Eat. Drink. Be Merry.

Last night, I hosted a little Christmas party for several of the Americanas here in Madrid. With sugar cookies and Gingerbread men to decorate, Christmas songs playing in the background and spiced wine simmering on the stove, I think we all felt a bit more in the Christmas spirit before going on our merry ways.

As always, it was so nice to talk to other American girls living in Spain. It’s interesting to hear different perspectives on the pros/cons between Spain and the US, to discuss travel plans and to learn tips for navigating this foreign place through other people’s experiences. And honestly, it’s just plain good for the soul to sympathize over the lack of readily available baking goods, to vent over some of the cultural differences that we just don’t quite (and may not ever) understand and to engage in some good old fashion girl talk.

And, whether it’s a helpful tip, funny tidbit or just plain weird, I always learn something new. Last night, I learned that:

1) I have to check out Mercadona,  which is apparently one of the best grocery stores in the center and not too terribly far from our apartment.

2) the recipes on Martha Stewart are always tweaked just a bit to ensure that your cookies or breads never turn out quite as perfectly as Martha’s. Que sneaky!

3) Elf on the Shelf is not new! Apparently, Super Moms in Ohio have been doing this for ages under a different alias!

4) Some Spaniards (and possibly their American girlfriends) believe that if you cut up an onion and sleep with it near you when you’re sick and coughing, you’ll wake up better (albeit smelly) the next day!

5) I love playing hostess! It’s so fun planning what to make, gathering all the things we’ll need and coming up with creative ideas. I have to admit I was quite proud of myself for repurposing mini gift bows as wine glass markers when I couldn’t find my wine charms. (Without the help of Pinterest, I might add.) I also enjoy making our home ready and, hopefully, welcoming. It’s not magazine worthy nor furnished by Pottery Barn, but I’ve put quite a bit of time and thought into making our home cozy and comfortable for us. It’s nice being able to share that with others.

6) Gingerbread men are almost too cute to eat!

I said, Almost.

Happy Thanksgiving from Madrid

I always thought that given the opportunity to cook my own Thanksgiving, I'd try all the healthy alternative recipes.  Although this quinoa stuffing that I made for dinner early last week was delicious, I ultimately decided that Luke probably gets his fill of quinoa, chick peas and meatless meals during our normal week night dinners, so I stocked up on butter and went all in.   Dressing from scratch using my Nana's fabulous recipe; homemade pie crust for a traditional pumpkin pie; hand whipped vanilla cream; creamy green bean casserole; candied yams; perfectly mashed potatoes (Luke's contribution); and finally spiced turkey and gravy; Our table was set and our plates full. 

After a hectic start including a rush thawing of our turkey in a sink full of ice water after realizing around 4 pm that I'd forgotten to take it out of the freezer, everything turned out tasty and warm at the same time. As evidenced by the "Before" and "After" of Luke's plate, my most important (and only) critic, I'd call it a success. 


Despite missing our classic family time during this holiday, we dressed up a bit, enjoyed a fabulous meal, Skyped with our families, filled our little refrigerator to capacity with leftovers and ended the night by putting up our tiny Charlie Brown Christmas tree while the Cowboys game was silently playing in the background. It was a homey, pleasant Thanksgiving. 


As Luke so perfectly put it in our pre-meal prayer last night, we have so much to be thankful for always, but this year especially. Our families who support us and love us enough that it reaches across an ocean. His job that, though stressful and challenging at times, allows us to do so much. The opportunity to be here in this new country, having once of a lifetime experiences and making precious, sweet memories. And finally, each other to share the best of times with and to support through the more difficult days.  If it weren't for me, Luke would be living in an empty apartment with an air mattress and cardboard box furniture. If it weren't for Luke, I wouldn't even be in Spain but somewhere else, maybe 5 lbs. lighter but on my couch eating blah grilled chicken and vegetables for a lonely dinner every night. Love you so very much, sweet Luke. I'm thankful that our shared life is better than our single lives and that I get to spend the rest of it with you, my very best friend.

Day Trippin' to Toledo

It seems like we've thrown around the idea of taking a quick trip to Toledo since we arrived in Spain nearly 5 months ago, but between being out of town, Luke having to work through the weekends or the desire to enjoy lazy days in our apartment, it took us until just a couple of weeks ago to make the quick trip.  On this trip, we were pleasantly joined by Alex, who is a friend of our friend, Aaron. Alex's work brought him to Madrid for a couple of weeks, and we were finally able to meet up and day trip to Toledo together on his final Saturday in Spain. 

Approximately 88 km (55 miles) and a quick 30 minute train ride on the high speed AVE, Toledo, the former capital of Spain, is a super easy day trip from Madrid.  Luke and I met up with Alex in the Atocha train station on a rainy Saturday morning and were in Toledo before we knew it. Toledo sits atop a hill, offering panoramic views, hosts what some consider to be the most beautiful cathedral in Spain and has a rich artistic influence, especially from El Greco, their former resident artist.  After making it to the top of the hill, we walked through the cathedral, each of us equipped with our own audio guide that was included in the entrance price.  The cathedral was beautiful, but I've found that it's quite difficult to capture the beauty of any cathedral in pictures (at least when you're an untrained, minimally skilled photographer.) The colors, stained glass, golden altars and rich colors are certainly impressive, but the camera can't capture the reverent feeling that you feel upon entering or the vastness of the large holy spaces. Despite this, I continue to try. 

