Happy Valentine's Day Warren! I miss you.

Yet another food entry...

I’ve been doing a lot of walking in the last two weeks, so to even things out (since I wouldn’t want to, say, lose a pound or two) I have been sampling Madrid’s tempting array of pastries.

LA MALLORQUINA
The king of pastries—in my opinion, and according to the ever-present mobs in the store, apparently the opinion of the rest of Madrid—is La Mallorquina, located just off Puerta del Sol. A visit to La Mallorquina is an event in itself, with its white-jacketed wait staff, rack after rack of stunning treats, and the palpable energy of fifty or sixty happy, sugar-drunk patrons.

My love for La Mallorquina began when I tried the "Chocolate Napolitana". Yowsa. I have been spoiled for pastries for the rest of my life. I was just three bites into it before I started formulating rules for myself. “Okay, I can only have a Napolitana if I walk at least two hours a day. Oh, and only if I’ve had a small dinner. And then I can’t have another one for two, no three days…” I know when I have met my match.

Luckily, the other pastries have not been as devilishly good. This afternoon I had a "Palmera", a honey-soaked, buttery, flakey treat. It was good, even great, but doesn’t eclipse my Napolitana. Nor does the donut-like "Rosquilla". Next in line is the "Madrilena", pictured below at left. I’m not so worried about that one. Doesn’t look too good, eh?

I have to try it though because I have a compulsion to try all odd looking/sounding foods when I travel. (Wait till I tell you about sampling some of Madrid’s more exotic tapas, like pigs ear.) But if the Madrilena is anything other than a blissful experience, I will stop ‘wasting’ my time and focus entirely on Napolitanas.

CHURROS AND CHOCOLATE
Probably the most popular dessert in Spain is churros con chocolate. When I sampled it the other evening at the local Maestro Churrero (recommended to me by my taxi driver from the airport), every single other patron was also indulging in churros con chocolate.

Unlike the Mexican variety, Spanish churros don’t have cinnamon on them. Eaten alone, they are actually quite bland. To sweeten them up, Spaniards dip these little fried donut sticks in a warm chocolate liquid that would fall somewhere between chocolate milk and chocolate pudding on a consistency-of-chocolate-liquids scale.

I didn’t care for it. I found it a bit boring. Sorry Maestro Churrero…no more Euros from me. Thanks for the memory though.

THE ODD BALL
This morning I was running late, so I didn’t have time for my usual yogurt-and-orange breakfast. By break time (11am), I was famished, so I decided to patronize the local Juan Valdez Café downstairs (yep…same Juan Valdez that graced our TV screens in the 70s, alongside his compatriots Mr. Whipple and the Kool-Aid man.) The Juan Valdez Café is a Starbucksesque coffee shop, so all they had were pastries. I was momentarily disappointed until I spied my victim: a pastry BALL. Nay, a whole rack of puffy, airy, cakey balls. Not like little donut holes. These were big and spongy. They looked very odd, sitting there all serious like a real food item.

I ordered it, along with a fresh orange juice, then scurried back upstairs to see what I had just gotten myself into. Before I left the store, I asked the barista what was in it, expecting to hear chocolate, or apple, or some other sweet filling. The answer: "cheese and corn". My mind interpreted that to mean a nacho cheese type filling with some corn kernels mixed in. Eeeek!

The verdict: it was an utterly tame cornbread ball with a slight hint of cheese and a bit too much butter. Nothing exotic, nothing I’d have to choke down. Not that I was disappointed. Well, my intellect was a bit, but my stomach was happy with the result. I was pretty hungry after all.

AND ONE LAST PASTRY TALE
Here’s a little something that you really don’t need to know: In Spain, the ever-popular McDonalds apple pies are still of the artery-clogging FRIED variety! Remember when they used to be fried in the States, like 10 years ago.

Trust me…there is no need to be nostalgic for the good ol days of fried McDonalds apple pies. The baked versions sold at U.S. McDonalds are tremendously better, unless you like your apple pie to taste a bit fishy.

Spectacular Storefronts

My obsession with Madrid's painted tile street signs has been eclipsed by a new quest: to stumble upon more of Madrid’s countless quaint storefronts. Every afternoon walk is like a little journey of discovery. Madrid has some fantastically detailed storefronts, from stunning old tile work to beautifully rich wood finishes. Here are a few recent finds:

In Madrid, even something as mundane as displaying seafood at a Tapas bar is often taken to new aesthetic highs...generally drawing me over, even from across the street.

