It’s pretty ironic that the name of my little town is Cariño because in Spanish, cariño is used as a term of endearment. Basically it means “darling.” This word is a perfect fit for this town. It’s the cutest place I have ever seen and the people are so nice. So the title of my post exudes exactly how I feel about this village…”My darling Cariño.”
On my second day here, I decided to take a stroll (un camino) through the town. The narrow streets go up into the hillside, but the main part of the city is along the cove line, and I walked up and down it several times yesterday. Basically everything is close to everything. Cariño is in the northwest corner of Spain. It occupies around 46.2 km2, which is about 28.7 square miles. When looking out onto the cove, the Atlantic ocean is to its northwest, and the Cantabrian Sea is to its east.
Everyone that I talk to describes Cariño as muy tranquillo, which means very tranquil/calm. As many of you know, the Spanish take part in a very relaxed daily routine. Businesses open at a normal time, but close during the day for a few hours. This is the siesta that we’ve all heard about. Well, Cariño definitely participates in this tradition to the fullest! Only restaurants and bars are open. Forget about doing anything but spending time with friends and eating during this time…oh, of course taking a nap (una siesta) is totally acceptable as well. A good friend of mine nicknamed me “Busy Bakes,” which many of you know fits me perfectly. But I hope this name becomes only a memory after my time in Cariño.
I will have much more to say about my village as I get to know it better. For now, take a peek at my scenery for the next 8 or so months!
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It looks so awesome! Great photos :)
Thanks V!
Me encanta tus fotos! Your town really does look, well, darling. :)
It’s funny that you mention the slower pace of life and how you’re adjusting to that. I keep reminding myself to just “relajate” and slow down a bit… Hopefully siestas will become part of our normal routine sooner rather than later. ;)
I’ve taken a siesta 2 days in a row! I can definitely get used to this. I keep thinking that I’m not doing enough either…it will be a struggle for a while to slow down.
Love the picture of the apartments! (#3 especially LOL) Hope you are doing well. Miss ya!
P.S. you need to send me your skype name so we can arrange a date soon :-)
Did I give this to you already? Here it is again if I did: christine.baker328
Wow! I don’t think you’ll be back to the crazy states:0) That is a beautiful place rain or shine. Glad things are good for you. I glad we had a chance to hang before you left. Felicidades chica! TTYS!
Thanks Charode! I’m so glad we got to hang out too. We’ll be sure to stay in touch this time!
What a wonderful beginning chapter to your book of life in Spain. Please keep us all posted on your adventures.
Much love
Jamie
It’s still a bit surreal to be here living this life. It’s so exciting, and I’ve been practicing a lot of spanish. I’m excited to have a place where I can share all my adventures with family and friends. Thanks for the love Jamie!
Looks really Christine! I hope you everything goes well. Thanks for blogging, we’ll follow your journey. Lots of love from Seal Beach.
I mean looks really “great” ” beautiful” “wonderful”…
Thanks for the love!
Well, that’s quite a change from living in the US! Long time no see/chat Christine! Great blog…thanks for sharing about your adventures and experience in Spain…I’ve only been once, but back in early 90’s…so how are things??
The pictures are great…I bet the Siestas will never get old though!!
Jazmyne is a Freshman now at VSAA and BJ is 9, 5th Grade at St Joe’s…time flies crazy fast, eh??
Be well and again, congrats on living the dream in Spain!! Peace,
Ed Bisquera, Social Media Director
Bond Social Media Agency LLC
Thanks Ed! I can’t believe how big your kids are. Everything here is really great so far, and yes…I’m loving the siestas!