Spring Beckons but is Being Illusive While Winter is Persistent

Spring is just around the corner, right? Or for those of you in the other hemisphere, autumn is just around the corner. Here in Maryland, we are supposed to be experiencing a renewal with flowers blooming and trees leafing out and the warmth of springtime sun – where’s that been recently?!? We first of all had grey, dreary days and just within the past couple of days had snow with even more predicted! I’m hoping that the cherry blossoms are on schedule because we have a trip into Washington DC planned to view the blossoms and we’d like to have them in full bloom and not freeze while we walk around the basin.
Springtime is a traditional season of optimism, transformation and sunniness, isn’t it? It means that the fresh shoots of flowers and grass start to pop up, plus we have fat little robins running around our garden. Springtime gives us a time to get a fresh outlook on our lives and the whole world. Well, to celebrate the season of revitalization and my return to the US after Spain, one of my daughters and I have had a couple of mother/daughter spa treatment days (thanks to Groupon purchases. No advertisement intended, but I found a couple of good deals on facials and reflexology which I couldn’t pass up.) My middle daughter has found a bit of time to get away so she was more than happy to double up on the offers and join me for treatments.  Of course, lunch and a bit of shopping followed (note to our husbands – it was only window shopping!).

Our next rejuvenation adventure is a juicing and detox workshop at Whole Foods for mother (me) and both daughters. This is my early Mother’s Day present to both of them. A great way to make sure that our spring is healthy and that we are filled with energy is to prepare healthy juices. With all of the fresh new produce in the stores or at the farmers’ markets, it’s a perfect time to “spring clean” our winter diets.

I’m really looking forward to the workshop. I already know most of the more popular healthy eating tips such as not keeping any junk food in the cupboard; keeping fruits and fresh veggies handy and available for snacks; making salad (with no creamy dressings) and veggies a big part of meals; using smaller plates and drinking lots of water throughout the day but it’s always nice to have a reminder and have someone “nudge” you to remember all of these and to make them a part of a healthy lifestyle.

So while I’m spring cleaning my house, I’ll also be focusing on spring cleaning my diet. Although two days following the class, I have two weeks in Mexico with at least one cooking class planned. This is not the best way to begin – maybe both spring cleans will wait until after Cinco de Mayo!

 

 

Marvelous Madrid!

After an overnight flight, I arrived at Madrid-Barajas airport at 8am without my luggage. I then spent an hour trying to explain to the lost luggage staff that I was only in Madrid for 2 nights before going on to Gredos, while completing forms that didn’t have anywhere near all the spaces that were needed to explain my schedule and various contacts. It only had to get better but because I was given a 1-800 number to track my suitcase, which I knew wouldn’t work from outside the US; I was beginning to get skeptical.

Upon exiting arrivals, my first quest was a Spanish sim card for my phone and after being given wrong directions, part in Spanish and part very broken English, for a shop where I could purchase my Spanish sim, I went from place to place and finally managed to get my “free card” at the cost of 10 Euros. I couldn’t quite understand the clerk’s explanation in Spanish but I kind of figured that my little sim was free; it was the pre-loading of the minutes that my 10 Euros was covering.  On Saturday morning, my Spanish sim later was invaluable as I was still trying to track my bag most of the morning, only to find that it was in Heathrow airport and “might be with me before I left for Gredos on Sunday morning”.

Being free from cumbersome luggage, I decided to take the Metro into Madrid. Following the easy to identify signs, I finally found the ticket machines and entrance a full 3 terminals away. Their subway system is remarkably easy to use and very inexpensive. I only had to change lines once (underground signs are so easy to follow to connecting lines) on my way to the stop just outside my hotel. Combined with my walk through the airport and the rides on two different lines, it did take me over an hour to get to my destination but it was well worth the savings of 25 Euros.

My first priority was getting some breakfast and then to get acclimated to my immediate area of the city and again, the metro system, I spent my time wandering the best sights by foot, thanks to an incredibly good guide book. On one of my first excursions on the Metro besides my run in from the airport, I went way beyond my stop because I’d forgotten the station where I had to change but I realized my error and backtracked. I had 1 ½ days before the VaughanTown program and 4 days after the program to explore the city and I accomplished this by mostly walking.

Madrid is an amazing city of ancient buildings and the feeling everywhere I went was vibrant and exciting. My explorations took me from Plaza del Sol (where you can find the exact center of Spain) to the Plaza Major, a most magnificent plaza surrounded by cafes and shops. Next to that, I found the Mercado de San Miguel, although an elegant glass and steel market, it’s almost a hundred years old. It’s filled with streaming light focused on stalls and customers who all share various tables. It’s one of Madrid’s gastronomic hot spots -- filled with scrumptious food and drink vendors and very satisfied customers! On Saturday, it was almost impossible to make my way down the aisles so I made a point to go back on a Tuesday. It was still buzzing but I could at least walk down the aisles and see the stunning food on display (both cooked and uncooked).

On the Sunday following the VaughanTown program, I met with 2 Spanish women and another Anglo from our program for a day of exploring a huge flea market. Three of us met up at the respectful hour of 11.00am, and while waiting for the other Spaniard who was running late, we three had a rich, strong and short coffee in a typical little bar/restaurant and then we all proceeded to amble towards the market while talking the whole time. Spending a few hours walking through what was the biggest and most crowded market I’ve ever seen, we stopped at a little place that served sandwiches. There wasn’t anywhere to sit but it must be one of the most popular sandwich places at the market because the line to order snaked up the street. We then went to an antiques market and wandered through it for a while before stopping at a terrace café and sat outside to talk over drinks.

