Bread

My pictures cannot capture the amount of bread I have seen this year. 

Here is the bakery within the grocery store in the afternoon, 

and in the evening. There is also a bulk section for rolls and around the corner
there are bags of bread, including crustless bread and other sandwich-style bread.

It seems everywhere we go there are bakeries.
I have no idea how people choose which one to patronize.

If it were not awkward I would have taken so many pictures of people walking and carrying bread. All ages and everywhere we go people are carrying bread. One person told me that some people eat bread with everything. Having coffee? Have it with bread. Having an orange? Have it with bread.

A. quickly learned that everyone takes a bread sandwich for the 10:30 break, desayuno, or eating breakfast. I see it not just with kids at school but all over. I rarely see people eating or drinking while they are walking (they are smoking instead), but if they are eating it is a sandwich.

I wonder if people from here blog about and take pictures of people in the US walking down the street drinking coffee?!

Time to Eat

A few more London photos

Near the Royal Exchange

A little embarrassed that I wasn't paying attention and we missed the tolling of 12 noon.

St Pancras

Half-size replica of the famous Arsenal clock that was at the old stadium

Ethiopian food in Greenwich

Nando's was on A.'s must-do list.

Temptations we passed on.

Temptation that could not be resisted.

Not shown - Cadbury, Mars, Aero, and other tempting English candy. No fish and chips this trip. I guess we'll have to go back!

Chocolate

The Easter tradition seems to be for godparents to buy grandchildren elaborate chocolate items, which are so much fun to look at, but I am guessing it is not the best chocolate available.

These look like dollhouse items,

Football, Angry Birds, Christmas log, anything goes

Even the coffee maker is chocolate.

An entire house and the mirror shows the VW van in the garage.

The grocery store has their selection,too.

Traditions

No post yesterday because of technical difficulties.  Here are a few tidbits to tide you over.

After A. got his haircut he said all the kids would slap the back of his neck. When I asked if they did it gently, he said most of them did. I asked if he did it gently to others, he said he did to most of them.

A classmate of mine came in with a haircut so I ran over and gently slapped the back of his neck. The teacher laughed, but said, "No, no, no!" Chicas do not slap the necks of chicos, she said. Only boys slap the back of boys' necks.

Ta da! After a very long time I added this picture.

I have not bought one of these yet, but for just over one euro you can buy a package with a few carrots, some celery, leeks, parsnips, and something I can't identify. What a deal!

I hope the problem will be resolved soon and we'll be back to our regular posts. No more drinking water while working on the computer!

Local cuisine

A month or two ago some huge, dirty scallion-type things kept showing up everywhere.

They are called calçots and there are festivals and events to celebrate them, a tiny bit like the artichoke and garlic festivals in California.

from google imagesThe traditional way to prepare them is over a grill

and then they are served in what looks like a ceramic roof shingle with a
romesco sauce,which is usually red pepper, nuts (almonds or maybe
hazelnuts), garlic, and oil.  Maybe salt.  Each one seems to vary a bit.

We do have a grill, but it is not on the same floor as the kitchen and it just isn't my thing.  So I would look longingly at the stories about them and advertisements, and even found a restaurant that sold them, but it was closed the day we were in the neighborhood.  I figured I would just have to skip this tradition.

Then D. and I were buying fruits and vegetables and on whim picked some up along with the sauce. I watched a video on how to eat them,

and then cooked them under the broiler.

Meh.  Some people liked the vegetable and some people liked the sauce.  I think the experience of eating them with a large group of people is what we were missing.  Maybe next year?

More Madrid

 On the last day we took a walking tour and visited one more museum.

We started the tour in the middle of Spain.

The first stop was a few steps away at this historic bakery.
Many old pictures on their website here.

We did not stop for a famous Madird calamari sandwich.

We passed through the Plaza Mayor

and admired the bits of history on the seat backs of the lamp posts.

 We saw a line of people near the Almundena Cathedral across from the palace and assumed it was for Ash Wednesday,

but it turned out to be for the changing of the guard.

We saw only the parade of people heading to the Plaza de la Armería, but that was enough for us.

We finished our tour along the Calle del Arenal and collected a few more pictures of tiles.  Here is tiny sampling.

I resisted temptation and did buy any souvenirs!

Outside the museum is a living wall, which is fun to look at from afar

and close up.

The converted power plant had great staircases

and a fun gift shop.

I wish you could have see the exhibit of Philippe Halsman photography, which was so entertaining. He is known for lots of Life Magazine covers and Marilyn Monroe pictures (and lots more), but my favorites were the ones he made with Dali and of people jumping.

from the museum website

Such a great trip!  I'll do one more post after this for all the little bits that didn't fit in anywhere else.