Week 48

By Aaron

Lost in Translation: As we near the end, we've been clearing out our drawers and attempting to sell some of the bigger possessions we've acquired.  After posting ads on nearly every available platform (Wallapop, the Segundo Mano Facebook group, a random circus listserv), Paloma mentioned that she had a friend who may need a unicyclist to perform at an event.  Several connections down the line later, Joni finally got in touch with the friend of a friend of a friend and learned that there was no longer a need for a performer.  The woman that contacted her, however, said that she would like to buy the unicycle!  Joni informed the woman that she would be at the house the next day until 5:30 in the afternoon.  Then, of course, the potential buyer didn't come.  She was then going to stop by on Saturday, but ended up going to Valencia.  We'll see if this unicycle ever truly gets sold.

Exploring the City: Keeping with our recent theme of packing a lot in, this week was full of events both familiar and completely novel.  First, we said goodbye to friends at our weekly language exchange that, in the summer, meets in our beloved Retiro.  The farewell had an air of coming full circle, as we gave besos to Marli, the woman who first welcomed us into her home back in July of 2016.  Next up we completed our final choir concert, held in a unique church that opens it's doors 24 hours to serve Madrid's homeless population (Real Iglesia de San Antón).  It was the most decked out sanctuary I've ever seen, from the cardboard cutout of the pope, to the TV monitors reflecting the live stream on the church website, to the charging stations setup in the back.  We were blessed to have several friends in attendance during our final bow with Coro Xenakis, and enjoyed a nice post-concert meal at Tierra Burrito with the lovely people we've enjoyed singing with these past 5 months.

Coro Xenakis

On Saturday, Joni was able to check something off of her Madrid bucket list. After our picnic lunch with Ben, Cat, and Violet, Joni and Cat rented a row boat on the Retiro "lake." Despite the hot sun, they had a great time rowing around the small tourist-filled pool.

 

Always a city with something new to discover, Madrid gifted us with some different experiences to close out our last two weeks.  Perhaps the most baffling thing we've dabbled in during the entire year presented itself in the form of semi-professional wrestling.  Our friend Matt invited us to this event that takes place in a multipurpose warehouse in the sprawling Tabacalera art gallery. Since it was both free and an endlessly intriguing prospect of how to spend an early Saturday evening, we accepted.  And it was basically what you'd picture when you think of WWE in the United States, just on a much smaller scale.  Maybe 200 people crowded around the wrestling ring as fighter after fighter paraded out of a doorway to the sound of their respective signature entry song.  Each person inhabited a character - ranging from the mildly offensive Italian chef whose prop was a loaf of bread, to the gray-haired man pushing 60 dressed as a knight, to the typical Spanish bartender who passed out beer to the crowd and then proceeded to use his bucket to bludgeon opponents.  The stunts were more impressive than I'd imagined for such a small setting, and there was more than a little concern for the safety of these men as they flew out of the ring to pile onto a laid out opponent on the concrete floor.  I still sort of can't believe we witnessed this in person, and we'll both remember it for years to come!

   

We took full advantage of two different Disney-related activities this week.  On Thursday we returned to Teatro Circo Price (of week 22 fame) and listened to the orchestra from the Reina Sofia School of Music play through a selection of Disney music. Complete with a screen showing clips of films, and a curious narrator bedecked in themed costumes who set the scene (At least I think that's what she was doing...it was all in Spanish), the night was magical.  Then, on Saturday we journeyed to Parque Tierno Galván to take in a screening of the new live action Beauty and the Beast - also, of course, in Spanish.  This event took place in a park that used to serve as the turnaround point for my morning run (before it was too hot to walk, let alone run), and I always thought that the amphitheater seemed like it could be put to use.  We were joined by several TtMadrid classmates, and this served as a mini farewell for our group of August 2016 grads.  It was wonderful to spend time with these people again, and we hope that our paths will cross somewhere down the line!

Disney Around the World Concert with Isa and Alex.

Parque Tierno Galaván

Mini-TtMadrid August 2016 reunion to watch Beauty and the Beast.

And just when it seemed like our intra-Spain travel was through, this past Sunday we boarded a plane to meet my parents in Barcelona, then Emily came to join us on Monday.  We had a few fun-filled days, repeating some of the things we had done back in October along with some of the hundreds of possibilities this seaside Mediterranean city has to offer.  Familiar sightings of the Font Mágica (a favorite of Joni's), Las Ramblas and the Boqueria market, the beach, Park Guell, and the Sagrada Familia all took us back to our first overnight trip away from Madrid.  Most things appeared relatively unchanged, but we were struck with how many differences we perceived with Gaudi's famously ongoing Sagrada Familia.  It makes sense that 8 months difference would yield noticeable results, as the target completion date is 2026, but it was pretty impressive to think on the nature of this massive undertaking.

