The Rain in Spain...

Photo Fun #31 Winner

2012-02-20T20:25:00.000+01:00

Well, it's Monday once again, and here I am with the winner of Photo Fun #31.

This time around it was Erik, of American in Spain! He was spot-on with his guess that our mystery object was some sort of gadget for cutting the label off the top of a wine bottle to allow the cork to be removed. I actually wasn't sure if this gadget has an official name or not, so I hunted around on the internet a bit, and all I could find was the term "foil cutter". I thought it would have a cooler sounding name, but I guess not. However, I did find some very cool bottle openers out there, as well as some pretty wacky ones, like the bikini beer buddy that you can find on Design Swan. Okay, you can't open wine bottles with it...but, girls, won't all the guys at those poolside parties you go to be impressed when you pop open a beer with nothing but what's between your breasts?

That's definitely not for me, but hey, to each his own.

I may not open my beer in such a unusual way, but I do have this nifty little device for cutting the foil off wine bottles before taking the cork out. Necessary? No. But it is much neater than just ripping off the wrapper.

Foil cutter, bottom view.

Foil cutter, top view

And that's it for today, so now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go open up a nice bottle of red wine and make a toast to our winner. Cheers Erik!

Friday Photo Fun #31

2012-02-17T22:00:00.000+01:00

For once I'm right on time! So, are you ready for some Friday Photo Fun?

Well, Here's this week's mystery object:

You should all know what to do by now, but for any new visitors, here's how this game works: I post a close-up of an object, you guess what it is. If you are the first person to guess correctly, I'll link my big red button to your blog for a whole week. You can guess as many times as you like, and if you don't have a blog, you can still play, and if you win, I'll link to the page of your choice.

All you have to do is to leave your answer in the comment section of this blog. I won't accept guesses that are made on the Rain in Spain Facebook page, mostly because it gets too confusing to figure out the order of the comments. Hopefully, I'll find a way to allow Facebook comments on here soon, but until then you need to leave all guesses on this blog.

Oh, and remember, everyone who participates will be included in my next linky-love post, which will be after contest #40. So, even if you don't have a clue, take a wild guess...you've got nothing to lose.

Okay, go! And have a great weekend!

To Comment or Not to Comment...

2012-02-16T21:35:00.000+01:00

To comment, or not to comment...

That seems to be the question for many readers. What makes people leave a comment? Or, more importantly, what keeps them from leaving comments? Well, that's what I've been thinking about lately.

If you've popped in here in the past day or so, you might have noticed something strange going on with the comments on this blog.

No, it's not your imagination, and it's not because of any funny mushrooms you may have consumed lately (if you've been seeing unicorns or fairies you might want to start worrying, though).

It was just me, experimenting with the Disqus and Intense Debate commenting systems. I'm not really happy with the default Blogger comment system, although I do like the new threaded comments. But threaded comments just aren't good enough. Blogger doesn't allow people to comment using their Facebook or Twitter accounts, which is a big problem, because, let's face it, these days everyone is on Facebook and Twitter.

Okay, so you can leave anonymous comments, or even comment with any name you choose, but you have to go through the trouble of inputting that information, which a lot of people just don't want to do. And if you're perpetually signed into Facebook or Twitter, like me, and half the people on the planet, then nothing beats the ease of posting comments with just one click.

Okay, so we agree that having Facebook and Twitter functionality is important, but what's the best way?

If you use the Facebook comment plugin, you lose your Blogger comments, and it doesn't allow you to post with Google, Wordpress or Twitter. Or you could always have both, but then one set of comments sits on top of the other, and that's just awkward.

What to do?

At first, I thought of trying out a tabbed system, that would allow readers to choose between Blogger, Facebook, and Twitter comments, as explained on J.S. Blog Stop. I really liked the idea of being able to keep my Blogger comments, because a lot of my readers use Blogger, as well as adding the Facebook and Twitter options. But, after trying for several hours to set it up, there was no way I could get this working on my blog. This is not an easy system to use, because it involves tinkering with the blog template, and while I have done my share of that, I'm not a programmer, and even though I followed all the instructions, the tabs were just not showing up. When I get some more time, I may give it another try...because I'm stubborn like that.

So, I turned to Disqus. It seemed like a pretty good system, that allows you to import your old comments, so you won't lose the ones that are already on your blog. It also keeps Disqus comments synced with Blogger, so if you decide you want to switch back, you'll be able to take your Disqus comments with you. It's easy to install, all you need is to add the code they give you in a widget and you're done. So, I tried it, and it worked fine, except that Blogger's new threaded comments didn't import well, and replies to comments were just added as comments, so the whole thread structure is lost. It also doesn't have the Comment Luv plugin, which is something I really like. On the plus side, you can leave comments with your Google, Yahoo, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, and it also has the option of posting as a guest. I probably would have left it up, but I found it to be a little slow in loading, probably because the code is in a widget instead of being installed directly into the template.

Finally, I decided to try Intense Debate, to see if it was faster than Disqus. And I also wanted to try out the Comment Luv option. One thing that I really liked about Intense Debate was that it gave me the option to install it either by widget, or directly into my template for faster loading. The installation is just as easy as with Disqus, but with the second option, the comments load much faster. What I didn't like, and this is the reason I have removed it for now, was the fact that it doesn't allow you to sync your comments with Blogger, so if in the future I want to return to the Blogger commenting system, I would lose all the comments that were made while using the Intense Debate system. This is pretty much a deal breaker, because I don't want to be tied to a particular system, without having the option to change in the future.

So, to sum up...

Both Disqus and Intense Debate work fairly well, and they both allow commenting with Facebook and Twitter. But each has it's downside. For Disqus, it's loading time, and for Intense Debate, it's the lack of a Blogger import/export feature. And the tabbed system looks great, but the installation is a major pain. If I had to choose one of these systems right this minute, I'd probably go with Disqus, mostly because it's very easy to install, and most importantly, it's reversible.

What do you guys think? Which do you like better as a blogger and as a commenter? Disqus, Intense Debate, or the default Blogger system? Are there blogs you avoid commenting on because they have a comment system you just don't like?

Oh, and don't forget, commenting on this blog will make you sexier! Trust me, it works.

Need Some Love?

2012-02-16T17:04:00.000+01:00

Here's the linky-love post that I promised to do after the 30th Photo Fun contest. I've included everyone with a blog who participated in any of the last ten contests, except people without a blog to link to. There's a lot of great stuff to be found on these blogs, so I'd definitely recommend you visit them all.

Pickle Pits, who finally did move to Spain, over at Life in the Pickle Jar.
Miss Rosie. Say hello to her over at Hello Rosie.
Jocelyn, of O Mightly Crisis, who very narrowly averted a crisis due to lack of ham while living in Turkey.
Wanda, who takes some fantastic bird photos. Go shake your tailfeather on over to her blog, Tailfeather Chronicles, and check them out.
Doug Stephens, who is practicing to be a grumpy old man, at I Like Cheese....oh, and if you hadn't guessed, he also likes cheese.
ajpoliquit, who always has an interesting story to tell over at The Transcendental Tourist.
Ben at Quod Erat Demonstrosity, whose girlfriend makes a mean rissoto.
Kate, who is an Expat Mama.
Alex, who was once an expat, now he's not, but he's always got something interesting to say over at Moving From France to Ferrets.
Erik, the man who needs no introduction, over at American in Spain.
About Me, who will tell you about herself at Today's Working Woman.
Asha, of Random Ramblings of an Agnostic Mom, who has been so quiet lately that I suspect she's been eaten by zombie cows.
TheUnSoccerMom, who lives Under the Georgia Sun.
giozi, who takes amazing photos, that you can admire over at Las Mil y Una Metidas de Pata.
My bud, FionaCat, whose knowledge is so much more than A Mile Wide and an Inch Deep.
dickiebo, who won't make you wear a dickie to share in the laughs at DickieHaHa.
Lime, at House of Lime, who will always invite you in to lime for awhile, and you'll always leave with a smile on your face.
Friko, who lives in a world all her own. If you ask nicely, maybe you'll be allowed to peek into Friko's World.
Sonriendo, who will make you hungry just reading about the things she cooks up, at Que Sera Sarah.
Windmill Tales, who'll be happy to share her Tales from Windmill Fields with you.

I just want to say thank you to all of you, for playing along with my silly games, and for leaving me comments. You are what makes this blog worth writing.

Photo Contest #30 Winner

2012-02-14T11:49:00.000+01:00

Happy Valentine's day to you all!

I didn't get the post with the photo contest winner up until today, because the winner doesn't have a blog, so I was waiting to hear where she wanted me to link to. This week's winner is Annika Stephenson. Congratulations, Annika! She's asked me to link to the Think Geek sales page...there's some good stuff there, so check it out.

Her guess that the mystery object was a wine bottle was the closest. It was in fact a miniature cava (Spanish version of champagne) bottle that I had at New Year's. Since The Professor doesn't like champagne, and I do, I always end up buying these mini bottles when there's something to celebrate. I was playing around, taking photos of stuff, and I thought this would make a good contest item.

And here it is:

So, cheers to you all, especially to Annika, for being such a good guesser! I'll be getting my special linky-love post up very soon, so if you've participated in any of the last ten contests, come look for your name...and if you haven't, go visit all the great blogs on the list, they are all definitely worth a look.

And here's a little something to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day. Hope you enjoy it!

Friday Photo Fun #30

2012-02-11T01:05:00.000+01:00

Yes, I'm late again. I think I'm going to have to change the name of the game to something like Saturday Secrets, because lately I've been posting my Friday Photo Fun posts after midnight, which makes them Saturday Photo Fun contests, but that just sounds lame.

But, hey, I'm here, and I have a new mystery object for you, so who cares if it's Saturday or not. This week's contest is a special one, because it's the last one before I do my linky-love round-up of all the participants from the previous ten contests. So, make sure you join in the fun to get your name on that list too.

Okay, here's the photo. You know what to do. So, guess what it is, and post your guess in the comments. The first person to get it right will have their blog linked to my big red button. If you don't have a blog, you can still play, and if you win, I'll link to the page of your choice.

Okay, go!

Since last week's object was a little tricky, this week I picked something I think will be really easy. What do you think?

Good luck, and have a great weekend everyone!

Pay no attention to this code: XFXYX2AGDTCW. I'm just updating this blog on Technorati.

A Tale of Two Chairs

2012-02-08T17:35:00.000+01:00

They were the best of chairs, they were the worst of chairs, it was the winter of dispair (mostly that of my legs, which suffered greatly at the hands of the lumpy stuffing)....and now it is the spring of hope, and it's time for them to resuscitate from their ashes.

Please forgive me for butchering the beginning of Dickens' classic novel like that, but I just couldn't resist. This is not the tale of two cities, but it is the tale of two armchairs that were saved from an uncertain future many years ago. We found them, faded and beat up, but still usable, in the corner of a local thrift store. They cost us under 30 euros. The Professor says it was even less, but it was so long ago, back in the days of the peseta, that I really can't remember. Still, I recall thinking it was a great deal, and that at least they partially solved the total lack of seating that plagued our new home.

To put it bluntly, we had just bought a house, we had no place to sit, we were pretty much broke, and we needed to fill up the empty space somehow, or be condemned to sit on the cold wooden floor until we could scrape together enough pesetas to buy some decent chairs.

At that time, the nearest Ikea was around 450 km away, so thrift-store furniture it was.

Our old chairs have served us long and well, stoically suffering through three kids jumping on them, serving as scratching posts for the various cats we've had over the years, and swallowing up socks and other sundry items, as all good armchairs should. But even the most robust furniture will only last for so long. In the end, they were lumpy and the springs had, well, sprung. They were even more faded than before, and they had a few tears on the sides. I tried to disguise their decrepitude by strategically placing them next to other furniture in order to hide the tears, and I piled them with cushions, in an attempt to cover the unsightly lumps and protruding springs, but the result was disappointingly unsatisfactory. Besides, they were still uncomfortable as all hell.

What to do?

I was on the verge of throwing them out and going on a shopping spree for some brand-new chairs, but Catgirl had a fit when she heard of my, according to her, "diabolical plan". She's always had a soft spot for these chairs, and for years she's been saying that when she leaves home, she wants to take at least one along with her.

She also used to say she was going to move to Paris when she turned sixteen, but the last time I checked she was still holed up in her room sending texts on her phone, so we'll see...

Anyway, I gave in. The chairs could stay. However, something had to be done. But having them professionally reupholstered would cost around seven hundred euros each, which, with the plan to cover the patio already sucking up most of our available funds, was pretty much out of the question.

Then I saw that our city was offering a furniture restoration class.

So, for a reasonable fee, a little elbow grease, and the price of materials, I could save these chairs from certain death. Catgirl was thrilled, and although at first she wanted me to redo them in green again, she promplty changed her mind and suggested I do them in black, presumably to go along with the vampire thing she's got going in that catastrophic cave she calls a bedroom.

I signed up and contacted the instructor to see if this would be a reasonable project for a total beginner. She said I would probably be able to complete one of the chairs during the course, and that once I knew how to do it, I could finish the other at home. She also suggested that I remove the old upholstery before the first class to speed things up. So I started ripping apart the chair with gusto. Catgirl couldn't bear to watch, but SAM helped me to remove all the tacks. She had a field day. And what kid wouldn't? After all, it's not every day that your parents actually want you to tear up the furniture. Several days later, after many hours of work, and discovering that there's much more to a chair than meets the eye (namely straw, cotton batting, burlap, metal springs, and lots and lots of tacks), we got it down to this:

Here I am, looking ever so professional in my white lab coat. It makes this almost look like a science, doesn't it?

My teacher estimated that the chairs might be around sixty or seventy years old, so it's really a wonder that they held up so well for so long. Even the velvet wasn't in such terrible shape, aside from the fading.

After restoring the wood, we decided to go with elastic webbing and foam padding, instead of the more traditional hand-tied springs, mostly to simplify the project and save time. If I were restoring them for historical accuracy, I'd go the other route, but since these chairs that will be taking a beating from my kids and my cats, I figure they'll need to be re-done again in a few years, so why put in all the extra work, when it's easier, faster and cheaper to do it this way.

Thank heaven for electric staple guns!

I decided to stick with velvet for the outside, mostly because I just love the feel of it, and because I really didn't like the synthetic chenilles that were recommended to me at nearly every fabric store I went to. In fact, most of the salespeople whipped out the chenilles even when I directly asked for velvet. Maybe they thought I didn't have a clue, or maybe they didn't have a clue, or maybe it's because most people don't upholster in velvet anymore, but there's a definite chenille-pushing tendency going on over here these days. Is Spain some sort of chenille mafia haven or something? But no matter how how hard they tried, I would not be budged. Ugh, I dislike polyester chenille almost as much as that microfiber suede stuff that's invaded the furniture market in the last few years.

No, I had to have some real velvet, even though it's not the most practical thing in the world.

I finally did find some high-quality English cotton velvet that I just loved, very similar to what was on the chair to begin with, but at seventy euros a meter, and taking into account that I needed at least ten meters for the two chairs, it was just a little out of my price range. So, I ended up chosing a slightly lighter weight fabric, still velvet, still suitable for upholstery, but that probably won't last as long as the more expensive stuff. Okay, so it won't last seventy years this time around, but I'll probably get tired of it long before that, so the trade-off is okay with me. It's a two-toned velvet, that looks golden or burgundy, depending on the light, but very hard to capture in a photo. There's just no way to get a picture of it where it doesn't look brown, but it's really not. In any case, it's lovely, but you'll just have to trust me on this one. Everyone who's seen it so far has really liked it, and the unusual tone really catches people's eye. What's more, the woman in the fabric store said that someone bought the very same fabric to make a mantle for the Virgin Mary.

How could I resist having my behind cradled by the very stuff that cloaks the Virgin?

And that's how far I've gotten. It's looking good, and if things keep going at this rate, I should be starting on chair number two very soon.

But don't think it's all work and no play. There's also the very important matter of snack time. The class is three and half hours long, so halfway through we take a coffee break. But this is no ordinary coffee break. This is a Spanish coffee break, which inevitably involves food. What doesn't involve food in Spain? I'd almost say it was an "aperitivo", except no alcohol is involved...although there's always a bottle of wine lying around for anyone who wants to warm up a little. There are around fifteen of us in this class, and we take turns to bring the food for each class. We are only supposed to bring one thing each time, but in the end there are always at least two things, one sweet and one savory (usually a potato omelette), and by the time we're done, we're all so stuffed we can hardly even move. After, we pretend to work a bit more...then we go home and eat lunch.

Good thing this class is only once a week, otherwise my butt might end up too big for my chair.

So, do you have any furniture tales of your own? What's your favorite piece?

Photo Fun #29 Winner

2012-02-06T21:09:00.001+01:00

The winner of this week's Friday Photo Fun contest is Ben, of Quod Erat Demonstrosity, who said the mystery object was a tool for removing tacks. And that is exactly what it is. I guess I picked a tricky one this time around, because it took a while for someone to guess what it was. Now I'm pretty sure this has a name in English, but I don't know what it is. I do know that in Spanish it's called a "pata de cabra" (goat's leg), and I'm guessing the name comes from the fact that the metal end of this tool sort of resembles the split hoof of a goat.

And here's a photo of my goat's foot:

At this point you might be wondering what I'm doing with such an odd tool. I mean, this isn't something that most people just have lying around the house. No, I bought this especially for my reupholstery project. I have two armchairs, that we bought long ago at a thrift store for under 30 euros, and they've served us well for many years, but the time came when even I (the woman who lived with naked bulbs for over ten years) had to admit that they needed an overhaul.

I'm very near to finishing one of the chairs, so I'll post a few before and after photos one of these days, so you can see what a difference a little new stuffing and fabric can make. But for now, I'm about to have dinner, so I'll let you all go and visit Ben, who had a terrific risotto recipe up the last time I checked.

Friday Photo Fun #29

2012-02-04T01:15:00.000+01:00

Okay, I'm late again, and over here it's not Friday anymore, but like I said last time, it's still Friday in some parts of the world, so this post still counts as a Friday Photo Fun post.

It's really late, and I kind of want to go to bed, so I'm going to be brief. You all know how this works. Look at the close-up photo of this week's mystery object, and guess what it is. Leave your guess in the comments, and feel free to guess as many times as you like. The winner (first person to guess correctly) gets their blog linked to my big red button. And if the winner doesn't have a blog, I'll link to the page of their choice. I'll announce the winner on Monday, so you've got the whole weekend to figure it out.

So, let's get started. Here's the object. What do you think it is?

Okay go! And remember, just for guessing you get a spot in my next linky love post, which I'll do after contest number 30. Good luck! And have a good weekend!

A Grand Day Out. Part 3: The Grand Finale

2012-02-02T13:06:00.000+01:00

Ready for part three of my Grand Day Out? If you missed out on part one and two, read those before you continue....

So, how does one day give enough material for three posts, you ask? Hey, I'm just really good at milking my opportunities...my family comes from Holland. That's cow country, so I should know a thing or two about milking...maybe not about milking cows, but milking all the same.

