But just let me rewind to last Sunday before we saw the old year out. 28th December is Spain's "all fools' day" but somehow I missed the joke news. That morning saw me making roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings for lunch. We would be all together that day. It's not often I make a roast beef lunch but is always appreciated by everyone except for my vegan daughter Suzy of course. I made her a vegan version hahahahaha. In between cooking Eladio and I went on our walk and were back just in time for him to go off and pick up Suzy from her friend's house. My father was delighted with the lunch, especially "the Yorkshire" but also happy to see Elliot again. Here they are together.
That morning my New Year's Eve party decorations had arrived from Amazon. They were a little disappointing as the numbers (2020) were ginormous and everything was in gold and black which would not go with the tablecloth etc. They came without any instructions and of course nothing to inflate with. After our big lunch, Miguel, Eladio and Oli started inflating the numbers and stars, etc. Unfortunately one of the big "0s" wouldn't inflate properly as it had a small hole. I was a bit disappointed as it was too late to get another set to arrive on time for our big night. Eladio promised he would mend it as the sellotape had not done the trick.
It was a long drawn out lunch which we all enjoyed but by about 4 pm we all went off to have a short rest or sleep in the case of some of us. I started watching the Brexit film or documentary on HBO which I did not find at all good.
I was downstairs again just after 5.20 to prepare tea and coffee for my friend Julio's visit. Julio, as many of you know, was my colleague at Nokia and the person who hired my best friend Fátima. We became a famed threesome, often called "the three musketeers" and we both sorely miss Fátima. Julio was coming to see us but also to bring a present for little Elliot who he had only seen briefly at our friend's funeral. I had given him tips on what to buy - an outfit from the brand Boboli which Oli loves. Julio who today is a University professor loves babies and immediately took Elliot into his arms. We got some lovely photos like theses ones.
We spent a lovely afternoon or evening together in our festive lounge. Miguel had made a carrot cake for the occasion which we had with tea and coffee. I think Julio felt very much at home as apart from being one of my bosom work friends, he knows my family very well, first having met the girls when they were just 17 or so, so quite a while ago. As I wrote last week, we had cancelled our Christmas dinners this year as they just wouldn't be the same without Fátima. So afternoon tea with my Nokia friend as that is where we first met, was a little bit in lieu of them.
Julio left at around 8 pm and then Miguel and Oli left too with Elliot of course. It was just Eladio, Suzy and I for dinner and I was not hungry. Suzy rustled up a small salad and that was about all we had. That night we watched a detective series on Netflix and the next morning I was up again at 6 a.m. I was busy that day with preparations for our NYE party. Eladio and I went out to do the food shopping for the party and for our stay in Montrondo. We also went to the Chinese shop to find another 0 balloon and miraculously we did. From there we drove to the big shopping centre in Majadahonda, Plaza Norte, to buy last minute Kings' Day presents for all. On our way back we picked up Eladio's old Volvo which was actually my car at Nokia. After forking out 700 euros for its repair, the garage, Boauto, gave us a Christmas hamper. It's the first I have had one since I left Yoigo. Oh how I miss the good Christmas hams and wines I used to get. This was a very poor substitute.
As soon as lunch was finished, Eladio inflated the 0 and I was pleased to see it was the same size as the defect balloon. I had to have another photo of what was a party in the making, the first ever NYE party at our house. I was very excited at the prospect.
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| Party in the making |
While we had been buying Kings' Day presents, little Elliot received 3 more Christmas presents. He got a lovely pair of black Converse shoes from Cynthia in France and a striped Scandi looking baby grow from Pernille. Cynthia also sent a beautiful blanket with his name on. Here he is wearing his new clothes and sitting in his bouncer which he loves.
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| Elliot in his new clothes |
Ah and while we were having lunch at home, Oli was out for a school reunion lunch. She later sent us a photo of her with her great friends, Begoña, Cristina, Claudia, Miad and Paula. It's amazing to see how they have grown from the children I knew at St. Michael's School into beautiful women and mothers.
