Austin, Etc.

Well, I am not doing well at my attempts to be productive today. I'm sorting through boxes to get ready to move and I keep running into files full of memories. I've been cringing (oh middle school), laughing (my freshman year in the dorms was possibly the funniest year of my life), and just generally being thankful for all the wonderful people and countless memorable experiences I have had over the years.

Speaking of memorable experiences, while I'm not being productive I thought I'd share some of what I've been up to--namely my trip down to central Texas!

I went down to Austin last weekend A) to see my brother Casey, B) to hear Buena Vista Social Club, and C) to get out of town!

I had a fantastic time. I toured a friend's coffee roasting facility, ate meal after meal of good food, heard five live bands/artists, made my best flan yet for the boys, sweated it out at Batfest (without seeing the bats...which was ok by me!), had brunch with an old friend and then poked around in small towns on my way back home.

I was too busy in Austin to take many pictures, but here's a few from the weekend: (you'll also notice from a few of the pictures that I was finally forced to break down and upgrade my 1998 version phone for an iphone!)

Touring Kohana Coffee's roasting facilities and getting the inside scoop on the entire process from the impossibly friendly owner!

Coffee beans from all over the world! She even had beans from Boquete, Panama! Piper was also kind enough to let me take some of the empty coffee bags with me--I ruffled through and found some good looking ones to go on my new walls. 

(I of course chose one from Boquete!)

I mentioned to one of Casey's roommates that I was on a flan making kick...and then of course I had to make it. I ran to the store and threw one together--surprisingly I think it was my best flan yet!

Buena Vista Social Club put on an amazing show! And let me tell you, 80 year old Omara Portuondo was the life of the party! Grandma can still get down!

On the way home I decided to humor my curiosity and poke around in some of the small towns I passed through on my way back to Fort Worth. When I saw the signs for Lorena, Texas I had to stop.

(I peaked into the windows of this old building to find a bank counter that looked straight out of It's A Wonderful Life!)

Then I made a stop in Waco for gas and drove around a bit: 

A shot from the Dr. Pepper museum!

Then, it was time for the best part of the drive: West, Texas! (Emphasis on the comma!) I stopped quickly in West on the way down to grab a kolache for Casey and me, but I did not hit the right bakery. This time I got it right, and, with time to be nosey, found some great old buildings and colorful locals. 

West was settled by Czech immigrants and still has a lot of Czech flavor...specifically in their bakeries! 

Yum!

You can also pick up some pickled pigs feet if that's more your style

My treasures--apricot and cream cheese kolaches, with cherry and cream cheese kolaches underneath them. I brought enough home to share with my family...but when Brian wasn't home, curiosity got the best of me and I ate his too! : )

Then I had a look around town: 

(An old theatre!)

Overall, a fantastic Texas weekend!

Week In Review: Stateside!

Hello from Fort Worth! Like I said in the last post--I'm back! This last week has been a bit much for the ole noggin to process. I started the week in Seville, bid my sabbatical goodbye in Barcelona and then airport hopped my way home to Texas. Some observations from the week:

• My accent is back! After countless people telling me that "Your English is really good!" (Um? I'm a native speaker!) and a Canadian telling me she thought I was Norwegian, I was worried that I had done irreparable damage to my American accent (with even less hope for my Southern accent). I heard myself ask for a kn-ah-f (knife) last night, and thought, everything is going to be ok. 
• You know what is the best for this summer heat? Melon (cantaloupe) flavored agua frescas. Go to your nearest mexican restaurant and ask if they have them. 
• Everyone's kids got huge while I was gone!
• Apparently there are a lot of people reading the blog that I didn't know about. Some random people. But I love it! Don't feel shy people--feel free to leave comments, etc. even if I don't know you! 
• (Hi Pete! Hi Pete's dad!)
• In my mind summer food comes off the grill. This week I had bbq Spanish style (sardines), TexMex style (fajitas), Texas style (brisket), and Danny style (smoked chicken and ribs). 
• Opening a closet full of clothes after living out of a backpack for so long is a bit like Christmas. After being home for a few days though...I find myself reaching back into my pile of trip clothes (which is surprising). Slipping my Chacos back on after a few days felt oh-so-good. 
• Reentry is hard on the system. America, as much as I love it, is stressful. 
• I specifically chose some of the regions I traveled in because I could travel through them on public transportation--buses, trains and boats. And then there was the portion of my trip where I hiked 500 miles. After all that, I forgot how much I love driving! 
• After 8 months, I also forgot how much I do not like carrying a cell phone. If you call/text and I don't answer it's probably because the ringer is off and I forget that I have one. Eventually I'll get back to you. 
• I've been home 5 days. That's the max I've been in one place since January. I'm ready to head out...
• I'm going to Abilene tomorrow. I'm excited to see good friends, old roommates and some of my favorite people. I'm excited to eat La Popular burritos. I'm excited to see some horizon. But also, I'm just excited to be going somewhere. 
• You have some good reentry tips? Send them my way!
• I started looking at job postings this week. Anyone out there want to hire me? I swear I've got lots of marketable skills, like...talking to random strangers who end up being excons, walking long distances, wearing scarves...
• Oh, I'm also really good at eating flan. My next project is to dominate flan making. 

