Simple Home Living: The Basque Country

Showing posts with label The Basque Country. Show all posts

Monday, June 23, 2008

i'm off to basque country tonight - resting verses vigilance

When this post is posted - I'll be on a plane - leaving Phoenix, AZ headed to London Heathrow Airport. I spend the night (Tuesday night) in London then get up really early and arrive back by 6 am at Heathrow to catch my flight to Madrid. Then from Madrid to San Sebastian - Basque Country.

Recently, I realized how much I rest in following my husband. Because I've taken the time to work through the "steps" to partner with God in seeing Michael discover his vision for our family - I've learned to rest in the following.

Resting for a wife is a good place to be in. I really don't think it was until I "rested" that I could then understand what it meant to Create Sanctuary.

Tonight, while on this flight, I can't rest and follow. I am going alone and I must be "on" taking a vigilant posture. The last time I flew to Basque Country by myself, I felt the results of being vigilant without knowing really what it was. I felt totally drained - emotionally and physically.

That's how a wife feels when she is vigilant and doesn't really need to be. Even if a man's vision isn't discovered or acted upon - a wife can still rest and follow her man. Perhaps when she does - he'll discover more of his role implenting the vision that's stuck in his soul.

Just some thoughts for you to chew on. See you in Basque Country!

Friday, June 13, 2008

heading back to basque country

Well, here I go again...Gerald's using the rest of his air miles to fly his wonderful mom-in-law to Basque Country next week. Yes, if you research my blog, you'll see it's my third trip in less than a year. Woo hoo!

Gerald leaves on the 26th of the month to fly the 84 + Basque students to the US for their Summer in the USA experience. He comes here for the month and I get to go there for the month and parteeee (sorta) with Jenni and the girls. Thanks to my hubs for blessing my trip.

As always, I am excited to go back to experience life in Basque Country. In thinking about some of the yum food, I found this blog today that posted a recipe for Chicken Basque Style. Looks amazing!

Poulet Sauté Basquaise : Chicken Basque Style
Serves: 6
Ingredients
2,25 kg chicken [5 #] cut neatly in 8 pieces (8 if you keep the little wings - I did)
salt
pepper, white, freshly ground
olive oil
1 T butter (helps the browning apparently)
2 onions, medium, julienne [fine slices]
6 green peppers, large, julienne (½ kg [¼ #]) (a length similar to the onions please)
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 C stock, approx
¼ kg tomatoes [3 big ones] peeled, seeded, brunoise [diced] (I used a can due to the current tomato/salmonella scare)
1 bouquet garnis [herb packet] (celery, thyme, parsley, bayleaf, whole peppercorns)
150 gr very good ham, dry cured, slices [5 oz]

Procedure
If you have a whole chicken… cut it up; salt & pepper the pieces
Oil into a pan, medium high; fry pieces really well - more than you usually do. You want these good and brown. Fry the larger pieces longer so they'll be pre-cooked more

Meanwhile
Crush the garlic
Devein, deseed and julienne the green peppers
Julienne, very finely, the onions
Remove browned chicken from the pan; put in the veggies & garlic, stir
Maybe add some oil if there doesn't seem to be enough chicken fat
Cover, cook on medium-low until they're soft but not browned, stirring occasionally
Add back the chicken pieces and their juices
Add tomatoes, bouquet garnis and stock (to just cover)
Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover the pan and simmer until done/tender (about a half hour or, perhaps, 30 minutes)
Remove chicken again and, separately, pretty much all the vegetables. Toss the bouquet garnish out.
Meanwhile, a little oil into a pan and fry the slices of ham slightly (this is not bacon we're talking about)
Reduce the chicken cooking liquid until it's saucey; coating the back of a spoon
Place the ham slices neatly on a plate (around the edge, maybe), arrange the vegetables inside that, top with the chicken, and pour sauce over the whole lot

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Tuesday Night Date Night in San Sebastian

Michael and I know it's important to nurture our marriage, so we slipped out for a little Tuesday night date bussing it to Parte Vieja (the Old Quarter). Doing a little window shopping along the way. . . I see lots of furs on women. Thought I'd snap this pic of a "fur" store.

These are two of the four pintox we devoured. Weren't totally sure what it was - discovered anchovies in the top one and that IS salsa in the bottom one with a fish I chose to set aside.

My darling.

His darling.

The date place. Those are prized legs of pig hanging in the window.

A Read by Xabier Ezeizabarrena

We've not only discovered so much about the wonderful culture in the Basque Country, but we've had the privilege in meeting it's wonderful people. One of our newest friends is, Xabier Ezeizabarrena, a local author who recently ran for mayor with the Basque Nationalist Party. Order a copy of Xabier's here. Read here for Xabier's communication platform web site.

A Sunday Morning in San Sebastian

Sunday morning family time in San Sebastian.

