
<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116511915_88217e9d51_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Condado de la Mota, Mogro">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116511915_36e91759fb_t.jpg" alt="Condado de la Mota, Mogro"/>
</a>

On Sunday morning, our last weekend day before our children return from summer vacation, my wife and I realized we had total freedom to do whatever we wished. As we were contemplating our options, my stomach rumbled, so I picked up an iPad and went to [Mule Carajonero](http://www.mulecarajonero.com), far and away the best food blog in Cantabria, to check out potential restaurants we could experience. When I marveled aloud at how many ["We've eaten at" posts](http://www.mulecarajonero.com/hemos-comido-) there – roughly 750, 610 of them in Cantabria – my wife came over to look. One of them immediately popped out because she'd read an article recently – [probably this one](http://www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com/tendencias/gastronomia/2014-06-03/condado-de-la-mota-buena-cocina-a-buenos-precios_140499/) – and had stored the name "Condado de la Mota" on a mental restaurant todo list. We liked [what we saw](http://www.mulecarajonero.com/hemos-comido-/31-cantabria/6630-cantabria-mogro-condado-de-la-mota), so I called them up to make a reservation.  It was only a thirty minute drive away, so we arrived a little early. 1:45pm is pretty early to sit down for lunch in Spain, but it meant that our service was lightning fast. When we sat down, we were so hungry that it took some willpower to not take a bite out of the ornamental Granny Smith apple on the table.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929810209_da11890e92_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Condado de la Mota, Mogro">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929810209_251dd85d90.jpg" alt="Condado de la Mota, Mogro"/>
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I've found, in Spain at least, that you can tell a lot about how good, or at least how posh, a restaurant is from the distance between the tables. When the food is expensive, they can afford to seat fewer patrons.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116505855_697f880fb5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Condado de la Mota, Mogro">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116505855_16b928255f.jpg" alt="Condado de la Mota, Mogro"/>
</a>

The art was not at all to my taste, but I loved everything else about the dining room. I imagine that it kept many a ninetieth century ungulate warm during the wet Cantabrian winters.

I fully agree with my "gastronaut" friend, [Simon](http://simonlitton.wordpress.com), about what to order at nice restaurants. If you're going to pay more than your average meal cost for a better than average chef to cook for you, you're better off going with the tasting menu, which provides several smaller portions of things, than with a single larger portion. You get to experience more areas of the chef's expertise, and generally will receive food that is a lot harder to cook properly.

So that's what we did.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116507135_30a54bc3f9_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Condado de la Mota, Mogro">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116507135_5bab6bbdaf.jpg" alt="Condado de la Mota, Mogro"/>
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Smoked salmon with some spices, and a melon broth with _cecina_ (cured beef) powder. Everyone got one of these starters whether or not they ordered the tasting menu. Both mouthfuls were delicious.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929857410_7d1a168116_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Condado de la Mota, Mogro">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929857410_0df98f7dfa.jpg" alt="Condado de la Mota, Mogro"/>
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Our piping hot bread was good, but nothing special.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116508445_4291970a76_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Condado de la Mota, Mogro">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116508445_38768a1b53.jpg" alt="Condado de la Mota, Mogro"/>
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_Carpaccio de pulpo, panceta, y manzana verde_. Octopus carpaccio, crispy bacon cubes, and thin strips of apple. It was good and interesting, especially the bacon bits.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929858660_16a1538484_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Condado de la Mota, Mogro">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929858660_9bfc913c13.jpg" alt="Condado de la Mota, Mogro"/>
</a>

_Ravioli de pollo con langostino y espuma de curry_. Chicken ravioli with shrimp and curry foam. The curry foam was lovely, and the ravioli was a little hard to eat due to only having a spoon and a fork, but we managed to cut them awkwardly with the spoon.

Now on to the two main courses...