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| Oli's school lunch reunion on Monday |
The rest of our day was quiet with no guests and Suzy working. We went on our walk as usual and that day had taken 16.904 steps all in all which adds up to 11.7 km. Not bad eh.
Tuesday came, 31st December and the last day of the year. It had me reflecting on 2019. Outside our home walls, it was a year of protests from Hong Kong to Paris, from Paris to Barcelona and Ecuador, to Chile and many other places. It was a crucial year for Brexit, we saw what looked like a US China trade war, migrants leaving their homes for a better life, from Central America and Africa, fires in The Amazon and now in Australia. 2019 was the year US impeached its president, It was also a bumpy year for Venezuela when Juan Guaidó declared himself President and 4 million Venezuelans left the country, But maybe the topic of the year world wide has been about climate change and the protection of our planet led by the Swedish teenager, Greta Thunberg.
From a personal point of view, 2019 was a remarkable year. It was the year my dear father, Charles Courtenay Lloyd turned 100 and all that that meant. Because of it I wrote his biography - yes I wrote a book and am extremely proud that I did. For him it was a huge milestone. The other great event was the birth of our first grandson, little Elliot. Little did we know on this day one year ago that he would enter our lives and change them for ever. It was the year Suzy was living in Bali but came home for these two great events. We only wish she didn't live so far away and in such a dangerous place. In 2019 I traveled to Brussels for a wonderful reunion with my dear Uni friends, Sandra and Adele. I also went on a very special trip down memory lane in the UK and Ireland with Eladio exploring my father's roots. Then there was the Cousinade held in Île de Re, France, where this summer I was joined by Suzy. We had such a good time. Yes, it was a great year, but ended very sadly with the death of my dearest friend Fátima who did not live to see the year out. She taught many of us a lesson we knew in theory, that is to live each day to the full. When she told me she had just 1 month or so to live, she said she was determined to live every day left to the full. That is just what she did. God bless her. I will miss her and carry her in my heart always.
I was up early that morning as there was lots to do before the party. I would also be picking up my dear friend Sandra from the airport. By 11 am I had done the following; fed the dogs, had breakfast, wrote the day's post for my blog and made the starters for the dinner and that day's lunch. By 11.30 I was off to the airport to pick up darling Sandra. Her real name is actually; Alessandra Clara Margarita Lizioli, quite a mouthful hahaha.
Soon we were home and with plenty of time for my friend to settle in before lunch. We had pre lunch drinks in the lounge and I have to say I got a bit tipsy but I also got a damned headache. By 2.20 we were all sitting down and here I am serving the soup or whatever it was.
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| Serving lunch |
By then Suzy had finished her lessons and was with us. She and Sandra get on as if they were friends or sisters and so do Oli and Sandra. Here are Suzy, my elder daughter, and my darling Sandie.
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| Sandra and Suzy |
We all had a brief siesta and not so long afterwards gathered in the dining room to set everything up for the night. Between us all we created the party and I have to say the table and room looked so festive it was wonderful. This was to be our first ever NYE party and it had to be great. It was thanks to the people, the planning and our spirit.
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| The dining room decked out for our NYE party |
By then Oli, Miguel and Elliot were there and Sandra was delighted to meet him. Miguel had brought a present each for all of us from his mother, Merche. Believe it or not she had given us all red knickers and underpants. Sandra couldn't believe it and we hastened to tell her it was something of a tradition to wear something red and new for NYE. That would be her first surprise of the night. The second would be the 12 grapes at midnight another unique Spanish tradition.
We girls rose to the occasion and had a photo taken with the red knickers, hahahaha.
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| With our red knickers on and getting into the spirit of NYE |
Our deadline for getting everything ready was 8.30 when Miguel's family would be arriving. We were all dressed and looking smart and some of us even danced a waltz in the kitchen, hahaha.
