Roadtrip with the Parental Units

You may have noticed that I have not posted in 9 whole days! (Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new record.) Don't blame me, it's my parents fault. I had to be a busy bee and work really hard this past week so that I could be free of homework-related worries for the weekend's epic road trip adventure.

Dad had a medical conference in Valencia and so he and mom took the opportunity to stop by Barcelona before heading back to the States. It was very wonderful to see them. This is the longest that I have been away from home and I am really glad that they were able to come over here.

So what did we do? During the week, we had lunch, went out for tapas, went to Ciutadella Park and the Picasso museum, and had dinner with my host family. The Picasso Museum was one of my favorite art museums I have ever been too. It was laid out in chronological order. I really didn't know that much about Picasso. It turns out that he was an amazing painter with a huge talent in a lot of different styles (not just Cubism). He also had a fabulous sense of humor. Want proof? Check out his series of Cubist, tongue-in-cheek paintings of Las Meninas, a famous painting by Velazquez.

Mom found this restaurant called El Singular to take out my host mom and host sister. There is nothing quite like this kind of dinner. It is just impossible to predict how its going to be. Despite the slight language barrier, we had a wonderful time and I was so happy that my parents could meet my host family. I think my mom was especially glad (and a bit relieved too I suppose). With the foundation of the Lord's blessing, it is amazing what excellent food and laughter can do.

And then it was Saturday! We set off on the road for Zaragoza, a city 3 hours to the west of Barcelona. We drove almost straight through and arrived in the early afternoon. One comment here, the rest stops in Spain are quite nice. They have a whole cafe/restaurant thing where you walk through with a tray to get your snacks, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and cafe with milk and sugar. Don't forget a few bottles of wine!

ZARAGOZA:

I really liked Zaragoza. We were in town for the kick-off of the festival of El Pilar. Our hotel was facing the plaza, which was very nice. When it was pouring rain, we got to sit by our balcony windows and watch the parade and other festivities while staying dry and relatively warm. It was freezing! The festival was very family-oriented and there were lots of little kids and an enormous amount of young people. It was amazing. The parade trouped by, each neighborhood having their own flag, little marching band, and costume. We also got to check out a local artisanal flea market and bought some wine from a local, family-owned winery as well as honey and other yummy things. As far as food, I have to say the highlight was Sunday afternoon. We were hungry, I wasn't feeling good, and we weren't sure where to go. Everyplace seemed so crowded. Finally, we saw all these people eating pieces of bread topped with steaming, butter-drowned mushrooms. Dad pushed his way up to the front of the bar, fighting for a spot like a native Catalan, and ordered 3. We trooped out onto the street with everyone else, holding the mushrooms on a wooden plate. They were messy, buttery, salty, hot, and delicious. Good one, dad.

MONTBLANC:

We got into Montblanc around 5:30 pm on Sunday. Dad managed to fit the car up the narrow streets with barely inches to spare and we checked into Fonda Cal Blasi, a local B&B. After arranging for dinner at 9, we set off to explore Montblanc. The city is just chock full of medieval structures. We turned the street corner and we confronted with a beautiful church. Continuing farther up the path got up to the very top of the town, with an incredible view - a huge rainbow over the valley! We made our way around the walls, most of which are still completely intact. Dinnertime brought excellent food (since everything from Catalonia is the best! ;) and a lesson on how to make pa amb tomaquet (bread with tomato spread, very common in this region). This morning, we made a quick trip to the Monastery of Poblet before heading back to Barcelona.

So that was my crazy and wonderful weekend! Tomorrow, I have no school, since it is a national holiday (yup, another one, they come in spades around here). Homework time! I gotta be on top of things because this weekend is Madrid!

Besos!