Visitors!



My mom and dad arrived in Spain last Saturday, June 17th. We had a great week packed full of tourism, good food, and hanging out at the beach. I think they had a good time and I know that Juan and I loved having them here! It's always fun to have someone visit who insists on helping with laundry, dishes, and housework.

Last Saturday we picked up Mom and Dad from the La Coruña airport at about 2:00. We drove back into town and my parents got their first glimpse of the Spanish countryside. They were as amazed by the hills and green countryside as we were when we first arrived. We went straight to lunch in the Plaza Maria Pita at a restaurant that specializes in the Spanish tortilla and a slow cooked beef/potato dish that is absolutely delicious. My parents got a kick out of trying all of the new foods - little did they know all the interesting cuisine they would be trying as the week progressed… I had to work to convince them that it really was okay to leave their bread on the tablecloth, opposed to on a bread dish or on the side of their plate. They soon gave in and were dropping breadcrumbs on the tablecloth like natives.

After lunch we drove the 'scenic route' to our apartment - past the Tower of Hercules, the aquarium, and the beaches. They didn't really know what to expect in our apartment, since I never sent them any pictures. I think they thought it was charming  It does have a lot of 'antique' furniture. Antique tables and bookshelves are nice - antique couches on the other hand…

After the grand tour of the apartment we went for a walk around the boardwalk. There was a beach soccer tournament on one of the nearby beaches, so we stopped to watch for a few goals. If you've ever tried to run on deep, dry sand, you know how difficult it is. I can only imagine how hard it was for these guys to try to play soccer. The ball was bouncing in all crazy directions and they could hardly run 5 feet without getting tripped up. It was entertaining.

We walked over to the main restaurant/bar area for some tapas and to watch the US vs. Italy World Cup game. We were still pretty full from lunch, so we just ordered some meatballs and drinks. It really hit the spot. My parents were pretty tired since they were still adjusting to the time change, and I was pretty tired because I was so excited about the visit I couldn’t sleep the night before, so we returned to the house after the first half of the game. We all slept very well that night.

Sunday morning I woke up in a panic at 9:00. I was sure that my parents, who normally are awake by 5am, would've been up for hours. Boy was I shocked when the clock struck 10:30 and they were still asleep!! They got up shortly after 10:30 and were ready to get moving. Juan went next door and bought some croissants from the bakery - my parents were about to become officially addicted to these delicious treats. Since everything is closed on Sunday, we decided to take a road trip to Finisterre - the westernmost point in Spain (and according to some sources - the westernmost point in Europe). It was pretty cloudy for the whole drive, but as we pulled up to the restaurant for lunch the clouds parted and we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon.



We ate some wonderful grilled fish, mussels, and navajas (tubular shellfish) and then went for a shell collecting walk on the beach. It was an amazing beach.



We drove up to the lighthouse at Finisterre - the official westernmost point in Spain and took a lot of pictures. We climbed around the rocks and enjoyed the amazing views.





Juan had to work on Monday, so I had my parents all to myself. We walked and walked and walked. We first passed by the Tower of Hercules (we didn't go up the tower - Juan really wanted to do this, so we decided to wait for the weekend) and walked all through the park near the Tower. The park is right on the Costa de la Muerte (the Coast of Death), which is full of rocky cliffs and rocky beaches.







There were very interesting monuments and sculptures dotting the park. There was also a beach full of round rocks. The ocean, during high tide, had rounded off these formerly jagged rocks over the centuries. This was also an area rich in starfish and other shallow water creatures. My mom walked down to investigate and to try to find a starfish, but came back with only a rock resembling a pumice stone.



We went to lunch at a little restaurant that had a good menu del dia (a 3 course menu + drink for about 8 euro). I was excited to demonstrate my Spanish speaking abilities, but out waiter comes to our table and says "Hello. How are you? Can I take your order?" Yeah. He was speaking ENGLISH. Noooooooooo. I gave the order in Spanish anyways.



Monday night we had a very heated Spades match at our apartment - me and Dad against Mom and Juan. My dad and I will tell you that we won… My mom and Juan may have another story. It was a lot of fun.