So here goes...

Our little encounter with the vultures and the weremonk wasn't enough for Bob, who fancied a bit more excitement, so we fixed it so he could run with the bulls. What, in January? Well, let's just say that anything is possible, with the help of a little modern technology.

Bob, the brave Scotsman, keeping up with even the youngest of the "mozos".

Once we'd all had enough of escaping from wild beasts, we ended the day on a quieter note, with a visit to a couple of castles and a lesurely stroll through the center of Pamplona. And of course, a pincho or two before dinner....because guys never stop being hungry, do they?Our fist stop was the castle of Javier, which was completely deserted, except for us. Just as in Leyre, the hotel and bar were both closed, but the castle itself was open. It's low season here in the cold, wet North, so if you're looking for cheap holidays in Spain, this might just be the time and the place for it...provided you can find a hotel that's open. We didn't have much time left, so we only went inside the church that's attached to castle.

The best thing about coming here in the middle of winter was the chance to get a photo of the castle with no tourists milling around.

Even though it was getting late, there was still enough time left to monkey around a little:

Do boys ever really grow up?

The church.

By the time we got to Olite, it was very, very cold again, and all I wanted was to get inside and have another cup of coffee, so I didn't get a shot of the castle. But I did have enough presence of mind to take a picture of the egg-shaped ice house that's next to it. The castle itself is impressive, but it's the icebox that I think is most interesting. This structure used to be packed with ice and hay to keep the palace food fresh.

The best place to keep your eggs fresh.

I also got a photo of a stork. Aren't they supposed to have gone South for the winter? I just hope that's not a sign that the virility fountain worked just a little too well.

Bet this bird has fresh eggs.

Before heading back to Pamplona, we stopped off for that long-awaited cup of coffee, another pincho de tortilla, and Rob and Bob revealed to us what Scotsmen really wear under their kilts. They didn't actually show us, of course, but they did tell us their secret. I'm sure you're dying to know the answer...but we promised not to tell.

And then it was nearly time to go home, our grand adventure was almost over, but we managed to squeeze in a quick walk around the center of Pamplona. I was really suprised to find that Rodin's statues had followed us here all the way from Cáceres.

"I wish all these people would go home so I could get up and stretch a little."

We stopped at city hall, which is pretty when it's all lit up.

And I got to play tourist in my own city, because, after having lived here for nearly twenty years, I think I can call Pamplona my city.

The chestnut man thought I was a tourist too when I stopped to take his photo:

The chestnut vendor says "Hola!".

Of course we absolutely had to stop for a pincho and a beer at El Gaucho before dinner, because we wouldn't be eating again for at least a whole hour, heaven forbid we starve to death before then. Yes, here is the photo of a man eating a sea urchin that I promised. And no, pinchos are not the same as tapas, although there's a lot of debate about the exact definitions. I'll be doing a post on that one of these days to see if I can explain it...if I manage to figure it out myself.

Mmm, food! Bob had the sea urchin. I'm not that brave, so I stuck with Roquefort cheese and red peppers.

A man and his sea urchin.

What do you think? Would you eat a sea urchin?

After the pinchos, we decided to call it a day (and what a day it had been), so we headed to the car. For some reason the boys thought the license plates on these two cars were hilarious, and they just had to take a picture:

Boys will be boys.

And finally, we went home....and ate some more.

To see more photos of our Grand Day Out, vist The Rain in Spain on Facebook.

Photo Fun #28 Winner

2012-01-30T19:56:00.000+01:00

And the winner of Photo Fun #28 is.....drum roll please....Miss Rosie, of Hello Rosie! Congrats on guessing that my mystery object was a Christmas ornament with fake snow inside it.

This was the big fad over here at Christmas, so I picked up a few for our tree, and I thought it would make an interesting photo fun object.

Excellent guessing, Miss Rosie!

That's all for now, but come back on Friday for a new photo and another chance at winning some linky love for your blog. But before that, I'll be back with Part three of my Grand Day Out...and I'll pack it with castles, egg-shaped refrigerators, and Rodin sculptures. I'll also tell you the difference between pinchos and tapas, although I don't think this is entirely clear even to the natives, because there are a whole lot of opinions on that subject. In fact, I may even leave that for a whole different post...but I will throw in a picture of Bob running with the bulls to make up for it. Who would have ever guessed that a day could give so much posting material?

Friday Photo Fun #28

2012-01-27T21:11:00.001+01:00

Is it Friday already? Time sure flies when you're running away from vultures and trying to escape from weremonks. But I managed to stay in one piece, and here I am with another Friday Photo Fun contest.

Ready to play?

Okay, here's the deal: I post a close-up photo of an object and you guess what it is. Easy, right? Leave your guess in the comments, and you may guess as often as you like. The first person to get it right gets their blog linked to my big red button, or if the winner doesn't have a blog, I'll link to the page of their choice. And everyone who plays will get a shout-out in my next linky-love post, after contest #30.

And here it is, our mystery object for today:

Okay go!

I'll give you a hint to get you started. This is not something that will help you rent a car in Switzerland, nor will it get rid of the moles that are digging up your garden. Helpful eh? I thought so. So, what are you waiting for?

And if you want to get the full Rain in Spain experience, make sure to visit us on Facebook.

A Grand Day Out. Part 2: Escape from the weremonk of Leyre

2012-01-26T12:41:00.002+01:00

This is part two of our grand day out. If you missed out on part 1, you can read about it here. And now, the adventure continues...

Once we'd narrowly escaped the vultures in the Foz de Lumbier, we found a place to warm up, have a cup of coffee, and an excellent bit of Spanish omelette. There's nothing quite like hot Spanish omelette to revive you after nearly freezing your behind off. And, having recovered the feeling in our toes (as well as other strategic parts of our anatomy), we set off on the next leg of our trip and headed towards the Monastery of Leyre, which is one of those must-see places we always take out-of-town visitors to.

Add caption

January is not exactly high season in these parts, so we found that the hotel and bar were closed for vacation, and we were the only tourists around. Good thing we'd brought some cheese sandwiches. It was nearly closing time for visits to the abbey, so we decided to save the sandwiches for later and do the tour first. The woman at the entrance was very nice, and she actually gave us the key, so we could give ourselves a tour around the place.

A lone flying buttress. Don't you just love to say flying buttress?

I think the most impressive things about this place are the asymmetrical nave, and the tomb holding the remains of the first kings and queens of Navarre, as well as the crypt, which was never used to bury people, but more as a way to level out the building to fit the uneven terrain. We couldn't visit the actual monastery, which houses around twenty monks, because it isn't open to the public, although it seems they do rent out rooms to those seeking spiritual enlightenment. So, if you're in need of that, this might just be the place for you (sorry, men only, because otherwise the enlightenment might not be quite so spiritual).


There are nine kings, seven queens, and two princes (and a partridge in a pear tree) crammed into this itty bitty box...and the genie from Aladdin thought he had it bad.

Down in the crypt we didn't find any bodies...

...but we did find some eighteenth-century graffiti:


Matias Salinas was here, 1729

And The Professor, ever serious, as a good professor should be, goofed around, pretending to offer himself up as a sacrifice...

Little did he know, the weremonk was watching...

Once we finished with our little self-tour, the guys decided they wanted to climb the nearby hill, because they had heard there was some sort of virility fountain nearby, and that was something none of them wanted to miss out on. As we started up the path, we heard the eerie howl of the legendary weremonk (that sounded absolutely nothing like the whine of a circular saw from the nearby roadworks). I guess he didn't much like The Professor's little joke inside the crypt, and seeing as tourists are scarce this time of year, we suspected he must be ravenous by now. If you're wondering what a weremonk is, well, I'm not quite sure if it's a regular man who turns into a bloodthirsty monk, or if it's a wolfman who's taken a vow of poverty....but whatever it is, I sure wouldn't want to meet it on a lonely mountain trail, armed with nothing but a cheese sandwich.

I don't know if men can find their virility up here, but the trip is worth it for the view alone.


Halfway there. The men all look hopeful, don't they?

We managed to avoid the weremonk, and after about a half hour, we found the magic fountain. Only, it turned out not to be a virility fountain after all. Instead, we found a sign saying this was the fountain of Saint Virila, who was once the abbot of the monastery.

Legend has it that San Virila went out for a walk one spring day (around the year 850), meditating on the question of eternity, and he fell asleep near the fountain, listening to the song of a nightingale. When he awoke and returned to the abbey, he found that none of the monks recognized him. At first he was perplexed, but then he discovered a old document in the monastery's library that said, "around three hundred years ago, a holy monk called San Virila had ruled the monastery and had been eaten by a wild animal on one of his spring walks in the wood". Wild animal? Could that be the weremonk? Or maybe San Virila is the weremonk?

Weremonk or not, San Virila then realized that he was that monk, and that God plays rather cruel practical jokes.

We don't know if the reason that San Virila fell asleep for three hundred years was because he drank from that fountain or not, but the guys decided to risk it anyway, on the off chance that it might still have some sort of virility-boosting effect after all.

The Professor at the fountain.

Well, they didn't fall asleep after that, and this blog is no place to discuss any other effects the waters might have had them, so lets just say it at we all had a nice walk in the woods, no one was eaten by the weremonk, and we'll leave it at that.

And here ends part two of our little adventure. Tune in next week for part three, especially if you want to see what a man eating a sea urchin looks like. But first we have another photo contest coming up, so make sure to check in tomorrow for that. In the meantime, if you still need some more entertainment, you can see more photos on The Rain in Spain's Facebook page.

Photo Fun #27 Winner

2012-01-23T17:43:00.000+01:00

This week's winner of our fun little photo contest is none other than my good friend, FionaCat, of A Mile Wide and an Inch Deep. Congrats Bud! FionaCat and I go way back...all the way to high school, to the good old days of sleep overs, making up new and unusual sports in gym class, and writing notes in class. But that doesn't mean I helped her out on this one, she figured it out all on her own, and I didn't even see who the winner was until this morning, because the internet's been down since Saturday.

I'm guessing she must be a woman with knitting experience (not something we did back in high school), because when I showed this photo to a few other people, they didn't have a clue as to what it was.

Yes, those are some big-ass knitting needles, for doing some serious knitting. They're not mine, actually. I just borrowed them from SAM for the photo. She's just recently taught herself to knit using a book she got once, and it's amazing how quickly she's figured it out. Her first project (a scarf) was so successful that now Catgirl wants one too...and I'm next in line (the next thing I know she'll be asking me for permission to set up shop on Ebay). I took the contest shot with the camera facing the tips and no knitting on them. Here's an after shot, but this time from above, with the beginning of Catgirl's scarf.

Well, that's it for this week. Come back next Friday to play again, or sooner if you want to see how my Grand Day Out turned out. Don't forget to visit FionaCat's blog...she's got a caption contest going on this week! I just love caption contests, so I'll be heading on over there right after I finish here.

And if you haven't done so yet, make sure to like The Rain in Spain on Facebook. That way you'll never miss out on a single post.

Friday Photo Fun #27

2012-01-20T18:21:00.000+01:00

It's Friday! And we all know what that means. It's time for another Friday Photo Fun contest.

I'm sure most of you already know how this works, but for any newcomers, here's the deal: I post a close-up photo of an object, and you try to identify it. It's that simple. Leave your guesses in the comment section (you can guess as many times as you like), and if you are the first person to guess correctly, I'll link your blog to my big red button for a whole week. And I'll also link to you in the post announcing the winner on Monday.

Don't have a blog? No problem.

You can still play, and if you win, I'll link to the page of your choice (I reserve the right to reject any objectionable sites). Just make sure to let me know what page you want me to link to, either by sending me an e-mail or leaving a comment.

And with no further ado, here's our subject for today:

Okay go!

Don't worry if you're not sure what it is, just guess, guessing is free. And by commenting, you'll assure yourself a spot in my next linky-love post (after contest #30), when I'll be doing a shout-out with everyone who participated in the last ten contests.

And don't forget to like us on Facebook, so you can get updates right in your news feed. It's the easiest way to keep up with what's happening on The Rain in Spain.

A Grand Day Out. Part One: Foz de Lumbier

2012-01-19T11:33:00.000+01:00

Last Friday we had a grand day out with some Scottish friends, and while we didn't quite make it to the moon, like Wallace and Gromit, we did have a day that was packed with adventures. There are loads of photos to share, so I'm going to divide this up into two or three parts, because I know people can only take so many of other people's travel photos before falling asleep out of sheer boredom.

We hit the Foz de Lumbier (Lumbier Gorge) first, on what was probably the coldest day we've had all winter.

I'd never been there in the middle of winter, and now I know why.

I knew it would be cold, but not this cold. I did bundle up, but I wasn't expecting to come back as a popsicle. Yet that's what ended up happening. Here you can see me frozen stiff, thinking nice thoughts, about stuff like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles (filled with hot water to make tea), and warm woolen mittens, or better yet, some some nice Cuba holidays...hey, if I were on one of those I wouldn't need those mittens. As you can see, Bob and Rob, good Scotsmen that they are, aren't wearing gloves at all. Meanwhile, the Professor catches sight of a menacing shadow, swiftly approaching in the sky.

Rob, take the hat off already!

And, as if freezing our butts off wasn't enough, we were very nearly eaten by a kettle of griffon vultures (because, yeah, that's what a group of vultures is called when they're circling around in the air, waiting for you to get distracted so they can swoop in and devour you). We told Rob to take off his red hat, since these birds go on sight, not smell, and they might just think that it was blood. I mean, just as you wouldn't have a walk around the docks at night wearing a sign saying, "Get it here", you probably shouldn't give a hungry vulture the idea that you're suffering from a serious head injury either. Just common sense really.

But the cold won out, and the hat stayed on. More and more vultures circled over our heads.

Feeling a bit like we had been dropped into the middle of a very well-known Hitchcock film, we kept our cool long enough to get in a few shots of the magnificent, albeit slightly unnerving birds, and the lovely surroundings.

I don't know guys, he's still moving. Let's wait it out and see what happens...

The vultures are coming! The vultures are coming! Everybody hide in here!

Okay, it's pretty here, but....

Here's looking at you, kid.

Okay, now they're just getting a little too close...

These remind me of the vultures from Snow White.

Those three birds looked decidedly hungry, so we gave up on taking more photos, and we slowly backed away....very slowly....and then we made break for it...

...as fast as our frozen legs would go.

If you enjoyed those photos, and would like to see more, or if you can't get to sleep, and counting sheep is just not working for you, come take a look at even more photos of our trip on Facebook. Who knows? Maybe counting vultures will do the trick.

Photo Fun #26 Winner

2012-01-16T17:36:00.000+01:00

Well, we have a winner! Ben, of Quod Erat Demonstrosity, was the first, and only, person to correctly guess that the mystery object was a mortar and pestle. And here it is:

I got this particular set at Ikea (where else?), and I'm really pleased with it, since not only is it practical, it's also made of an attractive black marble, which means I don't have to hide it away in my already too full kitchen cabinets.

So, there you have it for last week's contest. Make sure to come back on Friday for the next one, and don't forget to visit Ben, who writes about everything from languages and sports to dishwasher woes, with some toenail painting thrown in for fun.

Oh, and this just happens to be my 300th post, so help me celebrate it by having a glass of wine, or whatever suits your fancy, and making a toast to there being many more posts in the future of this blog. And while you're at it, why don't you head over to Facebook and hit that like button...the more followers, the more motivated I'll be to keep churning out the drivel that I pass off as serious writing (and sometimes actually manage to fool people with).

Friday Photo Fun #26

2012-01-14T01:06:00.000+01:00

Okay, it's time to start up my Friday Photo Fun contest once again. Now, I know that here in Spain technically it's not Friday anymore, but since it's still Friday in some other parts of the world, I think it still counts. Besides, I'm posting late because I was out with some Scottish friends, and I've got some great stories to tell you about vultures, weremonks, and what was supposed to be the fountain of virility, but turned out to be something else entirely.

But we'll leave that for another day, and I promise there will be pictures. And now we'll get back to the matter at hand.

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while probably know how this works, but for all you new people, I'll explain the rules. I post a close-up photo of an object, and your job is to guess what it is, and leave a comment. It's as simple as that. You can guess as many times as you like, but only the first one to correctly guess what the object is wins the prize. And what's the prize? Well, you'll get your blog linked to that big shiny red button in the right hand corner of this blog for a week (until the next contest). If you don't have a blog, you're also welcome to play along, and if you win, I'll link to the page of your choice (I reserve the right not to link to any pages that I find offensive).

So, here it is. I think this one will be pretty simple, so I'm not giving any hints to start you off, but if no one guesses by tomorrow afternoon, I will.

Okay, go! I'll post the winner on Monday.

Ikea Hacking...again.

2012-01-09T17:38:00.000+01:00

The kids are back at school, the tree is put away, and things are pretty much back to normal. Which means I'll get some more time to blog, at least I hope. I have several posts in mind, some of which I've actually been planning on writing since summer, like my Ikea hack post, and also my recent trip to Mérida. And, I have yet to do my State of Fitness Class address for this year...it's been a doozy so far, so I have lot to say about that. I've also been itching to start up my Friday Photo Fun series again, and I've been on the lookout for new objects that might work.

So, I've got lots of ideas, and I have to start somewhere, so I think I'll start off with one of my Ikea hacks, since that's as good a place as any.

Before I get to that, I just wanted to say thanks to Will Peach, for listing my blog in his recent Best of the Spanish Travel Blogs pos t. I didn't actually know this was a travel blog, but hey, I do travel from time to time, and then I sometimes actually blog about it, so I guess that counts. Anyway, Will, thanks for the shout-out, and people, go check out Will's blog, My Spanish Adventure, because he's fuuny, and he gives some great advice on why living abroad isn't all it's cracked up to be, remembering to pack enough underwear, and why you should "quit your shitty job and move to Spain".

Now, if this blog is supposed to be a travel blog, I should be writing travel-related posts, but since I rarely do what I'm supposed to do, and I haven't traveled anywhere yet this year (unless you count last week's trip to the mall), I'm going to do an Ikea hack post. So, if you've come here looking for advice on a Bodrum adventure, or booking a cheap flight to Yemen, I'm afraid you're out of luck.

But I will give you advice on how to get your kids to share a desk, even if they get along about as well as cats and dogs usually do.

This isn't my first Ikea hack, but it is by far the simplest. If you're interested in more Ikea hacks, you can check out how we turned some old shelves into a scaffold and also, our version of the Hol cat litter box.

And now for today's hack. I call it the you-stay-on-your-side-and-I'll-stay-on-mine desk divider. We started off with a Spontan magnet board, which looks a little like a sled, with a curvy part on the bottom for leaving pens in (even though you're absolutely not supposed to write directly on it under any circumstances).

And we also got some of these Spontan magnet cups, which have a magnet on the back.

