Spain Part Three: Avila, Segovia and El Escorial

And so we've come to the last bit of my Diego Spain: 2012 edition.  The last three days of the trip were spent en route to and in El Escorial, a small city about 45 minutes outside of Madrid.  On our way there, we stopped by Avila (again!) for lunch.  It really is a cool little town, with tasty food and gorgeous sights. 

 A common sight after lunch: cafe con leche, y azucar (sugar) in my case.  I was working my arm swag throughout the vacation, as you'll notice in this photo.

 How good-looking are the Diego siblings?!  John Paul, Ana, and Belen just photograph well.
Oh, and you  may notice the city in the background.  All of Avila is surrounded by an old wall, and the city itself is a UNESCO heritage sight. 

 We learned about the history of Avila during a brief trolley tour after lunch, which Patricia thoroughly enjoyed, and Pablo looks like he is merely tolerating.  I spent the Spanish tour looking a la izquierda (left) and a la derecha (right), as those were the only words I could pick out. 

 John Paul just got some great photos.  This is taken from an area about 2 minutes from Avila, called Cuatro Postes (4 posts...not to be confused for 'Postres,' which means pastries and got me very excited), which offers excellent view of the city.

On Friday, 6 of the 8 of our travel group woke up at the crack of dawn for a hot air balloon ride.  Who knew that Patricia's brother owns a hot air balloon company and would offer us an hour-long ride along the outskirts of El Escorial?  I was beyond excited.

 Ok, maybe you can't tell from this photo, but trust me- excitement was in the air.

 In order to get the balloon ready, you have to first unroll the balloon, attach the ropes to the basket (which holds 7 people, including the pilot), then blow both a fan and hot air via fire into the cavity.  It took a while, as the balloon is flippin' huge and requires lots of air to inflate.

Then we all climbed into the basket, and were off!  We cruised about 1km up, and occasionally the pilot (who was so, so nice) would drop us to just 2m before lifting us up again.  Evidently, you can't really control the right/left operation of the balloon, but up/down is easy.

This looks green-screened, doesn't it?  Very surreal.



 

The views were just incredible, and the balloon was so quiet and smooth! I was amazed at the whole experience.

Belen caught this photo of JP and I post-balloon ride.  We landed, then helped fold up the balloon, put the basket into the back of a truck, and the pilot and another assistant drove us back to the operations center for a breakfast of chorizo, manchego, and champagne.  Oh, and we got diplomas for the excursion!  It was really fun. 

Then it was onto Segovia for lunch.  There is a crazy-old Roman acqueduct in the city, and that's kind of the main attraction.  It was built with no concrete, and is in miraculously good shape. 

We also went inside of the cathedral, which is super intricate.  Catholics really know how to use marble and gilded fences well. 

Our last full day in Spain was spent at Las Radas, the home my father-in-law spent his childhood summers in.  It is a gorgeous estate, and two of JP's uncles and their families joined us for a day spent by the pool, veggie garden, and grill.

There are three dogs that live outside of the house as 'guard dogs,' although they were incredibly sweet.  This one was the only player left at a game of Monopoly, abandoned after food appeared on the dining table.

An expansive vegetable garden grows everything from onions and tomatoes to sunflowers and grapes.  For our lunch salad, the ingredients were picked only 30 minutes before we ate it.  Perfection.

How wonderful to live in such harmony with your food.  It's a simple pleasure.

This photo is not color-enhanced; that is the natural pigment of these gambas.  They were eaten fresh off the grill with just a bit of salt to enhance the briny flavor.

On Saturday night, we said good-bye to the view of Spain from our hotel window and had an early night.  Sunday morning, we were up bright and early for the drive back to Madrid for the 8.5-long flight home to the US and our babygirl, Mia! 

Spain Trip Part Two: Madrid and Salamanca

As I mentioned previously, most of these photos are by JP, although the first three and one in the middle are from my phone. He's uploaded more photos for me each day; be sure to check out his Flickr account for more!

Our second overnight stay in Spain was in Madrid.  We were there for 2 nights, and only one full day. 

The first night in the city was spent at a wonderful, seafood-filled dinner with Patricia's brother and nephew.  I think we were there for three hours, plenty of time to imbibe and try out some new dishes! 