Tuesday my folks and I headed over to my fish/meat market to buy some fresh fish and vegetables for dinner. It was fun to show them around and to demonstrate my fish buying abilities. We then headed over to the really big fish market that is about a 15 minute walk away. We browsed the whole market and took some fun pictures. I was too embarrassed to let them take pictures at my market, but I let them snap away at this one. It is always fun to see what crazy types of fish there are out there in the ocean.



It was a really nice afternoon, so my mom and I were itching to go swimming! We walked over to the club and jumped into my normally heated 50-meter, outdoor, salt-water pool. It was not heated… I knew that they were planning on switching which pool they heated during the summer, but I didn't know when. We are tough ladies though (and I have definitely swam in colder water at Rice), so we decided to stay in. It was a lot of fun.



I have discovered that NOTHING tastes better after swimming in salt water than lemon/lime sorbet. So, we stopped at the ice cream truck on our way out of the pool and grabbed a cone for our walk home. It's like a margarita (minus the tequila).



When we got home we relaxed for a few minutes and then started cooking dinner. We cooked up the fish from the market - simmering it in fresh squeezed lemon juice, onion slices, salt, pepper, and a splash of olive oil. We made side dishes of green beans and fresh-cut french-fries. For dessert, we introduced my parents to membrillo (quince paste) and queso. We ate while we watched some more World Cup soccer.

We all woke up early on Wednesday morning. My parents and I dropped Juan off at work and drove to Santiago. There is a saying here: "When it is sunny in La Coruña, it is raining in Santiago. When it is raining in La Coruña, it is raining in Santiago." Well, the saying was wrong for once. It was an absolutely perfect and beautiful day in Santiago.



My dad got to drive the car, since it is standard transmission. He did a great job, but it was an adventure navigating the Spanish streets and hills. We walked all over the town of Santiago. We spent quite a lot of time touring around the cathedral and reading about the history of the pilgrimage to this location.





My parents loved walking down the narrow cobblestone streets and looking at the old apartments and buildings.



We went in several (dozens) of gift shops - in search for the perfect souvenir. I found a great "Best of Spanish Cooking" recipe book. My mom was nice enough to buy it for me. Maybe I'll break out one of my new recipes at Thanksgiving.

We found a restaurant that had a good menu of the day and decided to try it out. We walked in and were put in a smoky back room. I asked the host if there was a non-smoking section - he took us upstairs. The upstairs was very, very nice, a complete change from the downstairs bar atmosphere. Since everyone in Spain smokes, we were by ourselves upstairs for quite a long time. Eventually another table joined us. We ate some great tortilla, fish, chipirones (squid), and dessert. It was also great to rest our feet for a few minutes! We walked around more that afternoon and headed back to La Coruña late in the day. We bought a Tarta de Santiago, a traditional almond cake from Santiago, to share with Juan for dinner.

Thursday we walked over to the Corte Ingles, a huge shopping center. It is a very pretty, but long walk. We passed by a preschool where the kids wear little smocks and baseball caps when they play outside. My mom thought it was just the cutest thing ever. She ended up going back the next day to get their picture. Hehe.

We walked through the city and past the port, finally making it to the mall. My mom found a few really cute skirts at the mall - one from Zara and another from a small local store. We went to the grocery store at the Corte Ingles and bought some yummy food that they don't have at my small, local grocery - like peanut butter!! We took a cab back to my apartment and unloaded our purchases. It was such a nice afternoon that we decided to take our books down to the beach to read. I didn't get much reading done - it was too much fun to people-watch and chat.





We went out to a nice dinner on Thursday night at a little restaurant near Maria Pita. This dinner was another adventure for my parents - my mom in-particular. We have been talking about ordering 'pulpo' (octopus) for months. This was the night. My mom actually really liked it! It is really good - I knew she would like it - but it is a little intimidating to look at. We ate pulpo, tortilla, calamari, mushrooms, and croquetas. Yum!







On Friday morning my dad went to the bakery and bought some breakfast treats. We actually had some sort of baked good from the bakery every morning this week! My parents were very, very brave - one of them would walk over to the bakery every morning by themselves. I told you they were addicted ;) I'm not complaining though - the food was delicious. We were walking so much during the day that the extra calories were okay. :) I'll have to go back to my Special K breakfast on Monday.

