Lesson 14: Ribs must come from hampsters (Zaragoza)

Valentine's Day, or San Valentin in Spain, is not celebrated here like it is in The States. However, once Sara experienced Valentine's in The States it became an expected tradition. So to celebrate we decided to go on a trip to Toledo. After a month of planning, purchasing bus tickets, train tickets, and reserving a hotel room, we never made it there.

Sara and I had stayed up late the night before celebrating with her friends after their awards show. We ended up going home early, 5am, knowing that we had a bus to catch at 9:15. Of course in perfect Sara and Stephen fashion, we missed the bus, by about one minute. Unfortunately the next bus wasn't until 2pm, so we decided to go home and cancel our train tickets which we would obviously miss as well. Because we were still tired from the lack of sleep we decided to doze off and take a short nap... and missed the second bus.

Not to put a damper on the weekend, we decided to take the next bus out of Pamplona, which was to the town of Zaragoza, which is actually the fifth largest city in Spain. It's known for its two cathedrals, but we were also excited to go there to visit Sara's cousins who live there. However, the bus didn't leave for an hour so we decided to grab a meal in the bus station. It was my first time to eat KFC outside of the The States, and really it didn't taste much different. That was unfortunate for Sara, who realized she wasn't a fan of the FC part.

We finished quickly and headed for the bus so not to miss it AGAIN. After a few minutes on the bus, I kind of wished we had missed it. 30 minutes into a two-hour bus ride, a man got sick a few rows in front of us. Leaving us an hour and a half to try not to breathe or look down... Thinking back on it, I don't know how we managed to keep lunch down, Sara was feeling a little queezy before we ever stepped foot on the bus.

Once we got to Zaragoza (and finally escaped the bus) things were better. The city itself is quite charming. There is a good mix of historical relics and modern architecture. For example, most of the apartments and shops located on the main streets are gorgeous with rod-iron balconies that overlook giant walkways lined with old, iron streetlamps with potted, red cyclamen hanging from them. The walkways leave enough space for glimpses of architectural beauties, such as El Pilar, to seep through the gaps.

Because of our short preparation for the trip, we had to call a couple hotels on the way in and hope they still had some availability. Fortunately, we found a hostel in a perfect location at a decent rate. Unfortunately, our hostel was a little below par. The walls were mustard-colored, the bathroom door didn't shut, and it didn't have WiFi. It also had a creepy touch to it, as every time we walked out of the hallway a light would turn on, but it never turned on when we were walking into the hallway.

That first night we decided to check out El Pilar, the famous cathedral built on top of a spot where the Virgen Mary was said to have driven in a wooden post and asked Saint James to build a shrine at that very spot. The basilica is incredible. It's huge and cavernous, with several domes on top. Inside, as Sara pointed out, it isn't decorated like conventional big churches. It was painted with sky blue trim and most of the tall ceilings were left white, making it seem brighter. There were also numerous flags decorating the wall, each one recognizing a different country. Also inside you can find two bombs hanging from a wall. Each fell on the church during the Spanish Civil War but were miraculously diffused. Most give credit to the Virgin herself for the bombs not going off.

The most sought after reason for visiting the church is to pray in front of the Virgin del Pilar, a foot-tall, wood-carved statue of Mary that is dressed with an elaborate skirt everyday. The day we went she was wearing a beautiful white and silver skirt, which we later found out was suppose to give you luck. Although the skirt was beautifully decorated, I couldn't help but think that it looked like a fancy lampshade. Beneath the Virgin del Pilar there is a marble nook where people come to pray and kiss the feet of the Virgin, which has created a mouth-shaped groove in the marble. Even Pope John Paul II had knelt beneath it and kissed the marble. (So it's like we kissed... Pope cooties!)

That night we decided to go out to eat and found a nice place where we could order at the bar. Even after lots of bread and some grilled shrimp, I was really hungry and eagerly awaiting my ribs. See, 'cause when I hear ribs, I think of big Texas ribs with lots of meat lathered in barbecue sauce. So when I saw a giant piece of meat, peppers, and french fries dropped in front of me I got very excited. However, that was not my plate. Instead, I received little bones with about one bite of meat on each one. As delicious as that one bite was, my brain made a mental note: RIBS = DISAPPOINTMENT.

The next day we spent primarily with Sara's cousin Cosme and his wife Marta. They are one of the most adorable pairs of people I've met and they were incredibly hospitable. They helped us book a table at a very popular restaurant for Valentine's, gave us a personal tour of the city, kept feeding us until we were about to burst, and then after all that, took us to their house so I could use Internet to call home. I know right... so sweet.

First stop with them, food. They introduced us to several new and delicious plates. The first I remember was fried potatoes (almost french fries), covered in jamon and fried eggs. We also tried two types of croquetas (stuffed fried balls), one with a type of black rice and squid, and the other with chicken and chocolate. A little weird but still good. Another tapa I tried was a block of soft sheep cheese covered in pieces of nuts and topped with a sweet jelly. We finished our eating adventure with Sara's new favorite dessert, baked white chocolate on toast. Don't worry it gets weirder...

So you get a long piece of toast. Then put 4-5 pieces of white chocolate, or as many as you can fit, on the bread. Then top them off with olive oil and salt. Que dicho?! Yes, salt. Bake it until the chocolate melts and serve. So easy a caveman with these ingredients, and half-an-idea of how to cook could do it. Which is why I think Sara is so excited to try it.

After tapas we Cosme and Marta took us around town. First stop of interest was to the other cathedral in Zaragoza, La Seo. Zaragoza is actually only one of three cities in Spain that can boast two cathedrals. Surprisingly enough, they are located on the same plaza, just a few steps from each other. While El Pilar is more grand and elaborate, La Seo has its own special touches. It is so old and has been through so many restorations that it has Romanesque, Gothic, Mudejar, Baroque, and Renaissance architectural influences. However it's the Aragonese Mudejar that makes it a World Heritage Site (seen right).

After La Seo, we walked along the river and got a beautiful view of the sun setting behind El Pilar. Then we headed to an old castle nearby, which unfortunately was closed, but that didn't stop us from taking a picture in front of it. We were going to head back to the hostel because it was starting to get late, and I needed to get back so I could phone my sister who had just completed a 13 mile half-marathon back home (yeah, never would have done that). However, Cosme and Marta invited us back to their place to use their internet and have a bite to eat. We accepted, although I think we walked 13 miles to get to their place.

Their apartment was amazing, it's exactly how I would want mine to be. Although it was small, it was perfect for two people and everything was decorated with things from their travels, from the pictures, paintings, little knick-knacks and posters, curtains, and bowls. Nothing really went together, and yet it all made sense. It is definitely fitting since they met each other while they were in Greece. After a tour of the house, Cosme helped me find a computer camera, then helped me download Skype so I could call back home. While we were waiting for it to download, we were served little treats and hot chocolate and watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding (Greece is definitely a theme for them).

After making the call, we had to run back to the hostel to get ready so that we wouldn't miss our reservation at La Piedra (The Stone). The restaurant was small, there were only 10 tables in all, but it was very nice and cozy. We ordered a type of fondue french fries, toast with jamon and melted brie, and for dinner, two giant slabs of meat. Cosme and Marta had told us to order the meat, but they failed to mention that one order was enough for two people. We quickly realized this mistake when we saw the other couples receiving one giant portion and splitting it. Newbs...

Needles to say, we left very full that night and unfortunately had to skip out on dessert.

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's weekend, as you can probably tell, we did over here.