Tag Archives: Spain

100 Montaditios

Posted on by

6

One of my favorite places to eat in Spain is 100 Mondaditos.  It is a sandwich place that has just about every variety sandwich you can think of.

Every Wednesday everything on the menu is 1€, so a couple of my girlfriends and I decided we needed to go out to dinner tonight!

100 Montaditos, I love you!

 

Picture perfect setting, right on the beach at sunset!

As usual we were pretty much the only people in there. There were a couple of other occupied table but they were just having drinks, no one else eating.   6:30pm and you can guarantee the only people in a restaurant will be Americans!

Inside

The tables all have menu’s and order sheets so you just write down the number of the sandwich you want along with any sides, drinks, etc. Then just go up and hand it to the cashier, pay and sit down until they call your name.

Waiting at the counter, food please!

 

Beachside Rota, even better in summer when you can eat outside.

 

 

Montaditos and chips!

Here is how the montaditos arrive, a bunch on a plate with a pile of fresh potato chips in the center. The bread is this delicious crusty Spanish style bread. Now as to what we ordered: a couple of chicken caesar, one with kebab meat, one with Spanish tortilla (which is basically a potato frittata) and my absolute go to number one favorite, chorizo and brie. So. Good.

O couldn't wait any longer! Stop taking pictures mom!

 

Patatas con 4 salsas... yummy fries with 4 sauces - usually aioli, ketchup, taco and kebab. Comes with cute forks to eat them with (or fight with your sibling over - your choice)

Dessert!

Okay, I know it looks wierd but this is a dessert montadito. Yummy crusty warm bread filled with chocolate. Let it sit for a minute so it gets nice and melty. They also have a version with a berry sauce added. You would never believe that a chocolate sandwich would be delicious. My kids go nuts for them (and were COVERED in melty chocolate)

Lucky for anyone stateside, 100 Montaditos is going to be opening stores in the U.S.! While I don’t know if they are going to have the same delicious combos, you have to go try them if you see them!

My happy place – Puerto Sherry

Posted on by

2

Puerto Sherry is what I pictured Spain would be like before we moved here.

I thought my house would look like these houses (not knowing we didn’t have a choice and HAD to live on base!)

Hello beautiful houses, will you be mine?

Puerto Sherry is where I go when I start to feel bummed about living overseas (I really do love it, it’s an awesome opportunity and I am going to miss the hell out of it when we leave but it can be challenging!)

As a matter of fact I DO love bougainvillea arching over my windows! I’ll take this one!

Puerto Sherry is a charming neighborhood that is parked right on the bay and has a small group of restaurants and a small beach.  The parking is pretty horrible (par for the course in Spain – when someone tells you about a restaurant the parking situation is one of the biggest pros/cons!) But there are parking lots and if you go during ‘American’ dining times as opposed to Spanish, you are fine.

Now our favorite place to eat? Blanca Paloma.  It is a small Italian restaurant that actually has another larger twin a few miles away. However there is no competition when it comes to the view!

The kiddos hanging out on the rocks next to the tables…

Big O and little O, hanging out at Blanco Paloma. You can see the beach in the background.

The kiddos and I last Mother’s Day… (A little blurry but you can see the city of Cadiz in the background)

Cutie pie!

A few things about this picture… first of all look at that great house behind O… And it’s for sale!! Also see the street right there? The street actually runs between the restaurant and the outdoor seating.  The outdoor seating is on a little strip that sits right on the water. The street ends at a small parking area so there isn’t really a ton of traffic. Also hey look there is Blanca Paloma’s phone number just in case you feel like giving them a call!

The view along the rocks, always LOTS of fishermen

Why can’t I have this roof on my house!!

M posing!

Puerto Sherry, Blanca Paloma, get there. You won’t regret it.

It’s the Little Things {new shoes & Saturdays}

Posted on by

1

The little things that made my week:

Mama got a new pair of shoes… Of course the LAST thing I needed was another pair of impractical heels but damn it, I just can’t resist! $30 and hey I wore them to the mall today so at least they won’t be sitting unworn in my closet!

Yay for new shoesies!

Friday night I went to Bunco with some friends, I only knew a couple of people that were there and was a little bit nervous about going but it ended up being SO much fun. Bunco is basically Yahtzee for inebriated women.  Ended up being there until after 1am and then caught a ride back to base…. I think some of the hard core ladies were going to go out on the town for drinks… Have fun, I was wiped out!

My husband dragging me out for a 3.75 run/walk (that really should be walk/run because my butt is WAY outta shape) It was horrible but I’m still glad I did it… He had to keep running ahead and doubling back because I am so slow so he probably ran more like 6 miles!

And to make up for the run, we had dinner at McDonald’s! We RARELY eat fast food, maybe once a month so it was a yummy treat. I do love me some Big Macs, and the fries here are WAY better than stateside.
Linking up with Lindsey from Aisle to Aloha!

Aisle to Aloha

Working in Spain

Posted on by

1

The work situation here in Spain isn’t the best.  If you need two incomes to survive you may have some trouble once you get here.

