#15 Enjoy a pastry from Mallorquina

It had been years since I'd gone to the Mallorquina, even though I pass it pretty often. But then one day a few months ago I had to get a document from the government early in the morning before school, which happened to be near the famous historical pastry shop. I thought, okay I haven't had breakfast, let's get a napolitana, or basically the Spanish version of a chocolate croissant (though not shaped like a croissant). I seriously had forgotten how amazing they are. You'll definitely need a glass of water or coffee to wash it down because it is super sweet, but a melt-in-your-mouth, like nothing you've ever had before sweet.

When I was in the area yesterday and hungry for a snack, I couldn't resist yet again. Even though its such a touristy place, it's absolutely worth it, especially at only 1.30€!

Come mucha fruta, mucha mucha fruta

Spain probably has some of the best produce in the world (in my opinion). The country exports a lot of fruits and vegetables to the rest of Europe, and what stays in Spain is fantastic, and pretty local. Even with a large portion of fruit grown in the south of Spain, most of it reaches supermarkets and fruterías anywhere on the peninsula in a short period of time, making it fresh and relatively eco-friendly!

There are of course some fruits and veggies you can get year-round here, but I've discovered what is in season so much more than in Boston, where you certainly can't get local produce year-round. I've also discovered new things that I'd either heard of but never tried before, or simply never heard of or seen before in my life. (I've also discovered that some seemingly simple fruits have different names for different varieties, for example you can buy peaches by two names: both melocotones - the yellow variety, or fresquillas - the reddish variety. There's also another common variety of peach here that is flat, called paraguaya, which I'd never seen before. Strawberries and cherries also come by two names: fresas or fresón; cereza or picota. These differences, as far as I can tell, refer to the size of the fruit instead of the color.)

My first and newest favorite: figs. The purple ones, brevas come first and aren't quite as sweet as the smaller and rounder green higos that arrive in August. I don't think I'd ever had fresh figs before and wow are they delicious.




Persimmons are another of my favorites. They are so perfectly autumnly orange. There are two major varieties, but the more popular one here is the sweet, crunchy one that you can basically eat like an apple. I'd definitely never seen a persimmon before living in Madrid.



Melons are of course common fruits in the US, but while we have canteloups and honeydews there, here the common melon is piel de sapo, which I actually didn't know until just this minute when I Googled it, is called "Santa Claus" or "Christmas" melon. It's similar in color and flavor to a honeydew, but much bigger and oblong instead of spherical in shape. Eaten with some jamón - this is the perfect summer supper.

One fruit that I'd certainly never heard of or seen in my life is the nispero or loquat in English. It shows up in the spring for literally a few short weeks. The fruit is probably 75% seeds but it's so good that it's worth it.

Golden kiwis. By far the superior variety of kiwis. Maybe you can find these in the US; I've never looked. But I discovered them here and, while they're much more expensive than normal green kiwis, once you try one you'll never want to go back to green. They're so sweet, almost like candy. And the skin is hairless, so you can even eat it without being grossed out by the hairiness.

Another fruit I'd never heard of or seen before is the chirimoya, which I think may have the same name in English though I guess it's also called a "custard apple" due to it's texture. It's green on the outside and white on the inside with massive black seeds that you cannot eat (they're actually poisonous if bitten into). People describe the flavor as a combination of other fruits like apple, pineapple, pear, banana, peach...it kind of reminds me of tutti frutti flavored candy. It's not really my favorite fruit, as the seeds are so big and there is so little flesh.

Lastly, I'd heard of blood oranges before and seen a ton of recipes that I've always wanted to make but before living here I'd never actually seen one. I've only seen them in supermarkets a few weeks out of the year, and they're so pretty on the inside.

La Noche de las Velas (Night of Candles)

Practically year round you can find festivals all over Spain. There are (a lot of) religious festivals or those with origins in religion and saints, festivals to celebrate the harvest of certain products (garlic in Chinchón, saffron in Consuegra, etc.), and other wacky festivals that don't have much to do with anything (ever heard of the Tomatina? - if you like throwing tomatoes all over the place, it's the festival for you).

 One festival that I think is particularly unique and beautiful is the Noche de las Velas in Pedraza, which is a super tiny little town about an hour and a half from Madrid. The town itself is very well maintained, and deserves a visit on its own. However, it's even more charming if you go for this festival, which takes place the first two weekends of July every year. The town puts candles everywhere, in windows, on balconies, in the street, in gardens, you name it. Once it's dark they're all lit (you can even buy a candle to take around to light the ones placed around the town) and it's - for lack of a better word - magical.

They also have a classical music concert that you have to buy tickets to (though it's outdoors an you can hear it if you're close enough). If you go, you definitely need to reserve a hotel or make a restaurant reservation in advance because the town is tiny!

