I'm engaged!!!

Just a quick update: I arrived in the U.S safe and sound about a week ago (but my luggage didn't make it for a few days after I did... but no matter, everything eventually made it back).

I sent out an email to almost everybody last night telling them the big news with a hefty email attachment but unfortunately I woke up to a lot of return-to-senders where the emails got rejected for being too large. Therefore, I figured this would be the easiest way to share the photos.

For those of you who did not already hear, this is how it happened:

Well as everyone in the Hobson family knows, a birthday celebration is not just a single day... we have Birthday Week, or sometimes even Birthday Month as I extended mine last year. Well, Jay enjoyed the tradition so much he decided to make it a pre-birthday-month on top of post-birthday month; so he proposed to me today (well, now it is technically yesterday since we are getting in a bit late) on June 16th.

We had stopped by Kroger to pick up some nearly-expired bread and headed to the Duck Pond on Virginia Tech campus to participate in one of my favorite activities that I have missed dearly during my time in Spain: feeding the duckies.

Well we were lucky enough to come across a few families of baby ducks even, and all of them very eager for a bite to eat. As I ran out of bread and waited for Jay to hand me another piece or two, I looked down and happen to see a shiny ring on top of a stack of bread! Thank goodness I didn't throw it to the ducks, but I was so excited I scared most of the ducks away by that point anyhow.

The ring is GORGEOUS!!!! Actually, it turns out Bob made it himself (for those of you who don't know, Bob works in my grandmother's jewelry store)! The center stone is a diamond of course and the side stones are actually purple sapphires! Isn't that awesome?

Here are the photos I tried to send out:

continued Buenos Aires

Here is the crazy wood oven the used to cook our food... it smelled SO good!


More table views


A "madrilena copter" at the Oviedo airport


A scupture of one of the Velazquez Meninas in the airport

Restauraunt: Buenos Aires

No, we did not go to Argentina, but that just happens to be the name of the restauraunt. Oh yeah, so check out this set up and BE JEALOUS.


This would be Cider Sangria, you know, home made Spanish sangria but instead of red wine, they used local Asturian hard cider.


The whole crew!!! Check out that view!


Mmmm... ribs...


Don't forget dessert!

I'm in Philidelphia airport right now killing time (woohoo for free wifi for college students!!!) so I thought I would post some pictures from the past couple of days!

Last night we all went to this AWESOME restauraunt on Mt. Naranco and stopped by some pre-romanesque 9th century ruins that happen to be along the way. Amazing!

Santa Maria del Naranco


See the city in the background? Do you see the white things with ribs in the distance? That's the crazy hotel/convention center/mall thing next door to the house!


San Miguel de San Lilio
Pic taken next door to the restauraunt! What a VIEW!

Yes, I'm becoming an old lady.

Update on my knitting projects:

This was a hat I sort of made up as I went along for Maria... unfortunately it was too small so I had to put in a patch in the back ripping half of it apart and eventually coming out with a rather deformed hat, but she seems to like it all the same.


This is a headband in progress as payment to Becky for her hair salon services hehe... I found the patter on this blog: http://persnicketyknitter.blogspot.com/2006/06/free-arrowhead-lace-headband-pattern.html and it seems to be coming out fairly well thus far.

For those of you who don't already know, my new name now is Nani, as dubbed by Maria and is now commonplace for the locals here who know me. Nani is also the last name of a famous Real Madrid soccer player, but that's besides the point!

I have been in the process of packing, unpacking, and repacking my bags in a cruel game of Tetris trying to get all the breakables situated and everything balanced out so my bags won't fall over and such. It is actually quite a daunting task, especially when I can't really pack EVERYTHING quite yet. Early Tuesday morning Pedro is driving me to the airport though, so time is running out!

Highlights, and walking around Oviedo

Becky was kind enough to give me some highlights and as payment, I'm knitting her a really cool headband as a surprise... pics to come.





They aren't really very noticeable to be honest, but it just sort of makes my hair look shiny and such which is cool.



Today Merche and I wandered around town and I finally went inside and wow was it gorgeous.

Cathedral in downtown Oviedo during the day


La Regenta statue near the cathedral

Afterwards we wento to the Museum of Fine Arts, which is actually free every day, which was home to quite a few Goyas, Dalis, and Picassos. Right here in town!

