Iratxe Arrives today!

This girl, or our That Girl ( she reminds me of That Girl)  from the Basque country arrives today. Her name is pronounced EE-ra-tsay.   She is our daughter across the water.  We  spent 2 summers with her and we love her like she is one of our own kids.  Visiting on a 4 week trip in San Francisco for school, she doesn't want to spend her weekend doing touristic things in the city.  Since she has already done that on her previous trips... She prefers to spend them with us!  So we will figure out some fun things to do on the weekends while she is here.  

When we were in Spain for Christmas of 2014, she and her family took us all over their area, wined and dined us in true Basque style...  For those not familiar with Spanish culture, the Basque are KNOWN for their cooking.  There are cooking societies called Sociodad gastronomica (hope my spelling is correct) , It is usually men, but some allow women.   They go to cook and eat and socialize, think Loyal order of the Water Buffalo with guys cooking Flintstone sized cuts of meat.  Her dad pays a fee of I think he said $30 euros a year which includes unlimited use of the space for any party or event he wants to have.  They (the society) come and clean it up afterward...  It has dining for over 100 people, a huge commercial kitchen with a pit to cook goat, pig or cow outside and a fully stocked bar for cocktails.  You bring your own wine.   OMG the food her father cooked for us was amazing! 

Sadly, her mother passed away when she was eight.  We went to the village where her mother grew up, and where her parents were married.   A cute little Gothic village on the sea called Leucatia.  They have the family home here still but they only open it in the summer.  

all of us with her father, brothers and dads girlfriend

the lovely Gothic cathedral where her parents were married

the square by the harbor

a fishmonger selling fresh caught fish out of a little cart next to the water.  

a little island across the harbor that can be reached by foot on a sandbar at low tide

Iratxe, Yousef and Xabi

Iratxe and her dad

Mini Kings cakes... MAN I love these things!!!

Alberto cooking us a HUGE steak that is like a Porterhouse cut here in the States.

We really enjoyed our 2 days in the Basque country, and hope to spend more time there when we go again.  We really want to enjoy the few days we get with her doing something fun.  We are trying to think of something she would like that she hs not seen here in Nor Cal yet...  We know a trip to the outlets is a must, this girl is a shopper!  Gotta get our thinking caps on!