Friday was a big day in La Coruña - it was the day of the sardine festival! The feast day of Saint John the Baptist is June 24th. They celebrate here on the eve of the feast day, which corresponds with peak sardine season, by grilling sardines all over the city and by lighting huge bonfires on the beaches. It is the biggest party of the year. My dad called tourist information on Friday morning and found out where all the main parades and festivities would be throughout the day. We didn't want to miss a thing. It just so happened that the woman at tourist information who spoke English had lost her voice… He was able to get her to talk enough to give us a few key times and locations.

We went to see a small, but fun, parade. There was a band, some kids in costume, and some people carrying a case containing firewood. We followed the parade through town to a very beautiful old church and then to a convent - where the firewood was blessed. There were only a handful of people who followed the parade, probably because it was at 11:30am on a workday, but it was a lot of fun.









We walked around and shopped just a little bit more that afternoon. My dad found a La Coruña soccer team t-shirt in a little gift shop, so he was happy. That was the one souvenir he really wanted. We walked back by the big fish market so my mom could take some more pictures of all of the different types of fish (for my Grampa to see).





We also bought some herbs to ward off the witches for the next year. The myth is that you buy these herbs and soak them in water overnight (from the 23rd - 24th) and then wash your face in the water the morning of the 24th. You then dry out the herbs and hang some over your door to keep the witches away. You use the rest of the herbs the next year to start your San Juan bonfire for good luck. We forgot to soak them in water overnight, so it was pretty much just a waste of money. Oh well.

That afternoon we noticed people starting to set up their bonfires on the beaches. Here is a 'before' picture. The actual bonfire pictures are below.



We went to Maria Pita in the evening to see some performances of local bands and dance groups. They performed some fun songs and dances and got us in the spirit of the evening. Some of the songs were a little long and repetitive, since they would play all 15 verses - without anyone actually singing the words... We could smell the beginnings of grilled sardines wafting through the air - we knew the rest of the festivities would be starting soon!



This is one of the early grillers out on the street. He posed for the picture - he was acting all goofy and pretending to flip the sardines...



We met up with Juan and headed to get some grub at a local Irish bar. They were grilling sardines outside and were offering a huge portion of sardines, pimientos de Padron (peppers), chorizo, bread, and wine. There was a band playing and a huge crowd. It was a whole lot of fun. It was wild to see the quantities of sardines being cooked. They had several huge crates of sardines behind the grill and just kept putting more and more on. They were messy, fun, and delicious!



Before:


After:




After dinner we walked throughout the streets and were in awe of the crowds and the number of sardines.





We made our way down to the beach and found that standing on the beach, near the water, was upwind from all of the bonfire smoke. So, we had the best of both worlds - we could see the fires and the ocean without all the smoke.



The bonfires were amazing. It was fun to see what types of material people were using to make their fires. There were trees, cardboard, 2x4's, and just about anything else flammable you could possibly imagine.

A few people had flares. These made the smoke and the fires look really cool.


Big fires!!


The fires really got going at about midnight - just in time for the fireworks! Due to the fog and the smoke from the bonfires, the fireworks were a little bit hidden, but they were pretty nonetheless.



We actually woke up in the a.m. hours on Saturday and ate some eggs and pastries. We walked over to the Tower of Hercules and made the journey up all 234 stairs to the top. (side note: On our way over to the Tower we passed several people who were just making their way home after the bonfire parties - it was about noon... crazy kids ;) ) Hercules is the oldest lighthouse (still in use) in the world. The legend is that this is the location where Hercules slayed a giant. The bones were buried and a lighthouse was built on top of the bones. There are beautiful views of the coast and of the city from the top of the lighthouse. We spent a bit of time taking some pictures from the observation deck before heading to one of the little glass restaurant patios in the Plaza Maria Pita for lunch.







This meal was the last test of my parents' culinary bravery. Chipirones en su tinta (squid in its ink). This meal has been something my mom has been nervous about for a long time. My dad was brave and ordered it and my mom was brave and took a little bite - then a bigger bite - then a bigger bite. She liked it! It tastes a lot better than it sounds and looks.