   

   

One of our two full days in the city was spent on a day trip to the picturesque Montserrat.  Nestled high in the hills northwest of Barcelona, this 1100-year-old monastery and basilica was founded after someone beheld a vision of a virgin in a cave near the site.  We took about every mode of transit possible to get to the important religious site - metro to commuter train to cable car to funicular rail and then a semi-grueling walk to get to the cave.  I can't imagine who decided it was a good idea to build such an imposing structure in such an inconvenient location, let alone how on earth the construction played out without the benefit of modern technology, but it was a beautiful sight to see.

   

Memorable Meal: Joni posited that this week we had perhaps the best Spanish meal during our time in Spain.  This came in Barcelona after our ride back from Montserrat, atop Las Arenas (the former bull ring that is now a mall). After perusing the variety of options for rooftop dining, we settled on a business pushing Spanish fare.  At first Joni was resigned to seeking out whatever potato dish filled the menu, but we ended up ordering a sampler of the following: olive medley, eggplant chips with honey, grilled vegetables, chicken croquettes, sauteed green peppers, Spanish tortilla, and cheesy pesto fries.  These things are typically available at a lot of Spanish establishments, but rarely (if ever) do we diverge from the standard of patatas bravas and some innocuous egg dish that usually turned out to be runny (Joni does not approve).  Oh, and to top off the meal, our waiter brought out chupitos (shots) of a coffee-liqueur.  Truly a great way to end our lukewarm love affair with the Iberian peninsula! Unless we have more luck with Portuguese cuisine...

Final Notes: That's right, after a whirlwind tour of Barcelona we are off to a new country. Lisbon, Portugal will be our destination for the next two days before we return for a few days to Madrid.  Then, on Wednesday July 5th, we say our parting words to Spain and start a 26 day journey to Goshen, Indiana.  Goshen?  Yes, you read correctly, we finally have a landing point after our adventure in Spain!  Joni got a job as an EL (English Language) teacher at Waterford Elementary School. While it's nice to know where we're headed, the unfortunate part is that we will have to transition very quickly from the European lifestyle, as the job begins on July 31st! We'll be flying to Phoenix on July 25th to gather our car that has been stored there for the past year, and then we will have to drive the 30 some hours to Indiana and hope that we aren't too jet-lagged to spend hours in the car. Luckily we have friends in Goshen to help make the transition a little easier, and family is not too far away either.

Week 47

By Aaron

Exploring the City:
In an effort to beat the summer heat and spend some quality time with a friend, Joni, Teresa and I sought refuge in Los Alpes - an ice cream parlor near the school where our choir rehearses.  El País, one of the big newspapers in Spain, published an article about the best shops in Madrid, which we of course saw as a challenge.  Joni and Teresa absconded to Horchatería Alboraya, another joint on the list, a bit later in the week.  We'll see if we can't knock off a few others before we depart!
Apart from ice cream, our week was pretty full of new experiences. First up was a brief trip to the suburban community of Aranjuez.  A mere 30 minute train ride from Atocha, this sleepy town boasts a royal palace that rivals Madrid's own palace in both scale and grandeur but NOT in tourist traffic.  We were the first people in the palace at 10 AM, and at times it felt as if the guards were only there to serve us (well, actually, more like keep us from breaking anything, but still!).  

The train station is beautiful!

The Royal Palace of Aranjuez

After the palace visit we hopped aboard the "chiquitren" - a souped up golf cart made to resemble a tiny (street legal?) train.  It was nice to be out of the sun as we wound our way through the town and the large park grounds reminiscent of Retiro.  We hadn't really heard anyone talk up Aranjuez, but it was a lovely place to visit for a day.

