Mushroom Hunting!

Today was possibly one of the most FANTASTIC days!

Hannah and I climbed into Montse's car early this morning and began our hour plus drive to the mountains. I was wondering why Hannah was so quiet and when we finally got there she said she had been busy trying to resist the urge to puke because she was car sick. The fresh air will do us good.

We got out of the car and walked around to the back. Montse pulled out three wicker baskets and our faces lit up. I was so excited! Spain has had an unusually dry winter which means that the mushrooms are scarce. There is actually a mushroom crisis. I see updates on the news about it. So we weren't expecting much, which is good because we didn't find much. But, god, it was fun! We were just hanging out and walking through the trees.

Being out in nature has always been therapeutic and relaxing for me. And although I don't believe in God I always feel most spiritual in nature. The day was beautiful. The air was clean and fresh and the leaves were turning beautiful yellows. We were surrounded by cute little streams and breath taking waterfalls. Hannah especially loved it because it reminded her a little of home and the nature that she is so accustomed to in Maine.

But we didn't come away completely empty handed. We returned with a bag full of wild chestnuts and four precious mushrooms.

CHECK OUT MY FLICKR PICTURES! THEY ARE REALLY AMAZING!
Here's a few to wet the palette. You can find the rest by pasting this link into your browser:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigsy/sets/72157622726200039/






Where would we be without our handy guide book?




Monste, you're the best!