We went over to the club in the afternoon to swim in the cold water again. My dad and Juan swam a few cold laps, but then moved into the warm 25-meter pool. My mom and I toughed out the cold water and practiced our synchronized freestyle swimming technique. We're actually pretty good at it. It was my dads first time to ever swim in a long course pool. I think he was a little intimidated at first, but he did a good job (until he chickened out with Juan and moved to the warmer poool).

We each got an ice cream and waited outside the club for the tourist trolley. We were going to take the trolley around the coast, but we waited and waited and when it finally arrived there was some sort of mechanical problem, so we ended up having to walk home. My mom took the lead and showed that she really knew the city well - leading us all the way back to the house.

Saturday night we ate some pasta and watched some more soccer - Mexico vs. Argentina. We also each put together a World Cup bracket. I'm happy to say that I am currently in the lead after Portugal upset the Netherlands tonight. Whoohoo! I just want to have Spain and Portugal in the finals. It would be really fun to watch that final in bars here, since Portugal is just about an hour away.

Today, Sunday, my dad made his final trip to the bakery. My parents packed and we copied all of the pictures onto a CD for them to take home. We played one final round of Spades - this time there wasn't quite so much controversy over the final score (yea dad & kim!). My mom played Spanish housewife one last time - washing dishes and hanging clothes out of the kitchen window. We drove mom and dad to the airport and said our goodbyes.

It was really, really fun having them visit. I had a good time showing them around town and teaching them a little bit about a different culture. I think they had a good time too - they're already talking about their next adventure abroad.

Next trip for Kim & Juan: We have Bilbao booked for July 14th - 16th. We'll probably do some other driving trips before then. I may even get to go to Barcelona for a few days for work in early July!!

My Parents in London
(guest blog by Pat & Becky)

After months of looking forward to this trip, it finally started on June 14. The flight from DFW to London Gatwick was long, but Becky and I kept reminding ourselves, "We're on our way to Europe to see Kim and Juan!" That made it easy to put up with cramped seats and a movie choice between Firewall and Casablanca.

The Gatwick Express took us to Victoria Station in 40 minutes. Once there, we looked around, tried to figure out the bus schedule, talked about walking to Trafalgar Square, but decided to take the tube to Embankment Station and walk from there.

Three tube stops later, we started walking the few blocks to Trafalgar Square .

Around a corner sped three motorcycles, followed by a deep purple Bentley. In the back seat were Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip! The crowd around us all pointed as she smiled and waved at us. What a surprise - 5 minutes off the tube and we see the Queen.

We crossed over to the Trafalgar Hilton, dropped off our luggage, and bought tickets for the "Original Bus Tour" from the concierge. We boarded a bus a few blocks away and started our "tourist" experience of London. (With only 2 days to see the city, we knew that getting the lay of the land first was the best way to go.)

The bus headed east, through "The City" - London's original square mile - until traffic stopped at the Lord Mayor's residence. Our guide (a hilarious chap) mentioned that, due to the upcoming celebration of the Queen's official birthday, she might be at the residence. As he said that, we saw her walk from a vehicle into the residence, accompanied by several dozen people in dress clothing, military uniforms, and judges' robes. Two Queen sightings in two hours!

The bus rolled on, past St Paul's Cathedral,

across the Thames, past the Tower of London, then back to Westminster. We left the tour at that point to spend some time at Westminster Abbey.

The place is awe inspiring - with something amazing around every corner. Architecture and artifacts from 1065 to recent years give a history of Britain in one place. Recent years have contributed stained glass windows commemorating the Battle of Britain during WWII as well as Sir Laurence Olivier's tomb. The hour and a half at the Abbey could easily have turned to three - there is that much to see.

Leaving the Abbey, we walked past Parliament and Big Ben, stopping at a small sidewalk café for fish and chips.

From there, we went down Whitehall past the Royal House Guards headquarters, and finally to the Trafalgar Hilton to check in. We had a room on the fifth floor with a wonderful tub and shower. We made dinner reservations for 7:30 that evening and headed out for more adventure. Our bus tour ticket included a Thames river cruise so we walked to the Westminster Dock and boarded the boat, sitting behind some Girl Scouts from Kansas who had been on the bus tour earlier in the day (and looking totally exhausted).

