Winter Never Felt So Good

Enjoying churros with a scrumptious Nutella topping at my host family's business

            Did we mention we’re back from Toledo?  We’ve been home for a little over two weeks getting back into the swing of things (i.e. NONSTOP RAIN).  Yet we know we can’t complain since we escaped one of the worst winters in Wisconsin history, and we also escaped what was apparently the worst two weeks of weather in Galicia.  We read that the wind was so strong that the waves were gigantic.

            We started off the second leg of our vacation off right when we were bumped to first-class on our flight from Prague to Madrid! That was the first time that ever happened.  They gave us deliciously free cheese sandwiches.  Robin is certain that it was the BEST cheese sandwich he had ever eaten in his life!  Doesn’t take much to make him happy :)

 

         Flying over the snow covered Pyrenees Mountains.  What a view!

            Traveling the world means experiencing different cultures and tasting the best food each culture has to offer.  It also means that sometimes we get a little homesick and crave comfort food.  I’d say Robin and I were pretty adventurous eaters in Prague, so we decided to take it easy and enjoy a bucket of Crispy chicken at KFC.  The icing on top of the cake of our “All-American day in Madrid” happened inside a bookstore.  Robin was smart enough to bring English reading materials from home to Spain.  He sped through Stephen King’s Misery and It in a mere few weeks.  He even said that he was going to “ration” his last book to make it last.  So I found myself alone in the bookstore and discouraged because it seemed that the bookstore only had Spanish books.  I ventured further, and saw the words “Stephen King” written in very large letters.  Tucked away among a mere two-dozen English books was Stephen King’s newest book Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining.  So far Robin has demonstrated great self-control with “rationing” his newest book.  Here’s to hoping everything fits in our suitcases!

The Magical City of Toledo: But This Time With Robin :)

Why anyone would willingly leave this place, I just don't know.
The good news is that they love the new people moving in.

    It really happened!  Robin Wabalickis met my host family and was able to delight in the magic of Toledo.  It was a little surreal to see my host family who I spent so much time with while apart from Robin welcome Robin like they welcomed me two years ago.  I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised considering how thoughtful and kind they are!  Our Toledo visit was only a little chaotic since my host family was in the process of moving out of their absolutely beautiful home in the old, historical part of town into a new suburban apartment.  I think my host dad, Manolo, was very pleased to have Robin there to help him carry the washing machine first down three flights of winding stairs and then up an ancient, narrow cobblestone street.  This house is so beautiful that it was featured on an architecture show.  It was sad for me to watch this video with them during the moving process.  Sad times. Sad times.

           We rang in the New Year the Spanish way by eating twelve grapes as we counted down the twelve second until midnight for good luck.  Each person eats one grape per second.  This task is made more difficult in Spain by the seeds in each grape.  My host sister showed me how we could cheat by de-seeding the grapes ahead of time.  I still didn’t finish! Thankfully I married a grape eating champion, so his good luck should carry us through the year.  Just kidding!

                          No big deal...just carving meat straight off the family's pig leg.

            New Year’s Eve is a big family celebration in Spain.  The whole family gets together and eats a big meal, usually including a lot of seafood.  After midnight, all the teenagers go out dressed in formalwear (think prom).  They literally stay out all night and come home around 8:00am. This would not fly with the typical American family. Pure craziness!

Three King's Day

 
       Spanish children receive presents from the Three Wise Men in the beginning of January.  It is tradition that there is a very big parade for the Three Kings the night before Three Kings Day.  The Three Kings can arrive in a variety of ways. In Madrid, it's on a camel float.  Apparently on the Galician coast they arrive by boat!  The picture on the right is the traditional sweet bread we eat on the morning of Three Kings Day.  Basically, it is the absolute sweetest thing Robin and I have ever tasted.  Poor Robin! They gave him quite a large piece.  In each bread, the bakery hides a special figure inside.  In the past it used to be a baby Jesus.  Whoever received the baby Jesus inside their piece would have to pay for the bread.  My host sister received the figure and this year it happened to be Mr. Krabs from Spongebob.

THE LAST HIKE:
     For those of you who used to read the blog when I was studying abroad in Toledo, you may recall that I was a tad obsessed with a certain hiking spot that leads to a magnificent, panoramic view of the city.

 

    A dramatic goodbye (for now) :(     (To the right is one of my favorite views....my walk to school)

                                       A dead snake we came across on our hike!
Robin was brave enough to take a photo. I was not excited.

                       

DON QUIXOTE WINDMILLS
 We visited the nearby town of Consuegra, home to Don Quixote's famous windmills. In Miguel Cervantes's classic novel, Don Quixote de la Mancha.  In an epic battle, Don Quixote valiantly fights what he believes to be giants, but in reality are only harmless windmills.

The clay colored soil and olive tree landscape of Castilla-La Mancha (the Spanish province Toledo is in) is a great contrast to the lush, rolling green hills of Galicia.