Scorched Sunsets on a Salted Isle...

A post from what seems like ages ago... enjoy.

Cam and Pep shadowed by a Sicilian Sunset.


Benefits of being living in Madrid.  Going to Sicily.
As much of a hassle RyanAir can be... you really cannot be their prices... And as much of a hassle Italian language can be.... you really can beat the sea air, the wine, the people, the pizza, and the gelato..... God the Gelato.


I suppose I should start at the airport, where this trip almost got halted instantly.  I had a rookie traveler moment and lost track of my passport.... my less than legal passport... thru the security checkpoint.  I swore that I had it in my pocket but somehow by some twisted act of fate, it ended up in the pocket of our local friendly 'Guardia Civil' agent.  So the picture is me, pacing around the Barajas Airport security checkpoint, patting all my pockets,  checking my bag, cursing in English and Spanish, swearing that I just had my passport.  I ask the guy checking the x-ray screen if he had seen an idiot's passport lying around on the conveyor belt.  He points me to the Guardia Civil agent.  My heart drops.  Joder.  For those of you new to the Spanish federal law enforcement agencies, Guardia Civil is a little mix of the FBI and local Police, but most importantly they also play the role of the INS (La Migra). 


As if I didn't have a plane to catch, I walk over to the agent as calmly as I can.  He's busy on the phone.  I try to get his attention, he looks me up and down and returns to his conversation.  So as I stand 4 feet from him, waiting impatiently for a flight to catch, he continues to talk to his other Guardia Civil buddy about his upcoming weekend family get together.  I don't think he knew I could understand him, but he's also Spanish, so he probably didn't care.  He hangs up, and I throw on my best American tourist spanish, praying that he just looks at my ID page, and goes no further to my visas.  Flips through it, gives a quick glance at my bloated Passport photo, gives a double take, asks where I'm from, "California", flips to my visa pages, clearly doesn't really look at the dates... hands me back the single most important document someone abroad needs.  I walk back to Pepper and Camilla holding my bag and coat.  Situation downgraded from Defcon 2 to 4.  Lets go catch a Sicilian plane.


We arrive in Trapani, Sicily to a sleepy little village just big enough to be called a town nestled  into one of the small harbors around 10ish.  Me and my two traveling companions are eager to find our hostel/apartment to put our bags down and maybe 'mangiare' on some awesome cuisine.  One problem, none of us brought a map, or address to our hostel.... this trip is littered with rookie traveler mistakes....  We go into scramble mode and thankfully are saved by our flatmates back in Spain who text us our destination.  (I dropped the ball on this one)... End up in the living room of a 70 year old Sicilian lady, sweet as can be, but spoke not a lick of English, nor us any Sicilian.  We work it all out and we do get into our apartment/hostel.  The next few days are filled with flavorful pizzas, crazy rides in cars with Sicilian Pizza mom's,  sunsets on a salt crusted seaside,  ad hoc jazz clubs, and a foggy evening in a mountain village called Erice (E-ree-che).  The Sicilian people are wonderful and life seems to take an even slower step compared to Spain, which is saying something.  


The countdown continues when baby boy arrives, Sara and I are waiting impatiently, but in the same moment, are enjoying these last weeks of full nights rest.  Call or email to catch up say hi....


"And the adventure continues."
-Angelo A. Austin


-Lo






 

Triptophantopia...

This is a post that has been a long time coming... as it is almost two months old... but you can insert a cliche here about procrastination... and that will make it all better....

 Alex checking to make sure beast is in fact dead...


Notwithstanding, according to most American surveyed state that, Thanksgiving is the crown jewel of American holidays (I don't know if this is proper use of 'Notwithstanding', but reread the sentence... it just seems to fit just right).  El Gran Salon is not a flat to let an opportunity such as this pass us by.  So we ate turkey....  What more do you want... a long drawn out tale of how:  1: Alex and I had to go find a 2nd turkey since the Spainard at the market downstairs gave some BS excuse at how he could not get another turkey... after he promised me the day before, not even 15 hours prior... that we were just fine.... or 2: how we spent two days cooking some of the most wonderful stuffing, succulent, constantly basted turkeys this side of the Canary Islands...or 3: how we spent the night relishing in our Americana, introducing the several non-americans to the ritual of engrossing ourselves in the richest and most flavorful food that we, as Americans have to offer.... yes we did all 3 and did them to such a degree that all patrons were not only surprised but overflowed with bounty...

Ravaged bounty.

All brought additions to the feast,  such as the tradition requires.  Mashy Mashed Potatoes, Cranned Cranberry Sauce, Breaded Bread, Greened Greeny Salad, Aptly Appled Pies, and Creamy Creamed Desserts...and None forgot their plate, and although 4ths were available, no one took the opportunity...

Bottled and Boxed wines flowed like wine and all were glad to take their fill... a Power Point presentation of how Thanksgiving began was showed by Alex and myself... in order to inform the non-Americans of how this tradition came to be....  But since the actual version of the story is boring and oxy-moronic, we decided to misinform our guests and entertain them all the same... details are lost somewhere  between the triptophan and the stuffing but the bottom line was that the turkey's are responsible for the mass Native American exodus on the North American continent... and not Expansionist America... hence it is the most hated of all winged creatures.... and it is the reason why we try to eradicate them every 4th week in November.... we have yet to succeed, but be damned if we don't give it our best shot every year!

Not to make this my soapbox, but I mean, much truth is made in jest....
 
So, Turkeyday came and went... Tummys full and warm... Sweet tooths just whetted for the even more lavish holidays of the upcoming season... people succumb to the Curse of the Turkey... by falling to sleep within 25 minutes of consuming the beast... dangerous on so many levels...  Many 1st Thanksgiving Dinners for international attendees and I believe 'El Gran Salon' pulled it off quite nicely... many thanks to all who attended and contributed their efforts to the great feast...

Another victim of the Turkey Curse

More posts to come... See you then!
-Lo

"I love Thanksgiving turkey... it's the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts."
-Arnold Schwarzenegger

The one post you want to read.

So, I have taken a hiatus from blogging.  I still hate that word.  Its been over a month since my last post.... Yes, I still have a Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's post that I would like to put up....and I will get to those... but first, I have another story to tell...

So, one time there was this awesome American who met another awesome American in Spain....[insert cliche comment like 'Boy meets Girl' 'Crazy European Summers' ' Spanish Wine' ' Birds and the Bees' , Etc..] ... and now, I'm gonna be a New Dad starting this April!... (take time to read that again if you would like).

Some of you may already know this, some of you may not... but for those of you who actually read this (I think there are about 2 of you), I thought it would be irreverent to leave you out of such juicy details, although I gave you no details at all.  And no, this is not a test to see how long I could pull your chain... I'm gonna be a Dad!

That's really making a long story short.  But for all of you that are dying to know, I will be heading back to the States in February, not sure where for the long term or the short term that matter... all I know is that I have to go to St. Louis to hangout with a futbolista (Sara says el bebe has quite the boot)... and no, we don't know whether its a boy of a girl... but I know that is one of the first burning questions.

Me watching Rudolph in preparation.

If you have more questions, you can leave a comment, email me, call me, skype me, gchat me, or send a postcard and I will try to field it... in the meantime, I will be enjoying my last days here in Spain and hopefully get some good posts up before I leave on an even bigger adventure...

-Lo


"Live as if you'll die tomorrow, Learn as if you'll live forever." -Ghandi