Great Expectations - Spain

We had great expectations of Spain.  We were familiar with the language, love tapas and seafood, and heard wonderful things about it from many of our friends.  With high hopes, we arrived in Madrid on a one-way flight with no set departure date.

The city of Madrid has a lot going for it.  A wonderful transportation infrastructure would deliver us anywhere in the city quickly and affordably.  We were impressed with the parks which were numerous, vast, and well kept.  And overall, it seemed pretty safe.  Sadly though, we never quite "clicked" with the locals.

We wore our most congenial smiles and used our best Spanish language skills.  We also observed the local behavior and tried our best to emulate it.  Unfortunately, nearly every interaction was met with frowns and seemingly unnecessary complexity that made us feel exhausted and a bit unwelcome.

We hoped things would lighten up in the seaside town of Malaga, anticipating the soft sandy beach and fresh seafood.  The seafood didn't disappoint; it was some of the best we've had in Europe.  The beach was vast and had a lovely and lengthy boardwalk, but wasn't as picturesque as we were led to believe, and while we encountered a few welcoming souls in Malaga, we again ran into several more challenging personalities.

Most trains out of Malaga head north, so we decided to spend a few more days in Madrid to determine if we were being too quick to judge.  We thoroughly enjoyed a day taking in the expansive collection at the Prado Museum, but when things got difficult once more, we sought out the most familiar and comforting thing we could think of...an American language movie theater.  Here, we received a warm welcome from Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels in what could be described as the least mentally taxing movie of all time, 'Dumb and Dumber To'.  We ate popcorn, drank a few beers, and suspended reality for nearly two hours in our cocoon of ignorance...It was divine!

After day-trips to the beautifully fortified cities of Toledo and Avila, we decided it was time to move on.  Perhaps we had set the bar too high.  Perhaps we shouldn't have held preconceived notions.  But in the end, we can't help feeling just a little let down by our Spanish encounters.

Bringing Back Cocktail Hour – Minato Neighborhood, Tokyo, Japan

 Certified Kobe Beef...The Best Beef Ever!It seems only appropriate that our final Asia related blog entry pertains to the region’s amazing food, a theme we embraced and celebrated throughout our travels in this unique corner of the world.  Our decadent indulgence in certified Kobe beef, sourced from top-grade Japanese Tajima cattle, was generously sponsored as a birthday gift from Jenn’s family.

Our evening began with a relaxing walk to the Minato neighborhood of Tokyo, an area known for its internationally-acclaimed selection of restaurants.  A peaceful side-street led us to the unassuming door of Kobe Beef Kaiseki 511, a quiet and inviting venue.  A quick glance through the menu revealed a selection of multi-course dinners, each presenting Kobe beef in unique ways to highlight its tender, marbled flavors.

Jenn selected the Maeda course and Matt opted for the Hearth Baked Kobe Beef and Seafood course.  Each offering included eight reasonably sized, meticulously presented dishes.  A sample of items included:

• Consumme jelly-contained vegetables and Kobe beef
• Sakhalin surf clam rolled Kobe beef
• Butter roasted foie gras and bamboo shot with red wine sauce
• Steamed egg in a tea bowl mixed with Kobe beef
• Sea bream with champagne and wasabi sauce
• Kobe beef chirashi sushi
• Sautéed onion wrapped Kobe beef
• Hearth-baked Kobe beef steak
• A light and refreshing desert (surprisingly, not infused with juicy, beefy goodness!)

We paired the seemingly endless parade of dishes with a bottle of light-bodied and refreshing Kubota Manju saké.  With our sake glasses in hand, we offered a toast of Kanpai to Jenn’s family for making it a birthday meal that won’t soon be forgotten!