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929945938_8871334f61_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Condado de la Mota, Mogro">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929945938_3cd0ab8024.jpg" alt="Condado de la Mota, Mogro"/>
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_Lomo de bacalao con tomatitos asados y espinaca_. Cod with roasted cherry tomatoes and spinach. The spinach was done in that way that makes it crispy, which like. The cherry tomatoes' stems were just sitting on top of them, replaced after the roasting, a nice touch. They were sitting on what the waitress called "olive dirt", some sort of dried olive particles which was delicious, but awkward to consume. My only "Oh my god, that's good!" moment of the meal was when the first tomato burst in my mouth.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116142632_fd498eb547_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Condado de la Mota, Mogro">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116142632_97ca1bf30a.jpg" alt="Condado de la Mota, Mogro"/>
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I've long suspected that most people, and most restaurants, overcook both their meat and fish. When you go to a place where the chef knows what he or she is doing, both the meat and fish appear undercooked, but I think that's just because we are judging it based on our misconception. I'm not a huge cod fan, but this cod was wonderful.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929815949_0e4b6ef450_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Condado de la Mota, Mogro">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929815949_bee7857cc0.jpg" alt="Condado de la Mota, Mogro"/>
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_Presa ibérica con puré de membrillo a la mostaza y chalota_. Tender shoulder pork with a mustard quince puré and a roasted shallot. I savored every bite of this plate. I could've finished several additional servings as well.

At this point my wife said, "Okay, the meal is over, now we just have the two desserts!" This concerned me a little, because I was still hungry. We hadn't really eaten that much, I felt.

I needn't have worried.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116145152_7d2a88c724_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Condado de la Mota, Mogro">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116145152_77efbc2087_z.jpg" alt="Condado de la Mota, Mogro"/>
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_Cremoso chocolate con tierra de avellanas y maiz_. Creamy chocolate with hazelnut and corn dirt. My wife and I, who both prefer savory dishes to sweet ones, agreed that the desserts were the best part of the meal. This mousse terrarium, in particular, was amazing, right down to the sprig of spearmint.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929960047_845621381c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Condado de la Mota, Mogro">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929960047_72c27d634c.jpg" alt="Condado de la Mota, Mogro"/>
</a>

_Helado de kéfir y crema de romero_. Kefir ice cream and rosemary cream. I've never heard of [kefir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir), but the ice cream was good. The custard-like cream, though was the best part, leaving a wonderful spicy rosemary aftertaste.

Rather than return to our car, we decided to go for a little walk in the rural countryside the restaurant is situated in. After walking three hundred meters, we had seen dogs, cats, sheep, goats, cows, horses, geese and a donkey. The bucolic Cantabrian landscape was delightful in the late summer sun.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15093524696_c615c814dd_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Mogro Cow">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15093524696_46548813b3.jpg" alt="Mogro Cow"/>
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Only a single cow was standing.

Eventually we wandered lazily back to the car. On our way back to the motorway, we saw a sign for a golf course, so, on whim, I took that exit from the roundabout to go check it out. We drove over a ridge and were greeted by a stunning tidal beach. I barely managed to keep my eyes on the road to get us to the golf course parking lot, and we got out to walk around.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15113527381_7dd2940149_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Ría de Mogro, Panorama">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15113527381_0dfbfb5daa.jpg" alt="Ría de Mogro, Panorama"/>
</a>

You've got to [scroll this sucker](https://www.flickr.com/photos/erikrasmussen/15113527381/sizes/o/) to really appreciate it.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929963457_fd0967c49e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Ría de Mogro">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/14929963457_21c9b56692.jpg" alt="Ría de Mogro"/>
</a>

We really wished we'd brought some beach clothes rather than our fine dining outfits, but some bathing did occur.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116516365_96d7b7d1af_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Abra del Pas">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-31-condado-de-la-mota-mogro/15116516365_18a5883199.jpg" alt="Abra del Pas"/>
</a>

The golf course was in a picturesque spot, but the quality looked, let's just say, "affordable".

After that, we left Mogro and stopped by Santander, on our way back east, to spend the afternoon walking along the water and in the city to work off those desserts. It was a wonderful day.


Condado de la Mota - Mogro


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  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15083945776_e9b624e605_t.jpg" alt="Mojito and Postcard"/>
</a>

On our final weekend before our children come home from summer vacation with their grandparents, my wife and I decided we should take full advantage of our kidlessness and do some traveling tourism around Cantabria. We discovered [this excellent website](http://turismodecantabria.com/proximamente/eventos) that details upcoming events in the region, and we decided to drive an hour to the west to a town called Comillas to see their annual _Día del Indiano_ festival. We visited Comillas [_eight_ long years ago](/2006/08/06/comillas/) to scout out potential wedding venues, but we have not been back.  I was unfamiliar with the Spanish word [_indiano_](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiano). It's a term referring to a single member of the mass of Spaniards that followed the gold rush to The New World and then returned home filthy rich, and, as the rich are wont to do, became the ruling class throughout northern Spain. With this background knowledge, the architecture in Comillas made total sense. The town was clearly built with old colonial money. Enormous houses, some quite dilapidated now, dot the landscape.