Espanol with elemadrid

I have now completed my first week of Spanish classes at “elemadrid” and I love it! But don't worry...I will resist the urge to start peppering my blog entries with my fancy new Spanish words.

I have come to the sad realization that I have LOST most of my Spanish knowledge from high school and college. I am back to Advanced Beginner, if that. I find it very frustrating when the words WILL NOT come out of my mouth correctly or when my mind draws a complete blank when asked a question. But...it’s still a lot of fun, and I think I have progressed a lot in just the last week.

Below are my three teachers (photos taken from the elemadrid website). First I have two hours of Spanish grammar with Lola, then two hours of conversational Spanish with Marta. Elena heads up the activities, so I have her three days a week in the afternoons.


MY FELLOW LEARNERS
I chose elemadrid because the school is geared toward adult learners. I did NOT want to be surrounded by a Let’s Go toting, party-thru-Europe crowd of early twenty-somethings. And sure enough, our class if made up of outgoing and interesting adult learners.

There’s just four of us at the Advanced Beginner level: Wilmoed, a 32 year old geologist from Holland; Tom, a 60-something artist from Canada; and Vilmer, a 60s something business consultant from Germany. Our group gets along great, and we often spend time together outside of class. At left is a photo of Welmoud buying us some chocolate treats one afternoon while we were strolling around the Chueca neighborhood.

ACTIVITIES
I also chose elemadrid for all the extra afternoon “practice sessions”, which are ideal for testing and improving general comprehension. They are already my favorite part of my studies.

Tuesdays:
‘Spain Today’ lectures
Last week we had a lecture, in Spanish, about the terrorist Basque group called ETA—their history, the present threat, etc… Fascinating (and fun because I understood about 75% of it!)

Wednesdays:
Interview with a local professional
This last week a local judge came to talk about the legal system in Spain (although…I admit I didn’t attend it.)

Thursdays:
“Discover Madrid” field trips
This week we walked around the historic center of Madrid with Elena, the practice session teacher. (See picture above.) As with everything at elemadrid, it was entirely in Spanish and full of new words. By the end of the two hours, my brain was tired but my spirits were high because I'd understood the majority of what she had explained.(Comprehension is easiest for me. Actually forming intelligent sentences...that's a long ways off).

Hey…that’s me. It’s a photo of me, here on my website. It’s photographic proof that I actually am here in Spain. It’s not a particularly interesting shot, but I’m including it here for those of you that have inquired as to why I never have photos of myself on the site.

Truthfully, it's only because I just don’t think to have them taken. But, on this day Welmoud suggested that she take a picture of me with my camera, so...here’s me standing in front of a statue of some Spanish dude in the middle of yet another historic plaza.

The Daily Commute...What a treat!

Well, this is certainly the best commute I have ever had. It takes me about 20 minutes to walk to school, and it is an absolute pleasure! Here's a play-by-play of what I see:

(Note: Some photos were taken en-route to school when it is still a bit dark out, while others were taken on the way home at 1pm.)

1 MINUTE: The plaza just around the corner from my apartment.

3 MINUTES: An example of the little streets that I walk down next.

6 MINUTES: Next is Calle Mayor, the main street of the historic center. During this time I walk through Puerta del Sol and on to...

8 MINUTES: A charming little round plaza that doesn't want to be photographed but is really spectacular.

11 MINUTES: Crossing the Gran Via, a major artery of downtown Marid and full of fantastic historic buildings.

14 MINUTES: The roundabout of Plaza de Cibeles, with the over-the-top ornate Post Office in the background.

17 MINUTES: A few minutes later on the Gran Via, a view back toward the Cibeles fountains and the Gran Via where I just walked.

19 MINUTES: Another roundabout, this one called Plaza de la Independencia. From here, I turn down one of the arterial streets off the roundabout, and I'm there! Phew...what a great 20 minutes.

Of course...
I could take the subway. I've taken it a few times to other places, and it's very clean and efficient. But this would be the view on my commute:

Not a tough decision.

