Pongamos que Hablo de Madrid

Well, it was a brief stop in Madrid; less than 24 hours, but I am glad that I came. Actually, there were no direct flights back to SF, so I didn't have much of a choice :).

I arrived in Barajas at about 4:30 pm, checked into my hotel right in the heart of Plaza Santa Ana, shown above.  I rested up a bit, then navigated the Madrid Metro (getting lost twice...it had been some time) to Barrio del Pilar, about 30 minutes from the city center.

I was going there to meet my former roommate and good friend from when I lived in Spain way back in 1996.  It had been years since I had seen Ángel, but I have to say, he seemed just the same as way back when in our little piso on Calle Ándres Mellado.

In reality, the situation in Spain is very difficult right now, and he told me of a few anecdotes including his own.  Living in a small pueblo in Extremadura, he works during the day picking fruit in the orchards.  The job is seasonal, so for five months out of the year, he works, and for the remainder, he needs to find a job.  For some reason related to continuity of employment, he cannot collect unemployment.  He happened to be in Madrid during my visit because he is looking for work, which is hard to find as the unemployment rate among youths is as high as 50%, last I checked.

Not to get overly depressing, but such is the situation.  Anyway, it was great to catch up, and like old times, we had a couple of cold ones (Mahou Cinco Estrellas), and watched from our outside patio table as Real Madrid took care of Betis 3-2 in a Sunday match.

Of course, when in Madrid, tapas were definitely on the agenda.  Some boquerones en vinagre (little fish in vinegar), aceitunas (olives) and the champiñones al ajillo (mushrooms with garlic) were out of this world.

Then, we shared some chuletilas de cordero (lamb chops), served with potatoes and pimientos de padron.  Delicious.

Catching up with Ángel was so nice, if a bit nostalgic and sad.  I feel for him and his situation.  He is a truly great person and friend who indoctrinated me into much of the Spanish culture including great food and music. As we sat outside this small bar catching up and listening to some songs from cantautores (singer-songwriters), as we often did in our piso years ago, I thought about our times in Madrid and how much has changed since then.  I feel like I saw a tear hit his eye when I googled a song he had not listened to in years, and played it on YouTube.  

To think, there was no YouTube then, no iPhone or iPad...but there was also no WhatsApp, a great app that allows us to keep in touch via free international messaging.  I highly recommend WhatsApp for keeping in contact with international friends and relatives.  It seems that everyone in Europe is already using this app.

And so ragazzi, amigos...I will leave you with these pictures of the Puerta del Sol, as it is now time to board my flight to Dallas.  Ciao and arrivederci!

La Sciala

For my last night in Italy, pizza was appropriate, and this time we went to a casual outdoor eatery called Pizzeria Joseph.

I opted for quattro gusti, or "four tastes," which included artichokes, ham, mozzarella and mushrooms. 

It was a good pie, and, since it was my last night and I figured it might be a late one, I went with an after dinner espresso.

Following dinner, we headed over to the city center as per our usual routine.  Saturday night meant droves of your people drinking and chatting the night away.  We were no exception :).

We visited a few different bars, and ended up outside one doing jus the same as we had each night this week.  Here are a few photos of most of the group, split in two.

At about 3:30, it was almost time to call it a night.  Fran and his sister Simona had a sweet tooth and wanted to stop off for a pastry.

I was still full from dinner and opted out, but was informed that a cappuccino at that hour, since it was technically breakfast, would have been acceptable.  Duly noted for future reference :).

As we made our way out of the caffe and back to the car, we noticed an old Fiat with this license plate from home.

"Sciala" is a Sicilian term that means "having fun," and this California plate nicely sums up the post and my entire week in Mazara :).

Angolo di Paradiso

Well ragazzi, it's my last morning here in Mazara, and what a great stay it has been.  This past week, as you have seen, I had the opportunity to enjoy this little corner of paradise.  I am so grateful to Fran and Claudia for hosting me, and to their friends and families for all of the hospitality they have shown.  I was having a chat with Claudia's father on the beach a few mornings ago, and, as we looked past the white sand into the clear blue water, he put his finger to his lips and asked me to keep Mazara a secret.  I can see why he would want me to do so, and anyone who has the chance to visit would understand.  I really feel lucky to have gotten this insider's experience of summer vacation in what has to be one of the most beautiful places in the Mediterranean.  It is a lifestyle that I have enjoyed and can definitely appreciate.  And now, since you really just want to look at pictures of food (right!?), here is my last full day in Mazara...

Yesterday began with a dip in the sea at the calm and laid back Lido Costanza (which actually turns into a hopping party spot called "Sunset" on Sunday nights).  It wasn't long before Fran and I started hunting for ricci, and twenty minutes later we had pulled up ten or so of them, with no additional spines in my finger.  However, that said, after drying off, I noticed that my inner thigh was starting to bubble and swell a bit.  It didn't hurt, but itched a bit.  I actually have a pic, but I will spare you :).

We thought it might have been a medusa (jellyfish), but there were no lashing marks, so one of the workers at Costanza concluded it was "olio di mare," literally "sea oil," which is really a plant, kind of like the stinging nettles of the sea.  Claudia said that it was my baptism.  I feel blessed :).