OK, that's about it. It's been great seeing so many of you this week!  Pictures below: 

Melon agua fresca--go get yourself one!

Picasso isn't Spain's only artist: Maica went all out on my last lunch in Seville

Although I have learned to love to eat it, I don't think I will ever get over the fact that Spanish ham comes with the hoof still attached

Maica and I performed a rescue operation on an abandoned ficus one afternoon. It was not too unlike problem-solving-taping up my ankle on the Camino: 

Sardines grilled up by Juanma. I used to be scared of these, but after they patiently explained to me how to eat them I found them to be pretty tasty!

My last meal in Barcelona: A goodbye Spain supper of calamaris and tinto de verano...

And of course flan

The Swiss Alps

I'm Back!

I've been a little MIA lately, but there has been a reason! The reason is that...I have been busy! I have been busy:

Sleeping. 
It took me a whopping 25 hours to get from Barcelona to Dallas/Fort Worth. The largely sleepless night in Barcelona, the long day on planes and wandering (sometimes running) through airports and the jet lag have hit me pretty hard. On top of that my allergies that were steadily getting worse starting in Greece (those pines kill me!) have exploded now that I am home. I've been waking up with my head spinning each morning. And then I go back to sleep.

Sweating. 

It's definitely warm here. It's the second hottest summer on record in Texas history. After Greece and Sevilla I don't think it's that bad, but 110 (43C) in the shade is pretty hot.

Eating. 

I've been hitting up the big Texas favorites: BBQ, TexMex and MexMex (as in Mexican Mexican food).

Drinking filter coffee. 
I have to admit that fresh out of Spain I was appalled at the coffee American Airlines served me on my flight home. Thankfully my dad has a stash of about 16 different kinds of coffee at our house and they have all been much, much better. My favorite thing about filter coffee is that you can sip giant cups of it without damaging your heart. I just finished a black iced coffee that had to be at least 1/2 a liter.

Reunion-ing. 
My parents came to meet me at the airport. My brother Brian lives in Fort Worth now and my brother Casey drove up from Austin to see me. I got to see my "nephew" and my cousin Michael. Today I got to have lunch with my best friend.

Winning tan contests. 

Before coming home my bff and old roommate Lindsay joked that I was probably tanner than she was. I laughed it off as impossible. I thought I was just tan for me. But after having lunch with her today and comparing--it turns out I am normal people tan, too (a first for me).

Doing laundry. 
With a machine! I felt a bit guilty, but I even dried it all in the dryer!

Listening to Flamenco and Andalusian Funk. 
Thanks Victor! When I close my eyes, it helps me forget that I am back in America.

Breaking out of the backpacker mold. 

I fixed my hair for the first time in 5 months. I wore perfume and actual shoes. I dressed in something other than the 3 outfits I've been rotating for months.

So there. You can see that I have been busy. I do have a bit of good news for you all too--even though I won't really be traveling much for the next little bit, travels on the blog will continue. Those of you who followed my actual itinerary noticed that I never got around to blogging a lot of places, and I'm still hopelessly behind on my Camino posts. So, for those of you who need a little bit of vicarious traveling, don't worry--I'll keep the stories and pictures coming! I'll see if I can't get a Trip In Review up soon, too. 

A big Texas sunset over DFW's international airport--does it get any better?

I needed to talk to the ticketing agents at British Airways and wasn't having any luck over the phone. I just decided to drive over to DFW and have a chat with them. They gave me the refund I was looking for plus and additional $10. Done and done. Also, is it just me, or is DFW's terminal D not one of the very best? It is definitely in my top 5 all time.  

Anyway, the weather was perfect so afterwards I took a few minutes to take in the sunset and people watch. Good times.