After stopping off at little local bar to purchase jamón, queso, pan and vino, my new Anglo friend and I ended up at our new Spanish friend’s flat (apartment) for a good talk, gossip and some music. It couldn’t have been a more fantastic Spanish day with good friends, good food and good wine.

My last two days were filled with more walking tours in the historic sections seeing sights such as lavish squares like the Plaza de España and a half day touring the Palacio Real, the Palace Royal, and within that, the Apothecary Museum and the Royal Armory. It had been 8 years since I’d been to the Palace Royal and it was every bit as wonderful as I’d remembered. I’m especially fascinated by the armory – some human and horse armors date back as far as the 1400’s.  They even have full-sized statues of horses to display their full armor. It’s just so incredibly impressive.

I then went back to Mercado de San Miguel for a superb tortilla (a taste offered to me in Spanish by one of the vendors – although he spoke English he was delighted with my efforts in Spanish!) and a glass of vino tinto. It couldn’t have been a more perfect final day for me.

Madrid – I fell in love with the city all over again (as well as loving all of the local Spaniards that I met) and I’ll be back! I always felt completely comfortable, not as if I was an outsider or tourist but as if I’d lived there for a while and was just exploring my own city on a day out.

 

Even the rain couldn't dampen my love for Madrid!

 

VaughnTown -- Even More Awe-inspiring As My Week Came to a Close

Meals were truly amazing events where we always sat at tables of 4, 2 Spaniards and 2 Anglos, and for each meal everyone tried to be sure to choose different Spaniards and Anglos. Each day at 9.00am we started with a vast, expansive buffet breakfast with every kind of sausage imaginable and freshly baked bread to die for. Cheese, fresh fruit, pastries and eggs were also included as well as rich strong coffee. Lunch at 2.00pm and dinner at 9.00pm always started with a salad buffet followed by 3 courses accompanied by red wine and of course lots of conversation. The truly enjoyable part of our meals was lingering for an hour and a half while conversations took place – no cell phones or TV to divert anyone’s attention.

Finishing dinner around 10.30pm, most of us headed for the bar where conversations continued on from dinner or new ones started. One evening, some of our group, mostly Spanish and some UK fans, were treated to watching a soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester United. It was a nail biter all the way to a tie finish. A couple of the evenings we had games of our own such as word games or Trivial Pursuit. One night we all gathered in the solarium for a Queimada ceremony, narrated and mixed by Carlota. It’s a Galician witch’s brew made from Senorio de Beade – a 40 proof liquor which Carlota set on fire while 2 Spaniards and 1 Anglo played the witches parts.

On Thursday as the week was winding down, one of the requirements for the Spaniards was to give a 10 minute presentation on any topic of their choice. I’d asked various Spaniards what the topic of their presentations was and often as late as Thursday morning, they weren’t sure. My god, I’d have been in a panic all week but they were confident in their ability to speak English and do their presentation. We were divided into groups again so that Anglos could watch the presentations.  Each and every presentation was absolutely impressive and awe inspiring. Just imagine giving a 10 minute presentation in a language that you are just learning.

Thursday night ended with a party that went on to the wee hours of the morning. Many of the Spaniards, both female and male, are fantastic dancers! Not to say that the Anglos aren’t but the Spaniards seem to have a built in rhythm and smoothness and a love of life that comes through in their dancing. Friday morning everyone was on time for our last breakfast, in spite of the late hours. It was a warm spring like day so as we met our partners for one to ones, we formed a larger group and walked to a river just over a mile away.

Following our morning session, we had a closing ceremony where each of us was given a certificate saying that we’d completed 80 hours straight of English conversation. This of course, didn’t include the many hours that we’d spent in the bar after dinner, nor the few minutes that we met around the scheduling board each morning before breakfast. Each of us had to say something and it was then that I realized that this week had provided me with a missing part of my life – interacting and getting to know people from other cultures. I was overcome with emotion because each person there had become so familiar to me as if I’d known them for many years. Over the week, this group, both Spaniards and Anglos had become my temporary family. But who’s to say that the length of time that you know someone is a measurement of friendship?

My VaughnTown week was an invaluable experience I hope to repeat several times if I can. In addition to being warm, open, witty, loving life, demanding (of themselves), excited (I love their expressions and the animated use of their hands when they talk), dedicated and welcoming, I found the Spaniards to be incredibly hard working. Most of them are taking a 5 month long English class consisting of 10 hours a week in the classroom plus a minimum of 20 hours a week of homework. They all have very demanding jobs as managers or directors so this requires extra hours at their work place. And many of them have families including small children whom they want to spend as much time with as possible.  For a few, they are into their 2^nd 5-month course. That’s a long, hard year for them.

I was also impressed with the Anglos, many of whom I now consider good friends. We didn’t get to spend a lot of time together but we got to know each other very well in the short time we did have.

My VaughnTown experience was a memorable one for many reasons – the incredibly well organized program due to Mayte; the energetic vitality that Carlota provided for the skits and presentations and the wonderful accommodation and meals at Gredos. Mostly, I will never forget each member of my VaughnTown family – la familia. By the end of the week, I had the answers to my questions of the first morning. The individuals involved in the program did become my family, if only very briefly and dynamics in relationships did change over the week but only for the better. I hope to keep in contact with them and follow their progress through life.