Next, we put the board on its side and put four cups on each side, directly opposite each other:

And voìla, you have this very simple, but effective desk divider:

Okay, we haven't managed to solve the Middle East crisis, but we've come a long way towards peace at home. Let me tell you, there is much less, "Mamá! She's looking at me!" and "Papá! She's got her hand on my side of the desk and won't move it!" going on, and, hey, the curvy part even works great with the lamp.

Keeping their feet on their own sides is another matter, though, so we're seriously considering putting a divider under the table as well. But at least we've got them studying at the same desk, which is a huge achievement. What more could you ask from such a simple hack?

And that's all you'll be getting from me today, since I have to shake my hips on over to my Latin dance class now. So, come back on Friday for the first Friday Photo Fun of the year, and see if you can guess what the mystery object is. Remember, the winner gets their blog linked to my big shiny red button for the whole week. Don't miss it!

Olives anyone?

2012-01-02T11:38:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year, everyone!

On New Year's we had the traditional grapes, except SAM and Ultraviolet, who rung in the New Year with black olives instead...and the only thing they wished for were more fingers to stick them on. But they managed to swallow all twelve before midnight, without getting sick in the process, which is no small feat considering they had just finished a large dinner and a bowl of ice cream. Then we all got dressed in costume and took a stroll around Pamplona, because that's what people do here. Everywhere else, people dress up in party clothes, but not in Pamplona. No, Pamplona is different, and here New Year's looks more like Halloween. People usually dress up as a group with a theme, and some of them get pretty creative. My favorite was a bunch dressed up as flies, with strainers tied together for eyes, although the group of girls dressed as Duff Man (or would that be Duff Woman?). Anyway, if you want to check out some of the costumes, you can see them here, SAM and one of her friends are even in one of them. Catgirl didn't come with us, since she's much too old to hang out with her boring old parents and little sisters, so she went to a party instead. But she did pose for a picture before we left:

So, our year is off to a good start. And I wonder what the rest of 2012 will bring us? Who knows, but I hope whatever it is, it will be good. They say if you put a suitcase near the door on New Year's Eve, you'll travel a lot during the year to come. I didn't do that, but I did buy a calendar with photos of Greek islands. I wonder if that will work just as well... In any case, it looks as though I will have to start looking at holiday deals if I want to go anywhere at all, because we spent most of our savings on this:

Our patio with its sliding glass roof

Before covering

Now it's like we have an extra room, and once we put in a wood stove to heat it, we'll be able to use it year-round. Even without heating, we've noticed a huge difference in temperature in the rest of the house. It takes much less to heat, and it doesn't cool down as quickly. And Christmas Day was so nice, that we were able to sit out in the patio and unwrap the presents there:

Christmas out on the patio

The sun heats this up really quickly

And now I think maybe I should just hop on over to Leon, where there's a bakery that's hidden 3,000 Euros inside one of its roscones. If I find it, I'll be just that much closer to the Greek islands...

Crossing bridges...

2011-12-12T10:34:00.001+01:00

I've just come home from a week-long "bridge" holiday, visiting my in-laws in Cáceres, and it's high time I got a new post out. For those of you who haven't heard of the Spanish concept of holiday "bridges", you might want to check out this post on Erik's blog, where he explains it quite well (with pictures of Super Mario thrown in for good measure).

I didn't take a lot of photos of Cáceres this time around, but I did get a few on a foggy night that turned out to be quite interesting.

The Professor and SAM at an outdoor Rodin exhibit in the Main square....the fog made the sculptures just a tiny bit creepy.

"The Thinker"...I'm guessing he's thinking he'd like to be on a nice warm tropical beach somewhere instead of sitting in the middle of the fog. ;)

Eerie little street in the old part of town.

I know, they're not the best photos, but they give you an idea of what Cáceres looks like on a foggy night...and, although it might sound silly, it actually makes it easier for me to imagine what it might have been like to live there hundreds of years ago (cold, damp, and generally unappealing...thank heavens for modern day heating). If you want to see more photos of what it looks like in the daytime, have a look at this post, or better yet, go visit. Cáceres is one of those places that get skipped over by tourists, in favor of other more well-known places, but it is really a lovely city, with an amazingly well-preserved historical center that makes it worth spending a few days soaking up its medieval charm. It's usually not terribly overrun with tourists, even during major holidays, so it's one of those last minute holiday options you might want to check out if you're looking for a different sort of place to visit.

Anyway, that bridge has been crossed. I'm back from Cáceres, and the first thing I found when I got home was this in my mailbox:

Yes, it's my very own signed copy of Mercury Rises, the long-awaited sequel to Robert Kroese's Mercury Falls. The apocalypse didn't turn out so well the first time around, so it looks like the forces from above are giving it another try. Will they succeed, or will Christine and Mercury thwart their plans once more? Looks like we'll just have to read it to find out. So far I've read the first few chapters, and it promises to be every bit as hilarious and irreverent as the first book, just the way I like it...and now I just hope the world won't come to an end before I finish it.

100 Years of Fashion

2011-11-29T10:29:00.001+01:00

Well, the big day has come and gone.

I made my big debut as a fashion model last Saturday, in the 100 Years of Women's Fashion show, organized by the Museo Etnográfico Reino de Pamplona, and it was a blast! Okay, so none of us are professional models, and we don't know how to walk like Claudia Schiffer, but every one of us did a great job. And the audience loved us!

Words can't really explain the excitement, the nerves, and the amazing performance put on by this fantastic group of volunteers, so I'll just leave you with a few photos, and you can see for yourselves. Catgirl took the photos, and she did an excellent job...it looks like we have a budding photographer in the family. Now, if I could just convince her that she doesn't know everything, and that she should take a photography class, who knows what she could do...

Hairdressers working like crazy to finish before showtime.

Now I know what real models must feel like.

Behind the scenes.

These two were brilliant....they danced the Can-can all the way down the catwalk.

All dressed up and ready to go.

This is one of the girls I go to step class with...good thing she doesn't have to wear this every day!

Some like it hot! I think these two are my favorites, they really got into their roles.

A real live pin-up girl.

Far out! All the 70s girls together....I'm having flashbacks from my childhood!

Almost all of us.

This girl was amazing...she's only fourteen, but she held up like a pro.

You gotta love that attitude!

OMG, I can't believe there are that many people out there...smile, just keep smiling...


Am I really doing this? Whew, almost done...but wait, people are aplauding, this is actually pretty fun.

So you've had a little taste of our show. There are, of course, a lot more pictures, but it would be impossible to include them all here. If you'd like to see more of these amazing outfits, most of which are real museum pieces, you can check them out on our Facebook page. I'd highly recommend it, because some of them are spectacular.

And that's it for now. Too bad it's over, but I, for one, hope we get to do it again really soon...and maybe next time you'll come and see us live.

Back, and Better than Ever

2011-11-17T10:12:00.001+01:00

Ghost of Fashion Past

I've just realized that it's been months since my last post. It's hard to believe, since time has just flown with all the stuff that's been going on here. I thought that once the kids started school again that I'd have more time to write, but was I ever wrong. Along with the new school year, new activities have popped up everywhere, and I just couldn't say no to trying something different.

So, along with my regular fitness classes, which have been an absolute fiasco this year (more on that later), I've also signed up for Latin dancing, which is mostly salsa, with a little meringue and cha cha cha thrown in for good measure. And best of all, I talked The Professor into joining me...and he loves it! Now there's something I never thought would happen. So, now my dreams are filled with enchuflas, aspirinas, and croquetas (because, yes, the names of the steps are just that weird)....and nightmares of accidentally mutilating my partner's feet with my sexy size 41 feet (that's size 10 for everybody in the U.S.).

As if that weren't enough, I also decided that our beat up old armchairs had reached the point of no return, and it was either fix them or throw them out. Well, having them fixed is ridiculously expensive, especially considering we bought them second hand for around 5000 pesetas (30 euros) twelve years ago, so I needed a cheaper alternative. And I found it, in a local furniture restoration class. So, now I'm learning everything I ~~never~~ always wanted to know about reupholstery and all it's mysterious tricks and techniques, but was afraid to ask. All I can say is, thank God I have a wonderful teacher, otherwise I'd be in big trouble (as well as having no place to sit).

Add to this all the boring (but necessary) bits of life, and there you have the reason why this blog has been silent for so long. Yes, to put it plainly, I've been busy. Busy, but I'm having a great time.

And is there a cherry on the top of this delicious sundae of busyness? Of course there is. What would a sundae be without the cherry? And mine is that I'm going to be in a fashion show at the end of the month. What? Have I suddenly been "discovered" at the age of...um, on second thought, let's not go there.... No, I haven't been "discovered" and I'm certainly not eyeing Gisele Bündchen, hoping to replace her as the world's highest paid model. It's just a local show, and not even your typical fashion show, you know, the kind with models that look like they've been handpicked from a select group of Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks employees of the month.

No, this is a show about the last 100 years in women's fashion, and we're all volunteers, so we don't have to be impossibly young and thin. And we've been told to walk naturally, so at least I don't have to try to figure out how to walk like I have a 100 dollar bill between my legs that I'm trying desperately not to drop. Of course, I will be dressed either in a 70's or 80's outfit, so even if my walk doesn't make me look silly, I'm afraid the clothes will, because, let's face it, the 70s and the 80s weren't the most tasteful decades in fashion. Talk about conjuring up the Ghost of Fashion Past. Unfortunately, all the really neat turn-of-the-century dresses were already taken by the time I got there, but it will be a fun experience, no matter what I look like.

Anyway, it's on November 26th at 8pm, in the Baluarte auditorium (Pamplona), and you're all invited.

But, in case you can't make it, you can watch the previous edition here (don't look for me, I wasn't in it last time around):
Desfile: 100 años de moda femenina from Aranguren Televisión on Vimeo.

So, I've got a lot going on, and blogging has taken a backseat, but I miss it, and I also miss reading all my favorite blogs, so in spite of all I've got going on, I'm going to try to get back to at least getting up the occasional post, maybe even do some new Photo Fun contests. So, check in every once in awhile, you might be surprised at what you find.

Pamplona is Alive with the Sound of Music

2011-08-11T14:57:00.000+02:00

Just a quick post to let you all know I'm still alive. We've been busy with home improvement again, hanging paintings, Ikea hacking, playing musical chairs with the radiators, and trying to keep the weeds in the garden at bay, so there hasn't been much time for blogging.

And Pamplona is alive too. Alive with the sound of music, that is.

You don't need to visit Pamplona in San Fermin to see interesting street performances; there's almost always a street musician or two around the city, and some are actually not half bad. SAM and I came across these two the other day, and I thought they were good enough to get on video so I could share it with you all:

Lucky for me, I had my Vivaz with me...the result isn't too shabby for a cell phone video. We found them just as they were finishing a song, and when they saw me whip out my phone to record them, they waited until we'd given them a couple of euros to start playing again. It was well worth it to immortalize their performance. I wonder if they'll ever know they're on YouTube....too bad I don't know their names.

And now I'll just get back to my unfinished Ikea project and see if I ever finish...

Flash Trip to Madrid

2011-07-28T12:36:00.000+02:00

Ultraviolet and SAM have just spent a little over three weeks in Holland with my mom, but all good things come to an end and on Saturday we had to go to Madrid to pick them up. Since their plane was scheduled to arrive fairly late in the day, we decided to spend the night and visit a couple of museums...and hopefully, get a bit of culture into our kids. When we told Ultraviolet that we would be visiting a couple of museums, she wasn't thrilled, but in the end she enjoyed herself.

The trip was over almost before we realized it, and I ended up feeling a little like this guy (not the frustration, just the speed):

We really need to go back and see Madrid properly, but at least we got a start. This is what we crammed into our two-day trip:

Saturday: A four-hour car trip to Madrid. Lunch at IKEA, because how could we go to Madrid and not stop at IKEA? Several hours trying to get out of the maze that is IKEA (without spending a fortune), which is much easier said than done, and if you don't believe me, try it sometime. Airport to pick up the kids. Hotel to drop off the luggage. Dinner and finally, yay, bed.

Sunday: Subway trip downtown, because we had a great (free) parking spot, and you just don't take that for granted in Madrid. Breakfast at a bar called Van Gogh Café, where breakfast for five cost us less than breakfast for two would have cost at the hotel. Bellies filled, we headed over to El Museo del Traje (Museum of Costume), where we got in for free since it was Sunday. Cameras weren't allowed, which is a pity since the kids got to try on a corset and a bustle, and I would have loved to get a picture of that. We thought this would be kind of a "girly" museum, but even The Professor had a good time looking at all the historical costumes, which were pretty amazing. People were tiny back then! And some of the things we saw looked like very sophisticated torture devices. All I can say is, am I ever glad people don't wear stuff like that anymore. I'll take a comfy pair of jeans and a t-shirt over any of those silk and lace dresses and their corresponding frightening undergarments any day.

It took us about two hours to see the whole museum, and then we hit the gift shop, which is a danger if there are four women in your party (just ask the Professor and his credit card). Done with that, we had lunch at a rather dingy restaurant near El Prado, and then we visited the museum, where we also got in for free, since we are a "familia numerosa" (large family).

The kids wanted to go through the Murillo door, since their last name is Murillo, but it was closed to the public, so they just posed in front of it. The Professor and Ultraviolet tried very hard to pretend they didn't know the other two because they insisted on doing the "Japanese pose".

El Señor de Murillo y las Murillinas

Once we got in, which didn't take long at all since it was lunchtime, we only saw a few of the most important paintings because we knew patience was limited and we wanted to avoid the "I'm-tired-are-we-done-yet-do-we-really-have-to-see-more-paintings" stage, because after that it's usually all downhill from there. So, we didn't see much, but I hope some of what we did see will stick in their minds. Of course we had to see this one, Las Meninas, which must be the most well-known painting in the whole museum:

But the ones I liked best were these two:

Adam and Eve. Albrecht Dürer

When we left, around six, a huge line had formed at the entrance that snaked all the way around the corner. So, a word of advice, if you decide to visit El Prado, go at lunchtime (2 to 3p.m Spanish time).

After the museum, we stopped to see the turtles in the tropical garden that's inside the Atocha train station:

Either these guys reproduce like crazy, or people must sneak in to free those pet turtles that their kids got at Christmas from some well-meaning (or not so well-meaning) relative, because there are hundreds of them.

And then it was back on the subway to pick up the car. Some of us were tired:

Too bad the subway can't take us all the way back to Pamplona

And then we went home, all too soon for me, but that's all we had time for.

All in all, it was a fun weekend. Tiring, but fun. Plus, I got some new stuff from IKEA! Hooray! And new stuff means there's an IKEA hack or two coming up. But I'll save that for another post, so while I get to work I'll leave you to guess what my creative new "cheap home solutions" are.

To Pee or not to Pee...

2011-07-14T01:50:00.000+02:00

To pee or not to pee. During San Fermin, that is the question.

At least it is for women. Guys have it easy, nearly any spot will do, and the aroma of "Eau de Ammoniac", as The Professor likes to call it, is everywhere these days. It's bad enough when dogs do it, but when you add a horde of drunken people who think the city is nothing more than one giant urinal, it can get pretty whiffy around here. But there's a whole lot of drinking going on, and those that drink must pee.

So, the city gets "watered" by male tourists from around the world, but we girls have to wait in seemingly endless lines. Bathrooms are in short supply when there are so many people around, even though they are temporarily declared unisex to accommodate the extra female traffic, and the lines to use them are as long as those you might find for the most popular ride at Disneyland on a busy day. And woe to anyone who doesn't come prepared with a packet of Kleenex, because you can be sure there will be no paper left by the time you get there.

But times are changing. It looks like women are taking a stand, or rather a squat, on the issue. The other day, The Professor and I went to the fireworks, and within half an hour's time we saw two girls, from two separate groups, peeing in the street. First time I've ever seen that happen here, and I've been to quite a few San Fermines, and I've seen some pretty outrageous things. And they didn't even bother to look for a lonely corner somewhere (probably because there are no lonely corners anywhere to be found during San Fermin). No, they just dropped their pants, squatted down near the curb, and let nature take its course. So much for modesty. I guess if you're desperate enough, and probably drunk enough, you stop caring who sees your junk. What cracks me up is that in both cases, they had a friend stand behind them to "hide" them from the crowd. Like that's going to make a difference when you're surrounded by people everywhere. That's like an ostrich thinking it's invisible just because it sticks its head in the ground...sorry girls, but we can still see you.

Those girls sure could have used one of these nifty little items. Just leave it to the Japanese to come up with a toilet in a bag. Maybe I should set up a stand next year and sell these. They might just catch on, and they would save a lot of people from public embarrassment.

Or maybe not.

So, for lack of a better option, we're back to peeing in the street. Which at any other time of the year can get you into trouble. The local newspaper, El Diario de Navarra publishes a list with the initials of those who have been fined for public urination. At least they used to. I haven't bought it in quite some time, but The Professor and I got a kick out of it the first time we saw that. I don't know how effective it is, but I'm guessing that if your friends know what you did last night and they see your initials on that list, you'll never hear the end of it, and you might just think twice before trying it again. The problem with getting that list out during San Fermin is that it would probably add about twenty extra pages to the newspaper. Still, a fine might not be a bad idea. The city would probably make enough to cover all the expenses of the fiestas. But I'm pretty sure the police turn a blind eye during San Fermin, because it would be impossible deal with that many offenders.

Maybe they should just put up a sign saying that all those who are caught urinating in public will be made to run in front of the bulls the next morning. That might just scare them off. Oh wait. People actually do that for fun.

Okay, I'm out of ideas, so I guess we'll just have to put up with the city's new cologne for a few days each year.

Luckily, the clean up crews are excellent, and the city stays much cleaner than one would expect, so it's not as bad as I'm making it sound. And I can't blame people for taking the easy way out. Especially those that don't have a room and are sleeping in the street. If they actually went to a bathroom every time they wanted to pee, they'd spend most of the fiestas standing in line.

Still, I can't imagine just dropping my pants and taking a leak in the middle of the street. Sure, I've made use of a strategically located bush when camping, and once, when I was about nine, much to my dismay, a bucket was my salvation when we got stuck in a traffic jam on our way to the beach. But I don't think I could ever get drunk enough to go in the street, like those girls we saw. Maybe they're just better feminists than I am, after all, if guys do it, why not us?

Um, think I'll just pass on that one. Now, where did I put that Japanese port-a-potty again?

San Fermin 2011

2011-07-07T21:11:00.000+02:00

Hey, I'm back! Not that I actually went anywhere, but I have disappeared from my blog for a few weeks. And what else could I blog about today than that amazing "street party" that is San Fermin.

The celebrations kicked off yesterday at noon with the traditional Chupinazo, which consists basically of as many people as is humanly possible cramming themselves into the square in front of the city hall to wait for the launching of a giant firecracker from the balcony, signaling the start of the festivities. To get an idea of just how packed the square is, check out this video. It doesn't really show the firecracker, but it gives you a great idea of what the crowd is doing.