Fishy Yellow Rice, then Fishy Black Rice

ARROZ NEGRO:
I just got home from a delicious dinner of "Arroz Negro". I was intrigued by the name--Spanish for 'black rice'--and once I heard it's contents, I knew I must have it. The rice is black because after it is cooked, it's saturated in squid ink!

The dish was delicious...garlicy, creamy, a bit salty but still very good. In fact, it was so good that my two dining companions couldn't stop stealing bites off my plate. :) I didn't bring my camera to dinner, so I'm borrowing the photo above from Wikipedia in order to show you what
it looks like.

By the way, I did notice that the Wikipedia listing includes a recipe for Arroz Negro...just in case you have some extra squid ink sitting around.

AND AS FOR THE FISHY YELLOW RICE:
Last night I learned how to cook yummy paella! Well, I learned it in theory. I didn't understand most of what the cook said because she spoke too fast (in Spanish), but that's okay. Based on my past culinary history, it's a pretty safe bet that I'd never attempt to cook it at home anyway.

The Spanish school helped organize the class, since activities like these are good for learning practical Spanish. The class was held in the home of Aricela (pictured at left), and with six students in attendance, it was a pretty tight fit in her little apartment kitchen. But it was a really fun time...mostly spent talking, not cooking.

Let me know if you'd like the recipe. It looks pretty involved, but then again I balk at heating up pasta noodles.

(Please excuse the bad photography. It was tight quarters and bad lighting...same problem that I had at the flamenco show.)

Flamenco, Ole!

Last night we went to Las Carboneras, a local flamenco bar and it was fantastico! In flamenco dancing, the music and dancing is not choreographed, but is improvised with the rhythm (like of like jazz). At our performance, bystanders would clap along and egg on the dancers with shouts of Ole. What a fun cultural experience. :)

My Madrid Neighborhood

I have spent a lot of time so far strolling the beautiful streets of central Madrid. It seems that every corner brings a new surprise, from graceful and stately colonial buildings…

...to charming little neighborhood streets. I love the many colors, and the preponderance of shuttered, wrought iron balconies.


I have a little obsession. At every street crossing, I look for the little street markers, so beautifully labeled. Their creation was a functional one—to help the illiterate find their way around—but now they add yet another special touch that makes Madrid’s historic core so unique and stunning. I have taken countless photos of them, which is always quite bewildering to Madrilenos, who stop and stare at me, surely wondering what I could possibly be so interested in.

Here are some of my favorites from Saturday:

However, lest I lead you to believe that the entire downtown area is one massive monument to Spanish history…

Madrid is hectic, crowded, chaotic…everything you’d expect of a European capital city. It's got that great big city energy!

Oh, and one last treat for you. Like most major cities, Madrid has it’s share of street performers. The majority are talented and interesting to watch. This guy chose to go in a different direction. I suppose he was, in fact, fun to watch…just in a different way.

(Sorry it's not a very good shot. I didn't feel like putting much energy into capturing this particular scene.)

A Girls Gotta Eat...even in Madrid

After just four days here, I must proclaim that Madrid is fantastic. I have much to share, but I’ve decided that from now on I will just tackle one topic a day, so I will start with a topic dear to my heart: FOOD.

MY NEW D.I.E.T.
Before arriving, I didn’t really know much about Spanish cuisine but I was looking forward to eating a more European diet-—emphasizing freshness and quality over large portion sizes (a la Why French Women Don’t Get Fat.) The reality has turned out to be a bit different. Rather than a European diet, I find myself on a Euro diet—my own personalized “holy cow, I can’t afford to eat anything on the menu” diet. It didn’t take long for me to determine that big city prices + a weak US dollar = lots of self-catering for Betsy!

VIVE JAMON!
I’m really not much of a meat eater, and I am now in a meat-and-potatoes country. Or, more correctly, a ham-and-potatoes country. As my guidebook puts it, “the Spanish diet [is] heavy on ham, deep-fried foods, more ham, weird seafood, and ham again.” Over the last few days I’ve have a chance to sample a bit of the local jamon, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I presently don’t like ham because I’ve never really had ham. That pinky, molded, grainy stuff that is called ham at Wal-Mart… Well golly, it looks and tastes nothing like the ham they have here. This is good stuff.

