I hate goodbyes even little ones. Must be the reason why, I got the nickname Disapenny cause when it was time for me to go, I'd just disappear without a peep. Ok well, I used to do that in part because I hated to say goodbye AND if I did start out the door, my good drunken friends would hold me hostage for another couple of hours pouring drinks to where I wouldn't know my own name at some point.
So I began my farewell tour of Spain with Tio yesterday. The morning was freezing and it has become a common sight to see mist/fog rising off the hills as soon as the sun hits. I am in about 7 layers of clothes sitting in Tio's car. As we peel out of the driveway, I make the sign of the cross. The windshield is all fogged up and I tell him he needs to turn on the heat cause he's driving straight into the sun with no vision. He tells me he doesn't have it. Huh?
I start laughing as I have become the manual defrost. Here's the picture: me with a cloth wiping the window in front of him while we're speeding down the highway. He's got one hand on the wheel and the other blocking the sun. I just kept thinking "You asked for it!". So I did.
After a couple of stops which included a nifty stop the car sorta on the side of the road to cross the highway and knock on a stranger's door for directions, I pondered if I should get out of the car in case a truck would come round the bend and sideswipe me. It was too friggin' cold to get out of it so I stayed in and we eventually got to Covadonga.
Covadonga is an area where the Spanish beat back the Moors in a legendary battle around 700 AD. Their savior, Pelayo, is celebrated here with a church, and a chapel built into the side of a mountain. The first thing we see is this waterfall coming out under the cave. At the bottom is a the fountain of the seven spouts where legend has it ladies of a marriageable age who drink from it will become married in one year. Okey dokey.
Tio starts to tell me about the place and tells me to think of what I want in a boyfriend and then throw some money into the lake below to get it. What is it with the Catholic church and money?!?! So I start to pull out some coinage when he tells me it's too much. "But I want a good one!" I say. He gives me a 5 cent piece and tells me seriously to think of what I want.
I have a lot fun with this cause I start to name off all the things I want and realize I sound like Spaulding from Caddyshack. "I want a cheeseburger. I want fries. I want a coke." And on my fifth or sixth thing, I'm getting into fleshing out this mystical man. Tio at some point finally says "Just throw it in already."
I give the 5 cent piece a kiss and throw it in with a laugh. Tio is smiling and tells me now we'll have to wait and see. I ask "Since I threw in 5 cents can I get 5 boyfriends?" He laughs and says "One good one is all you need."
We check out the church up top as I am getting a full guided tour from Tio. He even tells me this is the place where his parents had their honeymoon over a hundred years ago. As we go into the church the confessional is open. I ask Tio if he needs it and he says no he only has small sins. Then he asks me seriously if I want to do it and I tell him I don't need it cause I'm a saint. Get a good laugh from him on that one.
Get our fill of Covadonga and a bit of lunch. He asks me if I want to see the lakes at the Picos de Europa and assures me he'll drive slow this time. It's a gorgeous, clear, fall day and I have read a lot about these mountains. I really want to see it and after examining the road think it won't be too bad.
Wrong!
The first part isn't too bad. The road is big enough for two cars and we pass a cow in the middle of it starting up. Then we keep winding up and up and up. The road narrows to a one lane road and I'm again on the side where the edge drops off. He's just chatting away and I''m looking down to analyze the car roll factor pinpointing the ones where we'd maybe survive. "See it's not too bad, there's even a wall." he says delightfully. Yeah, in some places!
I keep thinking "We've got to be at the top now, right?" when we would reach another bend and I see more of that partial wall inching up higher and higher. To his credit he is going slower and is even honking his horn when we go around a curve where you can't see if another car will come colliding into you.
I feel as if I'm on a reverse rollercoaster going up and up but there's no release. My heart is pumping and feels like it is about to explode out of my chest at any moment. My arteries are getting a cholesterol cleanse for all the patatas fritas I've been eating for the last three months and it hurts.
We reach this point at the top where there is a beautiful lake, cows, and sheep grazing everywhere. I spot more road and he keeps wanting to go higher. Finally, I can't take it anymore and yelp "No more!" when I see a point where we can stop and argue about it. He realizes I'm not going to budge and after explaining my fear of heights he gives in.
At that point I start running around taking pics while he talks to motorcyclists. It's gorgeous and worth the death defying trip up. Good god, Spain has so many beautiful places. You could spend several lifetimes getting to them all.
The suns going to start setting and so it's time to go. The ride down isn't as bad as the one up thankfully. He shows me the vista and at one point stops the car for me to take pics but I nervously say "uh, keep going - i can take them while moving." Dude likes to stop in the middle of roads.
I'm exhausted. I realize why trips with Tio wear me out. It's cause I'm driving but not in control of anything. Even though I've never been here before, I'm pointing out the way we need to go after looking over a couple maps. Telling him to stop and use the road when we're about to drive up onto a sidewalk and ram people smoking. Essentially I'm driving without driving.
After another quick stop for directions, he tells to me I'm a very good co-pilot. No shit! He tells me he needs a good co-pilot and offers to pay me for it. Tells me I can stay in Spain. I'd probably age faster than him sitting in that car too much. One good thing about the mountain drive, I'm not scared of his normal driving anymore as we speed into the setting sun. He's happy as a lark telling me stories about other family from the states that have visited him. I'm glad we did this.
We get back to the house and I thank him for a very good day. He smiles and I run off to the cafe to have a beer to stop the adrenaline machine that is my heart.
When I sit down, the owner of the cafe I visit just about every morning to write asks me when I leave Spain. I tell him next week. He shakes a finger at me and tells me I better say goodbye. "Of course!" I say in English with a smile and then say in Spanish that this is my house in the morning. I get the equivalent of Spanish love - food. A small piece of bread with fish pate tomatoes and lettuce appears.
I hate goodbyes... Maybe I need my 5 boyfriends to help soothe me.
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