Thursday, 29 April - Well, Alex told me that the blasting and bell ringing the other night was due to Barcelona losing a soccer match against some Italian town. Doesn't mean much to me, but folks here are worked up.
I offered to cook for the day, today being Lorena and Alex's Anniversary. I had the local butcher cut a pork tenderloin, and I made a BBQ marinade and we dragged out the grill. I started the fire about 2:00 PM, to prepare for Alex getting home at 3:00 and Lorena about half hour later.
Let me take a minute to detail their schedule as it is typical of workers here. Alex works for a 'design and build' company that contracts throughout the world to build parts (bumper supports for a Japanese auto maker, a firing mechanism for an Israeli weapons company, etc.). He works in the design and prototype lab. Lorena works for an iron smelting and construction company, and she is in the procurement department.
Alex gets to work at 6:00 AM, and with only light snacks, he works to 2:00 PM, picks up son Marcos at his in-laws and is home about 3:00 PM, done for the day. Lorena starts her work day an hour later than Alex and is home about 3:30 PM, done for the day. By this time, son Marcos is asleep, and the parents have lunch (called comida), typically the largest meal of the day. Alex naps until Marcos wakes up, then it is family time until about 8:30 PM when Marcos is put to bed, after eating.
The schedule gives them lots of flexibility, as do what is available to them. For instance, they took Marcos to the doctor for a checkup at 7:30 PM!!! Well another explanation; the country closes between 2 and 4 in the afternoon. Seriously, the only thing open is the bars and restaurants (menu del dia - menu of the day is 3 course meal, a choice of 1 of 4 items in group 1 (plata 1) and 1 of 4 items in group 2 (plata 2), choice of desert (postres), coffee, and a bottle of wine, all for about $9 - $12 per person), and schools are closed for 2 hours from 1 to 3 for lunch. So the doctors, too, work in shifts.
Ok, I'm getting on now. With this schedule, dinner, or cenar, is eaten at between 9 and 10 at night, about 1 hour before bedtime. I know, it sound totally crazy, but they seem to be healthy and happy, so it works for them.
The tenderloin was a big hit. The crisp, burnt marinade was delightful and new to them. I won't name names, but we ate the entire huge tenderloin, plus potatoes.
Then for cenar, I made grilled veggies and king prawns. Lorena ate without speaking for a few minute, then, in Spanish, told Alex, "I did not know Americans eat so well". Another hit for the visiting team!
Lorena said she was going to tell her mother about my cooking and that I might be invited to assist in the kitchen. An honor in that kitchen.
Alex, like everyone else, has a brick oven (horno) for outdoor cooking. It is a wood-fired oven, and Alex said he would show me how to use it. That'll be cool. Lorena's mother makes roast lamb in her horno. It is pretty good!
Friday, 30 April - Alex and Lorena are going to Sevilla for a wedding, and I took off for Galicia, the western most province in Spain. It was a long drive, 6 hours due to traffic and construction.
In Asturias, province between Cantabria and Galicia, is a museum for Indianos. They were the people from Northern Spain who immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1800's and early 1900's, and later returned to Spain; many of them returning with fortunes they had made in the New World. They built big houses in their former homelands, many in a style that became known as Indiano.
The museum I visited is in one of these houses, and it contains photos and artifacts from immigrant life in South America, Mexico, Cuba, and Tampa. That's right, Tampa, Fl. The Austrians were famous for building the Ybor City social club, Centro Asturiano, and the Centro Asturiano Hospital that was on Bayshore Blvd.
I'm in Vilalba, a smallish town with a lot of "rustic" charm. Galicia is beautiful, even with low hanging clouds and drizzling rain. Tomorrow I'm going to Lugo. The guide books say that Lugo has Spain's last remaining intact Roman walls surrounding the old city. I hope the light is good for photos.
After Lugo, I'm going to try to get to Santiago de Compostela, the ultimate stop on the Santiago Pilgrim Trail.
Signing off now. More later.