of cash, I suggest dining at the restaurant beside the river called El Molino de la Losa. The menu looks delightful and the ambience brings guests back hundreds of years. Due to my need to save money for pastries, I chose another famous restaurant inside the city walls called Mesón del Rastro. A little pricey but filling and worth the extra euros, this restaurant serves all the typical dishes to the region. Ávila is famous for its meat so I ordered the roasted lamb with a side of paprika-flavored potatoes called patatas revolcanes. I finished the meal with a homemade dessert, cuajada, which is basically yogurt with honey. What a delicious meal!

The trip resulted in a day of walking and eating which tends to be a trend in most of my travels…I recommend the town to those wanting to spend some extra bucks or who just want to see a town that continues to live a time before. It’s a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the Madrid city life.

I decided to arrive early keeping in mind that everyone and their brother would join the fun on a Saturday. My adventure started around 11 a.m. in Spain, which I later realized was a wise choice since Spain offers the best free giveaways. Whether it’s cheese and wine tasting or a free calendar and laptop travel cover, the Spanish marketing professionals know how to please the crowd. I collected beautiful posters from both the Altea and Santiago tables and entered drawings to various vacation hotspots.

After spending several hours in Spain, I moved to other European countries and found that most charged guests to sample their products. I decided it best to watch the free musical performances and continued to “window shop” during my walk-through. Overall, the themes in this particular section weren’t very impressive, and I hardly picked up any brochures.

I quickly moved on to the Americas and fortunately arrived around lunchtime. I searched for the longest lines of people and used my sense of smell to find the best food giveaways. Thankfully, Mexico offered a free taco plate accompanied by a Coronita and coffee from Veracruz. Next, I traveled to Colombia for another coffee sample before switching continents. I made a quick visit to Africa but was drawn back to the enormous Americas section when I saw Peruvian dancers and the setting up for a Brazilian concert.

I was exhausted by the time I reached Asia and only had energy for a quick glance at each country. In my opinion, both Asia and South America win for the most creative themes. They created life-size temples and cabanas for one to fully experience what their country has to offer. I hope to one day participate in the tourist fair rather than just visit as a guest. Its incredible to know that worldwide professionals come to this fair every year and leave with suitcases literally full of travel information.

On January 2, all of Spain was introduced to a new smoking ban. Now for those unfamiliar with the Spanish culture, Spain has an overwhelming number of smokers; therefore, many oppose the new law and pray daily for a miracle that will bring the country back to it’s old ways. According to the ban, the streets are pretty much the only place where smoking is permitted. Due to the crisis, restaurant and bar owners truly plan to enforce the smoking law since the fines starting around 60€ do not seem worth paying just to please clients. Many smokers, including my chain-smoking Spanish professor, have either tried to finish the last puff of cigarette before entering every public building, restaurant or playground or just opted out on going to bars altogether. Bars seem to smell worse now than before due to the stained walls and furniture from years of smoke. I personally love the new ban and delight in the chance to breathe fresh air rather than dying my lungs black from inhaling second-hand smoke. Keep up the good work Spain!

On a lighter note, Spain celebrates its Reyes Magos festival today, which is equivalent to Santa Claus in the American culture. According to tradition, the Reyes Magos (a.k.a. Wise Men) from the Biblical story about the birth of Jesus now live in Madrid’s Royal Palace. Every year, children address letters to the Wise Men in the Palacio Real requesting gifts for themselves, the family and the world. On January 5, Madrid holds a huge parade where the Wise Men throw candy to the children and somehow deliver all the presents to houses by the next morning. If naughty, children receive coal, which, like the letter delivery, is another idea taken from the American culture of Santa Claus. If good, the wise men bring tons of toys and kids spend the remainder of the day playing while the family eats roscón de Reyes, a bread-like sugary pastry, with hot chocolate. I prefer, the New Orleans’ version of King’s Cake served at Mardi Gras, pero bueno. People go crazy over the purchasing of this particular pastry waiting in massive lines throughout the city. Every panadería I passed this morning was packed and the majority of families carried huge boxes full of roscón in preparation for the family comida.

Tomorrow is Spain’s equivalent to “Black Friday” which means that every store offers huge discounts and one must swim through the crowd in Sol in order to get anywhere. I’m off to the countryside once again so unfortunately I’ll be missing out on this year’s sales.

The 22nd of December starts it all with “El Gordo”, the enormous Christmas lottery and a nationwide phenomenon. Still scarred from last year’s loss, I decided to save my money for more important things like purchasing the almond-based Christmas candy, turrón. The holiday treat comes from the region of Alicante about an hour from Altea. I had the unique opportunity to visit the factory in Jijona where I learned how the process works and sampled the finest of both the hard, white turrón called “Alicante” and the soft, almond butter-like turrón named after Jijona.

In addition to sweets, people eat an abundance of jamón (aka ham) during the holiday season cut fresh off the cured leg. It’s the perfect meal paired with a good red wine and some manchego cheese.

This week, I’ve been on detox from jamón by only eating vegetables and cheese before bringing it back to the table on New Year’s Eve. What a tough life…

Altea’s orchestra performed a free Christmas concert in the Palau where I recognized several musicians from last year’s teaching experience. An entire school of children concluded the show with a number of Spanish Christmas songs, but it just wasn’t the same without “Frosty the Snowman” and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer”. Following the show, they popped giant balloons and offered banana bread with hot chocolate.