As we sat in the boat, Big Ben struck 6:00 PM

- then the boat pulled from the pier, heading east. We chugged past several places we'd seen earlier, but the river view gave a different look to everything.

The boat trip lasted about 45 minutes, ending up back at Big Ben.

We had plenty of time to return to the hotel for dinner - but walking past the Royal Horse Guards HQ again, we noticed a small crowd at the front gate. Of course, we had to stop to investigate. "The Royals" were in attendance at a special ceremony that evening. We waited - and waited - watching the Bentley we'd seen earlier in the day.

We ran out of time - and decided that two Queen sightings in one day was enough.

Dinner at the Trafalgar Hilton - included in the room rate - was unexpectedly delicious!

On Friday, we rose early, enjoyed the Hilton buffet traditional English breakfast, and headed to the tour bus stop to begin Day 2. This time, we rode west through Knightsbridge and Kensington, with plans to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace at 11:30. (The tour books claimed it is 'overrated' but we wanted to make that decision ourselves.)

The bus cruised through the beautiful neighborhoods west of Buckingham Palace, taking us by Harrods department store, museums, and luxurious hotels.

Leaving the bus, we walked a few blocks to the Palace, arriving early for the ceremony. The crowds grew large, making our spot at the fence more valuable. Before the ceremony, we noticed a truck pulling into the courtyard and being inspected closely by police and a bomb-sniffing dog.

We saw a dog performing that duty on the Gatwick Express train the previous day. Neither was a 'police-dog' in appearance. They were cute spaniels.

Finally, the ceremony began. The bands marched right beside us.

We had a great view of the actual change of the guard from Royal Marines to the traditionally dressed guards (each of whom seemed a foot taller than the Marines).

The Changing of the Guard ceremony is worth the wait. But don't forget the sunscreen!

We wanted to see Harrods - so, with a general idea of it's location, we headed west. OK…so we got lost - but in the most charming neighborhood of apartments, small hotels, shops, and the Nags Head Pub. We agreed that we would make this area our 'home' on our next visit to London.

A helpful citizen gave us directions to Harrods (we were close) and soon we entered the legendary store to discover that they proudly stock Krispy Kreme doughnuts (among several thousand other delicacies). The store is amazing, and although we did not venture above the ground floor, the variety and activity was overwhelming.

We left Harrods and stopped next door to visit Zara.

We traveled east toward our chosen lunch spot, Porter's Restaurant, in search of a 'traditional English' meal. The menu: tomato and basil soup or white onion and cider soup, chicken and broccoli pie with mashed potatoes or salmon and prawn cakes on a bed of lentils, enjoyed with a half-pint of ale, all finished off with apple crumble or banana, rum and butterscotch trifle. We sampled each other's choices - and enjoyed the meal immensely.

We strolled through Covent Garden, watching the street performers, theater ticket touts, and thousands of others enjoying a summer day in London. Along the way, we decided to go different directions for a couple of hours: Becky to the National Gallery and Pat to the Cabinet War Museum.

Monet from the National Gallery:

The Cabinet War Museum is underground, in cramped rooms the British military planners used during WWII. Original furnishings, maps, and some re-creations give a feeling for the conditions those who worked to save England worked under while bombs and rockets landed overhead. It was truly inspiring.

Display from Cabinet War Museum:

We met back at the hotel (across Trafalgar Square from the National Gallery) and walked back to the Horse Guards stables, again. No Royals in sight, this time, just a photo posed next to one of the guards. The image is shaky, but it is included just because it was fun for us.

Next, we strolled through St James Park, finding a small thatched roof cottage beside a lake. At the far end of the lake is Buckingham Palace.

We saw many London citizens enjoying the mid-city parks. We also saw a couple from France who were feeding birds by hand, and Becky could not resist joining them. They gave her some peanuts and this is what happened:

Our next stop was Starbucks on Picadilly. Yes, they have invaded London! Coffee and shortbread was 'dinner' after the big lunch we'd enjoyed earlier.

As we walked back to the hotel, we talked of the many things we'd done and seen in such a short time - and made plans to return to London, someday. Next stop: La Coruña!