ESPAÑA ES UNA FIESTA

I know the pictures don't really illustrate nor capture the veritable Fiesta that my Spanish summer was! A Spanish village summer that is. As soon as I arrived in the airport, I felt at home despite it being my first physical presence there. You see, my Spanish grandparents were there (who I had been 'Skyping' practically every day and had spent my Christmas with) so no new faces there... but I got to meet my uncle Adrian for the first time who later became my Godfather when I got baptized, which not only permits me entry to paradise, if I behave of course, but also makes me a 'native' of the village which is called Gavilanes and boasts a population of about 1,000, half of whom are related to me in some way, and those who are not still claim to be! It's a very exclusive club, though!  

I spent most of the time there in Gavilanes which blooms in the vacation months of July and August, thanks to its mild weather, beautiful green valley, generous and authentic people and proximity to Madrid (only 110 km). Saying that my family, especially my grandparents and my  great-grandmother spoiled me is basically an understatement. 

My typical day would start early with my Mom answering my wake-up call, at 7am-ish, for a very quick nip at the breast. Then, my grandmother would take over, my Mom would go back to Dad in bed and my grandmother and I would play a little before waking up my grandfather who according to my Mom has always been in charge of breakfast. 

After some more play and helping my grandfather clean the pool, we would do my favorite activity, my grandparents would push me up the little hill in my cochecito to the village's main square, such that it is, for the second breakfast. This usually consisted of cafe con leche, and churros or porras( if you don't know what those are, you can check them out on Google images). 

Anyway, after helping my friend Mariano, who is the most laid-back bartender, at the bar, having a chat with Merce, the infinite gift-giver, and engaging in small talk with passersby and friends, we would go back home for a nap at 10am, a long nap indeed. Afterwards, I would play some more until aperitivo time, 1-ish, and on the menu: jamon, chorizo, queso, some beers, vermouth, you name it! All the best Spanish hors d'oeuvres you can imagine...

And then a big lunch and then another siesta... (yeah I know, all this encompasses the true definition of a vacation!) 

Finally, we  had the remainder of the afternoon and evening to receive friends and relatives at the pool's patio... I'd swim, play with the water hose, water the plants, water myself, walk around, feed my tortoise and drive him like a car, bet you didn't know they make good toy cars!  And having daily ice cream... with my grandfather, who has a sweet tooth, just like me! As you can imagine, by 8pm, and after a big dinner and bath in the tub,  I would be really ready for bed. In this matter, I was a bit unlike other Spanish babies who go to bed much later, even around midnight or if there's an official village fiesta going on, bedtimes are delayed just as much as Iberia Airlines' usual hours-late departures. My parents even saw an approximately two week old baby in its baby carriage 'enjoying?' a live concert with live music blasting the village square... 

Of course, none of these 'owl-infants' had to get up early like me to feed the ever hungry tortoise, not to mention myself!

What else, a lot of my grandparents' friends came to see me from all over Spain, well mostly Madrid and its environs, also some of my parents' friends, and believe it or not, my friend Lukas from HK, now a Singapore resident, came too. I showed him around and got to play host but he's quite an independent playmate I must say, quite happy on his ownsome. That was fun... he couldn't believe how I had got to know everybody in Gavilanes in just 2 months... I know what Obama feels like... people you've never seen before coming up to you with grand smiles, outstretched arms, and puckered lips for the proverbial cheek kissing... who wouldn't love that? 

It all reminded me of a song my mom used to sing to me back in June 2007, when I was about 7... months old in uterus... tranquilly floating in the warm ondulating placenta... it went... 

SUMMER-TIME... AND THE LIVING IS EASY!!

My mom sang it in a real jazzy style in between sessions of the rhythmic 'Baby-Plus' sessions...