The Chiquitren

The following day brought us on a bit longer trip by bus to Salamanca.  The two-hour ride (that ended up taking 3+ hours on the way there!) terminated in the city that plays host to Spain's oldest university.  Even more than other cities we've seen, the streets of Salamanca's historic center seemed crammed together to the point where many majestic buildings revealed only the peaks of their spires.  That was not the case for the old and new cathedrals, which lie at the edge of a square fit for gawking.  One notable feature of the new cathedral is that a small figure of an astronaut is carved into the side of an arch near the main doorway.  Sadly, this was an addition long after the discovery of space flight, and thus not a prescient vision of a long-dead artist.
Salamanca was nice, and definitely had a lot of history, but it was incredibly hot.  This limited the amount of walking we could do, which tends to be our favorite activity in any new place, so I think we probably missed out on something.  I'm glad to have gone, however, and it was just kind of cool to walk the streets and ponder how many thousands of people had done the same, in pursuit of the universe's mysteries.

  

Plaza Mayor

   

Roman Bridge

A view of the Salamanca Cathedral 

We found another "Chiquitren!" Except this one was just called a train tour. How boring.

 

We enjoyed eating vegetarian tapas, and making many ice cream stops on this extra hot day!

 

Can you spot the astronaut on the cathedral?

We left Madrid's center behind once again on Sunday, on a chartered bus headed toward the annual church picnic!  A couple from our church lives in a house (a house!) in Los Molinos, and graciously hosted the gathering despite having plans of their own to relocate to the United States this summer.  It was a great time of fellowship, food and even singing around the keyboard that our music director brought along.

Upon our return to Madrid, we had about an hour before marching ourselves over to join María in a surprise birthday party she threw for Alex.  It was our first Spanish surprise party, and we had a great time!  Alex was quite surprised and, though she reiterated how she generally does not like surprises, it seemed like she was enjoying herself.  Oh, and María put together a delicious spread of hummus, Spanish tortilla, a divine date pastry, chips and salsa, cheesecake, olives, chorizo and sangria. Feliz cumpleaños indeed!

As our countdown to departure begins, we are frantically trying to squeeze in as many last things as we can (both new and old!).  On Wednesday we hit up our favorite recurring entertainment option and saw TWO cheap movies at Cine Princesa. American Pastoral (period piece with an interesting story that maybe worked better as a novel) was good, and Get Out (psychological thriller replete with bitingly subtle racial commentary) was absolutely fantastic.  María and Alex came with us to Get Out, and then we hit up the famed El Jardín Secreto for (one last?!) sublimely sugary lemonade.

Memorable Meal: 
Part of our Madrid bucket list was to indulge in one last menú del dia.  With the endless dining options in this city, it was no easy task to choose just one place, but we ultimately opted for El Azul.  I passed this small place on the walk to one of my classes each week, and the food looked as delicious as the decor was quaint.  I ordered the chicken curry wrap and Joni got the squash tart.

Maybe the best part of our time in Salamanca was the vegetarian tapas at Café Atelier.  This is definitely the most creative tapas offerings I've ever seen, and Joni would probably submit that they were the most delectable as well. We had a quinoa veggie burger, a "boat" filled with tofu and grilled vegetables, wheatballs, and carrot lasagna to accompany our giant glasses of lemonade and sangria. 

En la clase:

Joni and I had our last classes this week - both as Spanish students and English teachers.  It was bittersweet on both accounts, and I know we are both hoping to keep in touch with Paloma and various students of our own.  We made peanut butter no-bake cookies to celebrate, and were reminded again that Spaniards are woefully under-served when it comes to peanut butter consumption.  We'll leave this section with a kind quote from one of Joni's students: "Thank you for your patience, and thank you for making me feel like I belong in this class. At first I felt like my level was way too low to be in this class, but you showed me I could do it."

Final Notes: 
We've got our final choir concert, last weekend in Madrid, last basketball match, and last Sunday in church coming up in the next 10 + days (along with countless other things that I will find to obsess over...last metro ride, last flight out of Madrid, last visit to the grocery store and our favorite fruit stand!!!).  Along with those lasts we are excited to be embarking on a month long stretch before ultimately landing back in the US.  First, we will fly to Barcelona to meet my family, and travel on with them to Lisbon and back to Madrid.  Then, a few days later, we will be off on a crazy trip that lands in: Hamburg, Berlin, Oslo, Sunndalsøra, Copenhagen, London, Edinburgh, Reykjavik, Washington DC and Phoenix before finally collecting our car and driving to the Midwest.  It is sure to be an amazing time, and hopefully not too fraught with travel stress or worries about the future. 