From what I could tell from the program guide and what I witnessed, the _Día del Indiano_ is mostly an excuse to play and dance to salsa and merengue music. It was a shame that I can't really dance yet [because of my leg](/2014/07/28/the-great-quadriceps-contusion-of-2014/). But I did have a great day walking around a beautiful place taking photographs.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106690945_2c0d92eca0_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106690945_eff63aa3f9.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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The main town square in Comillas.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106329252_b41acc6e44_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106329252_7cf31b7b7a.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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Many of the old stone homes were covered in ivy.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15103690671_d4299218f0_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15103690671_f056372ed0.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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There is only one person that could've designed a house this tacky. It's called _el capricho de Gaudí_, or Gaudí's treat.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/14920022689_a8e9fa783a_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/14920022689_8604e71aab.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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A lovely palace overlooks a large section of town.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15103698081_52c56e2100_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15103698081_95f28d0849.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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This cannon was encrusted with rocks. I can only assume that it spent a century or two on the ocean floor.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106343362_276c8515c8_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106343362_f50b35093a_z.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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The palace was pretty well guarded by this 10 meter wall.

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  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106349422_7ce6af2cbe_z.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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Three photos in one: beautiful palace window, chandelier and reflection of church.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106721665_2e488fd2c5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106721665_d7aee38f9d.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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One of the houses had a private miniature golf course in the backyard. Awesome!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/14920179407_1cb49af353_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/14920179407_97d5f84061.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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I took a photo of this sign eight years ago, too.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/14920050949_fa70f3a6e3_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/14920050949_aa5ee251a7.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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A pretty morning glory that caught my eye.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15083945776_0917dc3c58_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Mojito and Postcard">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15083945776_e9b624e605.jpg" alt="Mojito and Postcard"/>
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At seven o'clock the mojito stand opened. The drink wasn't very good, but it was only two euros.

After looking at the schedule for the festivities, it was clear that the party wasn't going to get going until 10:30pm, and we were an hour away from home, so we decided to call it a day and head back east.

On the way out of town, however, we were accosted by a gorgeous sea view, causing us to pull over and get out of the car.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106752615_59d199df98_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106752615_4c5a5a8b42.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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I had to get down in the grass for this one.

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  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106392542_0dce29375d.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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Bird on a path.

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  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106396532_ee96e1f2a6.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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These teenage girls were having a little sunset photoshoot down by the water.

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  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15083766276_17c952711d_z.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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High heeled still life.

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  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106764305_8fa907274f.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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We stayed to watch the sunset. A beautiful end to a beautiful day in Comillas.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106402462_32fec0be36_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-30-comillas-dia-del-indiano/15106402462_acd385dd06.jpg" alt="Comillas - Día del Indiano 2014"/>
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Comillas - Día del Indiano


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/15014662482_d8a1ac6573_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Ian and Nora">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/15014662482_7d4dc530f7_t.jpg" alt="Ian and Nora"/>
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The offspring have spent the entirety of August on vacation with their Spanish grandparents in Extremadura, an inland region in the south of Spain. For the first half of the month, my wife and I spent a fortnight with them. It was fun to see them in this different environment. At fifteen months old, Ian is progressing very rapidly. He's very steady on his feet and is getting a lot faster. He's even sprouting a vocabulary that is almost in the double digits. [When Nora was Ian's age](/2010/07/23/agua/) we were worried – hilariously, in retrospect – about her language development. He's also learned to kiss, which he does by planting a big open mouth on your cheek like he's about to bite you. 

