Friday, April 27, 2012

Espana 2012

About this time two years ago, Rebecca and I were finishing up planning our honeymoon, set to take place right after our late May wedding. But as any of my regular readers know, those plans were cut short when I was in a pretty bad motorcycle accident exactly four weeks before the wedding. Besides many changes that have followed that accident, we also had to cancel our honeymoon. It was to be two weeks spent in the Northern half of Spain. I couldn't fly. Neither my tending physician nor my overall comfort would allow the 8+ hour flight. Plus driving, walking and general mobility were an issue, since I was on crutches. Did I mention heavy drugs and a major loss of appetite yet? Well, anyway, almost 2 years later, most of those problems have been remedied.

We flew into Barcelona on a Saturday morning. I hadn't slept a wink, and Rebecca got some shut-eye, but I don't think it could be called good sleep. We gathered our baggage and took a bus into town and found the apartment we rented. We spent the next 48 hours there eating tapas, drinking large cups of cafe con leche and small glasses of cerveza, touring the mercados and trying to communicate as well as we could since neither of us speak español.

One of many walls of ham in a Barcelona ham shop

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Spanish Food/Pork Tour 2012

A few days ago we returned from a tasty tour of Northern Spain. I have several posts lined up describing the items that we saw, we ate and we eventually conquered! Arriving in Barcelona, heading north through the cured/dried sausage region, making a left along the Pyrenees to Basque Country, a side trip to Leon, a hunt for Pata Negras on the Dehesa along the ham trail and finally ending in Madrid, we felt like we ate it all! Now we're home, each 5# heavier but not a regret for a thing. Check back regularly to read about the food, charcuterie, scenery and our plans to try our hand at some of our favorites. The first post will be up in a couple days. See you then!