Tres platos

"It's really so much better if you eat with your hands..." –Sabrina

So you may be wondering how I survive here when it comes to eating. Well worry not, I am more than surviving, it's more like super living! I just spend the week in the south, the closest to the coast that we've gotten up to this point, and I thought I would share some of my delicious thoughts on the typical meals that we eat. Spain is famous for their seafood, which I have actually not had so much of. But, confession. My new favorite saying: No, no. Let's discuss this over a plate of swordfish.


Pretty isn't it? I was shocked that I liked it, actually. It doesn't actually taste that fishy, it's more of a light meat–really easy to cut, etc. Not like steak where you have to chew for 3 years before swallowing.

Food presentation is wonderful here. Colorful and enticing, and yet there aren't any inedible garnishes because there is no need. The food looks and smells good enough to eat without having to decorate it beforehand.

My lunch crew at Meson Andaluz. We have a great group!


This is me eating revueltos con setas y gambas in Sevilla. Translated, that equals "scrambled eggs with mushrooms and shrimp." It was pretty heavy, but good. I couldn't eat it all because there was so much.


And just to show you a few more of the typicals, these are fried zuccinni (SOOO good!), paella (notice that the critter still has head and legs intact), a typical dessert plate, and my arroz con leche (which might I add was to DIE FOR).






Now I'm sure you can see the reason why the first week I was here, I decided to run every day that we weren't traveling (3 to 4 times a week) so that I could actually eat here somewhat more guilt-free. I didn't think about the fact that I would also be more hungry every day after exercising for an hour; hence the cycle continues. But the food here is unreal. It's so much easier to eat vegetables, we aren't argentinian carnivores, but there is a lot of bread. I really feel like I'm in rehab after my first two years of college because I'm eating so well, sleeping very well (and more), and exercising. Moderation in all things.

But as for me and my house...pass the flan!

La casa del rey--El Palacio Real

"They say you think morals are pictures on walls and scruples is money in Russia." --Sabrina

Today I found myself in the Palacio Real, the Royal Palace in Madrid. We saw it from the outside a few weeks ago, but today we actually went inside. The quote from Sabrina is there solely because I wish to express that apart from Linus Larabee, I definitely can appreciate the architecture of this palace and the artistic elements therein.




Being as grandiose as it is (it is a palace, after all), of course it contains various touches from different countries and eras. For example: "...and to the left we have a beautiful chandelier built in the Rococo style..." or "...and this door frame was made from several different types of wood imported from France..."

But I have also decided that I wouldn't mind the idea of having one room for putting my silver, another for putting my crockery and chinaware, another for billiards (love that word), another for lounging, and even the longest dining table I've ever seen–with approximately 80 chairs. (Hey! Can you pass the bread???) However, I DEFINITELY would not mind having one room to display my 3 Stadivarius violins and my 2 Stradivarius cellos. Ash and Jess, I took a picture for you even though I wasn't supposed to. I apologize, but it was just too magnificent. I think the date on this one was 1709, but the other was from 1696. Several million dollars in that room, I imagine. Anyway, if anyone is offended by the illegality of my actions, you can talk to my father about the Anne Frank museum in the Netherlands.


And I just had to throw one in of Maddie and I in the metro station.


Although I am far, far from expert, I love visiting places like this because although I am very small, it makes me feel a part of something so much bigger.