Every country that has a U.S. Military presence also has a SOFA agreement put into place.  A SOFA agreement is the Status of Forces Agreement and pretty much outlines how the military is allowed to function in that community.  One important part of the SOFA agreement states that NO Americans can work off base and that there must be seven Spanish employees for every three American employees on base.

This SOFA agreement impacts the job availability on the base and reduces the job opportunities.  There are pretty much only three options for working on base; the commissary, the Navy exchange and MWR. Oh wait, four, also the elementary/high school.

The first two years we lived here I didn’t work.  I stayed busy with little O and volunteering at my daughter’s school.  I had a great group of friends and enjoyed staying home and living here.  When I did finally go back to work I applied at the commissary (which is the military grocery store) and was hired as a teller – basically a front end supervisor.  The commissary employs Americans as tellers, stockers, and upper management.  I believe all of the jobs are GS jobs which come with benefits and get you in on the GS job ladder.  All cashiers are Spanish.  Upper management is hired from the states (at least all the people that were working there when I did had worked at other commissaries stateside and then transferred here).  I LOVED working there. It was my first opportunity to really get to know some of the locals really well and they were all so. much. fun.  I would still be working there except for the hours. It’s retail and the hours reflect that. ALL my shifts were closing shifts and I hated working weekends.  Other than that I really enjoyed it and loved chatting with everyone coming in to shop. I felt like I got to talk to everybody on base every day! Bagging is also a popular job, but it is working for tips so if you are counting on the money that can be iffy.

The exchange is the same situation, retail hours.  Americans run register, stock and are in management.

When I left the commissary I applied at the Child Development Center or CDC.  It is the daycare on base and is under the umbrella of Morale, Welfare and Recreation.  I used to nanny so I had experience.  I met some more great people here, there is a pretty good mix of Americans and Spanish working here.  There are both GS and NAF positions.  NAF positions don’t have the same benefits as GS but are easier to get hired into.  There are a number of different classrooms and the center is open from 6:30-5:30 and closed on weekends so the hours are pretty good.  I worked in the classroom for a few months before getting hired for the front desk position.  I’ve really been enjoying it and once again, love getting the chance to talk to everyone coming in. MWR is also in charge of the movie theaters, restaurants, the library, bowling alley, the gym, ITT and Liberty.  They post available job positions online in case you want to see just what is available – Rota MWR Job Listings.

The elementary and high school also employ spouses, kindergarten aide positions, lunch monitors, and substitute teachers are the most common.  There aren’t a ton of positions open but if you have teaching experience you may be able to get hired.

One issue is that soon there will be American ships stationed here, something that will increase the population on the base but won’t really create more jobs.  So there will probably be much more competition for the jobs that are currently available.

If you have a degree and want to use it you probably won’t be able to.  And if you don’t have a degree this is the perfect time to finish it! It seems like EVERYONE is attending college here, from Associate’s to Graduate degree programs.

So that is the job situation on base.  I’m really looking forward to moving somewhere where I will actually be able to do something that is in my actual degree/career field. Hawaii is just perfect for that!

It’s the Little Things {sunsets and strongbows}

Posted on by

1

Pretty laid back week around here although we have been awfully busy at work. I’m finally feeling comfortable in my new position and have been rearranging closets and shredding outdated paperwork all week.  I’ve been going through closets and toys at home as well. I went to housing and picked up the key for the other half of our duplex and we are going to use their storage to start sorting through all of our keep/sell/toss stuff so we can move with only stuff we want/need.

Onto my little things to be thankful for:

We went out with my friend Sheree to a quick dinner.  Sunset on the beach, it was perfect timing. Chilly though! I cannot WAIT until summer!

Strongbow cider. My friend Dana introduced me to this at ol’ Molly Malone’s, our local Irish pub.  It is delicious!  While it’s better on tap I was super excited to find it in cans!

One of my FAVORITE things, a three-day weekend!  All of us are off on Monday and we are looking forward to relaxing all weekend long! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekends as well!

Linking up with Aisle to Aloha’s

Little Things Friday Link Up

Gibraltar, a little bit of Britain right next door!

Posted on by

1

One of the first trips that we took when we moved here way back in 2008 was taking a day trip to Gibraltar.

The Rock. It just pops up out of nowhere. It's HUGE!

At that time we weren’t that comfortable driving around yet (I think we had been here for a month) but our local Information, Tickets & Travel (ITT) office offered tours.

The tour was by bus with a pit stop/coffee stop halfway there.  While it was nice to not have to worry about driving, we realized just what an easy trip  this was and have since done it two more times.  It only takes about an hour and a half from Rota (if that).

The most important thing is that you MUST bring your PASSPORT!!! I know SO many people who have gotten to the border and thought that government ID was okay. Passports are a necessity!

The best way to get onto the rock is by parking on the Spain side of the border in the town of La Linea.  There is a McDonald’s right across the street with a large parking garage underneath. Parking is cheap and it is a 5 minute walk to the border.  U.S. passport holders get waved through (at least we were, maybe we are just very non-threatening looking).