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| Sandra and Eladio waltzing in the kitchen |
Our guests arrived and we welcomed them with a tray with champagne which dear Sandra had brought. By 9.30 or so we were sitting down to our festive table. Here is a close up of Suzy, Sandra and Lucy my father's carer from Paraguay.
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| Sandra, Suzy and Lucy at dinner |
Everyone who came had contributed something and there were crackers, small and giant poppers, glasses for all and loads of wonderful food. I should highlight Miguel's mother's croquettes and his cream of seafood soup and apple strudel.
I made a speech, Suzy sang (beautifully) and we played a silly ice breaker game. Time flew and we had to be by the TV by 12 midnight to bring in the New Year. In Spain it is a tradition to eat one grape per chime. That means 12 grapes in 12 seconds. I'm afraid I choked on my 5th and couldn't have any more hahahah. We then all hugged and wished each other a happy new year and had more champagne.
Here is a group photo of us all taken by Miguel's brother and below a photo of Elliot with his two sets of grandparents. I love them both.
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| The group photo |
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| Elliot with his two sets of grandparents - a rare occasion |
The party ended at around 2 am and had been a great success. You only have to look at the dining room and compare it to the one above. There would be a lot of cleaning up the next day of course but who cared?
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| The dining room at the end of the night |
I think we went to bed at about 3 in the morning and I commented to Eladio that it had been my best NYE ever. It really had and a great time was had by all.
I didn't sleep long that night and after tossing and turning I was up at just before 7 am on New Year's Day, the day we set off for Montrondo until Kings' Day.
But first things first and that meant feeding the dogs, having my breakfast, reading the headlines and checking my social media pages. I was challenged by a friend to post a photo of me in 2009 and one in 2019 to see the difference a decade makes. You just have to look at the photos below to see the difference hahahah.
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| Me in 2009 and me in 2019 ageing gracefully I like to think hahahaha. |
Ten years makes a lot of difference at my age. I can only comfort myself thinking I am ageing gracefully hahaha. I challenge you to do the same readers and friends.
Everyone was up late but by 11 am, Sandra, Eladio, Pippa and I were on the road. The girls would leave in the afternoon. We had hoped to stop at the Palacio de Bornos in Rueda for the habitual glass of white wine and platter of ham but it was not to be as the place was closed for New Year's Day. Instead we took Sandra to the Parador in Tordesillas for lunch on our way.
I think it was Sandra's first introduction to a Parador and she loved it for its cosiness, beautiful decor and atmosphere. We were especially impressed with the great big guest lounge with its open fire. Here Eladio took a photo of us.
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| At the Parador in Tordesillas. |
My friend was impressed with the Parador in general but not with the staff and we weren't either. As paradors are state run, the employees are like civil servants so don't have to go all out to satisfy guests as they know their jobs are for life. Thus they generally surly and not very welcoming. But to hell, despite their attitude we loved the lunch. Eladio and Sandra chose the wonderful chickpea soup made from chickpeas from the village of Fuentesauco, legendary for growing the best chickpeas in Spain.
We were in Montrondo by about 4.30 after an incident free drive, except for a lot of fog which we were glad to see did not reach our village where the sun was shining. It was great to walk into a warm house as Eladio had switched on the central heating remotely the day before. After unpacking, Sandra, Pippa and I went for a late afternoon walk to Murias and back. Eladio preferred to stay behind and doing what I call "pottering around". Here he is with Sandra wearing his wooden clogs over his slippers which are called "madreñas" and are very typical in this area. Sandra was curious to see this special sort of footwear designed to keep shoes clean.
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| Eladio and Sandra - notice his "madreñas" (wooden clogs) |
We were both in need of a walk as was Pippa and enjoyed it immensely. Sandra just loved the mountains and lush fields and horses and cows. We had to have a selfie on the old path to capture the moment.
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| On our late afternoon walk on New Year's Day |
We came home to find Eladio had lit the fire which always adds atmosphere and not just warmth to the place. Sandra loved our house as do we and felt at home immediately. Pippa did too and was soon curled up on her blanket on the sofa. Sandra had to have a picture.
