Lean Eats

Pamplona was incredible and a bit of a culture shock even though Spain is still a "Western" country.  But first, a word on flights.  The first time I flew to Madrid (going on to Malta), I flew American Airlines, and the second time I flew Delta.  Overall I preferred Delta.  The one area they slacked on was the hot towel.  Other than that, I preferred the meal and the in flight entertainment.  But I think both were very comparable overall.  There was plenty of legroom in both cabins.  However, for these long trips, I advise getting a window seat.  In general, I prefer an aisle seat, but on the long trips a window seat gives your head a prop.  When I flew to Madrid the first time, I had an aisle seat, and quickly learned that not being able to lean yourself up against a surface can become very uncomfortable.  You think you can simply tilt your head back on the headrest but that requires muscles and when you sleep, so do your muscles which brings your head forward and bobbling around.

At the Madrid airport, Mellen was waiting for me with a huge sign so I couldn't miss her.   We planned a time to meet and a gate to meet at.  I arrived very early and she got delayed so I had about an hour and a half to kill.  We were going to meet at a particular cafe at Terminal 4, which is where international flights go.  So I found the cafe, and anxiously tried to read for class.  The hour and a half came and went.  Another half an hour went by and I got a little concerned.  We had a backup plan that if we should miss one another, I would purchase a ticket and take the 6 hour bus ride to Pamplona from Madrid and meet her at her apartment.  I started walking around, and learned that I was at Terminal 1.  I was supposed to be Terminal 4!  And I had no way of contacting her!  So I hopped on a bus, and rode over to 4, and immediately found her walking around with the huge sign.  She had had a 6 hour bus ride and I the 9 hour flight, so we were very hungry and we had our second date, this time at the airport McDonalds.  Chicken nuggets and a chocolate shake never tasted so good.

We then got on the next bus out, and rode to Pamplona.  I don't remember sleeping.  I think we talked the entire 6 hour ride.

The entire time I was in Pamplona we had a blast.  Unlike Malta, the bus schedule is not as frequent, so we missed a lot of buses and had lots of down time as a result.  This was not so bad, because instead of running around everywhere, it meant that we could simply pal around like chums and take things at a more relaxed pace.  That was first time we simply hung out like normal people.

The culture shock, as you might guess, was the food.  In Spain, they don't really eat much.  Portions are much smaller, like they might have half a chicken breast for dinner.  On the final night, I made Mellen and her roommates, stuffed peppers with mashed potatoes, and Mellen made brownies.  The Americans who joined us were so happy to have a proper meal!