Being a vegetarian in the States has it's challenges sometimes but compared to some of my European expreiences it's a breeze.
After my Madrid Tapas experience I thought I had it all figured out. Be specific
when ordering food, that I am a vegetarian and don't eat meat, what do you have
available for me?
We stopped for something to eat at a roadside gas station/cafe (popular in many European countries). I explained that I am a vegetarian, don't eat any meat and asked what he suggested. How about a bocadillo? (a sandwich) Maybe with salad? Ok, great, a sandwich with salad. When my bocadillo showed up it looked
tasty.... I cut in half and went to take a bite... grilled bread, a tiny bit if lettuce, a little tomato... what's that?? Chopped egg and... TUNA???
On our way home from the hill towns we found a restaurant (actually a bar/cafe) that would
serve us food at 8pm (early by Spanish standards, dinner rarely is served before 9pm).
I explained the vegetarian thing and he invited us to peruse what he had on offer. There was a counter with some premade items, like a small buffet. You're a vegetarian, no meat? No, no meat. OK,fish? No fish. No meat? Hmn... How about chicken livers????
This particular story ends well however. He must have seen the desperation in my hungry eyes beause he took pity on me. He offered to cook something just for me. He decided rice and vegetables would suit. Great :) He decided that since he was cooking for me he'd offer to make something for Tom too. Fish? Pork? Chicken? Tom decided on calamari and pototoes (fries). Off to the kitchen my new best friend went, only to appear a few minutes later to ask if it was OK to make my rice Spanish (by adding potatoes). YES! I love Spanish!! Well then how about a tortilla too? YES!! I would love to try a Spanish tortilla (an egg/potato concoction). Tom enjoyed his calamari, and I was sooo happy that I was having real Spanish food, made just for me and not an animal part in sight ;) It was a good day.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Market day September 27
Fuengirola market day was one of those fun yet stressful ways to spend the morning.
The market is a combination swapmeet and fresh market. We choose to visit the swapmeet first to avoid carrying around the fruit and veggies that we knew we would aquire.Tom found a new wallet and I bought a couple "just for fun" bracelets and a surprise for Chloe (think Flamenco dancer).
We headed over to the fresh section and the stressful fun began. We love exploring and shopping
local markets, hence the fun. However,there is always the language barrier, different currency, and
"foreign" weights and measures (that metric system never did catch on did it?). As if that's not enough,
there is the elusive "is it OK to touch the fruit". I learn something new each time I visit a market though. Today I learned to ask for a "media kilo" to get a half kilo which is closer to a US pound, and a more manageable amount of most items.I found that I could ask for a certain number of something and that is usually aceptable also. We came away with tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, lemons, 3 extremely sugar sweet mangoes from Malaga, and something new to us called Melocoton (mellow co tone). They are about the size of a medium apple, yellow like a lemon, fuzzy like a peach and sort of taste like a tart nectarine. Yummy :)
The market is a combination swapmeet and fresh market. We choose to visit the swapmeet first to avoid carrying around the fruit and veggies that we knew we would aquire.Tom found a new wallet and I bought a couple "just for fun" bracelets and a surprise for Chloe (think Flamenco dancer).
We headed over to the fresh section and the stressful fun began. We love exploring and shopping
local markets, hence the fun. However,there is always the language barrier, different currency, and
"foreign" weights and measures (that metric system never did catch on did it?). As if that's not enough,
there is the elusive "is it OK to touch the fruit". I learn something new each time I visit a market though. Today I learned to ask for a "media kilo" to get a half kilo which is closer to a US pound, and a more manageable amount of most items.I found that I could ask for a certain number of something and that is usually aceptable also. We came away with tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, lemons, 3 extremely sugar sweet mangoes from Malaga, and something new to us called Melocoton (mellow co tone). They are about the size of a medium apple, yellow like a lemon, fuzzy like a peach and sort of taste like a tart nectarine. Yummy :)
The White Hils Towns of Spain September 26
Tom and I spent the day exploring the "White hill towns" of southern Spain.
Our first stop was Ronda. Ronda is famous for it's location on the edge of an enormous gorge.
The "new" bridge over the gorge was completed in 1793.The bridge has two piers that decend 300 feet to the bottom of the gorge.
Puente Nuevo was the bridge Ernest Hemingway wrote about in For Whom the Bell Tolls. Civil war prisoners were hurled to their death from this bridge.
After Ronda we were off to Grazelema.We passed through a Cork grove in the Sierra de Grazelema Natural Park.
We first spotted a business that was selling something that resembled giant terra cotta roof tiles. As we puzzled what it might have been, we approached the grove of Cork trees, and then we knew. They were selling giant sheets of Cork that had been cut from the trees.
You did know that wine corks (and cork boards ;) ) come from the bark of the Cork tree, right?
We enjoyed a Cafe con Leche and a Cruz Campo in the square at Grazelema before venturing around the town. It is very charming with it's whitewashed buildings and labrynthian streets.
Last stop for the day was Arcos de Fronterra, another whitewashed hill town.