Needless to say, I was not there. There's no way anyone could get me in there, not for a million bucks (Well, maybe for a million...if anyone wants to make me an offer for next year, send me an e-mail and we'll talk). No, I was in another square, Plaza de los Fueros, where there's usually a smaller crowd, mostly made up of families, and people who don't like getting covered in wine, eggs, flour, and Cola Cao (powdered chocolate). I'm weird that way too, so I opted for the quieter spot and watched the Chupinazo with The Professor and Catgirl on one of the huge tv screens that have been set up around the city. Once our scarves were firmly in place, we headed towards the city center to have a drink to celebrate the start of nine days of generalized craziness.

Me with Catgirl

We didn't actually go into the the thick of things, but that didn't stop us getting splattered with wine by people shaking the wine off their clothes like a dog might shake his coat after a bath. Every year I wonder if their clothes will ever be white again, or if they just throw them away when it's all over. Somehow I don't think those stains will come out, not even with all the bleach in the world.

But stains are the least of what can happen to you if you dare enter the heart of the party. If you're brave enough (and drunk enough), you might end up doing something as stupid as this:

Kids, don't try this at home...better yet, don't try it at all. Only yesterday there were two serious injuries, and almost every year someone ends up paraplegic because no one catches them before they hit the ground. Of course, if you're a girl you stand a much better chance of being caught than if you're a guy, and so far no girl who has taken off her shirt before jumping has ever hit the ground.

We decided that fountain jumping was not for us, so we headed home after a couple of beers. After dinner we were lucky enough to be invited by the mother of one of Catgirl's friends to watch the fireworks from her office, which just happens to be right in front of the park. It was pretty nice to look out the window at all the people sitting in the grass in the chilly night air, and enjoy a perfect view of the show. No people standing up and blocking our view, drunken young people (and not so young people) tripping over us, or blowing smoke in our faces. Excellent!

And this morning we actually made it to the procession, when San Fermin gets taken out for his yearly walkies. Oh, and just to remind you, San Fermin is not the patron saint of Pamplona. That would be San Saturnino. I kind of feel sorry for him. Here this San Fermin character gets all the attention, and a big party, but the patron saint, meh, hardly anyone even knows who he is. But San Fermin is the man of the day, so we went to pay homage to him, just like everybody else. We got there half an hour ahead of time, but the street was already packed, so we squeezed into the only empty spot available, which means the photos I got aren't all that great.

The lucky ones

Giants dancing. These guys just wouldn't stand still for the photo.

The man of the hour

At some point during the whole parade, someone sings a "saeta" (a type of religious song) to the saint, and everyone starts shushing everyone else, which is kind of amusing because the shushing is actually noisier than the people talking to start with.

And right now Catgirl is out with her friends. Kind of scary to think of her in the midst of all the craziness, but she's sixteen and it had to happen sooner or later. At least there's no more boyfriend to worry about. Although that may actually be all the more reason to be concerned....

Introducing Miguelito.

2011-06-15T18:08:00.000+02:00

As you may have noticed, I skipped last week's photo fun contest. This is in part due to the fact that I'm temporarily out of ideas for photos, but it's mostly because of this:

This is our new kitten, Miguelito el Cariñoso...or Miso, for short. It's kind of an inside joke, Miguelito el Cariñoso is the name of our favorite restaurant from when we lived in Málaga...ah, good times. Anyway, The Professor said that this cat looks like a Miguelito to him, and he certainly is extremely "cariñoso" (affectionate), so Miguelito el Cariñoso it is.

We weren't planning on getting another cat, two is actually more than enough, but then The Professor found Miguelito limping around in the middle of the road. We don't know how he got there since there are no houses nearby, and we don't know what happened to his leg, but it didn't look good at all. At first we thought it might be broken, but the vet said he has nerve damage, and for now it's anybody's guess as to whether he'll recover or not. We figured that he wouldn't have much of a chance at being adopted with a bad leg, and we couldn't bear the thought of him locked up in a cage for weeks, and the possible outcome if his leg didn't heal, so we decided to keep him.

And he's kept us busy ever since. Not that he gives us much work, but he's so much fun to play with that he distracts us from all the important business we should be attending to. It's amazing how he can jump around and play, in spite of having only three working legs. He mostly drags the other one on the floor when he walks, but every once in a while he tries to move it with his shoulder when he bats at his toys or when digging in the litter box, so I guess that's not entirely a bad sign. Still, he doesn't seem to feel the leg when we touch it, and in the week he's been here we haven't seen much of an improvement, but it seems that nerve regeneration is an extremely long process, and it may take months for him to recover, if he ever does. At first it just broke my heart to see him limping around, but the truth is, he manages pretty well and gets around as fast as any normal kitten would. In fact, he's so fast that at first I wanted to call him Flash, but in Spanish people would have called him "Flas" and the kids and The Professor didn't much like that.

Now his only other obstacle is to get our other two cats to accept him. Mica is on the brink of adopting him, just like she did with Mus. She's groomed him a couple of times and has started to play with him, although she still hisses at him occasionally...mostly when he gets over-enthusiastic while trying to attack her tail. But Mus is a different story. He's not having any of it. He barely comes inside the house any more, only long enough to gulp down some food, and only when Miso isn't around. I think he thinks the house and everything in it belongs to him (including us), and he's highly offended that some little whippersnapper has invaded his private property...and most importantly, our laps.

Oh well, time will fix things. At least I hope so...otherwise this might end up looking very much like the Spanish government, where the different parties never seem to agree with each other on anything, and all politicians ever seem to do is to attack each other. I guess animals and humans aren't all that different in the end....

Photo Fun #25 Winner

2011-06-06T17:11:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone. I've decided to start posting the photo fun winners on Mondays from now on...mostly because that's what I've been doing lately. I do sometimes find time to get on the internet on Sundays, but often I'm busy or out, so this is just easier all around.

And with no further ado, I give you this week's winner....once again it's Erik, of American in Spain. He correctly guessed that my mystery object was a flour sieve. This has helped me bake many a birthday cake, but lately it's been languishing in one of my kitchen cupboards, and I found it the other day while looking for a jar lid. Looks like I need to dust off my baking utensils and get baking again!

So, congrats to Erik, and thanks to everyone else for playing along. See you next time!

Friday Photo Fun #25

2011-06-03T21:45:00.000+02:00

Instead of blogging I have been giving into my hippie side and playing around with painting henna tattoos on my kids...I guess this is what comes of being born in the Sixties, albeit the tail-end of it (yes, I am that old). And while I was at it, I turned myself into a redhead, because, what the heck, why not?

The Professor is pretty happy about it...he thought I really was a redhead when we met, and I think he's still secretly disappointed that it turned out to be just an illusion.

I've even contemplated taking up yoga....because, well that's what hippies do, right? And it might be fun to try something new. Then again, that may taking things just a bit too far...I'm not really sure that I'm ready to hang up my Nikes and exchange my step classes for rounds of chanting "Om". Besides, that's just one step away from bra burning and running off to join a commune, and I don't think the Professor would be any too happy about that. But wouldn't it be cool to be able to do this?

Okay, okay, I know you're all probably thinking, "Enough with all the hippy crap, get on with the important stuff, why don't you!" So, here's this week's mystery object:

You know what to do...guess what it is and leave a comment. If you win, I'll link my big red button to your blog for a whole week. And if you don't have a blog, let me know what page you'd like me to link to, and I will (except for certain obvious exceptions, such as porn, violence, or racism). Oh, and wait, there's more...everyone who participates by leaving a comment, gets to be in my next linky-love post, so say something...anything!

And with that, I'm off to practice my crane pose. If I'm not back here by Monday, that means I've probably fallen on my face and broken my nose...

Peace out.

Photo Fun #24 Winner

2011-05-30T19:35:00.000+02:00

Okay, it's Monday, and it's time to post this week's Photo Fun winner. I gave you guys an extra day, but I see it really wasn't necessary because Erik guessed it within the hour. So, not only is he the winner, but he's also the fastest guesser in the blogosphere.

And here it is, as Erik said, "a really beautiful potato peeler". Okay, I don't know about really beautiful, but it is a potato peeler. Not very creative, I know, but I'm running out of interesting stuff to take photos of at my house.

Anyway, congrats Erik, you did it again! I'm going to have to start working harder to outfox you...

And thanks to everyone else for playing along...you'll all be in my next linky love post. But in the meantime, why don't you pay a visit to Erik, whose blog, by the way, is now called American in Spain.

Not-Friday-Anymore Photo Fun #24

2011-05-28T10:41:00.000+02:00

Sorry guys but I didn't have time to get this up yesterday. We were out shopping for a pergola for our garden, because believe it or not, we actually do have enough sunny days in summer to warrant trying to keep the sun off the windows, so our living room doesn't turn into an oven.

But having solved my pergola problem, I'm back with another photo fun contest. Granted, it's not a Friday Photo Fun contest, but hey, better late than never, right? Anyway, I'll give you guys until Monday to figure it out, although I think this one is easy-peasy and you probably won't need that much time. So, here goes:

Okay guys, you know the drill. Look at the photo, guess what it is, leave your answer in the comments. The first person to guess correctly wins, and I'll link their blog to my big red button. If the winner doesn't have a blog, I'll link to the page of their choice (leave that in the comments too, or send me an e-mail). Remember, I don't link to porn, violence or racist pages. And even if you don't have a clue as to what the object is, leave a comment anyway and I'll include you in my next linky love post.

That's it, I'm done. Now it's your turn.

Foto Fun #23 Winner

2011-05-24T11:35:00.000+02:00

Well, this week's photo contest had an unexpected outcome. There is a winner, but he's renounced the prize. It seems he was just passing through, and he left the winning comment on his way. So, I'll leave the link the way it is until the next contest, but the least I can do is to congratulate Manuel on his guess. So, give it up for Manuel for guessing that my photo was of La Bocca della Verità in Rome.

I was running out of ideas for mystery objects, so I started looking though some of our old photos, and I ended up using one from our trip to Rome las June. Here I am doing the silly, touristy thing, while The Professor takes my picture.


Guess I must not have told any lies, because my hand is still in one piece...either that, or I'm such a good liar that I was even able to fool this guy.

Okay folks, that's it for this week. I will try to do a real post before Friday, but I can't promise anything. And if not, come back on Friday for more photo fun!

Friday Photo Fun #23

2011-05-21T00:10:00.000+02:00

I've just realized that I haven't written a real post since before Spring Break, it's just been photo fun around here lately. It's not that there isn't anything going on to blog about, but the good weather is making me lazy, oh so lazy...

But I couldn't skip Friday Photo Fun, so here it is, and I promise to do a "real" post one of these days. So, for now, let's see if you guys can figure out what this is:

Okay, I've done my part, now it's your turn. The first person to guess correctly wins. What do they win? They get the fabulous prize of having their blog linked to my big red button! And if the winner doesn't have a blog, I'll link to the page of their choice (no porn, racism, violence, etc.) Oh, and don't forget, everyone who participates gets to be in my next linky-love post (after contest #30), so come on and guess, you've got nothing to lose!

Photo Fun #22 Winner

2011-05-16T18:15:00.000+02:00

It's been a busy weekend, and a busy Monday of cleaning up after. SAM had a fencing competition, Catgirl had a birthday party, and one of SAM's friends spent the night last night. But I'm finally done picking up, and the house has almost returned to it's pre-weekend state. So, now it's time to announce this week's Photo Fun winner.

This time around, Miss Rosie, of Hello Rosie, guessed the mystery object right off the bat. Way to go, Miss Rosie! The photo was of the spring that holds the weights on the weight bar at the gym. I took it after my Body Pump class, and I was in a bit of a hurry, so the photo wasn't great, but it served it's purpose. Here's a shot of the whole weight bar:

So, congrats, Miss Rosie! Thanks to everyone else for playing along...I'll put you all into my next linky-love post. And now I'm off to sweat some more with the weights in Body Pump....see ya!

Friday Photo Fun #22

2011-05-14T00:00:00.001+02:00

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date...

I know, I know...this Friday Photo Fun contest is off to kind of a late start, but Catgirl is going on an exchange program to California this summer, and we had a meeting about it this afternoon. A meeting that I thought would last at most an hour, and I figured I'd have plenty of time to upload my photo and write this post before dinner. But that "short" meeting turned went on for over two hours and by the time I got home I had just enough time to pop the pizzas in the oven for dinner.

But here I am, loyal to the cause, and here's this week's mystery object:

It's not a great photo since I was in kind of a hurry when I took it. Tomorrow is Catgirl's sixteenth birthday, so it's been a busy, busy week of preparations. Anyway, I think it shouldn't be too hard to guess, so give it a go.

Remember, the first person to guess correctly gets their blog linked to my big red button, and in the event that the winner doesn't have a blog, I will link to the page of their choice (no porn, no violence, no racism, but pretty much anything else). And everyone who participates will be included in my linky-love post after contest #30, so even if you don't have a clue, just say whatever comes to mind.

Happy guessing!

Photo Fun #21 Winner

2011-05-09T18:20:00.000+02:00

Well, I still haven't heard from Igor, but I've decided to go ahead with this post anyway. This week's photo was sent to me by Erik, and it's a close up of cheese...and, yes, it has a little mold on it, but that's not an issue with this type of cheese, since it's only on the rind. Igor, the Piranha Whisperer was the one who guessed what it was, although there were quite a few people who did get the mold part.

Here's a photo of the whole cheese, which is Queso de la Serena, a type of cheese made in Badajoz. I haven't tasted this kind of cheese before, but we get a similar sort when we visit my in-laws in Cáceres, and if this one is half as good as the one we get, then Erik is one lucky guy!

Anyway, congrats Igor...let me know where you want me to link to. And thanks to the rest of you for playing along. I have to say that there were some pretty creative guessers this week, especially Wanda, who guessed that it was a painted yellow line on the pavement. That deserves a special mention!

Okay, that's all for now, folks. It's nice out, and that's something we never take for granted here in unpredictable Pamplona, so I'm going outside. See ya!

Friday Photo Fun #21

2011-05-06T18:48:00.001+02:00

I've been a bad girl and haven't posted in quite a while. But I have an excuse...sort of. I liked Barcelona so much when I was there with Santa Ana that I decided I needed to go back, so I did. The Professor and I rented an apartment for a few days and took the kids during Spring Break. And now we've been home for nearly a week, and it's not like I don't have lots of interesting things that I could be posting about, but I've just been a tiny bit lazy...about posting anyway.

But I'm finally back, and as promised, it's time for another Friday Photo Fun. Today's photo is another guest submission, and I think it's an excellent one. Erik (you all should know him by now, and if you don't, get over to his blog, pronto!) sent me an email with this photo today, suggesting it might make a good mystery object, so I decided to use it for today's contest.

Let's see how many of you can guess what this is:

Whoever is first to get it right, gets their blog linked to my big red button. If you don't have a blog and you win, I'll link to the page of your choice (I reserve the right to refuse linkage to any objectionable sites). And even if you don't have a clue, play along and say the first thing that comes into your head and I'll include you in my next linky-love post (after contest #30).

Okay, go! I'll pop in now and then to see if you guys need a clue, and if so, I'll stick one in the comments section.

Have fun and have a great weekend!

All My Loving...linky-loving, that is.

2011-04-25T17:56:00.001+02:00

Here's my linky-love post, as promised. The following people have participated in at least one of the past ten Friday Photo Fun contests. And here they all are, in no particular order. They're all good reads, so if you haven't yet, go check them out:

PicklePits, who has three little Spanish-American monkeys (just like me), at Life in the Pickle Jar
Erik (Does he really need an introduction?), at Erik's Blog
UnSoccerMom, who is new around here so I don't know her too well yet, but I'm guessing she's not a soccer mom, at The Un-Soccer Mom
Wanda, who is definitely not a fish, at The Fickle Forgettery
FionaCat, aka "Bud", because, well, she's my bud and has been since high school, at A Mile Wide and an Inch Deep
Miss Rosie, who has the coolest avatar, at Hello Rosie
Giozi, with her fantastic photos, at Las Mil y Una Metidas de Pata
Ben, whose appliances conspire against him, at Quod Erat Demonstrosity
Windmill Tales, who once lived in Spain and now she's in Holland, at Tales From Windmill Fields
Asha, who is wishing summer were here, at Random Ramblings of an Agnostic Mom
Kate, who is doing the expat thing in Spain just like me, except with three boys, at Expat Mama
Beach Bum, who always has something creative to say, at The Life and Times of a Carolina Parrothead
Catgirl, who has a blog but we're not allowed to read it, so she told me to link her to my mini-blog, Not Hemmingway's Pamplona
Quilly, who's Punny Mondays will puzzle even the sharpest minds, at Quintessentially Quilly
Spanisheyes, who is waiting to be reunited with her Pepe once more, at Between U.S.A. and Spain
Alex, who's recently moved from France to England, at Moving From France to Ferrets
Kate, a real writer (and don't you forget it, baby), at Hotdishing
Ethel Mae Potter, who has the ability to turn the simplest things into a sublimely funny story, at The Adventures of Fred and Ethel
Jay, who gave me the idea for the photo contest, at The Depp Effect
Lanita, who is is eccentrically hip and not at all old, at A Mother's Hood
Rea, who manages to take good photos with a baby hanging from her breast and a toddler hanging onto her leg, at Not So Spanish
Jocelyn, with her new and improved, because-the-Turks-blocked-Blogger blog, O Mighty Crisis

I hope I haven't forgotten anyone, but if I did, just let me know, and I'll fix it. Oh, and I guess I should also mention Jim, my brother-in-law, and Igor the Piranha Whisperer, who have both won more than once, but neither one of them has a blog. I think Igor really should get one, because with a cool name like that, I'm sure his blog would be very interesting.

So, enjoy the linky-love, and remember, this Friday there won't be any Friday Photo Fun, but I'll be back the week after that with the next round of mystery objects.

Photo Fun #20 Winner

2011-04-24T20:44:00.001+02:00

We have a winner for photo contest #20!

I know this time around the object was a little tricky, but Erik, who has once again proven himself to be an uncannily good guesser, came up with the correct answer. He guessed it was some sort of faucet or fountain, and he was right. This week's photo was a close up of the spigot on one of Barcelona's many public drinking fountains.

And here it is, just waiting to quench your thirst on a hot day:

So, congrats Erik! And thanks to everyone else for playing along. Make sure to come back tomorrow for my linky-love post. If you've participated in any of the last ten contests, your name will be on the list.

Oh, and before I forget, next week Friday I won't be doing a photo contest because I'll be busy, but more on that in a future post...

Friday Photo Fun #20

2011-04-22T21:00:00.000+02:00

Okay guys, we've finally made it to Friday Photo Fun #20, and that means that after this contest I'll be doing a linky-love post with everyone who participated in the the last ten contests. You still have a chance to get in on the fun. All you have to do is to guess in this week's contest.

Here's mystery object #20:

So, what are you waiting for? Start guessing! If you are the first person to guess correctly, you get your blog, or the page of your choice, linked to my big red button. And even if you don't have a clue, guess anyway, and I'll include you in the linky-love post I'll be doing on Monday.

Okay, go!

