We left Leon to head North to Ponferrada where we met up with Katrina's friend Alberto who took us for a big lunch at his family home where we met his parents Alberto Senior and Maria and his sister Christina. Alberto Senior and Maria spoke no English, and of course we can't really speak Spanish, so Katrina and Alberto were slightly apprehensive about how it would go and whether they were going to be able to translate everything back and forth. It turned out to be such a wonderful day, where there was a lot of translation, a heap of Spanglish and outrageous gestures as both Spanish and English speaking parties were trying to communicate. We managed to have a four hour lunch and a night out together, really connecting as people despite the language barrier. We joked that Maria and Mum were the Spanish and English versions of each other. At no point was there no conversation! Christina spoke a little English but as the day continued on and everyone relaxed she tried a lot of what she knew on us and we encouraged her to keep going. She knew so much more than even her family knew! Katrina's Spanish also blew everyone away, she didn't even know she was that good! Very impressed.
Maria cooked us a traditional Spanish lunch with bread and meats, then seafood paella, then fresh fruit from the town, cake and of course sangria! Dad and Alberto tucked into the whisky :) After lunch Alberto Junior took us for a wander around his town. The Camino walk actually runs down the street next to his house so we wandered down that for a while and had a look at the houses and countryside. Then he took us to ... so we could dip our feet in the river, enjoy the small little town. Maria and Alberto Senior met us down there for more hilarious conversations of Spanglish, translation and larger than life hand gestures and actions. It's a beautiful place with a bridge crossing the river built by the Romans in the 12th Century. The weather was perfect so it was quite lively with lots of people swimming, picnicing and enjoying the sunshine on the patio bar.
It was about 8pm before we moved so we quickly went back to our hotel to shower and then met Alberto and his family in town for tapas. They took us to one of their favourite restaurants where they ordered a number of their favourite Spanish tapas dishes. These included potatoes, chips and omelet, squid and calamari, breads with caramelised onions and cheese, smoked salmon and pate and of course some great wine. All the fresh produce in Ponferrada is grown there so everything is so fresh and full of taste. We were so full by the end! After dinner we wandering through the town which was lit up with colourful lights illuminating the markets, lively bars and beautiful castle in the centre of the town. Like all the little Spanish towns we visited it was an extremely vibrant yet relaxed atmosphere, with the crowds of people enjoying food, wine, browsing the markets, socialising and dancing to all the different types of music you could hear around the town.
Around 1am we left Katrina to say good bye to her friends and headed back for the hotel. Maria and Alberto Senior were parked near our hotel so without our translators we set off with them home, and still managed to talk most of the way! I really hope we get to see them again one day, it was such a fantastic experience, something you don't get every day as a tourist so I feel very lucky. Next stop Santillana del Mar!
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