el sabor

sabor is the spanish word for flavor, and that pretty sums up my trip. but the thing that stuck with me was the day in a remote village learning about spanish cooking. this class though for me, was more about the flavor of not just of cooking, but for living a simple life. you see, this lady who owns this humble restaurant only cooked with ingredients from the current season....so we had artichokes, green and red peppers in the ingredients, and using their natural flavors, gave flavor to the bacalau and the rice and beef dish we ate. later on we had some tea and got to explore a small river..that was the town's 'beach'. i felt like i was in heaven....the very simple and basic things in life is what gave this small town flavor. i didn't have my phone, nor access to the computer but enjoyed the nature and the sound of the small river nearby. i didn't want to leave. i was so happy. i believe that's the flavor that we miss out on...the flavor of simplicity, whether if it's from using the natural ingredients, or just being in a natural space that God created for us.... God provides for us in so many ways. in this little remote town people are happy with their lives and dont have a reason to leave. fresh water comes from the mountains, food is provided from the ground....God provides. i think in the noisiness and busyness....we forget this concept of how God provides and we tend to rely on our own self to be able to function and that's why we are thirsting and we lack flavor. i will carry this peace and flavor that i gained as a piece of heaven in my heart....

laundry, pack, travel, unpack--repeat

it's been a long time, but for the past month i think i've done the title of this particular post about four times. i went to el paso for a week, came home for a day then headed to st. thomas, came back, went on a retreat, came home and now i just arrived in marabella, spain.

each of these destinations i can write a book about, but i guess thing i hate about going on vacation is the actual getting there. i had a bit of a nightmare getting to el paso, and about 16 hrs later, i arrived after getting up at the crack of dawn to find that my flight was cancelled. thankfully after quick thinking and desperation, american airlines got me to my destination, but the trip to el paso was almost as long as my trip to marabella, spain. why is getting to a particular destination have to be drama filled? thankfully the trip to st. thomas was without incident but again it's getting there....

i just arrived in the city of marabella, spain at the hotel 3pm local time....i left my house in ny 1pm the previous day and the only sleep i got was about 35 min waiting for a connecting flight in madrid....

here are some travel tips to make things less stressful:
1- try booking direct and if you have a flexible schedule, make sure you do so. this makes life so much easier...the connections drag things out and you end up spending money you don't have out of boredom.
2- make sure your carry-ons dont weigh a ton (like mine, i travel heavy unfortunately)
3- bring your own travel pillow and blankets....the airlines dont cut it and who knows if they actually wash them..(ew)
4- eat before your flight....airplane food is nasty and if you are traveling inter-Europe, some airlines (like Iberia and Air Europa) charge for you asking for a coke
5- plan for the unexpected....i have this 'you never know attitude'.
6- a good book or distraction....
7- have a camera handy...i just bought a new dslr (which will be a total separate blog to speak about)....you never know what interesting things you may or may not see....madrid airport had gorgeous ceilings but my lack of sleep inhibited me from enjoying it or taking pictures.
8- make a tentative plan of what you want to do before you...this makes life a little easier, so you're not clueless and waste time at your destination, sure i like to be spontenaous, but i hate to miss out on time where i can be enjoying a different culture...


i will blog soon about the places ive visited...el paso was the least exciting, yet one of the yummiest trips :) st thomas--took a piece of my heart and marabella...well spain is spain and i feel like im unlocking a beautiful mystery

hasta luego!