### Mountain Goat

Because of the ancient nature and rural design of the towns and houses, there are many places where the ground is uneven, and one must step up and over a little curb or barrier, even inside the house on the way to the bathroom. We were all pretty worried about these, easily imagining Ian carelessly tripping over them and banging his head on the sharp corners. Much to everyone's delight, however, Ian is like a mountain goat: he sure looks precarious when he's traversing them, but he is _extremely_ surefooted and careful with his center of gravity. When he can hold on to a wall or door to pass a step, he will, and when he can't, he will gesture to ask for a hand to hold. We're very proud of him.

### _¡'alle! ¡'alle!_

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14718939148_460cfd9c67_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Cutest Little Brother Ever">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14718939148_ceb40a9e81_m.jpg" alt="Cutest Little Brother Ever"/>
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At as young as three to six months of age, it was clear that Ian was very _callejero_, as they say in Spain. He loves being outside in the street. There would be times when nothing would calm him down as a baby as much as being pushed for a walk outside in the stroller. Nora, on the other hand, is very _casera_, likes being at home. I joked once that they might grow up in the same house but barely know each other. This trend continues.

Pretty soon after he's had his breakfast every morning, Ian points to the door and says, "_'alle, 'alle._", his approximation for "_Calle, calle_," meaning that he wants to go out to the street. There are times during the summer in southern Spain in which nobody is in the street due to the extreme heat, but Ian wants to be. When there was no shade at midday, we wouldn't let him, but in the mornings or evenings when one side of the street had shade, a grownup would go out with him to keep him in the shade and protect him from cars.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14625596360_e3058d5763_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Little Street Urchin">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14625596360_d01734f9d1_m.jpg" alt="Little Street Urchin"/>
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Ian is really good with the cars. When he hears one coming, he gets up on the curb and watches it pass, often cheering in delight – he's such a male! – and approval of the car's existence.

His pastime in the street, at least in Extremadura, is playing with rocks, little tiny pea-sized pebbles that line the street our house is on by the hundreds. He picks them up, sometimes tastes them, and then throws them. He's capable of throwing a little rock overhanded at least 6 meters (20 feet), and then walking over to where he threw it, inevitably into a group of other rocks, _and pick out the same exact rock he threw_! The lad's got a future as a golf caddy, if you ask me.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14867687898_c54b0326f4_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Playing with rocks in the street">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14867687898_8b0755c511.jpg" alt="Playing with rocks in the street"/>
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When a neighbor gave them a bucket to collect the rocks in, the fun really began!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/15015005425_5b206ed477_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Ian's Favorite Pastime">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/15015005425_a5aa9bc8ee.jpg" alt="Ian's Favorite Pastime"/>
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This little strap fastener on Ian's booster seat was his most favorite pastime. I constantly went back to it when I needed to do something, like prepare his lunch, but he wanted to be in my arms. I could set him in front of this thing, and he would do his best to fasten it, sometimes putting them together incorrectly and having to pull them apart again. He got so much satisfaction from the _click_ when he finally got it. It's a great hand-eye coordination exercise, and it made his old man imagine some sort of career in engineering for him.

I kept stressing the word "open" when I would unhook it for him, hoping he would say "Open!" when he gestured for me to unlatch it for him, but he never did while I was there. Later, over the phone, Nora reported that he knows only one English word: "open". When I asked who taught him that word, knowing full well that she saw me working with him to say that word, she told me that he just figured it out on his own; no one taught him. Sigh...

### One Year Old Vocabulary

Ian not only walked before his sister did, but he's begun speaking earlier, too. As of this writing, his known vocabulary is:

- _agua_ - water
- _'alle_ - _calle_ - street
- _'chicha_ - _salchicha_ - sausage
- _guau-guau_ - wow-wow (dog)
- mama
- _mosca_ - house fly
- _mosto_ - a grape juice ordered at bars
- open
- _pompas_ - bubbles

### Pre-Kindergarten Boredom

Nora has a great time in Extremadura, taking full advantage of the total lack of schedule or structure, sometimes going to bed at 3 AM, sometimes getting up at noon, etc. That's the fun part, even for adults, of such a rural town vacation; it's nice to not have to be anywhere or do anything if you don't want to. However, I did notice that she's getting to the age where she wants to do things and play games only appropriate to people her own age.

