Excursión a las Sierras
Today our program took us on a day trip into the mountains near Madrid. The hour-long drive out and back reminded me a lot of driving in and out of the foothills near Denver. Between this trip and Granada a week ago, this is the most exposure to the mountains I've had in months, which is good and bad. As any Coloradan will tell you, the mountains are a part of us and so seeing them is therapeutic. On the other hand, it made me a little homesick. It seems cliché to say, but I've seen a lot of places and I still put our Rocky Mountains as the most beautiful landscape on earth.
So anyway, back to my story. We took about a two-hour ride on burros, or as we called them affectionately, our "burritos." It has nothing to do with food! It's "little donkey" as a term of endearment. Not to say the burros were particularly endearing. They were slow (I could have walked and finished the trail in half the time) smelly, uncomfortable, and obstinate (no you will NOT step off the path to take a bite out of that bush, HEY! let's go. No, no no, go AROUND THE BUSH NOT THROUGH IT!) but it was a unique experience and we had a lot of fun.
After the ride we returned to the lodge and had a huge lunch. The first course was a chunky mashed potato dish cooked over an open fire over which we sprinkled thick bacon bits. I could have easily made an entire meal between that, the bread, and the wine. The second course was heaven for any Spanish meat lover. Chorizo (like the Mexican version without any bite whatsoever), Morcilla (blood sausage with rice) other thick bacon-esque cuts of pork, and lamb chops (a pleasant deviation from the common theme). Most of us were stuffed beyond belief at this point, but then came dessert. We had a cheese cake and coffee, and it's safe to say that nobody wanted to move, other than trips over to the fire place to warm up.
This was nice way to have a bit of fun before we all cram for finals next week. I've been trying to get blog postings up now so I'm not tempted later on. I'm still without a camera, although my replacement cleared customs and should be here soon! I'll post pictures as my friends do...
So anyway, back to my story. We took about a two-hour ride on burros, or as we called them affectionately, our "burritos." It has nothing to do with food! It's "little donkey" as a term of endearment. Not to say the burros were particularly endearing. They were slow (I could have walked and finished the trail in half the time) smelly, uncomfortable, and obstinate (no you will NOT step off the path to take a bite out of that bush, HEY! let's go. No, no no, go AROUND THE BUSH NOT THROUGH IT!) but it was a unique experience and we had a lot of fun.
After the ride we returned to the lodge and had a huge lunch. The first course was a chunky mashed potato dish cooked over an open fire over which we sprinkled thick bacon bits. I could have easily made an entire meal between that, the bread, and the wine. The second course was heaven for any Spanish meat lover. Chorizo (like the Mexican version without any bite whatsoever), Morcilla (blood sausage with rice) other thick bacon-esque cuts of pork, and lamb chops (a pleasant deviation from the common theme). Most of us were stuffed beyond belief at this point, but then came dessert. We had a cheese cake and coffee, and it's safe to say that nobody wanted to move, other than trips over to the fire place to warm up.
This was nice way to have a bit of fun before we all cram for finals next week. I've been trying to get blog postings up now so I'm not tempted later on. I'm still without a camera, although my replacement cleared customs and should be here soon! I'll post pictures as my friends do...
posted by Bob Martin at 6:40 PM
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