Carmelo and Ariceli were wonderful hosts, allowing us the full run of their village house. We enjoyed the spanish meals they provided, which always seemed to include tomatoes, cheese, bread, seafood of some sort, and a delicious dessert. The seafood was amazing, and we ate squid, octopus, shellfish, langostinos, shrimp, tuna, and other stuff. Carmelo grills a delicious steak, and even cooked mine well-done even though he like other chefs thinks that takes all the flavor out :-) Lunch was usually around 2pm, and dinner never started before 9pm and usually ran until around midnight.
They borrowed Carmelo's brother's minivan to pick us up from the airport and carry us around, then took us from Madrid to visit Segovia, Burgos, Santona, and other places around the country. We had a great weekend with Ariceli's family in Santona, and really enjoyed seeing the fort there, the boat tour, the fantastic lunch at the Hotel Olimpo, and swimming at the beach there. The sand was very different, not quite mud but a lot closer to mud than sand, and the water was cold and refreshing. We really enjoyed talking with Ariceli's parents Sena and Jose and meeting Paula's 97 year old great grandmother while we were in Santona.
Paula was a wonderful guide in Madrid, and then we rode a bullet train to Barcelona and stayed in the Gothic quarter. We were able to visit a couple of cathedrals there, include La Sagrada Familia, a modern cathedral that's been under construction since the 1880s and will not be finished until 2026 or so. (I especially enjoyed seeing La Sagrada Familia because of I have listened to the Alan Parsons Project's album "Gaudi" for years and always wondered what the big deal was!). We visited Plaza Espanya and sat on the beach on the Mediterranean Sea there in Barcelona, too. It was an amazing experience! We got to hang out in Guadalix de la sierra and see Paula work with her horse, something we heard about a lot while she was with us, so it was good to have that time with her. We enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of the village, and napped, walked, swam, and spent time with Paula there. We especially enjoyed spending time with the abeulos - they make a delicious gazpacho (cold soup) and fantastic eggplant casserole!
On our last day in Spain Carmelo and Ariceli had a big family dinner with his brother and family, his parents, and others. They made paella, a delicious dish of rich and seafood that beats anything like it we've had in the United States.
Our holiday is over, and we are getting back into the routine of home, work, preparing for the new school year, church, and all the other things that we fill our lives with. Paula was wonderful when she was with us, and was gracious when we invaded her regular life. I am very grateful for all that Carmelo and Ariceli did for us and how God has blessed us with a wonderful family in Spain!