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| Pippa by the fire on her blanket |
The girls, Elliot and Miguel were on their way by then and would be arriving at around 9 pm. As Sandra would be occupying Suzy's room here, we decided to set up the sofa bed in my tiny study for her to sleep on. It was the first time we have used it and it was a little tricky to work out but we managed it. Thus everyone would have their own private room.
We had some free time before the rest of the family arrived and Sandra and I relaxed on the sofa. We rang our other great Uni friend, Adele, who lives in France, to wish her a happy new year. Eladio had the news on which I hadn't seen for a while but of course I always keep up to date using my phone. There was the most extraordinary news that day about Pope Francis, usually a happy smiling Argentinian loved by the masses. Well that day, he lost his patience when a woman grabbed his arm when he was greeting crowds. She dragged him towards her and wouldn't let go of him until he lost his patience and slapped her hand! He looked very angry as he walked away. He later apologised for losing his patience. It was a very unusual gesture from him but actually rather understandable as the woman behaved atrociously. Here is the
video clip if you haven't seen it already.
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| When the Pope got angry |
Just after 8 pm, Sandra and I set about making dinner for the 6 of us consisting of cold cuts and a salad and some of the New Year's Eve leftovers. Suzy, Oli and co arrived at 9pm on the dot and as soon as they walked in I was handed my sweet grandson. He was all wrapped up and soon needed layers taking off as owing to the fire, the lounge felt like a sauna hahaha. Both Elliot and I were delighted to be reunited and he kept smiling at me. Oh, how I love him.
Dinner was a happy one with all of us together. Later as Oli and Miguel took care of the baby and Eladio went off to bed, tired from driving and the excesses of NYE, Sandra, Suzy and I watched a film on Netflix. I wanted them to see Brain on Fire which I loved when I watched it last week and was happy to watch it again. They found it very interesting too. I was in bed by midnight and although I found it difficult to sleep which is normal for me, I didn't get a bad night's sleep considering.
On Thursday 2nd January I woke up at 7 in the morning while it was pitch black outside. I let Pippa out to do her business and it was freezing at minus 5 degrees. Luckily the sun would come out later and it would be a glorious day. We all had breakfast together - a tradition at our home in Montrondo - and later I took Sandra out on a short tour of the village. I was happy not to have the domestic obligation of making lunch throughout our stay as we had lunch out, thus I was free to do what I wanted. After all it was my holiday too. I took Sandra up to the church, the main monument in the village but we couldn't go in as the door was locked as was the door to the cemetery. But we could to up to the belfry where very daringly I rung one of the bells but just once hahaha. Here is Sandra at the top of the stone steps of the belfry which has great views.
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| Sandra in the belfry |
Ah and here is one of me by the side of the church,
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| Me by the church on Thursday morning |
From the church we walked back to the village via the path to the area called "Los Palacios" (The Palaces). I have no idea why it is called that as there are no palaces there. But there lives Manolita, a friend and neighbour who is the heart and soul of Montrondo. She was outside the steps of her house and we greeted each other. She invited us in for coffee and we were happy to accept. Her nephew and his wife, Ana and their daughter Vera were there. It was quite fortuitous for Sandra as Ana is a teacher of English so communication flowed. Of course they all asked where Sandra was from as people do and of course her story is long and fascinating and it takes time to tell and is always very interesting. Let me remind you she was born in India to a Catholic Italian father and Hungarian Jewish mother, that she was educated at a boarding school in England and that we met at Nottingham University where she studied French and I studied Spanish. She now lives in Belgium and owing to Brexit has just obtained Belgian nationality.
Both Sandra and I loved sitting in Manolita's time gone by kitchen which has probably not changed much from when she and my husband were children. I love it. Manolita then gave me a present for Elliot, God bless her. I told her she must give it to Olivia in person as Elliot was with her. Then Olivia, wanting to know where I was, rang me and soon they joined our little party in Manolita's kitchen. Soon Elliot was in her arms. Here is a lovely photo of them both.
