Day 115 - Running, Hiking, and making Tortizza!
/The Run
I finally got out for a run today! Hurray for me. I really dislike running in big cities because of all the traffic lights you have to stop at, so I made that my excuse and did not run at all while we were in Barcelona. In my defense I did do some yoga at the apartment, but overall I really was not very motivated.
But here, I don't have the same excuse. The weather is just perfect and there are barely every any cars to be seen, let alone traffic lights!
I headed out, and as the runner's high kicked in I kept going and enjoyed getting lost and frequently greeted(?) by random dogs that followed me for parts of my run. Asides from the crazy hills, this place is truly what a runner's dreams are made of :)
The Hike
It was so beautiful out that a 4.25 mile didn't completely tire me out. So we all decided to head out for a hike around the house, towards a dam that my husband had discovered during one of his runs.
On our way, I was really curious as to what the small stone shed looking structures are that I have been seeing here and there on various properties. We peeked into the "window" opening and wouldn't you know it, we discovered that it's a well and it had quite a bit of water in it!
We also saw a pomegranate tree! So far we have seen olive, almond, mango, lemon, clementine, and now pomegranate trees! We also saw a butterfly that enjoyed its photoshoot, 2 very friendly donkeys that we named Cute & Cuter, and some more gorgeous landscape scenery.
The Dam
After saying hello to literally only 3 people we encountered on our walk, we arrived at the dam. At the moment, there is barely any water on either side, as summer is usually a very dry season here. However, during the wetter seasons the water must rise quite a bit to require this large dam.
We all had fun walking across the dam. Asides from the Hoover Dam in Arizona, this was the only other dam I have walked on in my life, and it was the first for the kids, who had a lot of questions about what a dam is and why does it have holes at the bottom, etc etc.
Since there was no one around to stop us, and no locks on the gate to the stairs that led to the bottom, we took advantage and headed on down to see the dam and the stream up close. We also took a quick snack break.
Not a whole lot of water, but it was still very neat to be able to see a dam from such proximity with no one around but us.
The kids were champs and hiked the entire time. It wasn't a very long hike/walk, but as I mentioned before it is very hilly here. A great exercise for the whole family.
The Tortizza (Quick Lunch for Hungry Hikers!)
Have you ever made "pizza" on a tortilla before? If you have, you know how easy and quick this meal is to make. We used to make quesedillas with tortilla and shredded cheese in the oven, but in Barcelona we did not have an oven, so my hubby came up with the idea of making "pizza" on a tortilla on the stove! We call this Tortizza (apparently that's what they're actually known as, so I guess we aren't that clever)!
Here is how you can do it too... It is simple and quick... a perfect lunch when paired some fruit or yogurt :)
What you need:
1. Tortillas
2. Tomato Sauce
3. Shredded Cheese
4. A frying pan and its lid (or anything really that would cover the pan and allow for the cheese to melt)
How you do it:
1. Put a tortilla in the pan (no oil) on low/medium heat until the bread starts to get a bit crispy
2. Flip the tortilla
3. Spread a bit of tomato sauce on the tortilla
4. Spread some shredded cheese
5. Cover the pan and allow the cheese to melt
6. Remove your Tortizza from the pan
Bon Appetite! You can of course dress it up a bit, but our kids love them simple.