Rajesh and I took a day trip to La Mancha last month and I
wanted to share some pictures and experiences.
We first stopped at a small village called “Chinchón.” This village is
famous for some of the best garlic in Spain and also for small pastries. We toured a beautiful catholic church and
walked around the gardened, outer edges. The weather was a perfect 64 Fahrenheit and
the sky was a deep blue. Standing at the
highest point of Chinchón, I felt a deep connection with the people that made Chinchón
their home. The town (or Pueblo) is
exposed and not very guarded, but the landscape around it is breathtaking. When I first arrived, I wondered why anyone
would want to live there (It is very flat). But then I saw the view from the
church… and I knew. They stay because it
is tranquil and peaceful. The city is
back in time. All is “still”
throughout. We walked to a small, street
café for coffee and tender, chicken pieces rolled in breadcrumbs. Our tour guide, Camila, bought a long braid
of garlic and said the people of Chinchón had never had to deal with vampires. J I laughed along with Camila because I didn’t
know if she was being honest or joking.
When one is learning a foreign language, it is best to laugh when they laugh,
cry when they cry, and ask questions later.
It is easy to offend with a simple facial expression.
We arrived at a tavern outside La Mancha and enjoyed a tasty
lunch. A custom that Rajesh and I are
still not adjusted to in Spain, is the waiting period at restaurants. By the time our vision is beginning to blur
from hunger, a camarero (waiter) arrives with two water glasses and a basket of
freshly, sliced bread. (I am quite sure
I look completely American because I eat two large pieces.) Then when we cannot eat anymore bread, the
camarero arrives with a plate of what I hope is cheese and pisto manchengo (bowl
of tomatoes and peppers). We partake
feeling somewhat queasy. Maybe we ate too much bread we
wonder. Then the cheese and vegetables
have been taken away and we sit at the table wondering if it is the end of the
food or if there is more to come. We
wait. And wait. And wait some more. We begin to gather our things because it has been
at least ten minutes and were not hungry anymore. As we stand to leave, in comes a camarero with a huge tray of papas
fritas (French fries) and a leg of meat so huge, it looks like it belonged to a
horse. Yes my dear friends. We sit back down and eat with all the will
power we have. I have always done my
best to fit in with the customs of whatever country I am in, and usually manage
pretty well. My only hope is that the
waiters did not see the look on my face when they entered with all those trays
of food. This is exactly what happened
at the tavern outside La Mancha.
When we reached the famous windmills (from the book of Don
Quixote), I was surprised by the size of them.
They looked so strange lined up on a mountain top with nothing but
desert all around them. We took lots of
pictures and got to tour the inside of one of the molinos de vientos (windmills)
and the nearby Castillo de La Mancha (castle in La Mancha).
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| Coffee Break! |
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| Our team walking through Chinchón |
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| Chinchón near the Catholic Church |
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| Nearby castle |
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| The view |
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| In La Mancha |
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| The castle next to the windmills |
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| USAC Rajesh and friends taking a break near the windmills |
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| Enough said. |
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| We learned how the windmills worked |
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| Plan of how windmills were made |
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| Rajesh loved the view! |
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| La Mancha has wonderful goat cheese |
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| Pisto manchengo |
I hope you all enjoy the pictures!
