Zombie Bar Hopping

Eventually...we woke up. Well, at least Melinda and Maria did. Ian and Amelie only earned a C+ in awakeness. Yes, you can be graded on vacation...especially when you meet one’s Professor for drinks on the plaza.

It was a treat for Maria to listen and speak Spanish once again (at this point much more listening than speaking.) The mind is an amazing thing. Maria hasn’t been in Spain since 1994, and then only for a few days. Yet the idioms, vocabulary, and lisp remain familiar in the back of her mind.

We met Melinda’s professor from SLU Madrid for drinks. We discussed politics, touched on literature, and shared some memories. We talked a bit of our plans for the coming days. The kids barely remained awake. Maria and Melinda stood strong and hemos tapeado (a verb meaning to drink and eat appetizers, “tapas”...We heart España.

So, Day 1 and we have completed:
1) Drank Tinto de Verano (summer wine)
2) Ate Tortilla Española (an egg and potato omelettey thing, yet better than any omelette out there and is often eaten by spreading onto bread)
3) Found a Menina in the plaza
4) Drank beer at one of the many bars in which Hemingway did drink.

We think the movie filming near us *may* be the new Terminator movie. Stay tuned for Melinda’s possible entry into the Hollywood scene...just in case it happens, she’s wearing her sunglasses, even indoors, these days.Read more