Day 10: Tapas Tour

Today we had a little longer break in the afternoon today that we usually do. Rodd took an extra long nap and I took advantage of the time to study. 

 

Lunch: Sopa de maravilla (Marvelous Soup... 

I think it is named after the type of past that is in it) 

and pavo con pisto (a light tomato sauce).

A common type of food in Spain is called Tapas. They are little bite size appetizers on a slice of baguette-like bread. They put all kinds of things on there! It's common for people to go around from place to place and just get tapas for dinner! A tapa is like a taste... I've seen this on our schedule and have been so excited to do this! Each piece is a tapa.

Gambas con mayonesa y perejil

Shrimp with an herb aioli...

(This one was my favorite!!)

Pincho moruno (Cerdo con cebolla y pimiento)

Skewers of Pork, Onion, Red Pepper

(This one was Rodd's favorite!)

 Mmmm. ;)

 This was our group from the school there on the Tapas Tour.

Drinking is Mikayla, on the phone is a girl in my class from Italy, then Sara from our UVU group,

then Dasha from Russia is in my class, then some chicas from Germany.

 These are chicas from our UVU group...

(Right to left) Sydne, Kristy, Gazelem, Rachel, Sydney

 Rodd and his favorite Tapa... awe. ;)

Round one of Tapas: Don Mauro 

We've eaten at this restaurant twice and it's been so good!

 Round two: Cafe Casa Paca

 We each had one tapa here:

Atun con anchoa (Tuna with anchovie)

Salmon con crema de queso (Salmon with cream cheese)

Both were good... Rodd even said he likes their cream cheese (he doesn't like cream cheese)!!

 Round three: Erasmus Cafe

Drink: Mosto

Tapa: El secreto Iberico (pork with a sweet cranberry sauce)

YUMMY

 A tapas tour is fun with a big group because each time you move you get to sit at a new table with new people! This was our group at this stop. So fun!

 Round four and final: Casa de vinos

Tapa 1: Jamón Iberico (Cured ham)

Tapas 2: Queso de oveja (Cured cheese from sheep's milk)

 In Spain, they eat a lot of cured meats and cheeses. This was my least favorite stop.

The meets cure for 5 years to reach their prime, and the cheese for several months. 

This cheese was good, but a little to strong for me... and I like strong cheese!

 We walked home through the Plaza Mayor and were able to get a picture at night.

We're having a lot of fun! It's just crazy to think that we get to be here for another three weeks or so... :)

Day 9: Our LDS Branch - La Rama Salamanca

We attended church at the little LDS branch in Salamanca. Church started at 10am. When we got there at 9:55 am, we were the first ones there, except the branch president and his wife. Our group of 10 practically doubled the attendance of the branch.

Today they had testimony meeting and someone who was baptized yesterday was confirmed. It was a great experience to attend church in another country and in Spanish, as always. Today is Mother's Day in Spain, so the Elder's bought a cake some juice for the sisters.

This is the branch president's wife, Carmen.

 There was another small group visiting the branch from BYU. They are studying genealogy all across Europe. Rodd recognized the couple leading the group from his time in the Windsor 6th Singles Ward.

It really is a small world!!

Everyone in our group left the church today with an assignment for next week. Someone is teaching Sunday School, another Relief Society, some are teaching Sunday School for the children, and others are teaching in Primary. Rodd and I are doing Sharing Time in Primary... in Spanish. :) Their little branch of 6 or so that are used to teaching and leading discussions every week are probably looking forward to a little break. :)

Lunch: fideua con frutas del mar

Pasta with tomato sauce and seafood (Fruits of the sea... :)

 Dinner: Pizza and tomatoes

Dessert: Chocolate pudding

After church, we took a nap. :) I love that about their culture. After, I studied a little bit. With about an hour before dinner, we went for a little walk down a street called Calle Van Dick. It is known for it's tapas. We didn't try anything, but will return one day when we have time to try the food out! There is also a theater nearby with movies, plays, operas, etc. We could go see Iron Man, but Rodd isn't into watching movies dubbed in Spanish. :)

Tomorrow we are back to school and a crazy-busy schedule. :)

Day 8: Trip to Zamora

Today we took a trip to a town called Zamora. We didn't leave until 3:30 pm, so we had the whole morning to relax. It was so nice!

Lunch today: arroz con pimientos, bacon y alcachofa.

Rice with peppers, bacon, and artichoke.