One lazy afternoon she was playing Uno™ with her grandfather, and after they had played a few hands, it was clear that they were both getting a little bored. Nora declared that she had invented a new game, in which rather than just one discard pile that needed to be matched with color or number, there would now be _ten_! We all did this is as kids. This is the kind of idea to which another five year old would say, "Oh, cool!" but that it only takes an adult a second or two to realize that it completely destroys what scant value the original game had.

She then went on to declare that they were going to play a game where the object of the game is to decide what game to play next. Again, the kind of thing another five year old might be into, but enough to make even the most caring, doting, I'll-play-anything-you-want grandparent facepalm.

### Festival Festivities

While we were there, the town we were in was celebrating its annual summer festival, with live music and "rides": bouncy castles, a set of trampolines, and this big padded thing for kids to climb around in. Nora has always been very wary of these activities, never really wanting to go in, especially if there are a lot of other children, but this year she did. The first time, she couldn't bring herself to go up to the top area and use the slide, and she never got up the courage to go through the big spinning rat wheel thing, but she did enjoy herself. If she'd had a friend to describe every action to, she'd've had an even better time.

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ANKS1H5RQ-0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

### Water Fun

This year was relatively very mild, but playing with water is a big part of the summer fun in Extremadura...often very scantily clad fun. This video is funny because it's so Spanish; how many American children pretend to serve each other wine?

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/u-_SXVpZ8RA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

From what I, as an only child, can tell from what others say about siblings, Ian and Nora generally don't have many conflicts. It's not that rare to see them playing together like this, although this was a particularly perfect moment where Nora designed a game around what Ian already wanted to do, and Ian understood the pattern and participated perfectly. She must have refilled that bottle a dozen times and let Ian empty them one cup at a time into the drain. Nora is very verbal and loves to narrate everything she's doing when she's playing.

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eevXDl5Zuk4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

"Get out of the bucket, sister!"

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14828367410_ef0bb807f6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Chocolate Con Churros">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14828367410_5ebb98f1fc.jpg" alt="Chocolate Con Churros"/>
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Nora got to experience the Spanish rite of passage known as eating _chocolate con churros_ at 3am. They are _so_ good!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14991992616_3f55ebc08c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Peacock Feather">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14991992616_7d476f45ff.jpg" alt="Peacock Feather"/>
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She also found a peacock feather while on a walk in her grandfather's home town of Zahínos.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14828350980_7bf3b8a01b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Watermelon Eater">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14828350980_63ed4b15da.jpg" alt="Watermelon Eater"/>
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Ian discovered that he _loves_ watermelon.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14828345420_46612e5ebb_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Bathing Suit Model">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14828345420_76cacc4f75.jpg" alt="Bathing Suit Model"/>
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He also discovered that he looks _fabulous_ in his swimming suit.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/15014994875_9f0a5aee08_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Pretty Birds">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/15014994875_93bb03f016.jpg" alt="Pretty Birds"/>
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In Zahínos, the empty garage across the street from our relatives' house has some exotic birds. Once we showed them to Ian once, he kept going over to the door and begging and crying for us to let him in again to see the birds.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14992019356_9622d35e20_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Ian at La Charca">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/14992019356_8ebdae3921.jpg" alt="Ian at La Charca"/>
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He very much enjoyed throwing little pebbles into this big reservoir we swam in.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/15014657732_a3e9362a97_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Daddy's Hat">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/15014657732_1255dd8bab.jpg" alt="Daddy's Hat"/>
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Ian looks good in Daddy's hat.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/15015025965_3931a4b341_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Daddy's Hat">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/15015025965_f9002da7ab.jpg" alt="Daddy's Hat"/>
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As does Nora.

### Gazpacho Eater

Both Nora and Ian love _gazpacho_, the cold soup from the south of Spain. One evening they had a particularly adorable moment where Nora was feeding Ian, which I managed to capture for posterity. Nora didn't get my "Blow on it so it doesn't burn him!" joke. Now that one can feed the other, I guess I can relax now as a parent, huh?

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3eX2Zbsz_kM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

### Bubbling with Laughter

Ian _loves_ watching his sister pop bubbles.

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Qc1veLU18mI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The state of the offspring is strong!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/15014662482_d8a1ac6573_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Ian and Nora">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-08-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-august-2014/15014662482_7d4dc530f7.jpg" alt="Ian and Nora"/>
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3 posts from August, 2014