We parked in a local neighborhood and hiked (yikes!) to the top of the town, while being passed along the way by locals heading home for the day on the scooters and in cars that must require new clutches (for the uphill) and new brakes (for the downhill) constantly.The streets are narrow and were created long before Henry Ford came along, so it seems improbable that automobiles could navigate these streets, and yet they do. In case you ever find your self in this same situation, a word of advice: know where the closest doorway is at all times because when a car approaches, you will most likely need to step up into the doorway so there will be space for the oncoming car to pass you ;)
Our first stop was Ronda. Ronda is famous for it's location on the edge of an enormous gorge.
The "new" bridge over the gorge was completed in 1793.The bridge has two piers that decend 300 feet to the bottom of the gorge.
Puente Nuevo was the bridge Ernest Hemingway wrote about in For Whom the Bell Tolls. Civil war prisoners were hurled to their death from this bridge.
After Ronda we were off to Grazelema.We passed through a Cork grove in the Sierra de Grazelema Natural Park.
We first spotted a business that was selling something that resembled giant terra cotta roof tiles. As we puzzled what it might have been, we approached the grove of Cork trees, and then we knew. They were selling giant sheets of Cork that had been cut from the trees.
You did know that wine corks (and cork boards ;) ) come from the bark of the Cork tree, right?
We enjoyed a Cafe con Leche and a Cruz Campo in the square at Grazelema before venturing around the town. It is very charming with it's whitewashed buildings and labrynthian streets.
Last stop for the day was Arcos de Fronterra, another whitewashed hill town.
We parked in a local neighborhood and hiked (yikes!) to the top of the town, while being passed along the way by locals heading home for the day on the scooters and in cars that must require new clutches (for the uphill) and new brakes (for the downhill) constantly.The streets are narrow and were created long before Henry Ford came along, so it seems improbable that automobiles could navigate these streets, and yet they do. In case you ever find your self in this same situation, a word of advice: know where the closest doorway is at all times because when a car approaches, you will most likely need to step up into the doorway so there will be space for the oncoming car to pass you ;)
Monday, September 26, 2011
Mijas Costa September 25
Today is a day to relax and make ourselves at home. We woke up and took a morning walk on the beach.I found a piece of beach glass and decided it was my mission to find more. I showed my bottle green treasure to Tom and suddenly the hunt was on. After an hour on the beach we had filled my pocket with three shades of green, amber, clear, and one special piece of blue. Ah, the simple joys of a beach vacation.
Driving to Costa del Sol September 24
After spending the early morning wandering around the sights of Madrid, we were off in search off our rental car. We had directions right to their door..... or so we thought. After an hour of searching, we discovered that "in front of" apparently doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. "In front of" to our car rental company actually meant accross from the BACK side of the specified building. Once we figured this out, we had our car and were on our way. I had to grab the "Oh, sh!t" bar on the car a few times on our way out of Madrid (the drivers there are deternined to share 3 lanes in a round about with 7 cars simultaniously)
We made the 5 hour drive to the southern coast of Spain and arrived at our timeshare just in time to grab a few groceries for dinner. We scored one of the newly refurbished rooms and slept like two people who were trying to adjust to a 9 hour time difference ;}
We made the 5 hour drive to the southern coast of Spain and arrived at our timeshare just in time to grab a few groceries for dinner. We scored one of the newly refurbished rooms and slept like two people who were trying to adjust to a 9 hour time difference ;}
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Madrid! September 23, 2011
We arrived safely in Madrid this morning, We are in a hostel right off Puerta del Sol, in downtown Madrid.Tom booked this hostel and guess what?? We are located above the best Starbucks in Madrid (reportedly). Is anyone who knows him surprised that he managed that?
A few things we encountered during our after nap, evening promenade with the Madrilanos,,,,
The inside of Starbucks (twice)
A "Pope shop" (you know you are in a catholic country when they have an entire store devoted to the fancy robes and gilt "acoutremounts" that catholic prients need to dress for fancier occasions)
Lots of street performers (metallic men seems to be the overwhelming favorite)
"Ladies of the evening" dressed in wifebeater t shirts (worn as dresses...this seemed to be the required uniform.... prostitution is legal here, however pimping is not)
Large groups of college age kids (male and female) running around asking people to smash the plate of whipped cream they were holding, into their face (already VERY messy with previous successes). You were required to pay them 1 euro for the privlege.
Charming old buildings, including our hostel (slanty floors and all)
Really kind, helpful people. (especially the metro worker who a) explained our route twice to Tom and his sleep deprived brain, b) retrived our second ticket for the payment machine when he left one behind and c) chased us down when he left his ticket in the metro ticket reader)
A tapas bar where we ordered the Especial . Two beers and a selection of 8 tapas. We argeed I would drink the two beers and Tom would eat all of the Tapas with meat....the beers were fairly small, so my part was easy.... Spaniards being the Jamon lovers that they are....7 of the 8 Tapas had meat however.... ham of every description from cured to uncured tosmoked. Tom was unable to hold up his end of the bargain. Looks like it's queso and patates for me for the next three weeks.
