GO CANUCKS GO!!!!

Just because I'm overseas doesn't mean I don't care about hockey anymore! Yes I'm surrounded by football but it's not the same....I don't feel an extreme loyalty towards any team, though I do enjoy the atmosphere---I think they are even crazier fans than hockey fans.

Despite all this, the Canucks are still important and I do try and keep up to date with the news. Western Conference champions?!?!? WOW! Congratulations!! I can just imagine the atmosphere in the city as they gear up for their first Cup final in a while! Just my luck to miss first the Olympics and now a Stanley Cup final.....but hey, I'm still there in spirit!

I wish I could watch the games but don't know if that's possible...if anyone has an idea, please leave a comment! Without that, I can only be content trying to keep up with results and telling every Spaniard I know that "my team is in the finals"!! They're impressed and associate it with a Real Madrid or Barca style accomplishment...close enough, I say. :)

Anyone who is there to experience the environment and thrill of the city, please comment so us Canadians living abroad can hear all about it!

Interprovincial ventures

One weekend, a friend took us into Asturias, the next region west of here, for a bit of a look into some beautiful areas and typical eats (of course--we're all about eats!) ;D

Went up to higher elevations part of the time and came across some beautiful snowy hills!

Huddling around some the table at a typical cider bar. You press the button to release a bit of cider into your glass, drink almost all of it except the bottom, and toss the last sip on the floor! The custom is to share a glass and that apparently rinses it of germs....and the floor is supposedly made with special material so it doesn't matter. The waiter demonstrated to us, but my instinct just wouldn't let me toss it onto the floor!! We each had a glass so that was okay....

More about cider: the typical drink in Asturias--this dispenser is very cool. Inside the man is a bottle and you press a button behind his head and he "pours" into your cup just like the real people do. Apparently you have to do it that way (while spilling tons on the floor if you're an amateur) to "air out" the cider and get the flavour. Then you have to drink it quickly before it settles, so you just pour a bit at a time. Complicated if you ask me! ;)

Fabada Asturiana.....that means lots of beans and meat for a hearty stew on a cold winter's day!

Drive your car right through the cave! It was pretty cool, though I can't imagine living on the other side....especially in the summer when there are thousands of tourists walking/driving through and clogging up your way home! Just how did the people in this village get anywhere before they built the road through the cave??

Inside the drive-thru cave... ;)

Home of Dr. Mateo from the popular TV series shot in Lastres. He wasn't there when we arrived for tea... =(

Rush rush catch-up time.....

I blame technology for not updating for a while....hadn't been able to post photos for a while and have tried on several occasions now. Well, here is a random assortment since the last one in January, since today it is working for the moment.....

A quick summary since January:

Christmas came and went and we started a new long 2nd trimester of classes.

Went to Barcelona for a conference one weekend for work and a short getaway.

Gorged on prawns at an all-you-can-eat festival at a local restaurant.

Hiking through the valleys and up local mountains.

Passed my online course after all the classes and assignments.

Celebrated my birthday and the Easter break away in Berlin and Prague.

Miscellaneous eats:

Typical Spanish breakfast--yummy fresh squeezed OJ, and toast with olive oil, tomato, cheese and ham. Great for a relaxing Sunday morning! ;)

On a cold winter's night, beans and meat are the ultimate Spanish comfort food

Very typical to have lobster with rice--we bought this Canadian lobster from the supermarket! (Atlantic of course)

At Christmas (well the day of the 3 wise men--Jan 6) it's common to have one of these ring pastries (with or without cream). Baked inside are some toys and whoever gets the piece is lucky! Guess which lucky girl got the little toy on her first cut? ;)

Photos of our town:

Just so you all can see where we live, here are some shots from a few months back.

The pond beside the park

The local park, right by the water. The library building is the reddish brown one and across the water is another town.

From the top of Peña Cabarga (local mountain) you can see the different towns. We live in the one in the central part of the photo.

Weekend away in Barcelona:

Went to a conference there for work one weekend and took advantage of the getaway to do a bit of sightseeing and relaxing too. I attended workshops for a few hours on Friday, most of the day on Saturday, and then got to enjoy the city the rest of the time. I had been there before but it was great to go somewhere and bask in the warm sun at the beginning of February!!

Portal de l'Angel, one of the main shopping streets in the city centre. Lots of people rushing around for the sales that are on from January till March!

They are so much cuter than crows or pigeons!!! These little guys are tagged and live in the palm trees in the city park. They sound nice and are so adorable--I betcha they get fed way more because of their marketability, hehe.

The mediterranean coast

Crowds and crowds swarm to take advantage of one of the first really warm times of the year....some cyclists were foiled in their attempt to get through these mobs....

Prawn chow-down:

It was the Feria de Langostinos in the Mulata restaurant, and someone decided to gather a group together to go. So 14 of us in total met up and went out for a big feast of various styles of prawns, from normal boiled, pan fried and sauteed in garlic to ones in spring-roll style wrappers and other inventions. I was defeated after 28 huge ones, plus bread, some pasta and bits of munchies. ;) However, others trooped on for 40+ but we lost count after a while....

The hungry crowd is slowing down after the first 2 dozen prawns.....

House specialty of prawns cooked with spinach, cream and a bit of spice.....mmmmm.....