Here I am eating a barnacle.  Seriously.  Like, those things attached all over my Grandma in North Carolina's dock that are constantly scratching my feet.  In order to eat them, you have to break off the shell, grasp the end that looks like a dragon claw, and scrape the meat off with your teeth.  They were amazing, briny and soft.  I can't think of a good comparison for them, but apparently they're supercommon by the ocean in Spain. 

 This is what the table in front of me looked like: barnacles, potatoes, salad, bottle of water, many glasses of wine and beer.  If only all my dinner meals could be so cluttered with delicious tastes!

I have to post this iPhone photo of Patricia eating her seafood with a napkin in her shirt; a white shirt is precious!

The next morning the kids (sisters-in-law, boyfriends, JP and I) woke up and wandered to the Parque del Retiro in Madrid to take in the sights.  Oh, Ana and I shopped while everyone else went to the Real Madrid stadium before this, but no photos necessary; we both bought cute things and enjoyed checking out the shops near our hotel! 

The park is the only public space with a statue of Satan.  Here's Lucifer falling from heaven; pretty bizarre that it's in one of the most Catholic countries.

It's a beautiful, peaceful space with ponds, gazebos, statues, and, thankfully, lots of shade!  It was really toasty that day.

 Almond treats are very popular throughout Spain, and so pretty!

We stayed in Madrid's major shopping area, and I coveted these Miu Miu shoes each time I passed them.  Honestly, what more could a girl ask for in a pair of heels? 

Then it was goodbye, Madrid, and hello, Salamanca!

The view on the few-hour drive to Salamanca was super different from what I'm used to on road trips around the eastern US.  Ok, and yes, I was sleeping when JP took this photo.

This is where things get meta.  We were in Salamanca for one night only, and stayed in this hotel.  The Don Gregorio Grand Hotel is a five-star hotel in JP's great-grandfather's house.  The rooms are named after JP's dad's family members, there are photos of his family around the lobby and bar, and it was designed by JP's uncle.  Very, very cool place to spend the night, and definitely the funnest!

 The cathedral in Salamanca is beyond gorgeous.  And look at the sky!  Totally untouched photo. 

I especially liked the door.  Plus, wearing a new top bought in Madrid that is perfect for the summer heat.

 Here's the cathedral from another angle.  It was huge!

A few years ago, the outside was touched up, and one of the workers added an astronaut to the border around the main door.  Totally unexpected.

Love the framing JP got on this one.  This ceiling is centuries old!  Can you imagine doing that kind of intricate joint work?



 

The Plaza Mayor in Salamanca is full of students from the University of Salamanca, one of the oldest in the world.  I'd love to study in this space with a cup of cafe con leche and churros.

Wednesday was Patricia's birthday, and, in celebration, Pablo arranged to have her serenaded by a local minstrel group.  It was pretty awesome, and JP is trying to decipher the words of the song to translate for me.  Such a patient man.

Next: El Escorial!

Spain Trip Part One: San Sebastian

Dios mio!  Y'all I just got back from a most wonderful trip to Spain with my Diego family.  We wined and dined, walked and talked, snoozed and boozed.  A great vacation is medicinal; I've returned to DC feeling more purposeful and well-rested.  But enough chatter- onto the photos!
Please note, I did not even bother to bring my camera on this trip.  John Paul was on it with his fancy new camera and lenses, and every photo you see is attributed to his excellent eye for detail and beauty.  From the 1200 pictures he snapped (!!), here are a few from our first city of San Sebastian.  (If you'd like to see many, many more, you can visit JP's Flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnpauldiego/.)

We arrived in our first city at 2pm, and went straight to Patricia's mother's for lunch.  This is the view from her house.  You can't make this stuff up.  There are sheep grazing below, to keep in line with the idyllic setting.  She lives on the top floor of a condo building on top of a mountain- breathtaking!  The kids did not stay there (sadly), but we got to enjoy this view at lunch each day we were in the city.

The second day in Spain was spent at a small amusement park in San Sebastian, where a few Diegos played bumper cars (Belen and Pablo above).  If I can figure out how to upload video, I'll post the film JP took of the 80+ year old roller coaster we went on that was built on the side of a cliff that overlooks the ocean.  Safety precautions be damned!

