Spanish festivals & (Sis & Skip) Shank's 1st Voyage to Europa!

Last blog concluded while still traveling in Seville, Spain.  Here are a few more photos. 

Seville has gondolas like Venice (but this city smells fantastic like magnolias)

Lovely church in Seville

Simply magnificent

Even the horses are well dressed in this country

Ladies in traditional Flamenco dancing attire

Lucky for us, our stay coincided with a huge festival called "Feria de Abril".  The event was packed with "casetas" (tents) hosting all night flamenco parties, loud music, and tapas.

 

Families visited from all over Spain to enjoy amusement park rides, parades, bullfighting, and fireworks.

We relaxed during our final evening at a street cafe in Utrera, Spain. 

The popularity of snails or "caracoles" (on every menu) with the local Andalucians intrigued us so we ordered a tapas portion.

Served warm in an earthy broth, chewy but not as tasty as an oyster

Eating something while staring into it's eyes is mildly unpleasant.

Adorable little guy

Scoots inspecting the dirt and grit on his snail

We spent our last day in Spain at a small peaceful beach town called Chipiona.

Decorative wine barrels & gorgeous Gulf of Cadiz 

The church sits right above the beach

Perfect weather and uncrowded beach- only a few topless Spaniards

We left Spain and flew straight to Amsterdam excited to spend time with Sis & Skip during their first visit to Europe.  Grandpa Dave, a seasoned traveller, helped plan the itinerary.  First stop: iconic Holland windmill

Gal on right desperately needs a haircut 

 After a bus tour around the city, we went to the world famous Keukenhof Gardens.

 Bright colored tulips seemed to bloom for miles and miles (over 32 hectares according to the website)!

These smell magical!

Sis requested we pose with the statues.  The rainy weather was not optimal.

Although we took a million pictures, they don't truly reflect the magnitude of these gardens and gorgeous varieties of flowers.

Indoor flower show - warmest place thus my favorite part

In my opinion, Amsterdam has better waffles than Belgium (although I have not been to Belgium yet)!  Dutch stroopwafels (constructed like a waffle sandwich) have caramel spread between 2 thin crepelike waffles - delish!

Grandpa Dave & Janet getting waffles & hot cocoa

After the glorious tulips, we celebrated our first night together at a delicious restaurant near central station (my Mediterranean sampler was tasty).

Dutch menu with English translation- very common in tourist cities

Grandpa Dave (party animal) finished off his meal with a shot of liqueur for dessert!

After dinner, we ventured to a nearby Irish pub.

Sis loved how her Palm beer matched her glass and the sign

Later, the younger more coordinated Shanks defeated Sis & Skip in an intense game of billiards!

Joyful to be victorious even though I only sunk 1 ball

Skip befriended a local Dutchman on the street.  They bonded over their mutual love and respect for the Steelers.

Skip sure is happy to be in Amsterdam

Scott hysterical listening to his dad and this fellow rap "Black and Yellow, Black and Yellow"

On our last day, we visited some Crucial museums (capital C for cheese and canal museums).

Say "Cheese"!!!

Cheese man extremely generous with the samples 

Truffle cheese was succulent but pricey of course

We purchased delicious peppercorn mustard Goat cheese and herbed Gouda for a picnic on the train ride back to Germany (train ride= scenic & relaxing - castles, Rhine river, old tipsy Germans pouring us schnapps). 

Now we are back in rainy Stuttgart.  Looking forward to meeting up with the Shanks next weekend at a Bavarian castle.

P.S.  Sunsets in Spain are perfect (just like Scoot's ears).

Exploring Spain's Southern Coastline in a zippy Panda FIAT

I am typing this blog from a cafe in Sevilla with an incredible view of the Guadalquivir River, gardens and fountains!  It's warm, sunny and even smells great like Charleston (magnolias in bloom). 

When Scoots found out he had a work trip to a military base in a town called Moron (seriously), Spain, I knew I was destined to join him.  We got to fly in 3 days early and vacation along the Spanish coastline.

After arriving at Malaga Airport (southeast coast), we drove south to the pretty resort town of Marbella.  It reminded me a lot of Ft Lauderdale: palm trees and elderly dressed in their finest golf attire- pink polos and khakis (just replace the tanned wealthy New Yorkers with affluent pale Brits).  After cruising the Marbella boardwalk (made of marble- gorgeous), we headed south to check out Gibraltar.

Prudential commercial? 

After seeing the famous "rock", we drove to the kite boarding mecca of Europe called Tarifa.  I was amazed at the unexpected view from our hotel room (below), overlooking soccer fields, a bull fighting ring and the ocean.

Cute Spanish kids practiced futbol on this field until it got dark

I bet my parents would have enjoyed watching my goalkeeping skills more from this location

Tarifa is located at the southern tip of Spain where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Mediterranean on left, Atlantic on right

 There is a large port and ruins from an old fort.  

We climbed to the top and I nearly lost balance and fell off thanks to high speed winds

wind in hair- just like a model shoot :)

The wind conditions make this a perfect kite surfing location so Scott was in heaven.

While Scott was kite boarding I explored the town.  Around 11 am, about 200 motorcycles pulled into the main square.  I got to experience a Spanish biker rally with loud Spanish techno blasting and leather clad bikers chugging San Miguel (local beer) before riding off into the sunset.  

TV interview- must be the famous biker gang leaders

Tarifa had great places to eat and was super laid back with few tourists.  Thus, we got to hang out with the locals.  Speaking Spanish is sooo much fun!  After many horrendous attempts to speak German, I was starting to lose confidence in my language skills but thankfully my Spanish improves (like my dance moves and bowling skills) with Sangria.  My stellar accent from 7th grade Spanish came back in a heartbeat (reminiscent of a younger JLo's voice in the hit movie Selena).   