Scaffoldiphobia

2011-04-20T21:47:00.000+02:00

A phobia is defined as " a persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous."

Well, you can reassure us all you want that scaffolding is not dangerous, but Santa Ana and I both avoid it like the plague, even if it means taking the long way around to get where we're going. So I guess you could say we suffer from scaffoldiphobia (or should that be scaffoldaphobia?). But our fear isn't entirely unreasonable, and I'll tell you why.

It all started with La Sagrada Familia, which is actually a giant construction site, and it has lots of scaffolding on it. Yes, that's right, it's still not finished, and it won't be until sometime around 2020. But it's not the scaffolding on the church that scared us, it was the construction site across the street that did. A block of flats was being restored and the whole side of the building was covered in scaffolding, but we hardly noticed it next to the majesty of the cathedral. And, as we stood in line for tickets to get into the basilica, the contruction workers went about their business. Just another day Barcelona, right?

Wrong.

We were standing in line, minding our own business; Santa Ana was taking photos of one of the facades of the church, and I was getting bumped in the leg with the bag of the girl behind me, who was having a very lively conversation in Russian with the guy next to her. Suddenly we heard a loud noise, and we turned to see a whole section of the scaffolding collapse and come crashing down to the sidewalk. One of the workers jumped out of the way just in the nick of time to avoid falling along with the structure, and a huge cloud of dust arose from the rubble.

I didn't take photos right away, first out of shock, and then I wanted to make sure nobody was injured, because it just seemed to be too macabre to photograph something like that. Guess I'd make a horrible reporter. But after a few minutes it was clear no one was hurt, and I got these two shots.

I read later that a couple of the workers were trapped on top of the structure, and they had to be rescued by the fire department, but I guess we missed that while we were inside the church. It's really lucky that no one happened to be passing underneath at the time, especially considering the number of people in the area, since it was just across the street from La Sagrada Familia. I've walked underneath scaffolding more times than I can count, but the thought never occurred to me that I might be squashed like a bug if it collapsed.

After that, Santa Ana and I avoided every scaffold we saw (and it turns out that Barcelona is full of them). Well, except the ones in La Sagrada Familia. We figured the security measures would probably be better and that it was unlikely that there would be any accidents there, although you never can be too sure of what might happen. Just last Tuesday some weirdo started a fire inside the church, and everyone inside had to be evacuated. So, like I said, you never know.

Anyway, we did get to see La Sagrada Familia, nothing fell on us, no one set us on fire, and I must say, it was spectacular. My photos don't really do it justice, but here are a few.

Passion Facade

Close up of Passion Facade

Nativity Facade

Inside the Central Nave

Spiral Staircase


For some reason this made me think of the Great A'Tuin of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series

But the great turtle wasn't the only animal we saw, there were plenty of other critters everywhere we looked:

Chameleon


Snails


Lizards

And by the time our visit was over, we'd almost entirely forgotten the scaffolding incident. But the firemen and the police that were still outside reminded us that ladders aren't the only thing we shouldn't walk under.

We sure won't be trying our luck by passing underneath a scaffold any time soon.

Photo Fun #19 Winner

2011-04-18T10:26:00.000+02:00

We have a winner! I guess this time around the mystery object was a little trickier than usual, but someone finally got it. And that someone was Miss Rosie, of Hello Rosie. She guessed the photo was of the steps on an escalator, which is exactly what it is. It's a pretty common object, although this particular escalator isn't your usual shopping mall escalator. I took this photo at the top of the escalator that took Santa Ana and I up to Park Güell in Barcelona.

Here it is:

I don't know if you can really tell from this photo, but it was a very tall hill, and Santa Ana and I were really glad there was an escalator to take us to the top.

So, Miss Rosie, hats off to you! And to everyone else, great guesses, and thanks for playing! Come back on Friday for the next edition of Friday Photo Fun...it's contest number twenty, so don't miss out because I'll be doing my special linky-love post after that.

Friday Photo Fun #19

2011-04-15T20:11:00.000+02:00

Friday has arrived once again, and with it, Friday Photo Fun. So, let's see who's the quickest guesser in the blogoverse. Here's a close up of this week's mystery object, and all you have to do to win is to be the first person to guess what it is.

So, come on and take a guess! The winner gets their blog linked to my big red button, and if you don't have a blog and you win, I'll link to the page of your choice (no porn, violence, racism, etc.). And remember, after contest number 20 I'll be doing a linky-love post with everyone who participated in the last ten contests. So, even if you don't have a clue, you've got nothing to lose.

Photo Fun #18 Winner

2011-04-11T10:43:00.000+02:00

And we have a winner!

This week's winner is once again Igor the Piranha Whisperer, who seems to be quite knowledgeable about things that can be found in nature. He guessed my lodestone photo and this week he guessed that my mystery object was a cactus flower. I'm really curious as to just who this guy is, and why he's called the Piranha Whisperer...maybe someday he'll tell us.

Anyway, here's the cactus. I saw this in Park Güell on my trip to Barcelona, and I thought the flowers were interesting.

So, good job, Igor! He sent me a message to let me know that this time he wanted me to link to The Annoying Orange, so I looked it up on You Tube. I said I wouldn't link to violence, but I never said anything about fruit violence, and besides, it's just some good old fruity fun.

Thanks everyone for playing along. I'll be back on Friday with another mystery object, so don't miss out!

Friday Photo Fun #18

2011-04-08T20:19:00.000+02:00

It's that time again!

Time for yet another edition of Friday Photo Fun. My job, posting a close-up of an object. Your job, guessing what it is. The first person to guess correctly wins. What do you win? Well, you get a shout-out and I'll link your blog to my big red button. And if you don't have a blog, you can still play...if you win, I'll link to the page of your choice (with the obvious exceptions of porn, violence or racism). And even if you don't have a clue, guess anyway. It's free and I'll be giving everyone who participates a little linky love after the twentieth contest.

So, what are you waiting for?

I think this week's object will be pretty easy to guess, but then again, I'm never a good judge of that. I thought last week's would keep you guessing for a while, but Erik guessed it pretty quickly. I tested this one on SAM and my mom, and they had no idea. What about you? Do you know what it is?

Okay go!

Life is just so hard

2011-04-07T17:46:00.000+02:00

I was planning on continuing my Barcelona series this week, but as I said, my mom's here for a visit. And so I have been very very busy shopping, drinking coffee, and teaching her how to play Paper Mario on the Wii. It's such a hard life. Add to that the fact that Catgirl had my computer sequestered for the past few days while she was working on her photoshop project of dragons setting fire to her school, and writing a meaningful post has become darned near impossible.

So, I give up.

I will be doing the Friday Photo Fun this week and next, but don't expect much else from me. I may post a photo or two, out of all my favorites, but to hear about how Santa Ana and I came down with scaffoldiphobia, you'll just have to wait.

But you can admire this lovely butterfly that posed for me at the top of a hill in Park Güell. It must have felt a strong urge to be immortalized, since with Catgirl's point-and-shoot I had to get up really close, even with the macro setting on. I couldn't have been more than 10 cm away, which makes most butterflies camera shy.

This guy saw me taking photos of the butterfly and he also wanted to get in the act, so I recorded his, um, very interesting show.

And with that I leave you until tomorrow's photo contest.

Photo Fun #17 Winner

2011-04-04T10:44:00.000+02:00

Okay, okay, I know this post should have been up yesterday, but I was just a tiny bit busy this weekend. My mom's here for a visit, Saturday was my birthday (and no, I'm not telling you how ~~old~~ young I am), and yesterday I spent the entire afternoon teaching Catgirl how to photoshop dragons into her school.

But hey, I'm back with this week's photo contest winner. Can I have a drumroll please?

It's Erik, of Erik's Blog! I guess he really doesn't need an introduction, since by now I'm sure you all know who he is.

He correctly guessed that my mystery object was an organ pipe, from the inside of a cathedral in Barcelona. I would have given him extra points if he'd said which cathedral, but his guess was more than good enough. It is an organ pipe, taken from below, inside La Sagrada Familia. I liked the photo quite a lot, and since I'm not usually so lucky in getting such great shots, I knew I just had to use it for the contest.

Here's the whole thing:

So, there you have it. Congrats Erik! I just can't seem to fool you. And thanks to everyone else for playing along, and I'll see you all on Friday, for another edition of Friday Photo Fun. Make sure not to miss it!

Friday Photo Fun #17

2011-04-01T18:00:00.001+02:00

It's Friday, and that means it's time for another Photo Fun contest. I'll be back next week with more posts on Barcelona, including the stories about pickpockets and how we witnessed a construction accident. And I'll also be setting up a separate page with info on shops, bars and other handy tips for visiting Barcelona. If that works out, I'll probably make one for Pamplona as well, with tips on how to survive San Fermin, and a list of places I think are worth seeing.

But first things first. Here's this week's mystery object. You know what to do; leave your guess in the comments, and the first person to get it right will have their blog linked to my big red button. And even if you don't have a blog, it doesn't matter...if you win, I'll link to the page of your choice (except pages that include porn, violence, racism, etc.) Don't have a clue? Don't worry. Leave a comment anyway, and you'll be included in my next linky-love post, which I'll do after the 20th contest. So guess away!

What is it?

Okay go!

Sunday Lucky Sunday

2011-03-31T11:52:00.002+02:00

You would think that the first thing we would do in Barcelona would be to go see La Sagrada Familia, but nope, we don't roll that way. We like to do things backwards.

Nah, just kidding. We're pretty normal really...in a weird sort of way.

The truth is, the weather was so nice that we wanted to do all the outdoor stuff first, just in case. But, it turns out it didn't really matter, since we only got one day that was a little chilly (I guess you can tell how important the weather is to this rainy Pamplona girl).

I think our Sunday in Barcelona was our luckiest day, since we had absolutely gorgeous weather, and we ended up stumbling upon a couple of interesting events that just happened to be going on that day. Plus, many of the museums were free after lunch (which means after 3 in Spain), and what could be better than free stuff?

We decided to see the Montjuic area, since the weather was so good, and we wanted to wander around the gardens a bit. So, we took the subway to Plaça d'Espanya, and as we arrived, we heard jazz music and saw a crowd milling about, so we couldn't help but have a look. I turns out that an old-time bus and coach rally was being held that morning, so we checked that out, took our pictures with the buses....and we got a free tulip. I don't really know what tulips have to do with buses, but we didn't care, as long as we got one. It may have been to celebrate Spring, but I can't say for sure.

We didn't have a ticket to ride, so when the rally was about to start, we headed towards a nearby square, where we'd heard there would be a exhibition of Castellers, or human tower builders. I'd only seen this on TV before, and I was curious to see it in person. And let me tell you, it's much more impressive in real life. Photos and videos don't really the convey the height of these towers, and you also can't really see the massive base, or pinya, that is formed at the bottom. And surprisingly, it's all very well-planned out. We had a coffee in a bar on the square while we were waiting for them to start, and at a nearby table we could see a group of Castellers busily studying some complex diagrams, that showed exactly where each person should be. From the looks of things, it takes quite a bit of strategy to keep the towers from toppling.

This is way more impressive in real life.

But the thing that amazes me most are the small children that are on top. Most didn't look older than five or six, but they were very skillful at getting to the top, and then sliding down the backs of the people below to get down again. You can see them in this video:

It looks pretty scary, especially considering the height of some of these towers. At one point, one of the towers fell before it was finished, and all I can say is that it's a good thing there's such a large base to cushion the fall. And they do wear helmets. But I would seriously freak out if my kids tried something like that.

Mini-castellers being entertained by the older ones while they wait for their turn to climb to the top.

To top it all off (never better said), they were selling sandwitches with botifarra, which is a typical catalonian sausage...3.50€ for a sandwich and a beer. The perfect lunch. So we found a spot in the shade and ate while we enjoyed the show. Not a bad way to start the day.

With our stomachs full and our spirits high (but feet still firmly on the ground), we left the Castellers to their acrobatics, and we walked around the gardens of Monjuic for a while, and finally ended up in the Olympic stadium.

It was pretty impressive, although some people were more into taking a nap than admiring their surroundings.

Just outside they had a sort of Olympic Walk of Fame, with shoe prints of many famous athletes. I put together just a few into a sort of mosaic (very Gaudish of me, isn't it?). Just look at all those famous feet! It's funny to compare Nadia Comaneci's tiny foot to the likes of feet like Pau Gasol's or Steve Ballestero's. And Lance Armstrong has freakishly tiny feet for a guy.

Once we were done being duly impressed by all those incredibly talented athletes, we took the funicular down the mountain, because we wanted to see the Maritime Museum. It was one of the free ones, so how could we pass that up? But we were a bit disappointed, since we expected to find a real boat. But if there was one, we sure didn't see it. I found out later that they are renovating the museum, and their permanent collection is temporarily closed, so I'm assuming that's where they're hiding the boats. We did get picture of this cool-looking submarine, though.

We all live in a wooden submarine, a wooden submarine, a wooden submarine....

And we also saw a very, um, interesting textile exhibit with some pretty weird outfits....and aphrodisiac underwear and sheets! Fascinating.

Just plain weird.


A dress made out of...hair? Creepy!

Why does this remind me of Rocky the Flying Squirrel?

The closest thing to being a firefly.

This I like.

The aphrodisiac underwear. Curiously enough, not all that sexy-looking.

And with that underwear, I guess you'll need a bit of privacy.

After that, we walked over to the Gothic Quarter and saw the Roman ruins in The City History Museum (Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat), which is also free on Sunday afternoons. It was really pretty neat.

Wine vats. What else would I take a picture of?

Not too shabby, eh? All in all, it turned out to be an excellent day.

Ah, and we finished it off with a margarita and a mojito...but I can't quite remember where...

Oh well, at least we managed to find our way back to the hotel.

My Favorite Things

2011-03-29T12:38:00.000+02:00

When planning our trip to Barcelona, Santa Ana and I both looked up a lot of stuff on the internet and we checked out several books to get an idea of what we wanted to see while we were there. And one of the things we decided to do was take a walking tour, but we didn't want one of the typical tours where the guide carries a little flag, spouts a memorized script, and rushes you from point A to point B in the allotted time. I can get that sort of information from a guidebook, and besides, I won't remember half of it by the time the tour is finished, so I wasn't into that idea at all. And that's why we ended up choosing My Favorite Things. They offer four hour-tours that are limited to very small groups, which allows for a lot of interaction and personalized attention.

It was hard to choose between all the tour options, but we ended up choosing the My Favorite Fusion one, since it was our first time in Barcelona, and it was supposed to give us a good introduction to the city. And it did.

Our guide, Kris, a Belgian guy who's lived in Barcelona for several years now, showed us around El Raval, the gothic quarter of the city, and a little of El Born. He told us a bit about the history and architecture of each area, and showed us a number of interesting shops and bars. There were only three of us on the tour, which was great, since we were able to linger as long as we liked in each area and ask lots of questions. It was a little like visiting a friend, one who takes all the time to explain things, and gives you a personal view of the city.

I don't have a lot of photos from the tour, since we were mostly into getting a feel for the city, with the idea of coming back to the things that were most interesting. Besides, Santa Ana is a much better photographer than I am, so she's the one who has all the really good pictures. But I did take a few:

As we strolled through the streets of El Raval, Kris explained that the although the area was originally planned as a utopian community, where everyone would be equal, and no building would be higher than the next. That didn't really materialize, and it ended up becoming one of the worst neighborhoods of the city, full of cabarets and prostitutes. Now it's still one of the poorer areas of the city, but it seems that recently attempts have been made to clean the area up, and re-establish the courtyard gardens that were part of the original plan. But it's slow going, and there's still a lot of work to be done. Still, it has some interesting things to see:


Our guide, Kris, explaing a bit about the architectural style of this courtyard (Centro de Cultura Contemporánea de Barcelona)


The courtyard of the old hospital. With a hospital like that, who would want to get well?

Then we moved on to La Boqueria, Barcelona's most famous market, but hardly the only one. There, Kris told a bit about the importance of food in the Catalan culture. Food is a big deal in Spain in general, but it seems that for Catalans it's almost a religion. And who can blame them? Just look at all the delicious things you can buy here (and this is just a tiny fraction of what you can find):

Kris gave us quite a few good ideas for lunch, the best of course being to buy our own ingredients in the market and cooking ourselves. But since we staying in a hotel, that was out of the question, so he pointed out several places where we could find good food at a decent price. He said we shouldn't have to pay more than ten euros for a "menu del dia" in most restaurants, and to avoid eating on La Rambla, where the prices are set for tourists, and the food isn't all that great. And he did point out one higher end place that we did go to on our last night, Els Quatre Gats, which is quite expensive, but well worth the visit. Oh, and we also tried to go to another place he suggested, Bar Electricitat, but they were about to close, and we were sent away quite rudely. Stupid thing to do, because now I will tell people not to go there...after all, no matter how good the food may be, it's not worth it if you'll be treated badly.

Somewhere along our trip, Kris took us to a milk bar or "granja", where, he told us, originally cows were kept at the back. I can not for the life of me remember exactly where it was, or tell you how to get there, but here's a picture of it. We stopped in for a well-deserved coffee, and then continued on our way.

As for the shops, we saw many fascinating little places. The only one I got a photo of was Papabubble, a candy shop where you can watch as the candies are hand made. Good thing the kids weren't there, or we would have walked out with half the shop.

We also took a peek inside Caelum, which means "heaven" in latin. And it's called that for good reason, since the products you can find are certainly heavenly. You can get all sorts of pastries, cookies and wine, as well as crafts, all made by monks and nuns. And then there's Bubó, which has the most divine looking pastries I've ever seen. It was just too posh to take photos, but you can see pictures on their website. If you buy something, it'll leave quite a hole in your pocket, because those pastries sure don't come cheap. But looking is free, so if you get the chance, pop in and drool a little. There were more shops, but I can't remember all the names anymore, so if you want to find out what they were, take the tour.

Towards the end of our tour we stopped for a moment near Santa Maria del Mar, which to me, is the loveliest church in Barcelona, because of its simplicity. But we didn't go inside that day, so Santa Ana and I put that on our list of places to return to later on. Kris pointed out a small cava bar, La Vinya del Senyor, which has a terrace just in front of the church, also not cheap, but well worth the money.

We ended our tour in a nearby square, but before he left, Kris took the time to mark the things we'd seen plus the restaurant recommendations on our maps. Then his girlfriend took this photo of us, and we each went our separate ways.

Jan, Kris, me, and Santa Ana. Not the best photo, since it was very sunny and we were all squinting.

So, if you're ever in Barcelona and you want to do something different, try one of the My Favorite Things tours. There's something for everyone; foodies, kids, nightlife lovers, art nouveau fans. You won't be disappointed.

Not Vicky, Not Cristina, but Definitely Barcelona

2011-03-28T10:46:00.001+02:00

Okay, now that the photo contest is out of the way, it's time to start telling you about my Barcelona adventure. As you know, I went to meet my friend Heidi, whom I hadn't seen in twenty years, and I must say, it was quite a reunion.