The people in Spain go to the extreme when it comes to the Nativity scene. Unlike the simple manger with Jesus, Mary and Joseph commonly used in the United States, this culture creates an entire village equipped with everything from the castle to the fruit venders to the little boy pooping in the corner. Yes, these people are jokesters when it comes to this religious portrayal and place a figurine called the “Caganer” which originated in the region of Cataluña. Upon viewing the village, people partake in a Caganer search similar to “Where’s Waldo” for who can find him first.

All jokes aside, Christmas in the Mediterranean is a fantastic holiday getaway from the bitter cold and rain. Each day starts with a gorgeous sunrise along the mountainside and ends with a sunset over the sea. In spite of the winter season, many places remain open and offer live music and entertainment for the locals. I look forward to my next visit to Altea, Alicante!

In spite of the dreary weather, I had the unique opportunity to witness the famous matanza of two pigs. For this particular family, the slaughtering tradition takes place once a year before Christmas and includes a variety of steps for the perfect embutido results. Due to those with the weak stomach, I’ll try not to get too graphic but I do want to share a little about the rare experience.

Early Saturday morning, I prepared myself for a normal outdoor play-date with the millions of baby cousins. As we wondered around the freezing, snow-covered golf course, I heard dogs barking and screaming noises that I couldn’t differentiate between the sound of a chainsaw or of squealing pigs. Anyhow, I went on about my business but kept getting questioned by the relatives if I’d seen the “matanza” yet. Still unclear on what exactly they meant by a matanza, I ended up being lead by the nearly three-year-old boy to the barn where I saw the men literally barbecuing alive the first of two large pigs. The other was tied up and waiting on the ground beside the dogs.

Although the flamethrower seemed a bit of a shock, it was nothing compared to the buckets of blood several were stirring around with their bare hands in preparation for making morcilla (aka blood sausage). I couldn’t watch any more of the killing process due to my fear of nightmares so I headed to the house through the kitchen door where I found a large bowl on the table filled with cooked rice, onions, oregano…oh yeah and blood!! Alongside the mixture was a bowl full of properly cleaned intestines…at this point I truly felt like I was on the set of the latest Saw movie. The remainder of the day consisted of assembly lines around the table to stuff the settled morcilla mixture into the sausage castings, the dividing up of each edible body part and the boiling process of the freshly stuffed morcilla before heading to the freezer.

Unfortunately, it rained the majority of the second day, slowing down but certainly not stopping the production of embutidos. Various selections of ground meat were rounded up in preparation for the chorizo-making operation to take place on day three. Similar to the morcilla day, people piled into the kitchen for a bloody family bonding while stuffing the castings and passing them to the younger cousins to tie up the ends with a festive-looking yarn string.

Around mid-day, the family held an “aperitivo” in celebration of the annual matanza where we sampled the finest cuts of pig at their freshest! Now that’s what I call a true barbecue!! I tried everything from the sauteed chorizo mixture and fatty bacon to fried pig’s tongue and grilled kidney. ¡Qué rico! Due to the intensive curing process, I have to wait until spring to try the chorizo but, in the meantime, I even sampled the morcilla after the third day of settling. Surprisingly, I actually liked the famous Spanish sausage but could only take it in small doses since I kept in mind exactly what it was I was eating.

I think that just about covers my experience of the PG rated matanza process but feel free to ask me any further questions if interested in learning more.

¡Qué aprovecho!

Being from the southern United States, I just couldn’t pass my favorite holiday without preparing the family’s famous sweet potato casserole. On Wednesday, I searched all over Madrid for pecans and good sweet potatoes. Fortunately, Mercado San Miguel offered pecans at a decent enough price while Mercadona provided huge sweet potatoes for a more agreeable price than the moldy ones in El Corte Inglés. The casserole resulted in a beautiful fall presentation and served as one of the only traditional Thanksgiving dishes at the party. I enjoyed the opportunity to introduce such a wonderful southern classic to people from all corners of the world.

Aside from the delicious food, we drank tons of Spanish wine, and many even ended the meal with a shot of tequila!! Personally, I decided it was a better idea not to mix and substituted my shot for some chocolate chip cookies and a slice of chocolate pie with graham cracker crust…oh how I miss graham crackers!!

I met a diverse group of individuals with similar interests in cooking, languages and culture and felt grateful to be sharing this special day with many who have never experienced this long-established American holiday. My second Thanksgiving away from home turned out to be a success and encouraged me to seek out more cultural exchanges that allow me to introduce my unique life experiences while at the same time acquiring knowledge from the adventures of others.

Sure enough, the space soon filled up with people of all languages and nationalities. After an hour of waiting, the MC made his first appearance and announced in Spanish that the concert would start in less than one minute…45 minutes later he introduced the first performers, 30 Seconds to Mars. The band had a great stage presence for the short time slot given and even came with a surprise guest appearance by Kanye West during “Hurricane”.

Following the first group, we stood around for another hour and watched the MC come on and off the stage while talking about something that no one could hear. I, on the other hand, was entertained by people climbing trees and scaffolding for an awesome view and perfect photo opportunities. Sadly, the majority of the nearby apartment balconies remained dark and empty, which seemed a waste on such a special occasion.

The Katy Perry act was pretty lame and equipped with long breaks after each song along with awkward shouting to the crowd. She needs to stick to music videos rather than live concerts. As soon as she finished, the place cleared out as the teenage girls left, and it was perfect for me since I was most excited to see the final act…Linkin Park. I now had an even closer spot to watch them!

Linkin Park was by far the best show of the night and definitely worth the long, standing wait. They played tons of songs and truly knew how to work the crowd even if they didn’t speak its language. During each break, the Spanish audience shouted “Linki Par, Linki Par” until the band came back with a performance even better than the last. Overall, it was an unforgettable night of free music, famous people and fantastic scenary in one of the world’s best cities!