Breaking for Spring

Last week I celebrated my second Easter in Spain. It's funny how you start counting time by events, distant memories and holidays. This time I did it like the Romans do and headed south to Tarragona, the original Roman capital of Catalunya, a modern city with ancient ruins lining the center of the city and an evening light like no other. I also witnessed my first Easter procession, which unlike the processions in the south that are loud and emotional, is serene, quiet and one of the oldest traditions. Although I can't claim to be a practicing Catholic, I can still admit that I am genuinely moved by the traditions it continues to claim and practice. The four day weekend began Thursday night as I headed on the train to Tarragona to meet Idoia and her friends.

Friday morning we woke up when our bodies decided it was time and I treated Idoia, her sister Cristina and her boyfriend Luis to an authentic brunch with pancakes, scrambled eggs and ketchup, bacon and mimosas of course. We sat around and ate and later I treated myself to two hours of Sex in the City, in English. It was raining, I was lazy and nothing made me happier than staying in my pijamas all day and watching one of my favorite shows with my buddies. After we were done being lazy, we decided to wash off all the brunch grease and head into town to witness the procession. If you have never seen one, I highly advice it, it is moving, whether you believe or not. The ones carrying the statues, beating the drums, and wearing the masks are made up of church communities, children, women and men, young and old, and the true followers, walking barefoot for hours in exchange for salvation of their sins.

The statues are phases of Christ on his way to the cross and they are absolutely stunning. The Procession lasts almost five hours and didn't end until almost one in the morning. The beauty of it was walking through the small ancient streets, following the different statues while at the same time hearing the history of Tarragona from the group that was with me, hearing the melancholic drums beat in the distance, and seeing the countless rows of people watching the procession go by. It is a lifetime experience and to think of how long it has existed is even more awing. I wanted my parents to be with me, to have them experienced what I saw and felt since no one is a bigger believer than them.

The next day I was invited to an incredible lunch in a town near by. Reus is a small Catalan town famous for it's modernist, Gaudi style homes, and the host happened to own one of the most incredible homes I've seen. The house was from 1911, with a dance hall, a study, a stunning modernist kitchen and a tower! He treated Idoia and I like the princesses we are and invited me to return if I ever need a place to escape and write. If he only knew that I am taking him one hundred percent seriously. Then that evening, Cristina and Luis invited us to dinner so I could try their famous "cochinito" or baby pig and as a bonus, Luis, who studied in Boston for a few years, made Long Island Iced teas. I think he wanted to compete with my brunch...okay, he won.

After dinner, Jordi met up with us and we headed to a town nearby famous for its nightlife and we danced until the wee hours at a disco called Flashback. I can honestly say I had an authentic Spring break. All that was missing was the sun and beach, but soon enough I will have my fair share of sun and fun. On Sunday when I got into town, Julia phoned me to invite me to a bbq at the top of Montjuic, which was exactly what I needed after a long weekend of eating and sleeping, more eating, only this time with sun. We sat around all day, drinking cold beers, listening to chill out music played by the dj and watching people nap. It was the perfect way to end my weekend.

And so there you have it folks, yet another fun filled weekend with thrilling events, history lessons and good food. Now I am just trying to survive the rain that just won't stop, doing a bit of Spring cleaning, and patiently waiting for summer to arrive. My skin yearns for some sun and beach. All in good time, the rain is merely cleaning the streets for the summer heat.