JP used his paparazzi lens on this photo (hence the reason only half of the group is looking at him), but we met up with Patricia's sister and two daughters for lunch on the second day, and had to stop for photos.  From left: Belen, Nahia (5 months pregnant with her fourth baby and looking seriously amazing!), Marta, Patricia, Ainara (Nahia's twin sister and devastatingly talented artist), Ana, and yours truly.  We munched on excellent seafood and took in views from our restaurant on top of a mountain.  Not a bad meal.

Later that day, we went pintxo bar-hopping in the city.  Pintxos are larger tapas, usually served on a baguette, and in Spain, most bars have plates of them out on the countertop.  You just wander from bar to bar and taste the fixin's, including lots of chorizo, peppers, and ham (jamon).  Here's a photo to illustrate:

It kind of feels like a giant potluck, only you have to pay for food.  So you order a beer (cerveza), pick out the treats you want by hand, and just tell the bartender how many you took.  They're generally the same price to make it easy to tally.  Rather than have a sit-down meal, we just visited a few bars and sampled along the way. 

 Angulas (baby eels) served with a bell pepper relish and shrimp on a baguette.

The end of a slice of tortilla de patata, a Spanish omelette with fried potato and onion slices (you'll find this on the menu at any time of day in Spain, and I think I had one each day we were there, including my last breakfast in the country!).

Even the cerveza is served in fancy glasses!

JP and I capped off the night with churros in hot chocolate as thick as pudding.  There is no better way to discuss your future than with fried dough and sweetness.

San Sebastian is only about 20 minutes away from the French border, so 7 of us drove over for chocolate crepes and vino blanco one afternoon.  As much as I love the beach in Florida, you cannot beat the view of the ocean in proximity to lush mountains and hills.

It was cool enough in Europe that I carried a scarf most days, and even had to top off my outfits with a sweater once or twice!

The night before we left San Sebastian, we walked along the waterfront to capture the sunset.  The city is set up like a seashell (la concha), with a promenade along the edge of the beach and two mountains closing the cove into a semi-circle.  It's a beautiful, beautiful space.

One more of the view! 

Seriously?  Jeez.  I want to go back sooooon. 

Just a brief explanation about this trip, for those of you I haven't gushed about it to yet:

John Paul is a dual citizen, and both of his parents are from Spain.  I didn't grow up having any sort of connection to the Spain or its culture, but John Paul and his family have introduced me to a beautiful country, language, and general way of life.  JP and I traveled to Spain alone in 2008, so this was my first time there with his whole family (we went with his parents, two sisters, and their boyfriends), and it made a huge difference.  Pablo and Patricia were so excited to show off their homeland, and allowed us to savor the food, architecture, and landscape Spain had to offer.  Truly, I could not have asked for more from this trip, and I'm incredibly lucky to have been able to take part in all the fun we had!

Coming up: more food, a stay in a very special hotel, and a hot air balloon ride.  I'm totally serious.

Dallas' College Graduation!

 My cousin Dallas graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College on Saturday, and I'm so proud of him!  WVWC is only 4.5 hours from DC, so I drove over to witness this momentous occasion.
The journey there was beautiful; lots of mountains and curvy roads to keep it interesting.

 I could tell we were in West Virginia by the decor.  I arrived just in time for a meal at Hillbilly Grill, where we indulged in deep fried pickles, $3.50 BLTs, and banana cream pie.  The pie had barely touched the table when Megs and I gobbled it up!

 My lovely companions for the weekend: Andrea, Grandma, Papa, Dallas, Thomas and Megs.

 He did it!  A college grad with a degree in business, minor in econ.  He's an impressive kid!

 Appropriate attire for a graduation: black Gap dress, Cooperative brown wedges, brown H&M belt, necklace from Goldfinch.

 Mom looked cute, too!

 After graduation, we hopped into the car (Megs and I were in the very back, where dogs and luggage usually reside)  with a couple bloody marys for a trip to Thyme Bistro for lunch.  It was tasty!

 Dallas took us by a winery on the way back to the college; there was even a winery dog!  We had some blackberry merlot, which was undeniably delicious!

 While looking for decorations for Dallas' graduation dinner, I found some great accessories at the Dollar Store.  Your outfit's not complete without goofy glasses!

 The drive home was equally lovely.

I had to stop to take a few photos by the side of the road.  We don't have sights like this in Florida!