Keep in mind that Andalusian Spanish is different (especially from the Spanish I spoke with the bus boys while working as a waitress).  The only way to describe it is to imagine speaking Spanish with a heavy lisp.  Scott thinks its strange and unattractive to see so many tongues flopping around but I find it endearing.  For example, instead of "Gracias" it sounds like "Grathiath"

After Tarifa, we drove up the western coast.  The green pastures were full of cows and it was a beautiful drive.  We could see the white walled Andalusian villages in the distance.

After driving an hour, we arrived in Cadiz.  Cadiz is a wonderful city on the beach and many consider it the oldest living city in Europe.  It has old Moorish buildings and Roman cathedrals. 

We had a blast exploring this city!

More pictures of Cadiz to come on next blog

Spanish food is fun because it's served tapas style (small plates) so you get to try a variety!  

We have learned it's better to ask before ordering or you will get a lot of fried balls with unknown fillings (croquettes - sometimes made of potatoes, fish, pork, or my favorite- fried seaweed).

Scott has been enjoying the complimentary Spanish olives served with each beverage order.  We have been feasting on fresh seafood like the delicious puplo (grilled octopus).

Other favorites: langostines (prawns in cilantro oil), caracoles (snails), sardines, mushrooms & goat cheese, fresh fish in spicy tomato sauce (see below)

Looks like someone chugged most of her tasty Sangria before the food arrived

There are only a few aspects of Spanish culture that I don't truly love:

1.  Breakfast: piece of toasted white bread resembling a hamburger bun (zero nutritional value) with olive oil & tomato paste (However, the fresh OJ is spectacular)

2.  Dinner NEVER starts before 8 pm which is only an hour before my ideal bedtime.  Fortunately, when on vacation I stay up later so no problema!

3.  Service is slow and wi fi is even slower (uploading pics to this blog) so ADD must stay in check

I love Spain and can picture visiting here often in the future.  As we sat by the ocean at sunset in Cadiz, I admired this sweet vibrant couple and envisioned us 50 years from now

Scott sporting a similar denim tuxedo and I in a bold velour sweatsuit

To be continued...

Spring in Stuttgart (FINALLY!)

HOORAY the sun does shine in Stuttgart!  Halfway into April and it's actually warming up!  This is a critical time to document my strategies for enduring the last 4 months of freezing dismal weather so I can remember them next winter. 

In order to combat seasonal affective disorder (yes there is a diagnosis for those who suffer from depression due to lack of sunlight), I adopted the following rituals to remind me of sunshine and warmth:

1) Brew massive amounts of tea  
After pouring boiling water in mug, lean over the hot burner and soak up the warmth from the stove top (hair pulled back)


2) Purchase green plants to create a more tranquil environment and add energy to our home (since we don't have any real pets yet)

3) Cook flavorful & fiery (internal heat producing) meals utilizing spices and hot peppers 

4) Consume tropical treats & cocktails- ideally coconuts, avocados, pineapples, and mangoes

5) Blast reggae music and dance like I am back in Negril Spring Break 2005!

6) Smartwool attire (stock up when on sale!)

During the past couple weekends, we have been busy exploring our lovely city.  We discovered an authentic Portuguese restaurant called Beja where we met a few friends for dinner.

Damien, jovial Aussie on right, really happy to sit next to my husband

Erica to my left was not a  tapas fan and consumed mainly wine; she later barfed on the train ride home

This past weekend we took advantage of the 70 degree weather and went on a bike ride along the Neckar River.  We rode right by our local ZOO and saw camels, ostrich, buffalo, llamas, and baby kangaroos (next time I will bring my camera).  The following day, we went to a high ropes course in the Black Forest with Sera & Toby.

The holsters on our waist have the carabiners that promise to keep us alive 60 feet up

Monkey skills

Scoots on zipline

After the exhilarating ropes course, we walked to a local spot for lunch overlooking a pond. 

 It was the perfect place to eat and relax in the sunshine.

Good news:
1.  I passed the test to get an official German drivers license so now I can legally drive all over Europe (I realize some of my driving critics may not view this as "good news").  In Driver's ED class, the instructor emphasized the Autobahn's minimum speed limit is 60 KPH (36 MPH)!  I prefer to drive at lower speeds so expect to hear a few honks but at least I can help Scoots take a break on road trips. 
2.  Scott's German language skills are improving.  He learned the German word for plumber- GasWasserSheisa (translation not G rated).

Random observations:

Stuttgart's famous Spring Beer Fest known as Fruhlingsfest starts next week and the locals are excited!

Ad for the festival that's all over town

On another note, Germans don't smile often or at strangers (unless I am with Julia who has a cute kid or Mariel when she has her pups) so I have started a new game that I call "IFC" or "Insane Frau Challenge."

I once read that smiling is neurologically contagious like yawning.  However, I bet the German race could prove this theory wrong.  IFC is a game I can play anywhere in Germany.  For example, yesterday at the produce market, I made eye contact and smiled at a cute old hunchbacked lady with a cane.  She gave me an odd stare so I proceeded to grin even bigger with my eyes wide open.  I held this expression and eventually she smiled back!  Success!  I count this as 1 point for me even if it was just a pity smile.  

I play IFC during my daily walks with a variety of seemingly unfriendly Germans (However, I was warned to be cautious when playing IFC with Italians and Turks).