September 9, 10, 11, 2022

We were excited to spend another weekend with my family, this time in the beach town of Isla, in the Cantabrian Province. My cousin Marisa made a wonderful meal on Friday night. We spent the evening with Marisa, her husband Amador, her sons Josu and Iñigo, Iñigo’s wife Yoli, their beautiful daughters Lucia and Claudia, Marisa’s daughter Charo, her husband Ismael, and their sons Guillermo and Martín, my cousins Karmele, Mari Loli, and Andone, Andone’s daughter Amaia and her 2 also beautiful daughters Zoe and Xana. It’s amazing how much energy we had after a very long walk that day!

On Saturday we set out to find a laundromat in Isla, but the closest one was several kilometers away, and we decided to ask the hotel to do our wash for us. Worth it! We had lunch with Charo, Ismael, and their sons, and then cheered for Guillermo and his futbol team (Guille was fantastco!).

After futbol, we went to Santander for a ferry tour of this beautiful city. Being on the water on a hot day was a brilliant idea that Charo and Ismael had. Such a treat! I love ferries, and even though we couldn’t understand the guide who was explaining what we were seeing (and apparently cracking dumb jokes), Ismael helped to translate and to point out places of interest and historical importance. Afterwards, we had pintxos and wine, and made a stop at El Corte Ingles for a few bottles of wine for a family dinner the next day. If we lived here, I’d definitely spend time at El Corte Ingles! I remember going to that store in Madrid in 1973 with my Mom.

On Sunday, we planned to go to Marisa’s and Amador’s again, for a barbecue. Some of my cousins from Ermua met us at our hotel before walking to Marisa’s. We hadn’t seen Julen and his wife Arrate last weekend in Markina, and we were delighted that they were able to make it to Isla. Ismael, Inma, and Luken also came from Ermua, as well as Mikel and Ainara from Vitoria. So fun! In addition to the family that we saw on Friday, Josu’s wife Geno came, and their daughter María and their son Jesus. Besides a wonderful selection of barbecued meats, Marisa made Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding) for dessert! I heard that she makes “the best” arroz con leche, so I was really looking forward to that. On a scale of 1-10, I’d give it an 11.

Marisa is an amazing hostess. She made sure that we had plenty of sparkling water, wine, and food. Although it was a very hot day, they set up tents to keep us cool, and a breeze helped as well. I only wish that we’d taken more pictures of the family. I miss them already.