European Cuisine

I don't like food.

Well that's not entirely true, I just don't really like flavor all that much. I guess flavor isn't all that bad, but if given a choice I'd rather sit down with some fruit, vegetables, and a plate full of plain noodles. Which works great for me in America, but not so well in say anywhere else in the world.

This has the potential to spell disaster on a two month trip through Europe. Fortunately, I'm also a big fan of adventure and what's more adventurous than trying strange food in strange countries? Well, lots of things, actually. But it's still an adventure and one that has turned out well so far.

Yesterday we took a day trip to Toledo, an hour south of Madrid. At the crossroads of Muslim and Christian culture, the city been captured and recaptured countless time. This means that Toledo's architecture has has strange relics from very different background and it's amazing to see how the history of the city is intertwined with modern buildings. Watching a brand new Audi slowly squeeze down a medieval alley is something you'll definitely never see in America. And this is to say nothing of the incredible cathedral. It was a bit hard to get a feel for the cathedral from the outside (unless you were a long way away, but once inside the place was overwhelmingly beautiful. (and the rest of the Toledo pictures here).

But Toledo was also our first foray into Spanish cuisine. Famous for it's mazapán, a chalky, pasty, dessert that tastes exactly how it sounds: chalky and pasty. It wasn't terrible, but it's not a dessert I would ever willingly eat. But I could imagine children growing up eating mazapán could develop a sweet tooth for it. I'll stick with chocolate and cookies, though.

Arriving back in Madrid last night my sister and I headed out for some tapas, Spain's famous snack dishes. Avoiding the seafood dishes, I decided to start with a beginner plate: ham sausage slices soaked in a mildly spicy sauce. To eat you grab a slice of sausage, place it on a chunk of bread, and create a small open-faced sandwich. The end result was extremely tasty. Which is good news for me, there will be lots of tapas in the next month. And walking around Madrid at night was beautiful, we had a nearly full moon that light up the evening.

Today we headed out for a second day trip, this time up to Segovia. Segovia is famous for it's enormous aqueduct. It did not disappoint. Originally nine miles long, the 2500 remaining feet are still impressive. Built by the Romans over 2000 years ago (without any mortar!) this aqueduct stands high on my list of oldest things I've ever seen. We spent the better part of an hour walking around in the shadow of the aqueduct, climbing on it, and just in general just staring at. Of course, Segovia also has a cathedral, which Rick Steves aptly described as a very flamboyant display of gothic architecture.

And we had a chance to stop at one of Kelsey's favorite restaurants, Pan & Company. They sell small, cheap (and delicious!) sandwiches. It was a great small meal to keep us full until we could get back to Madrid... because waiting for us at Madrid was our next meal, Casa de Tortillas. Kelsey's favorite food in the entire world is a Spanish tortilla and, as it's name suggests, this place knows how to make a tortilla. We split a tortilla covered in a garlic mayo sauce for just $5 Euros.

We're now stuffed, happy, and exhausted for two day trips. Tomorrow we've got one more full day in Madrid (featuring two museums, a park, and a bullfight!) before we head off to Barcelona on Monday (when the "normal" part of my vacation starts).