Here we are after all those years

But before I get to that, Heidi decided that "H" is a pretty boring blog name, so we wracked our brains over mojitos and margaritas (which is the best way to think, or at least the most enjoyable way), trying to come up with a more suitable name. And we finally found one. Here's how it happened:

I saw "my" saint, Santa Teresa, in one of the churches we visited. See, here I am with the sign:

I'm no virgin, nor a saint, but they got the Jesús part right.

Heidi said it wasn't fair that she doesn't have a saint, since there aren't any that share her name. But her middle name is Ann, so I said that her saint would be Santa Ana.

Later, when we were sitting around with our mojitos trying to think of a blog name, we decided that Santa Ana it would be. I guess the mojitos had gone to our heads just a little and it just seemed fitting, and pretty darned funny too, for Santa Ana and Mother Theresa to have a grand adventure in Barcelona together.

Nothing as exciting as what goes on in the film Vicky Cristina Barcelona happened on our trip, but we did have a pretty interesting time. We aren't crazy, but we aren't saints either, so we drank plenty of beer, wine and cocktails, got slightly lost, ate some terrific tapas, wrote on the wall in a bar, fended off flower-bearing gypsies, saw a construction accident, and watched a guy get his pocket picked. We also briefly considered getting a tattoo, like this one, to commemorate our trip:

Yes, that's really La Sagrada Familia, tattooed on some guy's leg.

But we finally settled on getting these bracelets instead. Mostly because they were cheaper than the tattoo:

Bracelet buddies forever

Even without the bracelet, I'd never forget this trip. We laughed a lot, we talked even more, until really late at night, and we got up early and joked about swiping food from the breakfast buffet (but I swear we didn't, really, we didn't). Then, we hit the town and walked all day long, even though Santa Ana was stricken with a mysterious foot ailment that caused her foot to swell up to twice it's normal size. Okay, maybe not that much, although it did look pretty bad. But she was a real trooper and wouldn't let her foot get in the way of enjoying the trip. We saw most of the typical tourist attractions, as well as some more unusual things, and we took hundreds (thousands even) of pictures of the fabulous city that is Barcelona. And we did it for six days, though it seemed like a lot less.

And even though we hadn't seen each other in ages, it really didn't feel strange at all when we met this time. I'll have to admit that I was a little worried before the trip. I mean, Skype is great and all, and we were very good friends in high school, but you can never really be sure how things will go when you see someone again after so many years. But it wasn't awkward or weird or anything. Sure we've both changed at least a little, and now we're both married and have kids, and we live thousands of miles apart, but whatever the connection we had in high school, it was still there. And while we did talk a little about the past and the people we knew back then, we didn't need it to keep the conversation going, as so often happens when you get together with old friends. It was great seeing Santa Ana again, and I can say that, at least for my part, I had a wonderful time.

Now we're planning our next trip together. We agreed to try to do another one within the next five years. To Budapest maybe.

And if we win the lottery, we'll do it even sooner.

But before that, I'll be doing several posts on what we saw on this trip. So, come back tomorrow and I'll tell you all about the My Favorite Things walking tour we did on our first day in Barcelona. It was actually an excellent way to start our stay, since we got a really good overview of the city and some great tips on shops, bars and restaurants.

Photo Fun #16 Winner

2011-03-27T23:35:00.000+02:00

The winner of this week's photo contest was Igor the Piranha Whisperer, who said that this week's mystery object was a lodestone, or, in other words, a magnetic rock. Now, that's a pretty unusual object, and the truth is, I hadn't expected anyone to guess it, but I saw it lying around the other day and decided to use it, since I thought the photo would be pretty interesting. I did think someone might guess it was a rock of some sort, and I would have given it to the first person to say "rock", but Igor went one step further and specified exactly what kind of rock it was. So, way to go Igor!

Here's my pair of lodestones (you can see the iron filings standing up on them):

So, Igor's our winner, and since he doesn't have a blog, he asked me to link to his favorite on-line series, The Guild. I'd never seen this show before, but I started watching it and it's hilarious. So, check it out.

That's it for this week's contest. Thanks for playing everyone, and make sure to stop by tomorrow for the first installment of my Barcelona series.

Friday Photo Fun #16

2011-03-25T20:26:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm finally back from Barcelona, and I have some interesting stories to share, but I promised a new photo contest for today, so my adventures will have to wait.

So, ready to guess? You all know how it works. I post a close up of an object and you try to guess what it is. The first person to guess correctly wins. And just what do they win? A shout-out and a link to their blog from my big red button. Don't have a clue? Guess anyway. I'll be doing a linky love post after contest number 20, with links to everyone who has participated in the last ten contests. And even if you don't have a blog you can still play...if you win, I'll link to the site of your choice (with a few obvious exceptions, such as porn, violence and racism). So, come on, let's play!

Here's this week's mystery object:

Okay, go!

Barcelona, Here I Come!

2011-03-17T19:29:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow morning I'll be leaving for Barcelona.

I've lived in Spain for nearly nineteen years now, but I still haven't been to Barcelona, so I'm pretty happy to finally be able to take this trip. But what I'm really excited about is that I'm going there to see my friend, H., who I haven't seen in over twenty years. She was one of my very best friends in high school, and although we lost track of each other for a few years, we ended up finding each other again. We started e-mailing on and off, and then we discovered Skype, which has been a fantastic way to get reacquainted. But still, while e-mail and Skype are all well and good, it's not the same as talking face to face and sharing real-life experiences, so we have been trying for the past few months to figure out a way to see each other again. And now we finally have the chance. H. found a really good package deal to come to Barcelona for a week, and so we're off to have a girls' week out.

So, I won't be blogging this coming week, but I'll be back soon with all the tales of our adventures. I don't know exactly what we'll be seeing, besides the obvious tourist attractions; we'll kind of wing it and decide when we get there. But what I can say is that we have signed up for a special walking tour on Saturday that should be very interesting. We found a site called My Favorite Things that offers a different sort of tour from the ones you usually find for tourists, which is exactly what we wanted. Anyway, I'll tell you guys all about that when I get back. And I've also received a free Barcelona audioguide from iAudioguide.com, in exchange for a review, so I'll be doing a post about that as well. Besides that, I'll be bringing back plenty of photos and, hopefully, some interesting stories to tell. So, come back in about a week's time to hear all about it.

Oh, and before I forget. This week we won't be having our usual Friday Photo Fun contest, since I won't be here. The next contest will be on the 25th. See you then!

Weekend in Cantabria - Part 3. Lunch with Erik, Marga and Nora

2011-03-16T10:37:00.000+01:00

When we decided to take a trip to Cantabria, I realized we would be near Colindres, where my blogger friend Erik lives, so I decided to send him an e-mail to see if he and his wife, Marga, would be free on Sunday. He said yes, and that maybe we could have lunch or coffee together, and so we arranged to meet for the second time. We had met once before, when they came to Pamplona during San Fermin, but that was before they had Nora. And after having followed her life by way of Erik's blog, I was really quite curious to meet her.

Erik sent me some very detailed instructions on how to get to his house, along with a map, and an invitation to come over for lunch. I felt a little guilty for giving them all the work of cooking for five extra people, but how could we possibly resist such a warm invitation.

We had planned to arrive by 12, but we took a bit longer than we'd thought, mostly because we took the route along the coast, and the road isn't as good as the highway. And we were also distracted by this beach, which was just one of the beautiful places we passed, so we stopped to have a look at it. It was raining, but that didn't stop these guys from playing a little soccer.

Luckily, Erik's instructions were infinitely better than the ones we'd gotten from Google to get to the hotel, and we had no trouble at all finding his house. But we really must not be very observant, because he told us we would need to pass over a bridge with red cables, which we must have passed over the day before, on our way to Santander, but neither The Professor nor I remembered having seen it. And, trust me, it's not a bridge that you can easily miss. But, we did find the bridge and Erik's house, and we met for the second time.

Now, it's funny, but the first time we met Erik and Marga, Marga was just barely pregnant with Nora, and this time around she was again pregnant, with what will be their second child. So, we joked around about how we really have to stop meeting like this.

And then we met Nora. She suddenly found that her home had been invaded by five perfect strangers, who wouldn't stop looking at her and saying how adorable she is. Because, folks, she is seriously adorable. She's a real doll. And she did what any near two-year-old would do; she tried to hide behind her parents and at the same time keep a wary eye on the rest of us.

Erik suggested that we have a walk before lunch, which was probably a relief for Nora, since that way all the attention wouldn't be on her. She promptly fell asleep in her stroller, probably as a result of all the stress of meeting so many new people at once, but not before letting The Professor hold her hand.

Colindres turned out to be a lovely town that lies on the banks of the Asón River, and seems like a perfect place to live. It has all the advantages of being near the beach without actually being on the coast itself, so it doesn't fill up with as many tourists as nearby Laredo does. And, according to Erik, it's the perfect size, so everyone more or less knows you, but they're not all up in your business. Although it doesn't have a beach, it does have a fishing port, which we saw on our walk. I especially liked the small lighthouse:

The famous red cabled bridge as seen from the port.

View from the port.

We saw several of these boat skeletons.

The lighthouse gang. Nora isn't in the photo because she was asleep in her stroller.

I didn't take many photos while on our walk, because we were too busy talking, and I kept forgetting about the camera. The truth is that there was never a lull in the conversation, unlike what often happens with people that you don't know too well. And it was fun being able to flip back and forth between English and Spanish, which is something that we usually can't do with our friends. When English or American friends come to visit, we have to stick to English, and when we're with our Spanish friends, it's all Spanish. So, this was a real treat, although the kids were not too keen to speak in English. They'll usually only do so with people that they know don't speak any Spanish. That's why it was delightful to see how Nora switched from one to the other without giving a it a thought...ours once did that too, until they became self conscious about it.

After seeing the port, we walked into the center of town and stopped at a couple of bars for a drink before lunch. One was called El Limite (The Limit) and I can't remember the name of the other one (again, so much for observation). But I do remember it having some interesting drawings of The Lord of the Rings (at least I think it was Lord of the Rings) along one of it's walls. And I'm absolutely certain that the wine I had was very good, so I guess my observational skills only apply to the important things...wine obviously qualifies as important.

After finishing our drinks, it was time for lunch. Nora ate first, and then rest of us sat down to eat. We had lunch at the same table where Erik took this terrific photo of 5 Eriks drinking wine together...you really should check it out, it's very well done. Anyway, back to lunch. Erik had prepared a sort of shepherd's pie for us, and I can say it was truly delicious. So much so, that I plan on adding it to our cooking repertoire, which can always do with a new dish. Especially one as good as this was. And for desert we had strawberries with whipped cream, which just happens to be one of my all-time favorite desserts. Afterward, we had coffee and enjoyed a bit more conversation, and all too soon it was time to go home. But before we left we had a short photo session to commemorate our second, but hopefully not our last, meeting. Here we all are. Don't we make a handsome group?

We said our goodbyes, and Nora waved and blew kisses at us, probably thankful that all these strange people were finally leaving. But, at the last moment, she gave me a good bye kiss on the cheek. That's quite something, considering that I'm a near stranger to her, so I feel very lucky indeed.

In parting, I just want to say thank you to Erik and Marga for such a delightful day. It really is a pity that we live so far apart, because we really enjoy your company. But I do hope that in spite of the distance, we'll meet again. And in the meantime, see you on the internet.

Weekend in Cantabria - Part 2. Fuente de las Anjanas

2011-03-16T10:21:00.001+01:00

I'm doing three posts on our weekend trip because I wanted to dedicate one solely to the hotel we stayed in. Posada Rural de las Anjanas is a tiny, twelve-room, rural hotel, that is truly out in the middle of nowhere. The perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Posada Rural Fuente de las Anjanas

First off, don't try to find this place at night, unless you happen to have a very good GPS, although I suspect this place might not even be on the grid. We don't have a GPS, but we did have detailed instructions from Google Maps on how to get from Santander to Val de San Vicente, which is where the hotel is, but we still managed to get lost. But then again, Google Maps has gotten us lost on more than one occasion, and it doesn't always give you the best route, so next time around I'm going to look for a better alternative. And I'm pretty sure The Three Wise Men are going to get The Professor a GPS for Christmas this year.

The whole getting lost thing strikes me as quite funny, considering that the name of the hotel is Fuente de las Anjanas. According to the local mythology, the "anjanas" are a sort of forest nymph, whose purpose is to calm and guide lost travelers.

So, where can a person find an anjana when they need one?

They must have all been hiding behind the trees, laughing their fairy patooties off at our pathetic attempts to decipher Google's cryptic directions. But even though no anjana magically appeared to rescue us, after driving around in circles for a bit in the dark, we finally found the hotel. We all heaved a sigh of relief, thankful for the prospect of having a real bed to sleep in and not having to spend the night in the car, parked somewhere on a lonely country road. We grabbed our stuff and went inside.

The woman at reception was surprised to see us. She'd given up hope that we'd ever show up, and she told us so. Then she proceeded to scold us, much in the way a mother scolds her naughty children, for not having called to let her know we'd be late. Truth is, we'd been so busy getting lost, and then trying to get ourselves unlost, to think about calling, but I guess we should have. We were a bit taken aback by the scolding, but then we figured it was just a bit of rural familiarity, and we laughed it off and prepared for dinner.

The kids had eaten dinner earlier, so The Professor and I went downstairs to the dining room, which was mostly occupied by a very large communal table, and a few smaller, round tables. The smaller tables were all taken, so we sat at the end of the large table. Dinner was served by the same woman who had received us, and a man, who I assumed was her husband. First, we each had a large salad, followed by fish with garlic and herbs. I'm not really sure what kind of fish it was, but whatever kind it was, it certainly was delicious. And for dessert, we had a sort of fruit cocktail, topped with what I believe was pineapple yogurt. An excellent meal to end an excellent day.

Once upstairs, we checked up on the kids, who were happily watching TV in bed, and then we went off to our own room. Soon we heard a knock on the door, and The Professor opened it, expecting it to be one of the kids coming to complain about how her sisters were tormenting her. But it turned out to be the man who had served us at dinner, bringing us a small bottle of champagne and some bonbons. Nice touch.

The rooms were lovely. It seems that each one is decorated differently, so they are all unique. The kids got one called "Anjanas", and ours was "Hechiceras" (sorceresses). It was a fairly cold night, but we were nice and warm inside our cozy room.

Here are a couple of photos of our rooms:


Anjanas

Hechiceras

After an excellent night's sleep, we all went down to breakfast. Nieves, as we'd discovered our host's name was, had saved us five seats around the end of the communal table. Since the seating is normally first come, first serve, she wanted to make sure the five of us could sit together, which was really sweet of her. Breakfast was a heaping dish of thick slices of hot toast, served with a small dish of butter and jam. There were also some delicious chocolate-coated cookies that the kids really enjoyed. We had all the coffee we could drink, and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice too. So, our day got off to a very good start.

And then it was time to leave. We would have liked to stay a bit longer, but we had plans to visit Erik and his family before returning to Pamplona, and we wanted to enjoy a leisurely drive along the coast beforehand.

While I collected our things, and left the kids to check their room for any last forgotton items, The Professor went downstairs to pay the bill. It turned out that we couldn't pay by credit card, because the phone lines don't work all that well, so there's no connection to the bank. But Nieves was kind enough to give us her bank number so we could transfer the amount to her when we arrived home.

How many hotels do you know where they'll let you walk away without having paid first? Not many I imagine. True, they did have our names and id card numbers, so they could always find us. But I doubt many other hotel owners would do the same.

So, if you're ever in Cantabria, and you're looking for a place to stay, I'd highly recommend Fuente de las Anjanas.

But make sure you call first.

Weekend in Cantabria - Part 1. Santander

2011-03-16T10:14:00.000+01:00

This past weekend the five of us took a little trip to Cantabria. This all came about because The Professor and I had a gift box lying around with coupon that was good for a night in a hotel, dinner and breakfast for two. There were several places that looked interesting, but we ended up choosing Cantabria since it is close enough to be able to do as an overnight trip. The Professor and I had both been there before, but not together. And, at first, we considered leaving the girls with friends, but then we thought it would be fun to go all together, especially since they had never been to that part of the country. Besides, we still have the chance to go places together now, but that won't last for long. In two years' time, Catgirl will start the university, and then she probably won't want to hang out with her old mom and dad anymore.

Actually, she didn't even want to come along this weekend, but being the mean and horrible people we are, we made her come along and ruined her weekend. She had wanted to go on the Javierada (a pilgrimage to Javier castle in honor of San Francisco Javier) with her friends from school, but we didn't find out about it until after we'd made the hotel reservations. So, she was stuck coming with us. And she made sure we knew she wasn't happy about it. We had moping until around Bilbao.

But then I said to her that since she was there, she might as well try to have fun. After all, it was a whole weekend of her life that she wouldn't get back. That seemed to do the trick, and she was fine after that. I think she even had a tolerably good time.

The day started off miserable and grey in Pamplona, nearly as grey as Catgirl's humor, and we thought we'd have a pretty wet visit to Santander, which is where we'd be stopping first. But as soon as we passed Bilbao, the weather changed, and so did Catgirl's humor, and we had a lovely sunny day after all.

We got to Santander around lunchtime, so the first thing we did was look for a place to eat. Finding a place that would be agreeable to all five of us is never easy, since the kids each have their preferences, and they usually don't coincide with what The Professor and I like. But we ended up agreeing on an Italian place, which turned out to be pretty good and reasonably priced.

Then we had coffee in this place. Café de Pombo. We chose it because of the inviting tables outside, but we were a bit disappointed. They messed up our order and the coffee was not very good. The kids even said the ice cream they ordered was bad, which is saying a lot, because, while they may be picky about other things, when it comes to ice cream, they are not.

After coffee, we had a walk around the city center and the park around El Palacio de la Magdalena. Here are just a few of the things we saw:

Wild beasts guard the post office.

SAM may be a teenager now, but she's not too old to play in the water.

The Cathedral is impressive.

But the kids were more impressed with the sign outside the cathedral: New Spanglish dish: Cat al Basil (cat with basil).

Stay away from my Master, or I'll bite your pinkie toe!

Finally got a photo without some little (or not so little) boy feeling up the mermaid...oh no, here comes another one!

There's always time for window shopping.


And for SAM and Ultraviolet to play in the sand.


Hey, is that a camel in the water? Oh wait, it's just a rock.

It's the Lone Sunbather!

Tree trunk carvings in the park.

We saw the Palacio de la Magdalena.


But the kids had more fun playing "Spidergirl" than looking at the palace.

And so ends our day in Santander. After that, we hit the road again, to look for our hotel. And let me tell you, it was not easy to find, even with printed directions from Google maps. We ended up getting a little lost and got a scolding from the hotel owner for turning up so late.

But I'll save that for the next post.

Happy Birthday SAM

2011-03-15T12:44:00.000+01:00

I have several posts in the making of our trip to Santander, and of our visit with my blogging buddy, Erik, and his lovely family, but first things first. Today is a very special day that requires a very special post.

Today SAM turns 14.