Rodd's favorite meal so far. :)

Zamora is about an hour from Salamanca. The drive is stunning. Rolling hills of green with perfect squares of yellow flowers. Nothing really special or different, just gorgeous countryside. Zamora is a little bigger than Salamanca and is known for its 27 Romanesque churches and cathedrals.

This is the picture I took from the bus... It's not very good so I looked for another online...

I found this one online. This is what the countryside outside of Salamanca looks like.

Rolling hills of green with squares of yellow flowers. So gorgeous!!

 One thing I've loved is that atop of many of the churches, there are stork nests. They say the storks go south for the winter but have already returned, even though it has been cold still. If you look, you can see the three nests and a stork standing in each one. 

 Standing in front of one of the main cathedrals in Zamora.

Catedral de Zamora.

 An arch in front of the Catedral de Zamora.

 El castillo de Zamora (Zamora Castle)

 El castillo de Zamora (Zamora Castle)

Rodd really liked this castle because of the mote.

 El castillo de Zamora (Zamora Castle)

 Walking through the streets of Zamora.

Each building has it's own style and design. This was one of our favorites.

Stunning!

 We stopped to see this cathedral and there was a baby blessing taking place.

 There is a lot of romantic architecture (with the arches).

This was the entrance to one of the other cathedrals we saw.

Stone, Romanesque bridge in Zamora. 

Rodd loves bridges. :)

 City of Zamora.

 Another catedral.

 Plaza de Viriato.

I don't know what type of trees these are, but they have grafted the together to create a natural pergola.

All it needs is some twinkly lights! ;)

Streets of Zamora

Plaza Mayor, Zamora

 Panorama of the Plaza Mayor, Zamora

                                         Dinner: Tortilla española con ensalada

Rodd wasn't feeling well so I ate dinner by myself. He got a little dehydrated and went to bed early. He's been drinking more so he's feeling better. It was fun to travel outside of the city to see the countryside and another city. This region of Spain (Castile y León) is very green and beautiful. We've also been told its a great time to be here because of the flowers. It's been a little bit cold but is warming up every day. 

Tomorrow we have church and will get to attend the small branch in Salamanca. Can't wait!

Day 7: Free time... Por fin!

We had class today but we had the afternoon free. (Yea!) We came straight home and took a nap. It was so nice! Around 6pm,we went out to explore a different part of the city. We live half of a block from a very popular mall, El Corte Inglés. It's kind of like a big Sears. It has everything you could possibly need in one, gigantic store. Literally everything... there is even a grocery store in the basement.

This is a picture from my grammar class. Maestra: Consuelo (Comfort)

Lunch: ensalada de pasta con queso de Burgos maiz chope manzana

(Pasta with corn, ham, apple, and cheese from the city of Burgos)

El Corte Inglés

Gigantic mall in our neighborhood. This thing is gigantic and has 6 or 7 levels.

Cool, but we're not mall people... so we moved on. :)

We didn't spend much time there and wandered in a new direction. We found a park called Parke de Würzburg. It was so awesome! It was a park surrounded by outside exercise equipment... like a playground for adults! Where the adults exercise while their kids play... it was one of the coolest things I've seen so far! We loved it!

Rodd at the entrance to Parque de Würzburg.

 Outside exercise stations surrounding the park. There were tons of old people going around the stations exercising and doing the activities... I loved this!

 Sidewalks with all of the exercise equipment... I wish we had this in Utah!!

 They had a big swing that was like a big saucer... it made me want one in our yard! 

It looks like a hammock!

The people we are living with keep telling us that people do not spend much time inside of their houses. Typically, their flats are small and don't have any patio space so everyone just hangs out outside for the entire evening. Literally, people are just sitting around outside all evening... its awesome.

We made it back around 9:00 pm for dinner and had fish... yummy! The last few meals have had a side of fresh tomatoes... I keep telling Rodd that by the end of the trip he'll like tomatoes... he might even crave them! (but probably not. :)

Dinner: pescado panga con pimientos y tomate.

Another really awesome day. Now that we've discovered the outside gym, we hope to start to get to bed earlier so we can integrate that into our morning. The culture here is a lot more laid back. Looking at the people and their lifestyle, there is a much higher quality of life. I mean, really... who wouldn't love to have a 3 hour siesta in the middle of the day to eat lunch at home, spend time with family, and relax? It's been a good reminder to slow down and enjoy life for the little things.