And now for another episode of...

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED IN SPAIN Vol. V

(okay this one is a little short but there are some good ones that I wanted to share before I forget them)

- There is nothing unmanly about wearing a pastel shirt or hoodie with a large daisy on the chest and/or back (actually it is probably Carhartt anyway)

- A “pretty tortilla” means an omelette of sorts with tuna. Apparently anything with “bonito” (Pretty or beautiful) in the title, includes tuna. Who knew tuna was pretty?

- If your husband tells you he’s going out for some “bimbos”, he’s not doing anything shady… he’s just picking up some bread or tea cakes from the store.

- Who cares about Britney Spears? Ronaldihno was picking his nose today in soccer practice! Now THAT is celebrity gossip!

- If someone tells you that a fat man touched them last night, you should congratulate them… it means they won the lottery.

- Spanish people go on diet and exercise programs to get rid of their “Michelins”

- If someone says they have “piel de naranja” (skin of an orange), it means they have a cellulite problem

- According to the Spanish, the American Past-time is getting into wars

- If you are trying to fool someone in Spain, you aren’t pulling their leg, you are pulling their hair.

- If you have a Hake (fish), then you must be drunk.

Valley of the Fallen

This is the cathedral that was built by the "Valle de los caidos (Valley of the Fallen) which was actually constructed by hollowing out solid rock from a mountain! Very impressive on the inside, again, unfortunately photos weren't allowed. It is also the resting place of Francisco Franco, so we got to see his tomb as well.


View from the mountain


Me and Elephant hanging out outside

Next day: Aranjuez

The next day we went to Aranjuez, just outside of Toledo and home to another very elegant royal Spanish palace. It turns out that the city declared a holiday that day and therefore not only was the tour of the palace free of charge, but they were opening up a few rooms in the palace just for that day for the first time ever to the public. What luck!!!

...but it gets better. We waited in line for a few minutes before it opened, and when we got to the front a man there asked us where we were from. "Asturias" replied Merce. "Oh really? I have a lot of ties to Asturias, I have a house in Muros actually." Well as some of you may remember, Merce was born in Muros and their little beach house of sorts is still there which they visit quite frequently. Well, apparently this man happen to be the curator of the palace, and was looking for locals of Aranjuez to take on a private tour but decided to take us along as well. There were no guides that day since it was open to the public for free, but we got a personal tour from the curator himself! Naturally, I couldn't take pictures inside, but here are some outside shots:


Some bushes around the palace


Outside view


Elephant waiting for the train with the palace in the background (we took another touristy train around the area just to show us around, it was pretty neat)


Me and Elephant enjoying some lunch at an outdoor cafe in Aranjuez

Toledo continued again...

I had Julie and Cindy in mind when I took this picture... this is a little cafe run by nuns that make tons of home made treats, specializing in marzapan...


A display of abonicos that are all way out of my price range unfortunately...


Elephant chilling with Don Quixote since we were afterall, in La Mancha.


This is the hotel we stayed in that night, VERY nice... 4 stars, and a lovely dinner that evning with so much veal nobody was able to eat their share. It was very lovely.

Toledo continued

Elephant looking over Toledo


Walking around town





A random narrow street... the long pieces of fabric above are apparently for providing a bit of shade during the very hot summer months, but they sometimes collect a bit of rain water and occasionally dump out a bit on the tourists walking by since they rock around a bit in the wind.

Toledo!!!

Well this past weekend was full of traveling. First stop: Toledo.

We drove about 7 hours down to a hotel outside of Toledo where Pedro quickly realized he had neglected to put his and Merce's suitcase in the trunk... needless to say, Merce did not let him forget it the entire trip. Oh well, it was only one night, so it wasn't really that big of a deal and the hotel supplied some necesities anyhow.

Once in Toledo, we decided to take a little tourist train around the city which is a bit cliche and all, but offered some AMAZING views.

Merce and Pedro enjoying the ride with Elephant


Me on the train with a view of Toledo in the background


Seriously, I'm amazed any of these pictures came out at all... the cobble stone streets made for a VERY bumpy ride. I am quite impressed with my new camera!!!




Walls defending the one side of Toledo not surrounded by water from the Moors