Down but not out, I was sure not to miss this photo opportunity (above) on our way over to lunch at Approdo down the road.

Arriving at Approdo, Francesco made some appetizers of our spiny friends, and Claudia was first to enjoy a taste in the typical Mazara way.

The restaurant was really busy, so it was good that we had the ricci for a snack.  It took about an hour or so for our food to arrive, but it ended up being great and worth waiting.  My lunch, below, was a grigliata di pesce, which had pesce spada (swordfish) and gamberoni (shrimp).  The swordfish was thinly cut, tender and flaky and full of flavor, and the shrimp had the taste of the sea.  The contorni were grilled melanzane with garlic, olive oil and a bit of salt.

Following lunch, it was back to Lido Costanza for a bit, then one last stop at La Playa.

It was Saturday, and La Playa was packed.  Per Fran's instructions, it was immediately into the water for a game of volley, as we raced against the setting sun.  

Then, we toweled off and headed downtown for a trip to the local torrefazione, where coffee is roasted.  At this establishment, I got schooled on some brewing techniques, and was told in no uncertain terms that I must not put the coffee in the fridge.  Got it!

Finishing up the afternoon, Ciccio took me for one final granita; this time it was a mix of lemon on the bottom and "gelsi," which is locally grown and similar to blackberry, on top.  Ahhh, nice and refreshing.

Well ragazzi, it's almost time to head to the airport, so I'll have to finish up the evening post later when I am waiting for the plane, or perhaps in Madrid, where I will spend the night.  Ciao for now and buongiorno.

La Scarpeta

Last night, we headed back to Ristorante San Vito, located on Lungomare, the main street along the ocean, kind of like the Embarcadero in San Francisco.  The plan was to have cous cous, a local specialty, served with either meat or fish. San Vito makes theirs with fish, but upon arriving, we were told that they were running out.  

And so, for our group of ten, we had half cous cous and half pasta with swordfish.  But, that wasn't before an appetizer of mussels prepared two ways, one with lemon and the other in a tomato sauce.

I was taught the important technique of "scarpeta," a formalized process of mopping up the extra tomato sauce in a zamboni-like fashion.  It's legal here in Mazara.

The cous cous arrived, covered with gamberoni and some other white fish, and accompanied by a fish stock/soup that is poured over the top.  Unlike the Israeli cous cous we may be accustomed to in the US, this cous cous is smaller, more similar in size and consistency to tabouleh.  Garnished with parsley, it

was really tasty.

And let's not forget about the pasta, "busiata," spiral in shape, made fresh and served with shrimp and chunks of swordfish.  It was delicious with a nice chilled white wine.

After dinner, we ended up at a small casino/gaming house nearby, where one of Fran and Claudia's friends' Fabrizio, played guitar for a cover band that sang American rock from the '60s and were actually quite good...

Then, it was off to the city center, which, at 2:00 am on a holiday Friday was packed with people.  

We stayed and chatted for an hour or so,  finally headed home after a long day.  And so, another great day in Mazara was in the books.

Ice Cream You Scream

Today began at about noon with a stand up at the bar caffe macchiato, followed by a trip to Lido Kikis where we met up with Claudia and her family.

Then, it was five minutes by Vespa over to Lido La Playa for some chilling out and a few dips in the ocean.

For lunch, I had an "insalatona" or big salad, with lettuce, tomatoes, mozzarella, corn and prosciutto.

We hung around La Playa until about 6:30 pm, then Francesco wanted to take me to his favorite ice cream spot in Mazara, called Mucho Gusto (which is actually Spanish).  It's an artisan ice cream shop along the water, and, no, burgers were not on the menu.

With some counseling from Ciccio, I opted for the tri-fecta of dark chocolate, baci (hazelnut chocolate) and fior de latte (cream).  It was definitely good, and Francesco was very curious to know which I liked better.  Agreed, the gelato here was more firmly packed and dense as compared to Claudia's spot in the city center, but I preferred hers, which I found creamier.  Anyway, both delicious.  Milly and Niccola thought so as well.

Okay ragazzi, that's all for now!  Time to head to dinner then out for a bit after that.  Hopefully you are having a great Friday and ready for the weekend!

...that's amore

Last night was a gorgeous evening in Mazara, with the moon peeking out over the buildings as we dined at a popular pizzeria near the city center.

Choosing a pizza can be difficult business due to so many tempting options.  I decided to go with one called the Uomini e Donne (Men and Women), which was topped with mozzarella, melanzane (eggplant), salami piccante, funghi freschi (mushrooms) and shaved scaglie (Parmesan).  This pie did not let me down.

 

There was a big group of us dining al fresco, and I grabbed one of the servers to snap a photo as we finished up.

Also, I had to snap one of my gracious hosts in Mazara, Fran and Claudia.

After dinner, at about midnight, we all took a nice stroll around the casbah, or ancient Arab quarter of the city.  In 2010, this area was partially restored, and there are some beautiful little streets and piazze.

Finishing up our stroll, which lasted about an hour, we ended up back in the center to chat with friends until about 2:30 am.  Mazara was still going strong, but we decided to call it a night, for another day of sun and sand awaited.