Followers, Welcome to Your New Home

Pamplona. Pamplona. Once more, PAMPLONA!! I'll back-track from my extreme excitement to explain how I got to this built up joy. Feeling like a move star, I stepped off the plane, onto the tarmac and was taken away. My backdrop was beautiful green mountains and a fresh breeze blowing my hair back, again like a movie star. How can you explain when the air tastes fresher and the sun feels brighter, you can not. It simply is!

 I've Arrived! Wait.... I've arrived?



My one selfie. Excitement dialed down
because I didn't want to freak anyone
out with my happiness.

Suddenly I was feeling nervous. After hardly feeling anything on the way in I was surprised to suddenly feel a little nervous. Beyond that sliding a door a new family waited and with it a new beginning, figuratively. Rapidly finger-combing my hair and awkwardly maneuvering 2 nearly 50 pound suitcases and one nearly bursting carry-on I passed through the door, literally.

My new sister and father welcomed me with hugs and kisses. The first joke translated in English: "I told her an American girl with only one suitcase would be impossible!" At first I thought "Oh no I look so American!" but soon realized how sarcastic and jokey (word?) my family is, works for me! They both kept down-playing the city, "small", "old" but I absolutely loved it and from the first car window views it only got better, onto the bikes!

You can bike anywhere! The entire city functions around biking lanes and get this, cars actually stop for bikers, no angry honking here! I was hooked. It seemed the whole city came out to welcome me. We ran into at least 5 people that Elisa (host mom) knew. All were so excited to finally meet me and all of them said the same things. "Welcome! You speak good Spanish! You are so pretty!" I continued to feel like a movie star. Until the unglamorous task of getting me a cell phone.



Bikes. We have a love/hate relationship, you give me nice calves, yet also butt pains.

Go Go Go STOP!!

Like the roads, life in Spain is a very stop and go pace. We're  going going doing this, that, here, there and then *stop light*. Just about anywhere that offers a service here you must take a number and wait. By "wait"I don't mean 15 minutes in and out, I mean 1 maybe 2 hours. Being my mothers daughter the impatience gene can catch up with me. If it weren't for my real father's laid back voice in my head and my new friend talking in my ear I just might have thrown a fit.

Walking path along the mountain side. City-Park-Mountains. This place is everything!

My new friend was a music man from Sicilly. There's a hiking trail "El Camino Santiago" that draws hundreds of people from all over the world. The people who take the trail from coast to coast of Spain are called "Peregrinos" Pilgrims. This was the first time I could hear about it from someone actually on the path. Giovanni flew to France and from León he began his 800+ km journey. He had lot's of stories to tell me, heck we were both waiting two hours for cell phones. He said at the top of a mountain an eagle circled over him and the two had a conversation. Call him crazy and you can call me crazy too because I was on board and totally believe in it. Only days later did he find a feather of an eagle, the eagle who spoke to him. It sounded to me a lot like the Alchemist (One of my absolute favorite books if you have not read it, do). The store was soon closing and we were the last of the few waiting. On his way out he gave me his music studio card, "You are smart girl. You will do a lot. Good luck!" And with that he left like the King in the Alchemist, leaving behind an eagle feather in the form of his name. (No I did not take a creepy picture of him, Sorry ladies)

Sharing the beauty and this family makes me think of my own an ocean away.

After a long wait I was feeling tired, not in the jet lag way but in the "Wow I've ridden bike all over the city and now my butt bones are sore" way. My dinner was salad (with tomatoes the size of mini pumpkins), bread (a crunch you can't believe), sausage (which my dad would have loved) and gazpacho (which my mom had prepared me to fear). Without fear I cut into that meaty cylinder, spooned full that chilly soup and was surprised by how delicious it all was. "Me voy a probar" I will try, is my new best friend in Spanish phrases.

I'm Going Bananas!

These bananas, like these bananas <3

This may seem out there but can I just take a moment to appreciate the wonders of Spanish produce!? Nothing here is sold a day passed fresh (Besides the meat and wine). There are no GMO's so these little unaltered bananners were magically delicious (No Lucky Charms here either, but I'll take the Err-my-gawd amazing pan)


 

"Oh no they got Wilbur!" haha one of my many moments

So much more has happened and I but just like last time my fingers are slowing and I have a really big day ahead of me, first day of school! The luck has been on my side so far, another day, another adventure.