Category: Madrid

bookmarked by Festivals

28/9/2018

How do you measure a summer? In the U.S., summer is bookended by Memorial Day and Labor Day, the unofficial beginning and end of summer. In Spain, our season is opened, locally, by our town’s festival in Torrejón de Ardoz, and closed, just an hour away, at the festival in Yebra, the village where Angel was born.

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Define "Typical"

20/9/2017

"What is a typical day like in Spain?" Such a basic question that I somehow fell short of answering throughout my six-ish months of weekly (yes, weekly) trips across the pond and since my move here, a year ago. (Note: Time only matters when you are actually flying the airplane, so all timelines are approximate).

Here is our first attempt to show you.

"This is so much better than what you made in the U.S.," my mother declared after taking a bite of my tortilla.

Last spring, my mom visited us, here in Spain. Angel and I offered many options for food and activities, but tortilla was non-negotiable, because one cannot refuse a dish that can be complemented only by, "Muy rico!" because very delicious are the only words you can mutter between bites of devouring this plate.

"Yes, mom," I told her, smiling, "the ingredients are much better here. Plus, I was just learning to make tortilla when I first made it for you. It only gets better with practice."

She declared that she was not hungry, but consented to a tortilla of her own after we assured her that it would not go to waste and I would finish it for breakfast. The three of us sat at the round, kitchen table for dinner, each in front of potatoes and eggs muy rico.

You Eat The Last Piece of Jamón

20/8/2017

"You eat the last piece of jamón," Angel would tell me, each week, before I would fly back to the U.S. "I can eat it tomorrow. You can't." I hated hearing that. Thanks to a pork-sniffing beagle in the customs hall at JFK, jamón was one of the few things I could not take with me, unless I wanted my passport flagged for the next six-months of travel. So, finally, I just moved to Spain.

Now, we look forward to friends visiting and insisting that they eat the last piece of jamón.

Here are some of our go-to recommendations for friends visiting town.

Kilometer zero. All roads begin here. This is at Plaza del Sol.

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Authors

Christine & Angel
She flies; He fixes. Though she tries not to break anything and he maintains straight and level flight with ease. This pilot-mechanic duo is happy to share their adventures with you and to help you get from A to C, where you can Be yourself in-between.

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