Week 46

By Aaron

Lost in Translation: Last week after parting ways with Cat and Violet, Joni and I stepped into a crowded terminal in Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport.  All of a sudden, as if the sound was catching up to us after a time warp, a wave of intelligible cacophony came crashing in around us.  We could understand everything everyone was saying, and it just seemed so loud!  Our Spanish is improving, but is nowhere near a level where we can make out even a fraction of an informal conversation swirled around us in public.  Shortly after this, we very blatantly ignored a man trying to sell us a credit card giving him the same "Can't you tell I'm not from here?" shrug that does the trick in Spain.  After this re-acclimation period, we made a smooth transition back into our mother tongues and carried on without much trouble the remainder of our trip.

Exploring the City: As I noted on the previous blog entry, Joni and I spent about four days in Phoenix (Arizona) gathering with family and remembering my grandmother who passed away at the end of May. Though the reason for the trip was somber, I think we followed Grandma Yost’s request that her life be celebrated and not mourned. A theme for the week was doing things that grandma liked to do and go places she used to frequent routinely. This included a trip to see the Arizona Diamondbacks in their expansive indoor/outdoor stadium entertainment plex, swimming in grandma’s pool, playing a massive game of pounce, eating at Sweet Tomatoes, Boston Market, Rafael’s Pizza, and even shopping at her neighborhood Fry’s grocery. Grandma always had the best snacks; chocolate covered blueberries, cashew clusters, Cheez-Its, Capri Suns, shoe-fly pie, and tree juice from the orange trees in the yard - all of this was on hand as many relatives popped in and out of the house on North 8^th Avenue. This visit marked the first time our extended Yost family gathered in full for the first time since the four new spouses were welcomed into the fold, and we enjoyed the time catching up with cousins we see far too infrequently. It was a reminder of how blessed I am to have amazing people in my life, and I feel emboldened to stay better connected to everyone in the absence of our matriarch to bring us all together.

   

Can you spot jet-lagged Joni? 

In her defense, it was about 7 in the morning Madrid time.

We all had fun surprising Daniel and Jerod with a trip to the game - they just thought we were going out to eat at a place that served hot dogs and hamburgers!

 

 

Aaron and Isaac's unplanned opposite matching outfits!

The whole family together :)

 

Moments of sharing at the beautifully planned memorial service for Grandma Yost, that was truly a celebration of her amazing life!

Memorable Meal: A place that will always bring me fond memories of Grandma Yost is Sweet Tomatoes.  This buffet chain is possibly my favorite restaurant, and always a danger to my health.  Despite serving a range of healthy items, Sweet Tomatoes is a buffet…and everything is amazing!  Thus, I’m usually left feeling overly stuffed after functioning within a framework of scarcity mentality (I’ve never lived closer than about 200 miles from a location!) to get as much enjoyment out of the food as possible. The salad bar, with it’s selection of seasonal salads and a large selection of topping choices for creating your own alternate lettuce party, could be a restaurant in its own right.  But then you move on to the hot bar and are greeted with an overwhelming display of soups (curried carrot was my choice this time), pizza, focaccia bread, baked potato bar, muffins (blueberry, strawberry, coconut), pasta, fruit, cottage cheese, and then soft serve ice cream and chocolate lava cake for dessert. I can barely carry on writing as the sensory experience rushes back to me!  Including drinks, a group of five cousins consumed 55 dishes of food and drink. I have zero regrets.

 

Who’s Coming to Dinner: For the past few weeks, we’ve had a throng of construction people working around and above our apartment and the roof of the adjoining church. At first the men were mainly on our roof and out of sight.  But as the heat has increased (and, who knows, the project has progressed) these gents have descended to the semi-cool confines of the gap between the two buildings.  The scaffolding is at the perfect level so that, at the right moment, we can sit at the table and see eye to eye during meals.  It’s not too invasive, but with the escalating temperatures and our lack of A/C I have been known to walk about the apartment with a good deal less clothing than I’d wear to venture out in public. The noise of drills and hammers has put a bit of a kink in our otherwise quiet top-of-the-building view, and has resulted in scaring away the flock of pigeons that used to come sun themselves in the morning.

Final Notes: As I mentioned, the struggle to persevere through the beginning of a Spanish summer has begun. Surely this would be difficult regardless of our travel schedule, but the recent transcontinental jaunt has us battling jet-lag. It’s good that our schedules are growing increasingly sparse, as the afternoons tend to be dotted with accidental naps and the late late morning hours often have us restlessly discussing our fast approaching future. I’m happy to say that this disruption to our routine resulted in us finally purchasing plane tickets to return to the US - more on that in the coming weeks!