On the night of the election, we were walking home from dinner and a woman on the street stopped us and asked where we were from. We are occasionally asked this for we are a rare breed in Europe right now. Most people who inquire say they haven't seen an American in months! Turns out Beth is from Oregon and is here teaching English at the university. We chatted with her and her local friend, Husam, for a few minutes and she gave us many local hiking and restaurant tips. When we were about to part ways, they invited us to have dinner with them at their favorite burger place on Thursday night. There, our conversation led to many similar interests. Beth is a lover of the outdoors and sailing and Hassan is an artist. After a nice American dinner of burger and fries, Husam invited us to his home for lunch the next day.
Wow! What a wonderful experience and honor that was!! Husam made us a typical Spanish lunch—the most important and largest meal of the day. It was such a beautiful and delicious spread of homemade goodness— a large assortment of fresh vegetables, garlic shrimp, pork tenderloin, roasted potatoes, bread, goat cheeses and, of course, jamón.
While sipping Spanish wine, Husam gave us a tour of the stylish place he is renovating. This included his art studio, his apartment and his Airbnb, which Beth and her husband are renting until spring. You can imagine how giddy I was to check out a local's home, especially when it included seeing his studio and art collection. Husam is incorporating many salvaged materials from older buildings in town, such as wooden doors, colorful tiles, beams and an awning from an old lingerie shop.
I don't think there is a tour out there that would have come close to this incredible experience of sharing a meal with a local in his home. We could tell the kids knew this was a very special moment too. They enjoyed the food and conversation as much as we did. Austin kept nudging me at the table to invite them over to our place for a meal. They are coming over tonight to celebrate the new presidency!
Clint and Husam with a post-lunch cocktail.
Beth giving us a tour of one of the patios.
One of Husam's stunning paintings. It's six feet wide!
You're right about how special this is as I have always found the same thing in my travels. Real People still make such a difference. You're right, tour guides can be very helpful but cannot take the place of a chance meeting with natives and people of the region you're in. I'm loving all of your posts. Keep them up ! And the education continues !