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| Elliot in Manolita's arms in her lovely old kitchen |
I think we were there until 1.30 which was pretty late as we had a lunch table in Senra booked for 2 pm. So we said our goodbyes and went home to get ready to walk to Senra (4km). It was then that Eladio told me Suzy's lessons had been interrupted as there was an internet outage. I felt sorry for my daughter as she would be penalised. There was not much we could do and thus we all set off on foot to the Cumbres de Omaña hostal and restaurant in glorious sunshine. Eladio stayed behind as he had things to do and would later drive and meet us at the restaurant.
We didn't get there until 2.40 and the grumpy owner didn't seem very pleased. He never seems very pleased and is always surly when we order. Thursday was no different. However, we didn't really mind as the food was splendid and we had the dining room with its roaring open fire practically to ourselves. Poor Pippa was left in the car as dogs are not allowed:-( Here is a view of my family and friend with the surly owner around our table just as we had finished the scrumptious lunch which would leave us not hungry for dinner that night.
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| In the dining room at Cumbres de Omaña |
We all walked back except for Eladio who had the car of course. We stopped in Murias on our way and decided to visit the village hall which houses some very good exhibitions. Manolita had told us there was one of old toys which we were all interested to see. Thus we all went into the splendid and restored building called "la casona" once owned by a count. The guide and person who runs the place, called Pilar, immediately took us upstairs to see an exhibition about the local area which we found interesting but far too long. We didn't know how to get away, only really wanting to see the toys but we had to be polite. Plus it was freezing inside for the baby and Pippa was feeling very heavy in my arms. Here are Suzy, Oli, Miguel and Sandra in one of the exhibition rooms.
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| At the exhibition in Murias |
What I found more interesting was the top room which had been turned into what is called in Spain a "filandón" a place where village women meet to knit and sew. It was quite well recreated.
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| Sandra and Suzy posing by the "filandón" |
Of everything we saw I found the "filandón" the most interesting as well as the toys which we finally got to see at the end of our tour.
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| Wandering around the toy collection |
The toys come from a private collection and they are mostly toys for boys but there were some dolls like these.
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| The dolls from the toy collection |
It was quite a good cultural experience and I have to say the Murias town hall is very dynamic, providing lots of activities for the locals.
It was still light as we walked home - remarkable for this time of year in Sandra's view - and soon we were home happy but tired (my legs were tired). I was happy to see we had walked 11km approximately that day.
We joined Eladio on the sofa by the open fire. Elliot was with us of course and I was amazed when I saw Miguel put his 3 month old son on a miniature chair I had bought a few years ago in a village called Baños de Montemayor. I never thought at the time that one day a grandson of mine would sit on it. He is only 3 months old but was sitting up by himself. If he can do that now I wonder when he will first walk and talk. He is very alert for his age. Seeing is believing, so here is the proof.
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| Elliot aged just 3 months sitting on our miniature chair in Montrondo |
We spent the rest of the day happily together. No one was hungry so most of us just had fruit for dinner and I prepared a huge platter of mango, raspberries, kiwi, mandarin, orange and banana which we all dug into. It was then that we persuaded Sandra to do the performance which she had prepared for New Year's Eve but never did as it was in English and Miguel's family would not have understood.
I was delighted to hear and see her recite a very well known poem, "The owl and the pussycat" by Edward Lear which I hadn't heard or read since I was a child. These are the words which rhyme beautifully. I hope you enjoy it.
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-Tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
Did you like it? I hope so. We loved it so much that we asked Sandra to recite it again. She is a natural performer and her recitals were much appreciated. By the way if you are wondering what "runcible" means and I was, Sandra told us it's a made up word and poetic licence.
