He Vuelto - I have returned

That's right, I'm back from my journeys through the Iberian peninsula. I could write all the details in my trip, but it would be very difficult to capture everything beyond the activities, sights, or sounds in the streets - there were many emotions tied with being back, the elation of wandering around Madrid while visiting my favorite spots and reading "The Sun Also Rises" while sipping a vermouth at a cafe outside the Plaza Mayor, the excitement of riding a galloping horse through the mountains and valleys of Asturias, and the warm reception when meeting new family members in Lisbon.

So I'll recount a single snapshot for now, and if you'd like more info, I'd like to hear the sounds of your voices anyway, so gimme a call.

"El lenguaje de los sonidos expresa lo inexpresable"

I was sitting with my sister in my favorite hangout in Madrid, Cuevas de Sesamo, a smoky underground sangria bar with waiters in bow ties and a pianist playing classics, and I read the above quote, written with so many others on the limestone walls of the establishment. The language of sound expresses the inexpressible. The quote was written above the piano in the bar, and I wrote it down because I thought it was pretty neat.

A few days later, I was treated to an amazing lunch (tapas, 2 bottles of vino tinto, and some amazing fish) with my sister, the director of the Syracuse abroad program I went on, and two of my favorite professors from my time abroad. One of the professors, Fernando Montes, professor of my Marine Ecology course, was incredibly influential to me when I studied there, teaching me lessons about life in addition to stuff about el fundo del mar. One thing I remember distinctly that he taught me was that you can either live to work, or work to live. It reflects the values placed on priorities in life in Europe and the US... and I've tried to keep his words in mind for much-needed perspective as I embarked on my career. I want to enjoy my life, keep my interests and family and friends as the most important things, and work enough to be comfortable but not too much so that I can live the life that makes me happy. Montes and I were very close when I was studying in Madrid, and we had discussed about me returning to Spain to go hiking with him in the mountains of Asturias - his homeland, a Celtic northern province in Spain - at some point. But I had never had the opportunity to go.

After lunch, Montes invited Laura and I up to Asturias... clearly an opportunity I couldn't pass up. We were supposed to go from Madrid to Lisbon on Thursday, but instead we left Wednesday for Asturias, driving up with Montes as he does every week as soon as his last class is over, so that he can see his girlfriend, brothers/sisters, and mother, and go spend time in the "Lord of the fucking Rings" mountains (as he calls them... they are truly spectacular) and enjoy his homeland and the life there. We arrived at his apartment, which has amazing views of the mountains. His girlfriend was there, and welcomed us warmly. We settled in, all contributed in making various parts of the dinner - Montes teaching me how to make crepes with salmon and cheese, Mapi teaching Laura how to make Asturian clam risotto - and we listened to Celtic music in the background, spoke in Spanish, and really enjoyed a comfortable and fun time together over really great food and wine. After dinner, we all went to Montes' living room and watched a DVD of a Celtic musician - one that Laura and I knew well from our childhood - playing in the Alhambra in Granada. Montes poured various types of single malt Scotch into a small traditional Celtic silver cup, and we all passed it around as a bonding activity and enjoyed the music, with Montes pointing out all of his favorite parts, until late in the night.

I thought about the quote from before. Laura and I are 22 and 20, respectively, while Montes and his girlfriend are both about 50. Between us all, we speak 5 different languages, and hail from diverse and distant parts of the world. We've all had various life experiences, and while there are many things we all share in common - such as a love of the outdoors (we spent the entire following day riding horses in the mountains) - for that night, the music - el lenguaje de los sonidos - forged a certain close bond between us.

The value of time spent with others - so important, and so often lost today, with the melting economy and the hard-driving pace of work and school - really came through during that simple night. When we flew out of Asturias on Friday morning, Montes walked us through the tiny airport, saw us through to our gate, and made sure to tell us how much it meant to him that we felt it important to spend time with him and come to his homeland, and that we will forever have him as a friend.

The few days in Asturias were really the highlight of my trip.