Happy 4th of July! It's a little weird not having parades and fireworks everywhere, but I have a celebration of my own to attend to: my arrival in León, Spain!
But before I get into that, here's a quick recap of what I've been up to the last two weeks while running around Europe. I started in Rome with my parents, sister Rachel, grandparents and cousin Charlie and his fiancee, Sarah, where we ate pasta until our faces turned blue, and ran up and down the Spanish Steps thirty gazillion times (my butt really hurt after that one). Then we got on a cruise for the Ofer wedding heading towards Nice. The wedding was like nothing I have ever seen before- six hundred people from around the world on a boat with the best food, dancing, music, and a surprise stop in Portofino! After three days of heavy celebrating and shmoozing, we got off in Nice, France.
Nice was absolutely gorgeous (just ask my Dad watching all the topless women on the beach!) Rachel, and I rollerbladed along the boardwalk, and then enjoyed long walks in the cobblestone alleys, and delicious croissants and fried eggs on the street corners. On our first night there, we drove to Monaco and had dinner right next to the Monte Carlo Casino! I was secretly hoping Daniel Craig was going to bust into dinner in a tuxedo and do some crazy ninja moves. He didn't....
Anyways, after Nice we flew to Barcelona where I was able to brush up on my Spanish a bit before meeting my host family. We toured all around the city, seeing some wacky Gaudi architecture and shopping in some of the most unique stores I have ever seen. We finished off our stay with an early (well, 9:30) dinner in a popular nightclub, and then prepared to head up to León!
Ok, so that wasn't exactly a quick recap, but now we get to the point of this blog: my stay in Spain! I arrived at around two thirty this afternoon, and was greeted by a jumping and waving Conchi (the mom) and her two kids (Diego, 19, y Cristina, 16). Antonio (the dad) was also there waiting to help me with my three huge bags that clearly contained way too many clothes for four weeks. Conchi and Antonio drove my family and I to the hotel where parents and Rachel would be staying for the night, and then took us out to their favorite restaurante for lunch.
Oh my god, do the Spanish know how to eat! I felt like I had three dinners....and then the main course! And for dessert, Conchi decided it would just be a good idea to order one of everything, and we're talking about fifteen different pastries, chocolates and custards. It took a good eight hours to come out of my food coma and even think about another meal (which, as you might guess, was also very large). This is going to be an interesting month...
So after eating ourselves sick, we were treated to a mini tour of the city of León, which is absolutely beautiful! Mixed in with thousand-year old churches and a few Gaudi buildings were dozens of cafes, restaurants and boutiques that lined the cobblestone streets. We ran into lots of family friends; it seems like everyone knows everyone and their brother in this city! On our walk, which lasted about five hours, I got to know the family better and get more accustomed to the city. My Spanish definitely needs work, but the family is soo nice and welcoming- I am definitely excited to stay here for a month!
We stopped and had coffee at around 8:00, and then headed to their house to get settled. They live in a neighborhood complete with a pool, clubhouse and gym, as well as tennis and paddle-ball courts. We walked around the neighborhood for about an hour, had another drink, and finally came back for dinner around 11:00 (gotta love the Spain schedule!)
Dinner was delicious and consisted of a salad, tortilla Española, fresh bread, cheeses, and dried meats. Oh, and by the way, they have a pig's leg in their kitchen. Yes, a full on pig's leg. You just slice off a piece and voilá! Lunch. I think I should name him....maybe Pablo. Pablo tasted good.
My parents and sister finally left the house after dinner, and I was left to fend for myself in Spanish, oy! Everyone speaks so quickly- I'm not sure my brain even operates in English at that speed. Hopefully as I get settled, my Spanish will improve.
Everyone is gathered around their living room now, drinking warm milk and watching Spanish sitcoms, so that's all for now. In the next couple days I'll try to figure out how to post pictures on here.
¡Hasta Luego!
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