We all went to bed relatively early that night and on Friday morning I was awake at 7 am again, thus getting one more hour of sleep than I usually do at home. It was on Friday that we went to Villablino and out to lunch with friends. Everyone got up late that morning and we didn't leave until at least midday. It was a bit cloudy but later the sun came out. When we are in Montrondo and if we can we go to the big ex mining town of Villablino to their Friday market. It's not very big but I always find something. But first things first and we all went to have a coffee. Bliss of bliss, Pippa was allowed in and I have to say she behaved beautifully. At the market though I had to hold her leash tight as she barks at other dogs. Both Sandra and I found boots we loved and for just 10 euros per pair we bought a few between us. While we were choosing our boots, the others were buying delicious fruit. We later met up at Gadis supermarket where they were buying more provisions which included our first "roscón" (Kings' Day cake). I caught my family and friend Sandra on camera while shopping there. We were a happy bunch.
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| Shopping at Gadis |
Our lunch appointment was with my friend Pedro Delgado and his lovely wife, Ludy, who hails from Villablino. Pedro doesn't need any introduction, at least in Spain, where he is a legendary cyclist who won the Tour of France and the Tour of Spain. We drove to Sosas de Laciana where Ludy had booked a table for our two families at a restaurant called El Campillo. The table was booked for 2.30, but our friends are notorious for being late. They weren't too late that day though and arrived just before 3 pm. Their boys now aged 17 and 19 have grown so much I could hardly recognise them. The younger ones are non identical twins and one of them looks just like Pedro when he was young. It was uncanny.
I had only been to El Campillo once but remembered well their amazing "cecina" (a bit like braseola or rather ham but made of beef). The lunch was fabulous with so much on the menu which was so cheap we just have to go again. Sandra, used to living in Brussels, couldn't believe the prices. This was the cecina by the way.
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| Cecina at El Campillo on Friday |
We had a long, leisurely and fun lunch with our friends and ate wonderful food. We really couldn't have had a better time. Elliot was with us of course and went from one person's arms to another's including Pedro's. Here they are together.
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| Pedro Delgado with little Elliot |
Towards the end of the meal, Ludy's mother who lives in Villablino joined us as did her brother Orlando and his partner. I hadn't seen Orlando for probably 20 years. Ludy and her siblings, including Alfonso who couldn't come, are all good looking and someone remarked that Orlando looked like Robert Redford hahahah. It's a pity I didn't get a photo.
Sandra, feeling sorry for Pippa in the car, asked the restaurant owner if she could bring her in and amazingly we got a positive reply. That's unusual as bringing a dog into a restaurant in Spain is a no no. Here is a photo I took of Sandra with Pippa outside the restaurant when we arrived. I would have liked to explore the little village which is in a heavenly mountainous setting but there was no time for a walk that day.
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| Sandra and Pippa next to the restaurant, El Campillo, in Sosas de Laciana |
We only broke up the party when it was about to get dark at around 6 pm. Eladio was keen to leave as he is very wary of the steep mountain road from Villablino and Sosas to Montrondo. I would have carried on our party until late into the night but it was not to be.
We were home to a lovely warm house and some of us had a cup of tea - you will notice we are not wine drinkers or only at meals, We all lounged around, not particularly hungry, and it was Friday that Sandra, Oli, Miguel and I played cards, "sevens" for the record. I love playing cards but as my husband doesn't it's not often I get to play. Eladio meanwhile was watching the news. The story of the killing of Iran's number two, General Solemimani was chilling. We all wondered if it would trigger a war. We weren't hungry so had some of the delicious fruit we had bought at the market. The great big oranges were the best which I had with some local walnuts. We couldn't resist one of Sandra's Belgian chocolates afterwards.
That night we watched a very intense true WW2 story set mostly in Japan called Unbroken. It's very hard to watch but has a unique ending. We were in bed, all of us in our own and Pippa in Suzy's, at past midnight.
Saturday came and we would be going out again. Yesterday we were going to León to see Eladio's mother and show the city to Sandra. We would also have lunch there. Oli, Miguel and Elliot preferred to stay behind to have some quiet time with the baby so we missed their company in León. Sandra took a photo of the three ladies together just as we left. Suzy referred to us the "golden ladies" hahaha. Are we really?
