Alkie

Alkie is our child. We love him so much! So we have to post all the cuteness that he is every couple days!

He is so handsome!

He loves to play in the sheets

Spanish Valentine's Day

This year Pablo and I spent our second Valentine's day together- first one by ourselves. The first one we spent together was in 2007 when my mom and I came to Spain to watch Pablo's graduation from the police academy February 15th. Back then I wasn't sure how the spanish celebrated, if they did celebrate so this year I learned how it is done in Spain and educated my Spanish students how we do it in America.
I'm usually not big on valentines day in the romantic way. Every year my dad was always my valentine. He would always give my sister and I a heart-shape box of chocolates and usually we got some presents from mom. One year I got Maple Town figures- I loved Maple Town! So valentines day is more of a family love day than a couple love day for me.
This year I learned that they do celebrate valentines day in Spain but it is more of a couples only holiday. I was explaining to one of my students (who teaches second grade) how kids celebrate valentines day in American by giving their classmates valentines cards and candies at school. I remember one year we made valentines boxes to receive our valentines in and mine was a big Hershey Kiss. (I had a hard time explaining what a Hershey kiss was to my student). Anyway, I told her that Valentine's day in America wasn't just for couples but for kids and family and friends too.
I made valentines with my two little kids and they gave them to their moms. They thought it was so cool you could fold a paper and cut along the line I drew and when they opened it, it was a heart. Amazing! I even made Pablo a Valentine because once I learned that here it isn't popular to exchange valentine cards I realized he probably has never felt the joy of receiving a handmade valentine's day card! HA!
Lucky for us Pablo had the day off so I decided to make pancakes with strawberries and have mimosas as his Valentine's day present. We spent the day eating and drinking like any other normal day! Pablo told me he made dinner reservations but the place was a surprise. We ended up going to a restaurant that he showed me one day when we were out walking around the city. They specialize in exotic meat- camel, kangaroo, ostrich, bull, and buffalo. We decided to do the tasting menu (special treat) and it was amazing! I felt like Anthony Bourdain eating fancy, exotic food!
Our first course was tuna tartar topped with guacamole. Delicious and rich!

Fried Provolone cheese with jelly

Poached egg with mushrooms and truffle 

Kangaroo and Ostrich with potatoes

Bull and Buffalo

Chocolate cups filled with pacharan liquor

Then the meat course- the chef picked 4 meats and we had ostrich, Kangaroo, buffalo and bull. It was a little strange at first to think what you are eating but if you didn't know it was just like steak. Each one had its own sauce and spices and they were delicious. The kangaroo and ostrich were really good. It was a wonderful treat to indulge ourselves a bit since it was our first real Valentine's Day and everything!

True Spanish Cat

Very shortly after adopting Alkie we found out that he has an obsession.....with olives.
We like olives and eat them every so often at home as tapa and so we bought a large quantity at the spanish costco. Whenever we take out a dish of olives Alkie goes loco. He becomes very affectionate, he rubs against you, meowing, does weird body movements every time he smells the olives. At first we weren't really sure if it was vinegar in the olive juice that he liked or the olive juice or the actual olive. After testing our theories we realized it was the olive juice. He likes to eat the olives but we don't give him much, usually just a seed to gnaw on and I think he'd much rather have a bowl of the juice to lap up.
Here is Alkie with his olive

Rivas Basketball

We were invited by a couple on our respective basketball teams to go and watch a professional women's basketball game here in Madrid. This couple lives and breathes basketball so it was fun to go with them. They know everyone and everything about women's basketball in Madrid. In a land of soccer it is nice to know there are some Spanish basketball fans out there!
Rivas is the name of the team in Madrid and they played against a team from Russia. During the normal Spanish league season they also play in the european league. This was a playoff for the European league, winner continues, loser is out.
First impression was the gym was really small, my high school gym was bigger, but they had a lot of fans and it was quite festive! Constant drums banging, noise makers, whistling, and yelling throughout the entire game.  The game was very exciting and well played. Four Americans played between the two teams so I cheered for them as well as for Rivas. It ended up going into overtime and that is when the Russian team pulled away and ended up winning. But overall it was a great game and we had a really good time.

Madrid team

Russians

Bike Enthusiast

Pablo has really gotten into bike riding as of late, now that the weather is getting nicer and he has found some people to ride with (apparently I'm not good enough because I like paved trails and he likes dirt ones). He joined a mountain bike forum that is made up of people in our neighborhood. They talk about bikes and plan routes to do on the weekends. He has met some nice guys and has a done a variety of different rides out in the country, close to our house. Here are some pictures from his adventures as of late

Big group doing a 60 km ride

After a muddy ride

Washing the bike in the car wash

One of the bike friends

La Vaqueria

We were invited to have lunch with friends a couple Sundays ago in Collado de Vilalba, north of Madrid. The restaurant is called La Vaqueria and it was great. In the winter they are only open Friday-Sunday and they have a set menu of salad, fries and meat. You cook your meat on little grills that they bring to your table. The restaurant is in an old cow barn (see picture below) so it is old, with stones and lots of wood- which I'm a sucker for. There is a big fireplace in the middle to make it feel warm and cozy and the place was packed.

Entrance to the restaurant

Before with cows

After with people eating cows

Our people

This place serves one thing- meat, and they do it well. I have commented on the past that finding a good piece of meat, or steak in Spain, on a budget is hard to come by. Usually when you order the meat it is fried until dead, very thin, with lots of fatty and chewy parts. I just want a nice cut of meat that is fat free, tender and cooked well- La Vaqueria!