Spanish Cultural Things I Find Incredibly Strange

When I travel what I love to learn about most is cultural differences. In the end, all people are just that: people. But I love learning about differences in daily life, tradition, and cuisine.

Spain for sure has plenty of its own cultural quirks (don't get me wrong - the US does as well). After nearly six years here, these are some of the things that I probably wouldn't get 100% used to even if I spent the rest of my life here.

1. People LOVE to always say “te voy a decir una cosa” ("I'm going to tell you something") instead of just telling you whatever it is they want to say. Come on, just tell me already!

2. They wrap everything in aluminum foil, which is literally the last thing I would choose for wrapping cut-up fruit, a sandwich, etc. I first discovered this working with preschool children, who would bring a cut-up apple or ham sandwich in foil as a snack. Doesn't the bread get stale?

3. People love to always comment on clothing/hair/etc. Kind of as if the person they're talking to doesn't already know about their own clothing or body. Things I'm asked on a regular basis:

Going out in public with wet hair – “You're going to catch a cold!”

“Aren't you cold?” - No, if I were I'd put a sweater on, but thanks for asking.

“You're wearing flats without socks! Your feet must be freezing!” (in October) – No, actually if they were cold I would have worn something different, thanks. Also, 70 degrees out isn't cold.

4. They always wear shoes in the house and parents yell at their kids for going barefoot, even in the summer, as if it's dangerous to go barefoot inside.

5. A meal without bread isn't a meal. This is a pretty Mediterranean thing, though.

6. They think that air conditioning is going to make you hoarse/give you a sore throat or make you catch a cold. Basically anything can give you a cold, according to Spaniards (like drinking cold water in the winter); oddly enough, they never include viruses in their diagnoses.

7. Cookies are a normal breakfast here. I guess there's not a big difference between eating a cookie and a donut, but I've had some people try to convince me that cookies are actually a healthy breakfast choice. Sorry, still not convinced. They also love baguette sandwiches with blocks of hard chocolate in the middle, which I think its just the weirdest combination of textures possible.

8. I love coffee but I cannot drink it without milk. Here though, I've had people give me the weirdest look when ordering iced coffee with milk. Basically, in their eyes, iced coffee (which is generally actually more like a shot or two of espresso with a few ice cubes) is always served solo, without milk. Milk is only for hot coffee. (Though, of course, if you order it they will give it to you. They may just give you a strange look in the meantime.)

My 5 Favorite Day Trips from Madrid

There are, of course, the obvious day trips. Toledo, Segovia, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Avila, Salamanca. All great places with beautiful architecture, winding narrow streets, and great places to eat. But there are other, less well-known places that are certainly worth visiting.

Chinchón

With its beautiful and unique circular plaza mayor, Chinchón is a great place to walk around and explore on foot. Worth visiting is Cuevas del Murciélago, where you can both eat and visit the wine cellars and sample wine. The town is also well-known for its anis and garlic - they have festivals for both in the fall! Not too far away is also Colmenar de Oreja, which also has a charming plaza mayor.

Aranjuez

Aranjuez has many tourist attractions such as the royal palace, one of the earliest bull rings with its museum, an several churches, I love it for the gardens. The palace has extensive, beautiful gardens where you could easily spend hours walking around exploring the many fountains, buildings, and plants. A great way to visit Aranjuez is to take the Tren de la Fresa (Strawberry Train), which includes a round-trip trip in a historical train (!!), and two "plans" once you arrive in Aranjuez: either a guided tour of the palace or of the gardens, along with a few other museums. And, true to its name, you're given fresh strawberries onboard the train.

Rascafria

El Paular & Puente de Perdon

Tucked away up in the Sierra of Madrid, Rascafría is a great place to go in the summer (though it's definitely not an undiscovered place for locals!). Skip the town itself - there's nothing interesting there - and go to the location of Monasterio de El Paular. The area is a charming little place between the Monastery and the Puente del Perdón, an 18th-century bridge. The river that flows by is also a great place to take a dip - the fresh mountain water is always nice and cold!

El Atazar Reservoir

Patones de Arriba

Patones de Arriba (note - you have to walk up here from Patones de Abajo) is a well-preserved ancient little village full of black slate houses. It's so small you can easily walk around in a short time, but you'll want to stay longer because it has such a rugged uniqueness to it. Check out local artisan products like honey, cheese, and chocolate truffles. Also worth a short car ride away is the lookout point of the El Atazar reservoir, where you'll get absolutely stunning views of a landscape void of any building.

Patones

Consuegra

You know how Don Quijote thought he was fighting giants, but they turned out to be windmills? This is the perfect place to see classic molinos of La Mancha. Consuegra is well-known for its saffron, and they have a festival celebrating it in the fall.

Consuegra

Let's face it: I could probably go on and on with great places to visit, but these are my favorites!