My first meal in Madrid was at a store called Museo de Jamon—which translates to Museum of Ham—where I had two small but delicious and fresh ham sandwiches. No mayo, no frills, just ham and bread. That other ‘stuff’ isn’t needed when the ingredients are this good!

At this point, I have just dipped my toe in the world of Spanish jamon, so I will stop my discussion here. But stay tuned, I’m guessing I’ll have more to say on the subject.

THE SPANISH EATING SCHEDULE
In addition to being much more expensive than I anticipated, the Spanish eating schedule is also very different than in the States. Spaniards eat a very light breakfast, then a big feast at lunch—the biggest meal of the day. Lunch is eaten from 1-4pm in order to coincide with the “siesta”, when stores close, businesses and schools let out, and people gather with friends and family for good food and good conversation. The restaurants are PACKED at this time, and it looks like a lot of fun! I wish we had a similar schedule back home. Although, as a solo traveler, I did feel a bit lonely seeing all those happy groups, smiling and laughing and feasting on delicious food and taunting me from their restaurant windows: “Look at the poor lonely girl. Why are you alone? Don’t you have any friends?” (Okay, just kidding at the end there, but truthfully it did make me feel kinda lonely.)

But moving on…After such a big feast at lunch, dinner is eaten late and is light. Most Spaniards work until 7:30pm, so dinner is usually served at about 9 or 10pm. And, since few people want a heavy meal that late, dinner is usually made up of small appetizer portions called tapas. (More on that later.)

So, in the spirit of when in Rome, I don’t plan to buck this system. Lunch is now my favorite time of day.

SO PRETTY!
Nothing to say here except: Look...the food es so preeeety.



SERVICE SIN SMILE
One last major point of departure: Eating establishments in Spain are an entirely different scene than your average American TGI Fridays. They are not necessarily unfriendly. It’s just muy serio…very serious! It’s proficiency over perkiness. There’s no “Hi, I’m Suzie. What can I get you folks this evening?” Instead, it’s usually “Dime” (Spanish for “tell me.”). Wait staff are not sporting 14 items of flair on their suspenders (a little something for all you Office Space fans). Instead, in Madrid it’s usually white shirts and bow ties.

Again, they're not rude…just proficient. And, for me, a bit intimidating.

MYSTERY SPREADS
Wow, I'm really going on and on here. Okay, one more thing to add: When I travel abroad, I really try to seek out new foods to try, so this Euro-barrier had me a bit bummed at first. But I have since discovered some new (odd) food items that are cheap enough to sample during my smaller, dinner meal: the dizzying array of sandwich spreads. Americans stopped at egg, tuna, and chicken salad mixes for sandwiches, but apparently we were just being lazy because the Spaniards have dozens more such concoctions, and they all kind of resemble ice cream. There's a cheese-and-anchovies spread, a salami spread, a foiegras spread... Quite a selection. I like to imagine a little American kid shopping here, ordering up his favorite strawberry sherbet, only to get a mouthful of salami spread. Yummm!

At my local Rodilla restaurant, I have already tried the curry-chicken-on-poppy-bread sandwich (YUM!), the vegadilla sandwich (good, but kinda confusing...tastes like chicken), and some very odd bacon spread (ick!) I especially like how they cut off the crusts, like a PB&J for a 5 year old. :)

Okay, enough on food...for now.

I'm off to Spain and Morocco

The time has come for my next journey. In just three short days I will be en route to Spain. As with Africa, I have planned an elaborate itinerary. I’m a planner, what can I say. So, jumping right in…here’s a map and brief summary of what’s to come:


(1) I spend all of February at a Spanish school in Madrid, where I will attend five hours of classes on weekdays, and have afternoons and weekends free to explore the area and attempt to use my newly-acquired Spanish. While in Madrid, I will live in a shared apartment in the center of town (with my own room and bathroom).

I’m too cheap to pay for an airport pick-up, so I’ll need to find my own way to my apartment upon arrival. Figuring it’s better try to find it electronically now rather than while lugging two big bags on minimal sleep, I typed the street name into Google Earth, and…WOW! The location is FANTASTIC. I am right in the heart of Madrid’s historic center,

within a five minute stroll from Madrid’s two main squares—Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. I am about 10 minutes walk from the Prado and countless other must-see sights. Needless to say, I am thrilled.

