My first Saturday in Spain was well spent! We woke up late today, I spent the morning reading, and then I was told we were leaving the house at 1:30 pm. I got to Skype with Katie (hi kimmy ily) quick and got ready for whatever the family had planned for me today.
Our first stop was Plaza Mayor for tapas and drinks. I wasn’t sure what the custom was so I ordered a coffee, thinking that since it’s almost lunch time, the typical drink is coffee. Turns out, I was wrong. A quick glance around the plaza and with advice from Rosa, I learned that midday drinks are alcoholic – wine, beer, or cocktails. I also had no idea what the waiter was asking me about tapas, so Rosa ordered me something, which happened to be some sort of fish that I tried, but am not a fan of. Rosa told me that most of the people that were in the Plaza were tourists to Tordesillas.
Second stop was Juanjo’s parent’s house for family lunch. I met his brother, sister-in-law, sister, parents, and his nieces. Paoula (could be spelling this wrong) is 11 and she’s in my Tuesday sixth grade class. She was so cute & shy to speak English. Elena is 2 and she stared at me for the majority of the afternoon and finally warmed up towards the end. They get together every Saturday for lunch and live right around the corner from us! Paoula and I played board games and Juanjo’s father showed me his stamp and coin collections. I had such a lovely afternoon at their house!
Third stop was a small town (called a “pueblo”) not too far from Tordesillas called Urueña, known as “El Pueblo de Libro” = “The Town of Books” because there are 12 bookstores and only 189 people that live in the town. It’s within castle walls and was so beautiful to see. It’s situated on top of a hill where you can see flat green fields for MILES. The weather was incredible and we walked along the top of the castle walls and through the streets to see the church. The houses in the pueblo are made of adobe bricks – water, mud, and hay. A lot of them have caved in over the years and are, not surprisingly, for sale. It was very windy but we took a selfie on top of the wall!
I’ve added more pictures to the photos page too 🙂
Fourth stop was San Cebrián de Mazote, another pueblo (this one with 140 residents) to see the Iglesia de San Cipriano. The origin of the church is unknown, but it was reconstructed in the 10th century – incredibly old!! Unfortunately, we couldn’t go in but Rosa and Juanjo said they’re going to take me back when we can because the style of the church is very unique and something I should see.
Fifth stop was another pueblo, Torrelobatón with 425 residents!! Essentially NYC!! This time it was to see the Castillo de los Enríquez, which was built in 1420. It was huge and also situated on top of a hill. On the 23rd of April, there’s a large Renaissance faire in the pueblo. We’re going to go to the faire and to see the inside of the castle because it was closed. I can’t get over how small these pueblos are and how much history there is here. America is essentially a newborn baby compared to these pueblos!
Our final stop was back to Plaza Mayor in Tordesillas. I seem to have the timing off for everything because, per Juanjo and Rosa’s insistence, I ordered a glass of wine, but no one else in the Plaza was drinking wine!! Ay carumba! I just have to do it backwards next time and hopefully I should be good to go.
We had pizza for dinner and watched Ocean’s 8 as a family. Juanjo wanted me to see this Spanish movie and we started watching, but the actors were speaking way too fast so I couldn’t understand. Unfortunately, they didn’t have subtitles, so we switched to Ocean’s 8 instead, which was great! I really can’t believe how lucky I am to have such a wonderful host family and I know I say it nearly every day, but it’s true! I’m honestly shocked I haven’t been homesick yet, considering my last time in Spain when I cried for a week straight and couldn’t eat a single thing. I do miss everyone at home though – can y’all move here so I can stay forever?? K thanks!!
Adios! Buenas noches! 🙂
aventuras de alyssa 