Wednesday, March 22, 2017

More RUIZ cousins, Malaga wine and speaking Spanish

Last night, I arrived home too late to post... If I don't post before midnight, it is too late.  My hours here in Spain continue to extend longer and longer into the dark of night.  Dinner here is late and I worried that my body would scream but I've managed to slip into their clocks just fine.

The day started with another long walk with Scalli, Scamp and Pesky through the dry riverbed (my calves feel like they are walking on sand).  The air was clean and the breeze blew my hair into my face as I watched the orange groves pass by and I sidestepped large rocks.  The dogs love sniffing around every rock, plant and tree.  Lyn and I never run out of conversation.

She took me to her chorus practice in Coin, Spain and it was all 1960's music, just up my alley.  It felt like I was back in high school, tapping my feet and singing along with all the songs.  And the red wine was only 2 euros.  If I already posted this, it's because my mind is in a muddle and I forgot...


Last night, we walked into El Corrito, a small restaurant/bar/bakery for our date with my distant prima (cousin), Maria Angela Nunez Ruiz.  Her husband, Manolo, runs the store and when she walked through the doorway, she smiled and gave me the lovely Spanish kiss on each cheek.    Before long, she and Manolo took me into to the back room, their home and sat us down to a table.  He asked if we'd tasted Malaga wine?  No.  Soon he had two small glasses in front of me and Lyn. (I think it was Muscatel).  He asked if we liked Manchego cheese?  Absolutely.  While I used my bit of Spanish with Maria Angela and grinned at her children, her husband came in with four large plates = manchego cheese, Serrano ham, chorizo, pork and a pile of bread.  What?  We had a dinner date at my other cousin's restaurant, Venta Gloria, and this food looked so good, of course, we stayed... and ate.

The visit went well.  I spoke with Maria Angela and watched her forehead wrinkle up as I struggled with the words and then saw her face light up like a candle when I got my point across.  Big smiles.  They took us into the large back room to show us where they baked bread, cakes and goodies for the bakery part of their business...and here I am getting a baking lesson.

By 10:00, I was now one hour late to get to our dinner date with Pedro Ruiz and his daughter, Elisa.  We hugged, kissed, held our gifts of Malaga wine (good!) to our chests and sped to Venta Gloria Restaurant.  There was nobody there except Paco, the bartender (another cousin) and Pedro who opened his arms in a big hug, big smile and relief when I spoke Spanish (he speaks no English).

Elisa came down from the house and her exuberant welcome was delightful.  When I began talking with her, her eyes rounded and she said, "Patricia, you speak Spanish very well!"  (She remembered how little I spoke on my 2012 visit).  Of course, I puffed up... (Thank you, Janet R. for teaching me!)


We had a ensalada mixta (mixed salad) sitting on a table with a glass of Tempranillo wine in a heartbeat and I could see that Pedro was in a daze as he understood nothing in English.  He was such a great host, even though the restaurant was near closing, he kept the restaurant opened just for us.


Elisa kept translating and when he heard my favorite wine was Tempranillo, he shook his finger at me..."No, Ribera del Duero."  He promptly brought a bottle to our table with new glasses (OMG - wine everywhere).  It was smooth, dark and rich, just like my friend, Rina R. told me.

Then a plate of gambas (shrimp) swimming in garlic oil arrived and the Spanish conversations continued.  Lyn kept the words flowing and Elisa's excitement fueled the words on and on...We were eating dinner at 11:00 pm.  By the time we got home, it was after midnight.  Yep, I truly am feeling like Cinderella.

Today --- Wednesday, Lyn drove me to Benalmadena, a city on the coast where she recently purchased a condo with the most delicious garden view through an arched patio wall.  Within walking distance, the Mediterranean glistened, the port waited and another surprise.  The architecture in this city at the port is very Moorish with turrets, fancy gated islands with tall apartment buildings and sailboats gently swaying at the many piers.





Amazing, amazing, amazing.
Tomorrow is another plan... Going to Mijas!

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