European Visit

Nothing makes me smile as much as a steaming pan of PAELLA de Mariscos. Lucky for me, I will be visiting Spain at the end of December with my wife Yesenia and my uncle Fernando. I've scoured the internet for places to satisfy my cravings of saffron, jamon iberico, and of course, PAELLA.
We'll be starting off in the Capital city of Madrid for 3 nights, named for the strawberry trees called madroños that can be found in the forests surrounding the city. I can't wait for the cerveceria's and tapas bars. The best on earth.
Then off to Barcelona for NYE and a futbol game against Villareal. This is where we will wander the cobblestone streets of the Gothic quarter, following the footsteps of Pablo Picasso. This is where I will indulge my PAELLA cravings. The last time I was here, I bought a bottle of wine for 1 euro. Damn good wine.
After Barca, we leave for Munich where we will be eating pretzels and some of the best beer on earth. We will be making a side trip to Castle Neuschwanstein about 2 hours south of Munich in the mountains and forests of Bavaria. After Munich, we will visit a village called Apolda, where Yesenia's grandfather left from, to come to America. We plan on looking up information on her great-grandparents. I'm thinking some type of heavy, meaty saucy type dinner with some dark beer and heavy bread. Ugggghhhhhhhhh!! Dark beeeerr. Sorry. After a night's stay in Apolda, we head off for Berlin. I'm thinking schnitzel's, sausages, and delicious, delicious Beer. Beeeeer! Sorry. After Berlin, we will make a stop in Amsterdam for some culture shock.
My first update will either be NYE or just after. I'll be sharing which establishments I was lucky enough to sample. So...
Stay tuned get ready to travel with me on my culinary tour of Spain's Capital Madrid, and the Catalan Capital of Barcelona.

PROVECHO!

DER

USA beats #1Spain 2-0

For those of you that do not follow Soccer, the US Mens team beat the #1 ranked team in the world last night. Spain's Mens Soccer team had not lost since a 1-0 loss to Romania in November 2006. It was riding a 35 game unbeaten streak, and a 15 game winning streak, both of which matched the longest streaks in Soccer history. The Spanish mentality was that the US team can not match them in form, talent, and passion. They were not alone in their sentiments. 90% of the Soccer world felt the same. Until June 24, 2009. The US team, led by Landon Donovan and powered by goals from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, shocked the Soccer world. The USA found its voice in the international debate. They now know what the beautiful game means. They have learned the first steps on how to dance with the best.