Spain - We can't wait to go back!

Blayne posing next to Rodin's Thinker

A pueblos blancos

We spent several days in Cadiz, Spain because that is where our niece, Blayne, was living and studying (she is now back home in Gig Harbor, Washington). We have always gotten by in any culture or any country with limited language, pointing and smiling skills.  Our adventure in Spain was fantastic and a much richer experience because Blayne is fluent in Spanish. It was fun to watch her communicate so seamlessly with everyone we came in contact with. We were quite impressed.   For the most part, David and I would explore during the day when Blayne was at school and then we would meet up in the afternoon or evening. In our rental car, David and I would head out to explore towns and villages throughout Spain.  On these drives, we saw many pueblos blancos (white towns of Andalusia).  We would be driving on these country roads and up would sprout a white village in the midst of a sea of green.  We drove through several of them and they were very quaint. One day, we headed to Ronda with its many steep cliff faces.  We walked through a park that overlooked a huge valley.  A woman was playing her guitar and singing.  It was a beautiful setting. Most evenings we would meet up with Blayne for drinks and tapas. Our goal was to try as many different tapas as possible in the short time that we were there.  Another fun experience was having lunch at Blayne’s host home, where we met her host mom, Carmen, and her host sister, Michella.  Blayne had told us what a fantastic cook Carmen was and that was no exaggeration.  We had also heard about the large quantities of food she prepared.  She didn’t want Blayne and Michella to become malnourished.  No worries there.  There was enough food to feed an army. We knew that Carmen spoke Spanish.  I don’t know Spanish and David only knows a bit. But no worries there – Blayne was fluent in Spanish. What we didn’t know was that Blayne had told her mom that I spoke French.  Throughout the afternoon, Carmen tried to engage me in French conversation.  I actually took French thoughout college, but I won’t bother to tell you how many “decades” ago that was.  By the end of the afternoon, however, I was quite proud of the French that I actually could speak and understand.   Another delightful culinary experience was having churros and tea/coffee at a local café. Now we’re not talking Taco Bell churros.  These were snake-like deep-fried something or others that one dipped into a chocolate pudding.  Yummy!  I’m still craving them.  On the last day of our time with Blayne, we headed down to the Cadiz waterfront where we were able to admire the yellow-domed Cathedral of Cadiz.  The view was simply stunning. From there we headed to Jerez de la Frontera where we sampled local sherry at a distillery.  That evening, we put Blaynie on a train back to Cadiz and said farewell to our fun time with her and the beautiful Spain.  Thanks, Blayne, for sharing yourself and your temporary home with us.

Blayne and Tammy waiting for Churros

Cathedral of Cadiz

David and Tammy at Ronda, Spain