(2) After Madrid, I spend most of March at a Spanish school in Seville. My stay there will coincide with Seville's “Semana Santa”--a week of elaborate and dramatic processions and floats to commemorate the Easter event. Semana Santa is common throughout Spanish-speaking Catholic regions, but it’s at its most Catholically extravagant in Seville. It's a very serious affair, full of pomp and glory, and has long been on my Must See list.

The events take place in the late afternoon and evening, so I will go to classes in the morning, then wander around the festivities after school. In Seville I stay with a local family. I'll have my own room and bathroom, but I'm not sure if I am going to like this set up. We'll see.

(3) After Seville, I travel in Southern Spain and Morocco for about a month on two separate tours, plus a week on my own in Marrakech. This time I am traveling with “Explore”, a UK-based company that gives small group tours using local transportation and small, locally owned accommodation. These types of tours work well for me because they give me flexibility and a relative degree of cultural immersion, with the added comfort of not having to do it all alone.

(4) After Morocco, I go to my last Spanish school, in Granada this time. I will be here for a month, making almost three months total of Spanish study. Hopefully this will be enough study time to remember all the Spanish I learned in high school and college, but have since forgotten. I am currently planning on another homestay in Granada (since they are better for language acquisition), but if I don’t end up liking the homestay option in Seville, I will switch to a shared apartment.

(5) My last portion of the journey will be to hike the medieval pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella. Since the 9th century, pilgrims have been making their way to Santiago de Compostela to see the tomb of Saint James, which according to the legend is located in the cathedral. I am going with a tour, and we are only hiking segments, not the entire route (which starts in France and goes to the far west of Spain.) Should be great exercise and a fantastic experience.

And that’s it. I fly home on June 4. After that, who knows.

Weekend Get-Together in McCall, Idaho

January 18-21, 2008

When I am not traveling abroad, I housesit for my parents in their home just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s a great arrangement for me because (a) it’s free, and (b) my sister Cindy lives just five minutes away with her family. We have a great time together, and I am now very tempted to settle in this area once my travel bug has subsided.

Our other sister, Virginia, lives in McCall, Idaho, with her husband and four daughters. I had never been to Virginia’s house, so Cindy and I decided to fly up one weekend for a short visit. It was great to spend time with Virginia again, learn about her life in small town McCall, and see the incredible beauty of the area.

And we had such a great time with my nieces—four beautiful young women who are so talented and smart, it’s actually…inspiring (which feels somewhat odd to say about people a third of my age). That's what made it such a sweet vacay--hanging with the chicas and their cool ‘rents. We got the 411 about who they’re crushin’on, met Kassie’s off the hook BF, and watched some tight High School Musical II. OMG!

Among other activities, we attended the high school basketball game to see Kassie cheer her team on to…um, well, cheer for her team.

We also went cross-country skiing, my first time. Fun!

And one night I was treated to some songs by the family band—Kassie on drums, Ben on guitar, and Brooke as the lead singer. They are so fantastic! They actually play gigs around town…they are that good!

Surprise Mom & Dad! I'm here for TWO whole weeks.

December 5-19, 2007

So the problem with just showing up on someone’s doorstep is that it prevents proper visitor etiquette. Without the benefit of that all-important dialogue regarding the length of the visit, I was forced to make an educated guess on how long my parents would actually want me to stay. Since I am the highlight of their existence (he he), I decided to stay for TWO WEEKS! They seemed to be okay with that.

It was a fun visit--they are just fun people!--and such a beautiful area. Aside from movies and dinners and talks and drives, we also...

Rode the commuter train
I thought I'd start with this one since it's so non-momentous. My parents live right near the commuter train's Menlo Park station, so--like the four year old that I really am at heart--I made them ride the train with me to nowhere in particular, get off at some random point, then ride the train back to where we started. What can I say, I love trains.

John Muir National Monument
One afternoon we visited the John Muir National Monument, home to one of the last old-growth coastal redwood forests on the planet and chock-a-block full of these TALLEST OF ALL LIVING THINGS ON EARTH!

No kidding, these are BIG trees. The tallest coastal redwood at Muir Woods is about 258 feet. You can see a human-to-tree comparison in the picture below. It would take more than 45 Coreen Bousfields, placed end to end, to reach the top of one coastal redwood. That’s high! Further north, coastal redwoods get even taller, reaching as high as 379 feet.