A few things we encountered during our after nap, evening promenade with the Madrilanos,,,,
The inside of Starbucks (twice)
A "Pope shop" (you know you are in a catholic country when they have an entire store devoted to the fancy robes and gilt "acoutremounts" that catholic prients need to dress for fancier occasions)
Lots of street performers (metallic men seems to be the overwhelming favorite)
"Ladies of the evening" dressed in wifebeater t shirts (worn as dresses...this seemed to be the required uniform.... prostitution is legal here, however pimping is not)
Large groups of college age kids (male and female) running around asking people to smash the plate of whipped cream they were holding, into their face (already VERY messy with previous successes). You were required to pay them 1 euro for the privlege.
Charming old buildings, including our hostel (slanty floors and all)
Really kind, helpful people. (especially the metro worker who a) explained our route twice to Tom and his sleep deprived brain, b) retrived our second ticket for the payment machine when he left one behind and c) chased us down when he left his ticket in the metro ticket reader)
A tapas bar where we ordered the Especial . Two beers and a selection of 8 tapas. We argeed I would drink the two beers and Tom would eat all of the Tapas with meat....the beers were fairly small, so my part was easy.... Spaniards being the Jamon lovers that they are....7 of the 8 Tapas had meat however.... ham of every description from cured to uncured tosmoked. Tom was unable to hold up his end of the bargain. Looks like it's queso and patates for me for the next three weeks.
Everybody sing....
It's a small world after all, it's a small, small world...
A funny thing happened on the way to Spain. I sat next to a nice, chatty couple on the flight to Atlanta. The husband was former Airforce and we chatted about Shane's upcoming enlistment, then moved on to where they had been/where I was going, ect. During the conversation I mentioned my sister in Illinois. "Where in Illinois "they asked. I gave them my standard "45 minutes northwest of Chicago" answer. "Hmn. Sounds like where we are from." "What's the name of the town?" I asked. Wait for it..... "Crystal Lake" they replied.
Now, remember, I was on a plane of about 300 people. What are the odds that I sit next to, chat with, and discover people from the town I grew up in???(14,000 people when I moved/ 40 thousand ish now) I bet no one else on that entire plane had ever heard of Crystal Lake, Illinois. You could have knocked me over with a feather. Really. And they moved there the year I left. Thought I might be being punked :)
Despite a crying baby that followed us all the way to Spain, and frequent turbulance, the rest of the flight was pretty uneventful.
We were treated to a beautiful sunrise over the Azores (for the geographically challenged, those are islands off the coast of Portugal). It started with the slash of watermelon red accross the sky, then the red began to fade to a gorgeous ,brillant orange, finally mellowing to a rosey pink and sunny yellow. Seeing that made the sleepless, transatlantic flight worthwhile. I do think I need to have a camera surgically attached to my hand though because it's always stashed in a backpack somewhere when I need it!
A funny thing happened on the way to Spain. I sat next to a nice, chatty couple on the flight to Atlanta. The husband was former Airforce and we chatted about Shane's upcoming enlistment, then moved on to where they had been/where I was going, ect. During the conversation I mentioned my sister in Illinois. "Where in Illinois "they asked. I gave them my standard "45 minutes northwest of Chicago" answer. "Hmn. Sounds like where we are from." "What's the name of the town?" I asked. Wait for it..... "Crystal Lake" they replied.
Now, remember, I was on a plane of about 300 people. What are the odds that I sit next to, chat with, and discover people from the town I grew up in???(14,000 people when I moved/ 40 thousand ish now) I bet no one else on that entire plane had ever heard of Crystal Lake, Illinois. You could have knocked me over with a feather. Really. And they moved there the year I left. Thought I might be being punked :)
Despite a crying baby that followed us all the way to Spain, and frequent turbulance, the rest of the flight was pretty uneventful.
We were treated to a beautiful sunrise over the Azores (for the geographically challenged, those are islands off the coast of Portugal). It started with the slash of watermelon red accross the sky, then the red began to fade to a gorgeous ,brillant orange, finally mellowing to a rosey pink and sunny yellow. Seeing that made the sleepless, transatlantic flight worthwhile. I do think I need to have a camera surgically attached to my hand though because it's always stashed in a backpack somewhere when I need it!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Eve of our 2011 European Adventure
With a feeling similar to a kid on Christmas Eve, I am putting the final electronics in my backpack, and the Euros in my wallet.
In six hours the blare of the alarm will wake me (usually a despised sound, but this time I won't mind too much!) for this long anticipated adventure. Eleven hours from now we will be winging our way to adventures unknown. I'm feeling grateful that one can't actually perish from anticipation!
In six hours the blare of the alarm will wake me (usually a despised sound, but this time I won't mind too much!) for this long anticipated adventure. Eleven hours from now we will be winging our way to adventures unknown. I'm feeling grateful that one can't actually perish from anticipation!
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