Dear Readers,
To continue on with last week’s theme of navigating what I’ve determined to be non-navigable Spanish airports, I now want to offer some key tips if you’ve made it out on to the major highways of Spain.
On the way to your city of destination you will inevitably pass through a number of tolls. Tolls are called “Peajes.” All of the Peajes accept major credit cards, which is incredibly convenient if you haven’t converted your USD. And speaking of converting, make sure you travel with a debit card, not cash. If you pull money out via an ATM once in Spain, the banks won’t charge your card a conversion fee that most currency exchange offices would. The key, however, is to make sure you’re only withdrawing cash twice a week. Withdraw more than two times a week and the bank will send you a notice informing you that they’re going to begin charging you a conversion fee.
Along the drive through Spain, I suggest stopping several times along the way to get some fresh air, drink coffee, and have a bocadillo. Typical rest stops will include just that and much more. Rest stops in Spain are much different than the US; at Spanish rest stops, there is no such thing as a to-go cup. Rest stops include bathrooms and nice coffee bars and restaurants, where people can sit and enjoy their meal and coffee before getting back in the car.
Coffee references:
cafe con leche – 50% coffee with 50% steamed milk
cafe solo – espresso
cafe cortado – coffee with a small amount of milk
Bocadillo (artisan bread) styles:
bocadillo con jamon y queso – artisan bread with cured meat and cheese (go with Iberico ham as opposed to Serrano- it’s a little extra $$$, but eliminating the strings of fat in your teeth is worth it to me).
bocadillo con tortilla – artisan bread with tortilla; Spanish omelet.
Draft beer is called Cana, pronounced CAN – YA. If you ask for a cerveza they will give you a bottle of beer. Don’t confuse the two! Tradition for me is that every time I arrive to Spain’s Barajas airport I always sit down for a few minutes and enjoy a draft beer at the exiting terminal. It gets me extremely pumped for the trip and the days to come traveling the country.
If you have to stop for gas, then say, Por favor, llena el tanque. Make sure you know whether your tank is diesel or regular gasoline. I know it’s obvious, but I made this mistake one time. Not fun 
And one last piece of advice about the open road: speeding. Don’t go over the speed limit by more than 20 KMs. And if you see someone called Guardia Civil, be scared. They are the hard-core country police. Be careful not to speed by them, because they are not pleasant to interact with.
Courtesy of Spain-Recipes.com, this week’s simple recipe will be:
Barbecued Mini Ribs
These tasty ribs are known as Costillas in Spain. They are delicious cooked on a barbecue and almost as good when cooked under a hot grill. If you prefer a sweeter flavor, use freshly squeezed orange juice instead of the sweet sherry (Serves 6-8).
Ingredients
-1 sheet of pork ribs, about 1 1/2 lb
-6 tablespoon sweet sherry
-1 tablespoon tomato purée (paste)
-1 teaspoon soy sauce
-1 tablespoon brown sugar
-2 tablespoon seasoned plain (all-purpose) flour
-Coarse sea salt
Preparation
Separate the ribs, then, using a meat cleaver or heavy knife, cut each rib in half width ways to make about 30 pieces.
Mix the sherry, tomato purée, soy sauce, Tabasco, and sugar in a bowl. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Put the seasoned flour in a strong plastic bag, then add the ribs and toss to coat.
Dip each rib in the sauce. Cook on a hot barbecue or under a hot grill (broiler) for 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally until cooked and a little charred.
Sprinkle with salt and serve!
Entender es Disfrutar!
~Josh