A view of the outside.

Intricate altar.

The wooden engraved choir seats.

A skylight allowed in beautiful sunlight.

Holy altar.

Famous El Greco painting that is housed in the cathedral.

After finishing our tour of the cathedral, we opted out of visits to the various museums in favor of experiencing the medieval town by freely roaming the narrow brick streets. We did a bit of tapa hopping, popped into several souvenir shops to look at beautifully painted tiles and piercingly sharp swords, went on an unsuccessful hunt to find a restaurant where we could dine in a cave and enjoyed the beautiful views from the top of the hill.  Thanks to Alex for joining us on this trip! We enjoyed good conversation and always love meeting new friends! It was a day well spent in Toledo, and we were back in Madrid in time to enjoy a nice dinner with our Madrilenian amigos.

Alex and Luke.

Narrow winding streets. Not many cars, but the ones we saw were a tight squeeze!

I just liked this little corner. Muebles = Furniture.

We stumbled upon this pub that was primarily decorated with US and English university regalia.

The raining morning gave way to puffy white clouds and some late afternoon sunshine.

Colorful tiles in the roads while walking through the old Jewish neighborhood.

This shop had a cave underneath it that was full of beautifully painted tiles, and we learned that caves are quite common here. This is what sparked our quest to find a restaurant where we could dine in such a cave.

Us with the cathedral behind us.

The entrance to the city, Abbey Road style.

The literal door to Toledo.

I can never find key chains or trinkets with my name on it, but at least I can find tuna (and balsamic vinegar in Italy). Ha!

Puente in Oporto

Puente in Spanish means "bridge" and is also the word used to refer to a long weekend. For example, if there's a holiday on a Friday, it's a "puente" because it "bridges" the week to the weekend. We made the most of our first puente in Spain and took a road trip to Oporto, Portugal. As is becoming a common theme around here, we left later than we wanted and then took a little 1.5 hour detour (i.e. got lost) along the way, but we still arrived in Oporto in time to see the city by night, take a glimpse of the beautiful train station, have a drink and appetizer at Cafe Majestic, the oldest cafe in Oporto, and sample our first seafood in the port town.

Walking down a main street. Destination: Cafe Majestic.

Clock in the beautiful old train station.

Roasted chestnuts bought on the street corner. Apparently, these are all over the place in Madrid winters as well. Can''t wait because they were delish!

Not only was Oporto our first Spanish puente, it was also our first time using Airbnb to book our lodging. Luckily, our first experience was a good one. We started out Saturday morning with breakfast at a nearby cafe that came recommended from our Airbnb host. Then we happened upon several flea markets, climbed the Clerigos Tower, walked through the Mercado do Balhao and eventually made our way across the Dom Luis bridge, that spans the Duoro River, for some port wine tasting. 

Once we crossed the bridge, we were in for a treat! We started with a port wine tasting at Porto Kopke, where we were super glad that we'd only ordered one tasting to share when we saw the large pours, were impressed with the chocolates that accompanied the port tasting and left with a beautiful bottle of port from 2009 (our marriage year) that we're saving until a big anniversary that has yet to be decided.

We thought about stopping in the large Sandeman's winery for a tour but changed our minds when a large tour bus unloaded just in front of us. Instead, we took a tour of a smaller winery, Vasconcellos, before returning to the other side of the river. 

I recognized the Sandeman's labeling. Do you?

The color of port wine changes significantly with time.

Rows of barrels.

The next afternoon, we rounded out our experience in Oporto by having the freshest seafood of our lives, where they literally pull the fish out of the Atlantic, transport it less than a mile, throw it on a grill and serve it. There's a street in Oporto (that I unfortunately can't recall the name of and every Google search I've tried is failing me!) that is lined with outdoor seafood restaurants. Again, we would have never known about this area if it weren't for our Airbnb host. 

More than satisfied with our time in Oporto (It may be one of our top favorites yet, and we would happily return!) and smelling a bit fishy, we jumped back in the rental car and started the longish, yet pleasant, journey back to Madrid.

Rain Boots: A City Life Necessity

Is it weird that I've actually gotten to the point where I like seeing rain in the forecast so that I have a reason to pull out my rain boots? For my birthday last year, I asked for emailed Luke a link to the original green Hunter rain boots that I wanted, and he got them for me. Surprise! 

I wore them in the snow when we went skiing last year and tried to wear them a time or two at home when it rained but felt a little bit silly.  They don't make much sense, even when it rains, if you're not spending some time outside; they're a little big and bulky if they're only of use on the short walk between the car and your destination, which was normally my situation at home. Here, though, they're awesome. I walk a lot every single day, rain or shine. These babies keep my feet dry, and I can go on my merry way, stomping through puddles, without worry of soaking the bottom of my pants (or wondering if that was really only rain water I stepped in.) Not to mention, the green brightens a cloudy day, and because they're quite popular here, make me feel super stylish and trendy. 

I've been on the lookout lately for new tops that I can pair with leggings or skinny jeans and my green boots. After purchasing a couple of shirts/sweaters, a denim shirt and a green, cozy scarf and pulling out a red rain jacket that I had completely forgotten about, I've finally pulled together a pretty cool collection of rainy day attire. I've already happily worn these green boots multiple times, making them totally worth the pretty penny we spent on them. Bring on the rain, Spain!

 

And just because I saw this while walking around today in my cozy green rain boots...

that little white label comes at a premium. Whoops!