Crossing into Gibraltar

Here is what we like to do:

Don’t hop on a tour right away, grab one of the local buses and take it downtown.  It runs a Euro or two per person (cheaper for kids), buy a round trip ticket it’ll save time later.  The bus will take you downtown and drop you off in front of the Casemate Gate.

Enter through here!

Once you walk through the gate you will arrive on Casemate Square.  The square has a great selection of restaurants (including some chain ones like BK and Pizza Hut if you are just fiending for a taste of America).

When my mom came this past September we wandered around the square before deciding on one with a tasty looking menu.

Waiting for some lunch...

O was just in a mood and nothing could make him happy.  I think he finally came around with some Fanta Naranja and fries stolen from our plates.

Not hungry, just hot and cranky. And don't even THINK about looking at him.

Funniest reaction EVER!

So my mom ordered fish and chips since we were somewhere English.  She was not expecting them to bring her a entire half of a fish.  What is really funny (besides her disgusted look) was that the fish turned out to be excellent and she was SO happy she had ordered it.

Also in Casemate Square is Gibraltar Crystal.  My mother-in-law was contemplating a return visit to Spain just to be able to go back and shop at this store.  They have a demonstration area set up so you can watch them blow glass, always fascinating.  You can get find some nice pieces to take home for £10-15. Of course some of the one of a kind pieces are several hundred pounds.

As far as currency goes, in Gibraltar both pounds and euro are accepted.  I recommend just using euro because if you do happen to pull out Gibraltar pounds from and ATM or exchange money to get some and you don’t use them all you aren’t going to be able to use them anywhere else.  Gibraltar pounds have the same exchange rate as traditional pounds but can’t be used anywhere else in the world.  Stick with euro!

Right off of the main square there is a promenade that takes you through the center of downtown and along lots more shops and cafes.  Plenty of photo opportunities with phone booths,

cannns,

the man himself, Lord Nelson,

Taken in 2008 our first visit. Look at baby O!

Gibraltar has SO much history, it can be difficult to take in during the course of one visit.  It has been occupied by so many different groups and has been the center of so many different conflicts.  Because of this there are quite a few memorials as well as a cemetery to walk through.

One of the beautiful gardens along the walk.

Once you’ve done enough walking and/or eating it’s time to hop on one of the rock tours.  While there is a gondola that takes you up to the top (it is cheaper than the van tours) I recommend shelling out the money.  The van tours only cost 20 euro per person and if you have  a child that can sit on your lap you don’t have to pay for them.  There are a few different itineraries but pretty much all of them hit St. Michael’s Caverns and the Siege Tunnels.  Not every tour will hit the Pillar of Hercules, Europa Point or top of the rock.  The drivers are full of information and every one we have ever had has been quite the character.

Pillar of Hercules with Grandma Carol

Europa Point - Morocco is over there somewhere (Also 2008 photo)

But EVERY tour will take you to see the monkeys.  Oh the monkeys.

Hello mama!

The Gibraltar apes are world famous.  It is said that as long as there are apes in Gibraltar the British will hold onto the rock (even if replenishment from some of their African cousins is necessary as was necessary during WWII).  The apes are Barbary macaques and are very bold.  They love to steal from unsuspecting tourists.  We have seen them dig into purses and backpacks, jump into people’s cars to steal food and grab any plastic bag in sight.

One of the great things about having a driver is the fact that they come with treats to get the monkeys up close and personal for photo ops.  This was our very first driver, Charlie. He was awesome. A crusty old Gibraltarian he had no problems sharing with the monkeys:

Charlie feeding monkeys peanuts from his mouth.M in 2009. I need to steal the photos from my mom's camera for some from 2011.

The second time we went back our driver was actually Charlie’s son-in-law. Small rock!

During the hot summer months the stop at St. Michael’s Caverns is much appreciated.  These natural caverns were used as a hospital during WWII, and are currently used as a performance hall.  There are lots of super cool rock formations, although taking pictures in the dark is a pain in the butt.

Cross section of a fallen stalagmite. (stalactite? I always forget.)

While walking all along these attractions you will see these iron rings sticking out from the rock.  These were used before the road was present (oh my God. What a road it is, if you think coastline driving in California is bad, this will scare you silly. There are turns where the van has to stop and make a three point turn, just to drive down the switchback! Also for the drivers to get licensed to do tours on the rock they have to drive the entire thing backwards! Yikes!) Anyways, these rings were used to hoist things like cannons and supplies from the base of the rock up to the top courtesy of some donkey power. I love old metal. I seriously took 20 pictures of these rings.

Iron rings all along the face of the rock.

The Siege Tunnels are built into the side of the rock and have ventilation points that conveniently double as cannon ports.

The entrance to the Siege Tunnels.

2009, more cannon sitting!

The tunnels end here:

The view from the tunnels. That is the Gibraltar airport and also the only road onto the rock. The main road crosses the runway and in the event of a take-off or landing the road is closed and the runway is swept for debris.

Clouds rolling over the rock, it was crazy seeing this from the top!

Gibraltar is a great day trip and one of our favorite places to take visitors to our little corner of Europe! Got a question, let me know!