A road trip and embracing cousins

Our dinner last night at El Yate Restaurante in Torre del Mar with Vicky, our beautiful Spanish friend.

This morning, our cafe was closed, so we backtracked to the paseo where we were sure we’d find our morning cafe con leche.  Two streets over and we were rewarded with an abundance of choices.  I sort of dragged my feet by the place where everyone was dipping their churros (Spanish pasty/fritter) because there weren’t any free tables.)

And then we headed toward el Carro II.  Steven is now the designated driver as I held the maps and told him where to go (I love doing that...). We found the Palacio de Feria, the fairgrounds, but the huge flea market wasn’t there as I’d hoped.  When I went last year, I found so many great buys!  This year, the place was empty.  What a shame.  Qué lástima.  The good news is I saved money.

I remembered the way toward the area of Campanillas, the village of more Ruiz family, so Steven pointed the car in that direction and drove us first to La Fresneda and Huertocilla.  We found the bar/store and walked into Lo Corritos....right into the hugs of my family, Maria Angela and her husband Manolo with their children.  Then, amid plates of ham, manchego cheese and tapas, Angela and her mother, Mari walked into the Room.  Spanish conversation bounced off the walls and I got some of it... Steven did very well and it’s a good thing, because when cousin Antonio walked in with more hugs and a big grin, I lost the thread of conversation.  I gave the reserved premiere tickets to the family and felt their excitement that the invitation gave them.  More visits when we come back to stay in la casa redonda (the round house) in October.

La casa redonda was next, down the road, across the one-lane bridge, around very sharp corners and up and up we went.  I warned Steven to be prepared for the tight, narrow road and then I saw the dogs welcoming us at the grilled gate.  It felt like home when we walked down the inclined drive and I saw the flowers and the view of my memories.  Steven was able to actually see the house and drink in the view in real time, not just from my photos and last years blog.

As a surprise, I gave him two new adventures after we left... first directing him upward on what I’ve always called the road from hell due to its winding, narrow and kiss your butt curves.  We made it and he said it wasn’t that bad (???!!!).

The second part of the adventure was taking him inside the Juan Carlos restaurant where he found good food, a cold beer and the touch of local Spanish culture whisper across his mind.  The beautifully tiled restaurant offered linen tablecloths, linen napkins.

Steven: Una cerveza, por favor.
Me: tinto verano con limón, por favor
Waitress:  Small or big? (in English)
Steven and I answered at exactly the same time with the same word: Big
Everyone burst out laughing.

I told Steven I wanted him to see the bathrooms (haha, right?).  There is a señores, a señoras a
and a third one for Ñovios (sweethearts) for a bride and groom. (It is a beautiful and very large place that is often used as a wedding reception venue.)   In case you think I’m making this up, I took photos.

Driving back to Torre Del Mar was slick on the A-7 as the blue, sparkling Mediterranean Sea beckoned and followed our progress as we sped east again.
And then I left Steven to play on his computer and relax while I took a siesta!