And they are OLD. The average tree age at Muir Woods is between 600 to 800 years. The oldest is at least 1200. But actually redwoods can live up to 2200 years, so the trees here at Muir Woods are really still just youngin’s.

It’s a magical place. In fact, when John Muir heard about the establishment of the Muir Woods, he said “This is the best tree-lover’s monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world.” If you are in San Francisco, it’s worth a visit. And if you’re old like my parents, you get in for free! (he he)


Point Reyes National Seashore
About an hour north of John Muir is another member of the National Park System—the Point Reyes National Seashore. This one’s not a dazzler. I’m kind of at a loss to describe it even. It was set aside as a National Seashore in order to ensure that at least some small remnant of California’s natural coastline does not fall prey to developers. That’s good. Yep, that’s a very good idea.

But, truthfully, Point Reyes doesn’t have that “this is so spectacular,” wow-factor that most National Park System sites have. It makes for a nice drive, but not really worth a special trip in my opinion.

But, if you are going to ignore my advice and go there anyway, please log off now. Just kidding. If you’re in the area and want to check it out, there are some cool aspects of Point Reyes.

(1) Elk: It’s a great place to see large herds of tule elk in the wild, although they aren’t indigenous to the area. In the mid-1800s, tule elk were hunted to the brink of extinction. In 1874, the last surviving elk were discovered in Central California and were protected. Then, in 1978, ten tule elk were introduced into Point Reyes, where they have grown into one of California's largest populations, numbering about 400.

Unfortunately we didn’t have any interesting close encounters with the elk. Dad kept urging me to get out of the car, since it has become evident that I give off some bizarre animal vibe (or scent….eeuuu!) that makes any wild animal within a mile radius charge in my direction. I passed on his suggestion, but gee…that was so sweet of him. Always looking out for me.


2) Faultline:
If you are a Californian, you may be interested in seeing the dreaded San Andreas fault! The fault runs the length of Point Reyes, and you can even take a short hike out to see an old fence that was displaced 20 FEET during the 1906 earthquake. In the picture at right, that big gap demonstrates how much the earth shifted in just 42 seconds.

No wonder this quake still ranks as California's deadliest natural disaster.




The Winchester Mystery Mansion
The goofiest thing we did while I was visiting was to tour the Winchester Mystery Mansion—-the enormous but bizarre personal residence of Sarah Winchester, widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester.

Why’d she build mansion that is so odd that it's been turned into a tourist attraction? Apparently, a medium convinced her that evil spirits of those that had been killed by the Winchester Rifle had caused the untimely deaths of her daughter and husband, and that the only way to appease the evil spirits would be to continuously build on her house. Trusting in the medium, she poured her millions and her energy into the task, obsessed with keeping the carpenters' hammers pounding 24 hours a day for 38 years, until her death at 82 years old.

Visitors must participate in guided tours through 110 of the 160 rooms. It was a bit long, but worth it because the guide did a great job of sharing the history of the mansion and pointing out all kinds of bizarre aspects, like staircases leading to nowhere, a window built into the floor, doors that open onto blank walls, and room after room after room--all pointless.

And--of course, of course--the mansion is said to be haunted. Spooky. Hmmm...I did catch an 'orb' in one of my pictures below, right in front of the guide as he stood by a photograph of the house. Maybe it’s Mrs. Winchester herself. Or maybe it’s Warren. Someone actually told me to look for orbs in my photos in Africa—as proof that Warren is traveling with me. Trust me, if Warren could show up as an orb in a picture, he wouldn’t do it out of spite, considering what he thought of the whole thing when he was alive.

[For those who are asking "What's an orb?"...Some people think those circles caused by refractions of light on the camera lens are actually "souls trapped in this world and unable to move on." Ghost hunters often go to cemeteries to capture these circular trapped spirits on film. And to be clear--because sometimes I think people don't know when I am just kidding--I am not part of "some people". I don't believe in orbs. I was just making a little joke.]

I drove my parents crazy by singing "Winchester Cathedral" the entire time. I couldn’t help it. Just my little way of repaying them for their warm hospitality during my stay. :)