It's hard to believe that not so very long ago she was a little blond ballerina, all dressed in red (please excuse the video quality, it was all I could salvage of one of our home movies):

But now she's given up dancing for fencing, and she's gone from asking for cookies to conversations about parallel universes and Greek myths. SAM's always been my poetic, creative child, and that hasn't changed a bit. When she wants to say that Catgirl has a tendency to lose things, she says stuff like "Catgirl has a black hole trailing behind her like a little dog." In English, no less. She's an artist at heart, and she takes the mundane and makes it special.

So, to my not-so-little-anymore artist, here's wishing you a very Happy Birthday!

Photo Fun #15 Winner

2011-03-14T15:30:00.000+01:00

I'm a little late getting this post up, partially because I've been unpacking and cleaning up after our weekend away, but mostly because my computer seems to have gone a bit haywire. For some reason my firewall keeps turning itself off, and I've spent all morning trying to figure out what is wrong with it. I suspect the computer may be infected with some sort of virus or something. But so far my anti-virus hasn't found a thing, and I may just end up having to reinstall Windows....sigh.

But enough of my computer woes. Now it's time to announce this week's Photo Fun winner. This week Wanda, of the Fickle Forgettery gave the most precise answer. She guessed that the mystery object was the cap of a black marker, and that's exactly right. Well, I actually took the photo of the top view of the whole marker itself, standing on it's end, but all you could see was the cap.

And here it is:

So, congrats to Wanda, and thanks to everyone else for playing along. Oh, and before I forget, next week there won't be a contest, since I'll be leaving on Friday for a week-long trip to Barcelona. But before I leave, I'll be doing a couple of posts on the trip we took last weekend. And tomorrow's Sam's birthday, so stay tuned for a special post on that. If my computer behaves, that is.

Friday Photo Fun # 15

2011-03-11T20:01:00.000+01:00

It's Friday, and that means it's time for another Photo Fun contest. You know how it works...I post a close up of an object and you try to guess what it is. If you're the first to guess correctly, I'll link your blog to my big red button until the next contest. If you don't have a blog you can still play, and if you win, I'll link to the page of your choice, with some obvious exceptions (porn, violence, racism, etc.). And even if you don't have a clue, guess anyway. It's free, and after the twentieth contest I'll do a linky love post that includes everyone who participated in the previous ten contests.

And here's the star of today's show. What could it be?

I won't be around this weekend, so I won't be giving out any clues if the object is too difficult. Sorry. In any case, I think it's an easy one this time around.

Okay, go!

Any Questions?

2011-03-09T10:38:00.000+01:00

I have a few questions today. Not for anyone in particular, just general musings that have passed through my head in the past few days, and since I haven't got anyplace better to put them, I'll make a post out of them.

First off, yesterday was International Women's Day, but I didn't have time to post because my kids had the day off. It used to be called Working Women's Day, but I guess all the stay-at-home moms found that offensive. Truth is, there are plenty of women who stay home with their kids who work just as hard as many who "go" to work. But I'm not here to argue about who works harder, I just want to know why this isn't a national holiday here in Spain.

If we really want to celebrate womanhood, why don't women get a real holiday? And, come to think of it, every woman should get a free massage by some guy that looks just like Viggo Mortensen...and a little champagne and chocolate wouldn't hurt either. Can't have that? Well, then at least it should be a holiday.

And it's particularly ironic that Women's Day fells in the middle of Carnival Week this year, so most of the kids have off from school. The kids get a holiday, but the women don't...way to go! And while we're on the subject, why not have a Men's Day too? I mean if we're going to go on about how men and women are equal, then men should get their day too. Fair's fair.

Second, I have a question about the dressing rooms in most clothing shops. Why is the lighting always so awful? I've just been out shopping for SAM's upcoming birthday and I couldn't help but stop off to try on some clothes myself. The problem is, every single dressing room I've been in has absolutely atrocious lighting. It highlights every single flaw a woman could possibly have, magnifying them to hideous proportions, and I doubt that even the youngest and most perfect fashion models out there would look good in that light. I know I never have, not that I'm any fashion model, but at sixteen I wasn't bad, and I can safely say that I always looked a hundred times better outside the dressing room than in it.

Makes you just not want to buy anything at all.

And with all the news about how people aren't spending money because of the economic crisis, blah, blah, blah, I wonder why the stores haven't caught on to this little fact yet. I'll bet that if they invested in more flattering lighting, sales would skyrocket...after all, how can you resist buying something that makes you look good?

And third, what's up with the shoe sizes in Spain? I have enormous problems trying to find shoes that fit my enormous (at least they are in Spain) feet. Okay, this is nothing new, but with the younger generation getting taller all the time, there are more and more women with "big" feet all the time. And you would think that as the large foot population grows, the availability of shoes would as well. But the shoe manufacturers here in Spain don't seem to have caught on yet, and they still don't offer much in my size.

To make matters worse, shoes are shrinking. I swear, it's true. Technically, I should wear a size 41 (size 10 in the U.S). Aside from the fact that 41 is not available in all models, many of the shoes I try on don't fit. This never used to happen to me. I used to ask for my size and if the store carried it, I could be sure it would fit. Not anymore. Okay, you're probably thinking that my feet have just grown with age, but that's not it. I have measured my feet to see what size I have, and it's still the same as always, a definite 41. With some brands I have no trouble at all, but with most I end up with sore feet. So, it would seem the shoes are shrinking, but why? I've seen this happen with clothes, but the other way around. What used to be a size 40 is now labled 38. That's a great psychological trick. Wow, I used to be a 40, now I'm a 38...and I didn't even have to diet. It's a miracle! And the jeans sell like "churros", as they say here. If they paired this with better lighting, it's frightening to think what might happen.

So, back to the shoes. I'm now condemned to being a 41 and a half, which is a problem since half sizes are extremely rare in Spain. So, what about getting a size 42? In Spain? Not likely. Why? In the past it was understandable; Spanish women were generally petite. But now there are plenty of tall women around, especially among the younger generation, and many of them have large feet.

I don't walk alone. It's not an empty street. I walk the Boulevard of Broken Feet. Suffering the curse of shoes that don't fit. But I don't walk alone...

I had a look around internet, and there are hundreds of women out there, desperately searching for shoes that fit. There are whole threads in numerous forums on the subject. And Spain's not the only place with large foot sufferers, although over here the problem is accentuated by Spanish women's history of small feet. And what's the conclusion they reach? Buy shoes over the internet. It's ether that, or wear men's shoes. From what I've read, many go around with shoes that are too small for lack of a better option, because wearing men's shoes is just not a pretty sight.

We need a large foot alliance or something to let the world know about our woes. Maybe we could even have a holiday in our honor...International Large Feet Day. But then I guess the small feet people would get on the bandwagon too, and be wanting their own day as well. And then the whole thing would get out of hand, and no one would take us seriously. So, let's leave it at getting the manufacturers to recognize that there's a whole market of large feet out there, just waiting to be catered to.

Come on guys, throw us a bone already...or better yet, a pretty pair of ballerinas that don't pinch our feet.

So, what's a woman with large feet to do? Oh, I suppose I could buy shoes over the internet. But even if you know your size, shoes need to be tried on, because the fit doesn't just depend on the size. And the thought of having to send them back and keep trying until I get just the right pair just doesn't appeal to me. Besides, even those specially ordered shoes are often not all that attractive. Why can't big feet have cute, sexy shoes? My feet are not unattractive (I even wrote about it over here once), but for some reason I can't have nice shoes. Sure, Uma Thurman has big feet and wears sexy shoes, but she's got enough money to have Manolo Blahnik himself down on bended knee, kissing those big puppies, and offering her any shoe she wants, right down to Cinderella's glass slippers. But I don't need anybody to kiss my feet, and glass slippers are highly overrated. No, all I want is to go to a shoe store and have a decent selection of pretty shoes that fit, and that don't cost me an arm and a leg in the process.

Then again, maybe if I start selling off my toes to buy shoes, I could end up wearing a smaller size

Okay, I'm done. Any questions?

Photo Fun #14 Winner

2011-03-06T19:57:00.000+01:00

And we have a winner! Jim Liebgott has once again been the first person to correctly guess this week's mystery object. Congrats Jim! And since he doesn't have a blog, I'll link my button to the Nebraska Tourism website, just like the last time he won.

This week our mystery object was a small jar of candy sprinkles that I had left over from decorating a birthday cake:

Okay everybody, thanks for playing along and be sure to come back next Friday for more Friday Photo Fun.

Friday Photo Fun # 14

2011-03-04T18:20:00.000+01:00

Okay, here we are again with a new edition of Friday Photo Fun. You know the deal; I post a photo, you guess what it is. If you're the first to guess correctly, I'll hook your blog up to my big red button, or if you don't have a blog, I'll link it to any site you choose (except those containing porn, violence, or racism). And if you don't win, don't despair. I'll be doing a linky love post after contest #20, with links to all who have participated in the previous ten contests.

Here's today's object:

Okay, go!

I'm Smarter Than....My Cat

2011-03-02T21:47:00.000+01:00

I have a sick kid and a sick cat. What fun!

Ultraviolet has been home all week with a fever and a sore throat, which isn't anything out of the ordinary. Every year we have several episodes of this sort, and while it's an inconvenience, it's nothing major. But I am hoping she'll be well in time to go back to school on Friday. You're probably thinking what's the point of sending her back to school for only one day before the weekend starts, but there's a good reason for it. See, Friday is Carnival Day at school, and this, being her last year at elementary school, is the last year she gets to dress up. She and one of her friends have decided to dress punk. Her costume has been ready since last weekend, and she had quite a lot of fun trying it on and doing a photo session...SAM hates the camera, but Ultraviolet loves it, and can pose for hours. So, she's all set. Now all she needs is for her throat to cooperate.

Here's Ultraviolet with an attitude:

And a close-up of her don't-mess-with-me makeup:

My husband came home while she was trying on her costume, and all he could say was, "That's scary!" Scary indeed. If Ultraviolet were a little taller, I sure wouldn't want to run into her in a dark alley. But I'm more than happy to let her dress up this way once a year, as long as it's only once a year.

And the cat? Well, I am hoping he'll be well before Friday too. Not because he has to go celebrate Carnival or anything, but because I would really like him to stop throwing up on my rug.

Why is it that cats always throw up on rugs or furniture, and not on the easy-to-mop kitchen floor?

I think he must have a giant hairball or something because he's making that weird wheezing sound cats make when they have hairballs. He gets enough grass to purge himself, but this must be one hell of a hairball, so drastic measures are in order. I asked The Professor to bring home a tube of malt paste, which is supposed to be a very effective remedy. Give the cat a blob of paste, and in a few days he's hairball free. Sounds easy enough, or so I thought. Every cat I've ever known loves malt paste. I swear they must put catnip or some other feline recreational drug in it, because they go nuts for this stuff. Our other cats even used to come running from the other end of the house as soon as I started unscrewing the cap.

Yes, all cats have Vulcan hearing...they can even hear things like you thinking about giving them a bath, and then they opportunely hide themselves in the last place you'd look. So, a little tip to all you cat owners, the next time you are planning on giving your cat a bath, think of a nice juicy steak. Then, grab the cat and throw him into the water before he knows what hit him.

Anyway, back to the anti-hairball paste. It turns out that our cat is not like every other cat. No, this cat runs away as soon as he sees me with the tube in my hands. So I, being the highly intelligent person that I am (well, okay, at least I'm smarter than my cat), tried a new trick. I smeared a dab of paste on each of his front paws. Anyone who knows anything about cats will tell you that cats hate being dirty, and having something sticky on their paws warrants a thorough paw licking. Between having sticky paws and having to eat something he finds absolutely repulsive, he chooses to go with the bath every single time. Not without giving me a dirty look first, but he eats the paste. Ha! I outsmarted you, cat.

Now if only I could get my kids to eat broccoli the same way.

Size Does Matter

2011-03-01T20:01:00.003+01:00

Yesterday was The Professor's birthday, and we got him a new bike. He's been using Catgirl's bike for ages, but it's a bit on the small side...and it's fuchsia. Not a very dignified mode of transport for a university professor. He's been wanting a Dutch bike for years, but the last time we were in Holland we checked out a few and they were extremely expensive. So, we settled on this one, which is pretty much the closest thing you can find over here in Spain. The wheels are an inch larger than Catgirl's, and most importantly, it's not pink.

Let me tell you, this was not easy to find. The concept of biking over here is pretty much limited to cross-country, and racing...after all Spain has won the Tour de France a fair number of times. So everybody either wants to be another Miguel Indurain, or they want to do acrobatics down the side of mountains. But ride a bike to work? Not so much. Then again, with the way people drive around here, riding a bike in a Spanish city is probably more dangerous than hurtling down a steep hill at top speed.

But we live just outside Pamplona, in a quiet area, and one of the few local bike paths just happens to go straight from our neighborhood to the university. So, The Professor rides his bike to work. And a mountain bike just doesn't cut it. Especially a pink one.

We had a heck of a time getting the guy at the bike shop to understand that The Professor has no intention of biking off-road or doing any dirt jumping, nor is he vying for the next Tour de France title, and that what we were looking for was a city bike, the kind you can comfortably ride to work with your laptop strapped to the back. We said we wanted a Dutch bike, or something similar, but the guy had no idea what a Dutch bike was. Come on dude, don't you know that Holland is the paradise of bicycling? Haven't you ever seen a video of all those Dutch people riding through the busy city streets, their baskets and bike bags loaded with food, flowers, books, or whatever else they need to transport? Seriously, you need to watch this:

After much explaining, the guy still didn't get it, and lacking an internet connection to show him the video, we walked ourselves around the store until we found this one parked in a well-hidden corner, behind all the mountain bikes, racing bikes, and various flashy designer bikes that looked like the kind of thing that would leave your hindquarters wishing you'd taken the bus. "Oh, so that's what you're looking for," the guy said. Yeah, no thanks to you, you so-called bike expert. But we found it, and that's all that matters.

So, The Professor has his bike, but didn't get to try it out yesterday because it snowed. This morning, however, it was sunny and clear, cold enough to freeze your butt off, but no snow, so he took it to work. His comment when he came home from work, "Wow, it's fast!" It seems that the speed of the bike depends on the size of the wheels.

I guess that sometimes an extra inch does make a difference.

Photo Fun #13 Winner

2011-02-27T20:05:00.000+01:00

And this week's winner of the Friday Photo Fun contest is Alex, of A Languedoc Journal. He guessed that Erik's mystery object was a leg of ham...and that's exactly what it is. So, congrats Alex! PicklePits was technically correct with her guess of animal hoof, so I'm including her in today's post too, but the link goes to Alex, since this is what I was looking for:

A lovely, mouth-watering Spanish ham. If you've never tried this and you have the chance, definitely do. Having a pig's leg, hoof and all, in your kitchen might seem a bit odd at first, but after you taste it, you'll forget all about how it looks.

Now I'm hungry, so I'll leave you to drool over the photo of the ham, while I go get myself some of the real thing.

Friday Photo Fun #13

2011-02-25T19:25:00.000+01:00

Okay folks, it's that time again. Time for yet another photo fun Friday. So, get ready to guess that mystery object...and if you're first, you'll win a link from my big red button to your blog. But before we begin, let me just say that this week's photo contest is a special one, because today we have a guest submission. Today's photo was taken by....drumroll please...

Erik, of Erik's Blog!

If anyone else is interested in submitting a photo to be included in Friday Photo Fun, please contact me at the email address on my profile page. Anyone can submit a photo, even if you don't have a blog, all you need to do is send me a close-up of an object and a full view of the same object.

And now, what you've all been waiting for:

This is Erik's mystery object...now, who's going to guess what it is? Remember anyone can play, and if you don't have a blog and you win, you can choose the page you want me to link to, as long as it isn't anything objectionable (porn, violence, racism, etc.) And don't forget that after the 20th contest, I'll be doing a linky love post, with links to everyone who has participated in the previous 10 contests.

Now, if you're finished guessing, you might want to check out my Tumblr mini blog, Not Hemingway's Pamplona. This is another thing I got from Erik. When I saw that he had a mini blog, I decided to try it out too. I post photos, videos, and interesting stuff I find around the internet on it...pretty much everything that I want to share, but that isn't really enough to do a whole post on. You can always see my latest Tumblr posts over on the sidebar widget that links directly to Tumblr. So, stop on by, the more the merrier!

That Tree Got Your Goat?

2011-02-22T18:59:00.001+01:00

The Professor has just returned from a week-long conference in Morocco, and he brought these with him:

In reality, these are tea glasses, but we'll be using them to drink wine, because we like wine much better than tea. And who doesn't? Well, apparently the Moroccans don't. I'm sure they would throw their hands in the air in horror if they saw us drinking wine out of tea glasses, but we'll risk their disapproval, and partake of the nectar of the gods (mine, not theirs) in our pretty new glasses anyway.

The Professor also brought me this:

No, it's not what it looks like. At first glance, this might look like a sample of something you turn in at the doctor's office, but it's really oil. Argan oil. It's supposed to be good for the skin and hair, and you can even cook with it too. It's said to remedy arthritis, but I don't have that, so I can't vouch for it's effectiveness. But it is great for the hair. Smells kind of funky, though, kind of like popcorn. Now I don't much fancy smelling like popcorn, so I mix it with a few drops of grapefruit essential oil and that does the trick nicely.

But I didn't post this to tell you about how soft and shiny my hair is, although it really is soft and shiny. No, I wanted to tell you about the tree this oil comes from. The funny thing about the Argan tree, which is similar to an olive tree, is that you can find goats climbing in it.

Yeah, you heard me right. Goats. Tree-climbing goats. Now what could be better blog fodder than that? The Professor didn't actually get to see the tree-climbing goats, but I found a video. You can watch them here:

It seems they like the fruits, but they can't digest the pits that are inside those fruits, so they either spit the nuts out, or eliminate them in a much more unpleasant manner. Better out than in, I guess. Then the Moroccan farmers come and pick up the pits and press them to extract the oil. So, basically, I'm putting something that's been pooped by a goat on my hair. There's something I never thought I'd say. But my hair looks so great that I'm willing to overlook it.

I just hope those pits were well washed beforehand.

Meme's The Word

2011-02-21T12:29:00.000+01:00

Once upon a time, when I was a meme virgin, I really really wanted someone to pick me for a meme. Yeah, you could always find me jumping around waving my hand in the air saying, "Pick me! Pick me!" Now, when I see a meme, I tiptoe away as quietly as possible, hoping nobody will notice me, mostly because I can't compete with Lime, Queen of the Memes. But that seems to get me picked more often than when I did the pick-me dance. And so I've been picked again. I could just ignore it, say I don't do memes, or better yet, say nothing at all and pretend I didn't notice. What? Huh? Who? Me? But when the meme is disguised as an award, especially a black one with sparkly letters, how can I resist?

Asha has ~~punished~~ kindly awarded me with this award:

And with the award comes the meme. Since it looks just the tiniest bit like a square of dark chocolate (okay, I have a good imagination), and I love dark chocolate, I'll take it.