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| Suzy and the "golden ladies" |
It was a glorious sunny day but as we approached León there was fog and the city would remain foggy all day. I always find León dark, grey, damp and very cold. It is one of the coldest cities in Spain and I could never live there. We went first to see Eladio's mother who is recovering from a hip operation and is aged 98. I don't think she knew who we were which is very sad. We couldn't understand much of what she was saying and later we heard that she had fallen out of bed which can't have been easy as her bed had bars.
It was her lunchtime when we left and drove into the city to park next to one of the city's landmarks, the San Marcos Parador an old monastery which unfortunately is closed for renovation.
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| Outside San Marcos |
From there we walked in the cold by the river until we got to the statue of Guzmán. Then we
walked up or down (not sure) the main street of the city, "Ordoño" until we reached the Santo Domingo square which is the start of the old city. As Sandra remarked the modern part of the city is very ugly but the old part is beautiful. That's often so in Spain. Here we are walking along the pedestrian precinct from Santo Domingo to the cathedral.
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| With Suzy and Eladio in León on Saturday |
We were soon in the Cathedral square and taking pictures. Here is one of Suzy taken by Sandra.
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| Suzy by the cathedral in León on Saturday |
Bang opposite the cathedral is the seminary where Eladio studied to become a priest in the 60's. He told us he lived there for the last 6 years of his studies and even pointed out the window of his room. Today it is empty. I had to have a photo of him. Could he ever imagine how his life would change when he met me in 1980?
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| Eladio outside the seminary in León where he studied to become a priest. |
He also pointed out to me the old post office and wanted to show me the post box where he used to send me his letters the summer after we met in 1980 while he was a teacher and priest at the junior seminary. Unfortunately the post box is no longer there. However, I have, of course, kept all his letters.
From the cathedral square we walked to the "barrio húmedo", the drinking and eating area which makes León as famous as its cathedral. We don't really know the restaurants in León as in the past we only ever had lunch with members of my husband's family at their homes. Thus we decided to go to one called La Pintona (I think) where we had had quite a decent lunch with our friends Kathy and Phil when they came in October. It was no great gastronomic experience - León does not have the best food in Spain and I find it very heavy. Eladio went for the most famous dish in the area "botillo" a sort of cooked ham in spicy paprika with chorizo and potatoes. I find it far too heavy and it is not my cup of tea but Eladio loves it.
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| Eladio's "botillo" at lunch on Saturday in León |
After lunch we decided to visit Eladio's mother again just to make sure she was alright after her fall. We found her having her afternoon cup of milk with the other residents and so we greeted her, stayed a while and then made our way out to drive home as it was getting dark.
We were home an hour or so later and glad to see there was no fog. In Montrondo it had been sunny all day. It was nice to greet Oli, Miguel and little Elliot who had had a quiet day. Again we were not hungry that night so just went for a bit of fruit. We played ludo while Eladio watched the news which was important for Spanish politics that day. It was all about the investiture debate for the new socialist coalition government with the far left party Podemos who will have to rely on the Catalan independence party ERC.
It was last night that Sandra, Suzy and I watched or started watching a new series on Netflix; Messiah which is a bit like homeland. We binge watched 4 episodes and if you haven't seen it I highly recommend you do. Thus we were in bed at nearly 1 in the morning.
As I wrote at the beginning of this post, today is Kings' night or rather the day before Kings' Day - tomorrow. We have bought our "roscones" and will be leaving today at some stage so as to celebrate tomorrow with my father.
It has been a lovely few days here together which have passed far too quickly. As we say in my family though, "all good things come to an end" as they always do.
Now I have reached the tales of this week friends and readers. Wishing you all a happy Kings' Day if you celebrate it and if you don't, a happy Sunday. Until next week, cheers to all and sundry,
Masha
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