Poppie reading time . . . Getting ready for amazing French crepes (the how to pictures posted soon).

His dad says he's a wild Basque boy. I guess that's good he's sleeping. This little guy's dad is our new friend Xabier Ezeizabarrena.

Poppi and grandkiddos play time on La Ondarretta Beach - Donostia

Simon and sisters playing in the sand. Simon told us he was making the Great White Wall of China. I asked him how he knew that. His response: I learned it when I was 2. I always knew my grandkids would be sooooooo smart.

A lighthouse and a Jesus statue stand on top of the Isle of Santa Clara - facing the beaches of Ondarretta and La Concha. Took this Sunday am . . . is it NOT simply amazing? There's no place like San Sebastian and it's beaches. Donostia-San Sebastian has three beaches, La Concha, (which was made popular by Queen Isabel), Ondarreta (which stands at the foot of Mouunt Igeldo) and La Zurriola (to the right of the river bank).

Biarritz School - The Immaculate Conception - Class One

The vote was unanimous, Michael and I were going to Biarritz with Chris and Megan. We would assist and then give a presentation or two about the Summer in the USA program. The SIUSA program offers to do a U.S. geography class presentation in English classes and then share about the importance and benefits for students to become efficient in learning English. Included in the presentation is the explanation of what the Summer in the USA program offers to it's participants - four weeks in the USA - three weeks staying with volunteer American families and then one week at a camp for youth.

Michael and I are generally pretty adept at winging things, so we made the presentation our "own." I took pictures of each class and posted my blog so the kids could see their pictures. Here's the first class.

The kids watching the video of Summer in the USA.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

A Good Hamburger in San Sebastian

Basque food is great, but sometimes a girl just needs a burger.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Reunion of Donostia Students

Reunion Dinner at Sidreria San Bartolome

Chris and Megan on the way to the Sidreria. And, Michael and I following. :-)

OK, so you're thinking - What's up with the woman's hair? That's my question. Can't seem to get the main to calm down. Frizz and more frizz. Any suggestions?

Donostia students from The Summer in the USA program of 2007 at the reunion dinner held at the Sideria of San Bartolome.

Getaria and Zarautz

This is Getaria - the birthplace of navigator Juan Sebastian Elcano.

Getaria and Zarautz - Coastal Towns in Basque Country

On the road again. . . I took these pictures from the car after we'd left Loyola's place and headed to the coastal communites of Getaria and Zarautz. Zarautz is a very popular tourist restort. It's the longest beach in Gipuzkoa (one of the seven states in Basque Country).

This is Getaria - the birthplace of navigator Juan Sebastian Elcano.

Ignacio of Loyola - His House

Check out those stairs and the rock to build this place. Amazing.

How'd ya like to cook on this thing? Note the flooring - it reminds me of a real nice saltillo tile.

I totally have a place for this in my house. Just kidding.

This is his real table. I felt so weird sitting there...but I got over it. What kind of conversations happened around this table?

It's such a strange feeling to be walking around in someone's house with such a history. Not only is this place old - built between 17th and 18th centuries, but just the fact that life, people, family, God, war, legacy happened in the rooms that we walked through. The interior of Ignacio's house was dividedd into four floors. I think the ground floor was for the grain, animals and storage. We walked up very beautiful, wooden stairs to the second floor where I was told that was the place where every day life happened. I'm at the "cook stove." This was the kitchen and the servants quarters.

Friday, January 25, 2008

A Tour Around St. Ignatius Sanctuary

These sweet little gentleman stood in the portico holding the tape player - that gave us a mini guide of the place in English. Periodically he would point to something. I couldn't resist taking his picture or at least pretending I was snapping a photo of the statues behind him.

The Basilica is Baroque style designed by Italian architect Carlo Fontana, a disciple of Bernini. This photo is looking up at the pipe organ.

This is the Tower-house of Loyola and is what is known as the heart of the sanctuary. It's the place where Ignacio Loyola was born and spent his early years and then later where he returned after being seriously wounded in the citadel of Pamplona (1521). It was here where he had a God

experience and where he wrote the "Spiritual Exercises."

That cute guy on the right is my hubs, Michael.

This bronze sculpture depicts the scene of Ignatius arriving home after

being wounded in Pamplona.

The Sanctuary of Loyola - Part One

Many of the roads through Gipuzkoa (of the the seven states in Basque Country) are through winding hills up and down. The scenery is incredible. This pic was taken through the car.

I'll let these pictures speak for themselves.

There are many Basque monuments in the different "states." Loyola's Basicila is in the state of Gipuzkoa, which is where all my blogging pictures have been taken. I've always heard about the Jesuits, but had no clue that their roots were here in Basque Country. This Basicila was built somewhere between the 17th and 18th centuries around the Tower-house of the Loyola's and in honor of Saint Ignatious - the founder of the Company of Jesus. My pictures will show inside the sanctuary and inside his house.