Which means that in turn I have to ~~dump~~ bestow it on ten people. And I have to tell seven things about myself (Asha made it eight, but since originally it was seven, I'm sticking with that). So, here goes:

I have lived in Spain for over 18 years and I've never been to Barcelona. When I tell people that, they find it hard to believe. What I find hard to believe is that there are people living in Riverside, CA (where I went to college) who have never been to L.A., and who have no idea that there is a university in their city. Now that's hard to believe...but it's true. Anyway, I'll be fixing the Barcelona issue soon enough. Yes, that's right, I'm going to Barcelona, baby!
On my wedding night, The Professor and I went to see the Phantom of the Opera in L.A, and we had dinner in a revolving restaurant. We went back to work the next day, and didn't get a honeymoon until six months later.
Our honeymoon was a drive up the California coast to San Fransisco, and then on to Yellowstone National Park. It was so cold that a bottle of water we had in the trunk of our car froze overnight, and I wore 4 layers of clothes and a hat to bed. I refused to come out of the tent in the mornings until the coffee was ready. Sounds romantic, no?
When I was a little girl, my dad told me that when I saw a fly I should wave my hand at it and say "Habaswatzie". For the longest time I thought it was the "Habaswatzie", not the swatting, that made them go away.
Back in high school, I once TPd a teacher's house with the help of my boyfriend and best friend. We dressed in black, to blend into the night, and we TPd all the trees in front of her house. As we were leaving, the teacher came out of the house and shouted, "You guys!" I thought we were in big trouble, but then we heard, "You guys! I love you guys!" So, we weren't caught and we made our teacher feel loved. A deed well done.
I've learned more useful Spanish from the satrirical weekly magazine El Jueves than I ever did from any textbook.
I used to make scratching noises under my bed to scare my sister at night. I told her it was the Scratching Lady. Sorry Michelle!

Okay, done with the first part. Now, I'm supposed to ~~punish~~ award some fellow bloggers in turn. I could just say the meme stops here, and break the chain. Or I could just tag the whole world. Then you'd all have to do it. But I'll stick to the rules and pick ten of you. Don't think of it as punishment, just think of it as some linky love....but you still have to do it. Okay, okay, you don't have to do it, but good things will happen to you if you do. Like what, you ask? Well, you'll make me happy for one, and just think, you get to ~~punish~~ award ten people too...and participate in the perpetuation of this ~~useless~~ very interesting meme. So, tag. You're it:

PicklePits @Life in the Pickle Jar (because life's a jar of pickles)
Jocelyn @ O Mighty Crisis (because she just got a stylish new haircut in Italy)
Beach Bum @ The Life and Times of a Carolina Parrothead (because he has a great imagination)
giozi @ Las Mil y Una Metidas de Pata (because she takes beautiful photos)
Wanda @ The Fickle Forgettery (I forget why...now where did I put my head?)
Rea @ Not So Spanish (because her kid is so darned cute)
Ben @ Quad Erot Demonstrosity (because his dishwasher is alive)
ethelmaepotter! @ The Adventures of Fred and Ethel (because she is downright hilarious)
Lanita @ A Mother's Hood (because she wears stylish hats)
Jay @ The Depp Effect (because anyone who loves Johnny Depp is stylish)

Photo Fun #12 Winner

2011-02-20T11:27:00.001+01:00

Okay, we have a winner for this week's photo contest. This time around it was my brother-in-law, Jim Liebgott-Osinga. Congrats Jim! And since he doesn't have a blog or a personal page of any sort, he asked me to link to the tourism site of the state he lives in. So, this week my big red button will be linked to the Visit Nebraska page.

And now on to our object. Jim guessed that my mystery object was an eyelash curler and that's exactly what it is. It's not really mine, it's Catgirl's. I used to have one of those, back in the days when I worried about giving my eyelashes that extra oomph, so they would be much more effective when batting them at the boys. But I gave up the batting years ago, and with it my eyelash curler, so I had to borrow this one from Catgirl.

Well, that's all for this week. But don't forget to come back next Friday, because we'll be having a very special guest submission. Yes, that's right, next week's object will be picked by a mystery person. And, if you want to know who, just come back on Friday and you'll find out.

Photo Fun #12

2011-02-18T18:00:00.001+01:00

Okay everybody, it's that time again. You all know how it works. I post a closeup photo of an object and you have to guess what it is. The first person to guess wins a link from my big red button to their blog. Anyone can play, and you're free to guess as many times as you like. This week I'm posting a little later than usual, since it was pointed out to me that there is quite a time difference between countries, which meant that some people were at an unfair advantage. Oh, and I've also decided that after every 10 contests or so, I'll be doing a linky love post with links to everyone who participates.

And without further ado, here's this week's mystery object:

Okay, go!

The Importance of Being Earnest...and not Just Another Tom, Dick, or Harry

2011-02-16T12:07:00.001+01:00

What's in a name? Well, pretty much everything. It's one of the first things people find out about you and it's a symbol of your identity.

And I have just discovered that I have been calling one of my blogger buddies by the wrong name for the longest time. What an unpardonable mistake! For years now, yes, literally years, I have been calling Oreneta, of Oreneta Aground, Orneta. Why? I have no idea. "Come on", you might think, "how could you possibly miss that? After all, it's right there, in huge letters at the top of her blog!"

Yeah, yeah, I know, stupid of me. And that's why today I wanted to apologize to Oreneta. So, sorry about that Oreneta, I swear it'll never happen again. I don't even know if that is your real name or just a blog name, but real or not, it's still your name. And I should have gotten it right.

Because names are important. Real names, blog names, company names. They're all important. Much thought goes into them. And people want you to remember them.

How people treat you partly depends on your name. I read once, long ago, in one of my psych classes, that having an "unpopular" name can mean getting lower grades at school and not being selected for jobs as often as those who have more "attractive" names. So a Haggetha might not do as well in school as a Britney...although that might also be due to other, ehem, behavioral factors as well. See, I'm jumping to conclusions already. For all I know, not all Britney's are sluts and I'm pretty sure not all Haggethas spend their time mixing up eye of newt and toe of frog in cauldrons, but those are the first things that pop into my head when I hear those names.

So, names do affect how people see you.

Same goes for being good-looking versus being, well, ugly. So, if you're handsome, well-built, and your name is, oh, I dunno, say Jake, you'll have a much better chance of being captain of the football team than some scrawny guy named Howard, who has buck teeth and whose ears stick out. Sorry Howard, I guess you could always become a stand-up comedian. But change your name first.

How unfair is that.

Unfair but true. So, you don't want to have an "ugly" or "weird" name, but you also don't really want to be just another Tom, Dick or Harry. You want a name that sets you apart....but not too much. Unfortunately, you usually don't get much say in the matter, since it would be difficult going around without a name until you're old enough to have an opinion.

My kids are old enough to have an opinion on the matter. And they have decided that they should get to choose their names now. Catgirl has added Sophie onto her real-life name because her sisters both have middle names, so she wants one too. In fact, she's considering legally changing it when she gets the chance. And Ro, who found out that the neighbor girl named her pet turtle after her, decided that she refuses to share a name with a reptile. So, I asked what we should call her now. Since her new mobile phone number has 007 in it, I joked that now she's a secret agent like James Bond, and she said, "Well, how about Secret Agent Mimi?" So, from now on Ro will be SAM. And Princess V., not wanting to be left out, said she also wants a new name, at least on my blog. After much discussion with SAM, and a few inappropriate suggestions, such as Pulguita (little flea), she picked Ultraviolet. My husband once said she was a "Microvio", which in Spanish sounds like "microbio", meaning microbe. She thought that one was amusing, but understandably doesn't want it as her name, because who wants to be compared to a microscopic blob-like creature.

So, now we have a Catgirl-Sophie, but you can still just call her Catgirl, a SAM, and an Ultraviolet. And now we need a new blog name for my husband, because he should be in on the fun too. I think I'll call him The Professor. Kind of appropriate, isn't it? After all, this is The Rain in Spain, which happens to be what Eliza Doolittle sings in My Fair Lady....and every Eliza needs a Professor, right? Okay, so I'm not Eliza, but then, my professor isn't a grumpy old curmudgeon like the one in the film. He's a fun professor, who likes to tell jokes and play Paper Mario on the Wii.

And now I'm off to smell the roses, which, if you believe what people say, would smell just as sweet even if they were called stink-blossoms.

I don't know, what do you think? And speaking of thinking, maybe that Mexican couple who named their daughter Krisis Mundial (world crisis, but with a "k" instead of a "c") should have done a little more thinking as well.

Viva the Vivaz!

2011-02-15T16:00:00.000+01:00

Lately I've had a few people find my blog because they were searching for the Vivaz. And it's all because of this post about my new cell phone. But, that post really doesn't tell you much about the phone itself, just that I have a new one...and also that I'm old enough to remember stuff like typewriters and black and white TV.

So, today I'm going to tell you a little about my new Sony Ericsson Vivaz, because it seems there are enough people that are interested in knowing more about it. Now, I know there are plenty of places where you can find the exact specifications for these things, so I won't bore you all with that stuff. What I find most helpful when I'm looking to buy a new gadget, is what people have to say about it.

And here's what I have to say:

First of all, it's not an iPhone. So, if you want something like that, the Vivaz is probably not what you are looking for. But I'm one of those people that don't want to shell out around 400 euros for an iPhone, because I really don't need one. Of course I want one, so if anyone feels like giving me one, I would be more than happy to take it off your hands. But, I'm not spending wodges of cash on it.

That said, I spent a couple of weeks looking at different phone offers with the major providers here in Spain, and I finally settled on the Vivaz. 30 euros for a smartphone is pretty good deal, even if it means I have to stay with my new provider for eighteen months. Besides the price, I liked the size and the sleekness of the Vivaz. It fits easily in the palm of my hand, and it weighs very little. Sony Ericsson really rocks design, it's one of the things they do best. And they do it for a reasonable price. I could even have gotten it online for 20 euros, but I wanted it in blue, and that color was sold out on the Orange website.

So, I splurged. Ten eurobucks more for the blue...and to me it's totally worth it. Superficial? Sure. But I like a phone that I like to look at.

And what about quality? Well, this is my fourth Sony Ericsson phone, and so far I haven't had a single problem with any of them. I've seen a lot of reviews with people saying that Sony Ericsson phones are crap, that the apps don't work right, the batteries don't last long, and the call quality isn't good. Now, either that means that I'm really easy to please, or these people are just especially nit-picky, because I've been happy with every single one.

And the Vivaz is no exception. As a phone, it works great, calls are crystal clear. The Wi-Fi connection works fine, and the camera is excellent. Obviously, it's not comparable to a DSLR, but I'd say it's good enough not to have to carry my regular point-and-shoot camera around with me, which is pretty much the idea I had all along. One less thing to weigh my purse down. It has a few nice extras too, like face recognition and a macro mode, so it's not as basic as most camera phones are. Here's the first photo I took:

So, you can see the color is fairly nice and the detail isn't half bad. Oh, and did I forget to tell you? It has HD video on it too. Pretty cool, as far as I'm concerned.

There are also a fair number of apps you can get, many of them for free. Almost all the java apps work, and quite a few of the Symbian ones, although there are some that only work on Nokia phones, but still, there's enough stuff out there to keep anyone from getting bored. And it has Wi-Fi, so if you're near a public Wi-Fi spot, you can get on the internet for free...and we like free stuff, don't we? Well, I do anyway.

The only complaint I have so far really has nothing to do with the phone itself. It has to do with my provider. I used to have Yoigo and I never had trouble messaging to different countries, but now that I'm with Orange, I've discovered that I can't text one of my friends that lives in the U.S. It seems our providers don't have a mutual service agreement, or some such nonsense, so basically, we're unable to communicate on our cell phones. Boo for that, Orange. The prices are also higher than with Yoigo. Orange charges 60 cents for international texts, and with Yoigo I could text anywhere for 8. So, Orange, as soon as my eighteen months are up, you know where I'll be heading...

...and I'm taking the Vivaz with me.

A Little Bit of Love Goes a Long Way

2011-02-14T11:44:00.003+01:00

Okay, as I promised, today I'll be spreading a little linky love to celebrate Valentine's Day. But before I do, I'd like to point out some of the less obvious changes I've made around here. I been wanting to give my blog a less cluttered look, so I've moved some of the stuff I had on my sidebar to separate pages. You can now find my blogroll, the little "about me" blurb, and my awards if you click on the tabs at the top of the page. I highly recommend that you do, especially the blogroll, because there are some excellent blogs out there just waiting for you to find them.

But today you can find some of those excellent blogs right here, without even having to lift a finger. Well, okay, technically you do need to lift your finger and actually click on the links, because as far as I know no one has yet invented the telepathically activated link.

Here's a list of all the people who have participated in my Friday Photo Fun contest so far, plus all those who left a comment on yesterday's post. I'm putting the links in order of appearance, mostly because I'm too lazy to put them in alphabetical order.

So come on and get that finger moving, and participate in this linky love fest:

giozi, who shares crafts and lots cute photos of her kids: Las Mil y Una Metidas de Pata
Erik, the guy you should all know by now: Erik's Blog
Asha, with her wild and wacky humor: Random Ramblings of an Agnostic Mom
FionaCat, or the girl I call Bud: A Mile Wide and an Inch Deep
rea, a Canadian living the Spanish dream: Not So Spanish
Jay, who likes Johnny Depp as much as I do: The Depp Effect
Jocelyn, the woman who is living a brave adventure over in Turkey: O Mighty Crisis
A woman who's nickname is Shimp: Land of Shimp
Karen DeWitz, who will tell you just how busy life with two boys can be: Mama Ragout
Santa, who is trying to be fabulous and is pretty good at it: Being Joan
Johnny Ancich, who draws really cool cartoons: Past Expiry
Jason, who is an optometry student: www.optomstudent.co.uk
Alex, an Englishman in France: A Languedoc Journal
Oreneta, a Canadian in Catalonia: Orneta Aground
ajpoliquit, who's quite the traveler: The Transcendental Tourist
MikeH, an American author living in England: Postcards From Across The Pond
Beach Bum, who writes some great short stories: The Life and Times of a Carolina Parrothead
A very religious guy with a blog: The Gift is Free
Wanda, who has a lot of interesting random thoughts: The Fickle Forgettery
ethelmaepotter!, a hilariously disgruntled postal worker: The Adventures of Fred and Ethel
Static, who is funny (enter at your own risk): Krapsody
PicklePits, the brave mom of three kids: Life in the Pickle Jar
Pablosky, the boy who came over for dinner, aka Catgirl's boyfriend: Cotidiano? mentira!

So, Happy Valentine's Day to you all. Now, start clicking those links and spread the love.

Photo Fun #11 Winner

2011-02-13T18:38:00.000+01:00

With all the changes around here some of you might think you're in the wrong place, but this is still The Rain in Spain. And if you're here to see who won this week's Photo Fun contest, I'll tell you. Erik of Erik's Blog, is once again the best guesser in the land. This week's mystery object was a turkey, or meat baster. And here you have it, straight from the dishwasher after it's sterling performance in the making of the chicken we had for lunch yesterday:

This baby has been with us since we crossed the pond over 18 years ago, and it has served us long and well. Yes, we actually brought a turkey baster over from the U.S. Nowadays, you can easily find them here in Spain, but 18 years ago it was an unusual item.

And before I let you all go, a good point was made in the comments about the time difference between Europe and the U.S. So for next week's contest, I'll put up the post in the late afternoon to give everyone a chance to start at the same time.

And tomorrow, in honor of Valentine's Day, I'll be spreading a little linky love to everyone who has participated in the contest so far, so come on by to check out the competition. And for all of you that have been lurking in the background, and are now beating yourselves over the head with a turkey baster for never having left a comment, I will extend the deal to you as well. All you have to do is leave a comment on today's post. But, a word of warning, I will not link to any pornoblogs or other obscene sites, blogs dedicated to substances that enhance the male organism, nor blogs that exist only to sell stuff.

Do I make myself clear? Good.

So, go on, comment away. But your comment has to be in before Monday morning (Spanish time), because I'll be busy with my own Valentine's Day after that.

Photo Fun #11

2011-02-11T12:15:00.001+01:00

Okay, it's photo fun time again. But before we get to the contest, I want to show off this shiny new award that I got from Asha over at Random Ramblings of an Agnostic Mom. She has seen fit to bestow her Photo Capture Award on me, in honor of my weekly photo contests. And here it is:

So, to Asha, thank you. I couldn't be more honored. And to the rest of you, visit Asha...because, well, she's funny.

And now I ask, "What the hell is that thing?"

Go on, guess. You know you want to. And if you're the first to guess correctly, you get your blog linked to my big red button.

If no one guesses by sometime tomorrow, I'll put up a clue, so check back regularly.

The Fifth Element Test

2011-02-08T16:00:00.003+01:00

Well, I promised a follow-up on Saturday's meeting of The Boyfriend, so here goes. First, I'll introduce him to you, because he really needs a name, other than The Boyfriend.

You see, Catgirl read the post I wrote about the situation, and she showed it to him. It seems he was amused, which says quite a lot for his level of English and his sense of humor. It's is a good thing too, because any boy that's going to survive around here will need a sense of humor. And not only was he amused, he even started his own blog. You can read about his impressions on meeting the scary parents of his girlfriend here. It is in Spanish, so apply Google Translate as needed.

There, now you know him, so from here on out, I'll just call him Pablosky.

So, Pablosky and Catgirl went out for a walk around Pamplona in the afternoon, and Catgirl had strict instructions to be home by nine. They didn't get home until quarter to ten, alleging they'd missed the bus. She sent a text to my phone, which I didn't see right away.

Not a good start.

Now, I could blame it all on Pablosky...I could pull a that-no-good-boyfriend-is-a-bad-influence-on-my-sweet-innocent-little-girl thing. Aren't parents supposed to do that? But the way I see it, Catgirl is the one who had to be home on time, so she should be responsible enough make sure she doesn't miss the bus. If you're old enough to date, you're old enough to get yourself home on time. Or else. Oh, and next time, call home, don't text me. Save the texting for your friends.

That incident aside, the evening went quite well. Pablosky seems like a nice, polite kid, but that's only a first impression. The parents of Ted Bundy's first girlfriend probably thought he was just a nice, normal teenage boy the first time she brought him home too. So, there's no telling. But the first impression was good. We had pizza and we put him through the Fifth Element Test. The Fifth Element is one of our favorite films, and every potential boyfriend must pass the test of watching it. Did he like it? Well, I'm not sure, but he managed not to make any wisecracks or fall asleep, so he passed.

And he blogs, which makes him okay in my book.

But don't get the wrong idea, Pablosky. We're still Catgirl's parents, and just because we like you doesn't mean we won't be keeping an eye on you. Sorry, but we're just doing our job.

Hey, maybe I should make him sit through this and see what happens:

Just kidding. That would be cruel and unusual punishment...even for a daughter's boyfriend.