Zaragoza:
Comida hecha en casa.
Zaragoza will always hold a special place in our hearts thanks to Santiago and Pilar! We found Santi and Pilar on airbnb, and decided to spend a few days in Zaragoza to not only see the sights, but to have some down time. Santi and Pilar live a short walk to downtown Zaragoza, and a short run to the river- where we were able to finally get some much needed exercise.
When we were getting settled in our room, Santi invited us to have dinner with them. We were originally supposed to have lunch with them, but due to a train cancellation and rerouting, lunch became dinner. We gladly accepted.
Detalles.
Now Santi and Pilar have this airbnb thing down. We were greeted with a welcome card complete with our names, and a bottle of water. On the table is also a list of house rules and other important information, like, while breakfast is included in the room rate, lunch and dinner can also be provided for a small fee. I only mention this because, I think inviting us to dinner is not only very hospitable and welcoming, but also a great business ploy. Pilar is a phenomenal cook!!! The next day, while Javier and I were out and about, we had lunch at some restaurant, and all we could talk about was how we wanted Pilar’s food. So, all that to say, we ended up eating with Santi and Pilar for lunch and dinner every day we were there. HAHAHA!
On our first night there, before tasting the deliciousness that is Pilar’s cooking, we were already a little hungry and Santi told us that they don’t eat dinner until late in Spain, so we set out to grab a snack and meet with Santi and Pilar a little later for dinner. It was on this night that we discovered Tortilla de patatas, and subsequently ate it at least 3-4 times a week during our 6 week stint in Spain.
Berenjena rellena
As mentioned earlier, dinner with Santi and Pilar was absolutely delicious. It was a three course meal, and very healthy. In a country where it seems like everything comes fried or with a slab of ham, it was only after we left that we realized how lucky we were to be eating like this. Santi speaks a little english and Pilar, none at all, so our dinner was very chatty with the three of them getting to know one another, and Javier filling me in when the gaps were too much.
Pilar told us to check out the local market, so the following day, we went for a little walk. The market is basically a swap meet in a large parking lot. Pilar said her favorite part of the market was the ladies gossiping. It made for good people watching, and according to Javier, there was plenty of gossiping. After walking through, we decided to walk towards downtown.
Jackie smiling.
On the way, we stopped by a hair salon. I had been wanting to cut my hair for a while, but hadn’t found a place yet. Through the window, I saw a man cutting this woman’s hair, and I told Javier, I want him to cut my hair. We were told to return in 30 minutes time so we hopped across the street to grab a snack…you guessed it, tortilla de patata. When we returned to the salon, I asked Javier to come back with me to translate. My stylist was a young columbian man who was slightly subdued with flares of flamboyance. He was lots of fun, and in the end, I had a hair cut I was more than happy with.
Feeling happy and renewed, we decided to go for lunch. We opted for a menu at a nearby restaurant. Now, I have never had a menu before, so I didn’t know what I was getting into. For the first plate, I ordered lentils, for the second, meatballs, and for dessert…I don’t remember. Anyway, the first plate come out and it was a HUGE bowl of lentils- complete with bacon, of course. I couldn’t even finish the lentils. So, when they brought out the meatballs, I had one bite, and asked for the rest to go. The waiter looked offended. He kept asking me if I wanted something else, telling me they will make whatever I wanted…I explained that I liked it, I was just too full. He said…you didn’t eat the lentils, now you don’t eat this…what do you want?!!! The guy was mad. Javier tried to explain in spanish, but the guy just stormed off. A couple minutes later the owner approached. I explained the situation, and she just smiled and said, no problem, we’ll box it up to go. OMG. All that because of a little tortilla de patata earlier. Well, that guy knew how to bring me down from my haircutting high.
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The Basilica–Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar
We walked to the city center, where we wandered through the Pilar Cathedral- a beautiful cathedral with its brightly multicolored roofs and bright, light interior that looks less like an old cathedral, and more like a modern hotel. We then walked through the center of the city, where we had this crazy idea to watch yet another movie. Unfortunately, all of the non-dubbed movies had already started, so instead we grabbed a coffee and a mirienda (pre-dinner snack) and then headed home for our real meal with Santi and PIlar! That night after a delicious meal, Pilar made Javier and I a special dessert of flan in honor of Thanksgiving…yes folks…that’s how behind we are!
The next day being Thanksgiving, Javier and I decided to start it off right with a good run by the water. By the time we made it back home and showered, it was time for lunch! We ate with Santi and Pilar, and decided to go back to the city center. On the way there, we stopped by the Palacio de la Aljaferia, a Moorish building that looks less like a mosque and more like a fortress. Unfortunately, there were already closed for the day, so we took a couple of pictures from the outside and planned to revisit during normal business hours.
Thanksgiving.
Our main goal was to try and find a Thanksgiving dinner somewhere. We saw online that in Madrid, there was an Irish pub offering Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey and pecan pie. Well, the same Irish pub was also in Zaragoza, so we decided to give it a try. When we arrived, we saw all kinds of signs for “turkey dinner”- I was getting really excited. Come to find out, the only part of this meal that resembles a Thanksgiving meal was the turkey, definitely not the crepe that they offered for dessert. Ugh! Oh well, what did I really expect?
Happy thanksgiving.
Javier, bless his heart, tried so hard to find me a Thanksgiving meal. In the end, the Irish turkey and crepe were the best bet, but I just couldn’t do it. We happened to stumble upon a 50’s diner serving American food. While they didn’t offer a Thanksgiving meal, or even turkey for that matter, they did have some amazingly delicious pies including pecan and apple, which Javier and I gladly ate and called it Thanksgiving dinner.
The following day was very similar to the one before. A run to start the day, lunch with Santi and PIlar, and another walk- only this time we went to the movie theater and watched Gone Girl! Interesting to note that the ticket for a voice original movie was 2 euros less than the spanish dubbed movies. Good for us!
De paseo con Pilar y Santiago.
Santi and Pilar had talked about driving us to the mountains for the day, which we were really excited about. However, when the day finally came it was raining pretty bad, so we had to change our plans. We blogged in the morning and after lunch Santiago drove us to a rather ginormous mall called Plaza Venezia. The four of us walked around with Santi and Pilar doing a little window shopping. Javier and I enjoying the people-watching. Later, we had a mirienda together. Pilar had an errand to run in Ikea, and just being in there reminded me of home. It was a rather relaxing day, and the company made it special.
Zaragoza con Santiago y Pilar.
Javier and I have been truly blessed on a number of occasions to have come across some wonderful and unforgettable people on our journey. Santiago and Pilar are definitely such people. Because of them, we had an absolutely wonderful time in Zaragoza.
To see more pictures of Zaragoza, click HERE.