Speaking of family, today we are going to Marian's oldest brother's house in Arenas, where many of her family are getting together for an afternoon party. But first, we drive over to a cool, medieval town, called ???, where we walk around and do some shopping. I got totally icked out by the Museum of Torture, with some really gruesome images now seared into my brain. Why did I go in there???
We returned to Arenas and joined the family party with our stilted Spanish. I know a few phrases, like "Mucho gusto," (pleasure to meet you) which makes people think I speak the language so they begin talking to me in and I stare at them blankly, then laugh because I have no idea what they are saying. I can speak Spanish better than I can understand it, but it is fun to keep trying!
We got a great tour of the family house. I forget how old it is, but I know it used to belong to Marian's parents and it is filled with great antiques and lots of family memorabilia. Right now there are about 30 people staying at the house and several of the bedrooms are just crammed wall-to-wall with cots. Marian has three sisters and two brothers and they seem to split the summer between the Arenas area and another town where the family owns a house on the beach. They try to stay together with their extended families, or they rent properties close by so they can all visit together. Their family is very important to them, even though some of the siblings don't get along very well. Guess that happens with such a big family. Anyway, everyone was very hospitable toward us and we had a nice time meeting everyone and trying the food!
Next, it was back in the car for our long drive back to Madrid. I think it took about 4 hours. We checked into our hotel by the airport, dropped off the rental car, checked in for our flights, grabbed one last meal together and then went to bed. Marian stayed with me and decided to take the subway in the morning back to the family apartment in the city. She is staying a few more weeks and leaves for the beach house tomorrow, where Her husband, David, and daughter, Sarah, will join her in a few days.
And this ends this trip blog! Hasta la vista, Espana! Mucho gusto concerto!
Great blog Kim! Thank you for doing it, and allowing us to follow along. I'm so glad that you all got to visit Cantabria too, and see something of the Gonzalez-Quevedo family roots. Abrazos, David PS Sarah says "Hey"
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