Friday, March 28, 2025
As both our season and our time in Gijón, Spain continue to wind down, today we took time to do a bit of souvenir shopping and then meet up with an old teammate from our 2015 days coaching the Murcia Cobras in the southeast of Spain.
We started our souvenir shopping
in the Plaza del Marquez
This view never gets old to me . . .
. . . and neither does this one of the harbor
She has always had a soft spot
for a man in uniform
We visited two or three key shops to find the usual items that one finds to inspire sweet memories of a time well spent living on the Costa Verde.
Feeling good as always having boosted the local economy, we then headed over to the Plaza Mayor for a much needed cafe con leche and a pintxo of tortilla.
This is our go-to spot on the Plaza Mayor
Their drinks and food are always good and it was a perfect spot to meet an out of town friend.
This was our view of the Plaza Mayor
while sipping our cafe con leches
At High Noon, the bells of the Plaza Mayor's
Ayuntamiento/City Hall started pealing
Just as the bells ended their serenade, up strode our friend.
Spanish Army Sargent Alberto Talavera
Chinook Helicopter Pilot and
former Murcia Cobras Wide Receiver
Alberto was a young WR for the Cobras in 2015 when we lived and coached in Murcia. He was young enough back then to star on our Junior team while still suiting up for Senior team contests to provide valuable depth.
His mother Rosa and step-father Oscar welcomed us into their home and lives with open arms from the first day of our six month stay of that long ago 2015 season.
Later that same year, Alberto came to Camarillo and spent three months living with us, working on improving his knowledge of the English language, absorbing all that he could about American culture and honing his American football skills by working out with our Newbury Park H.S. J.V. football team all Summer long.
As noted, Alberto is in the Spanish Army and is stationed in Madrid. He came up for just the day to visit us.
AWESOME!
A photo or twelve by the Gijón sign
was a MUST!
We were looking especially GOOD today!
Groupies, what can one really do
about the bold ones amongst them?
She and her large group of friends were visiting Gijón from Tenerife in the Canary Islands. I had taken their group photo by this iconic sign a few minutes before this and one of them was now reciprocating by taking ours.
I suppose that my raw animal magnetism was simply too much for her to resist.
Así es la vida . . .
We continued to stroll about our adopted Costa Verde home city, showing Alberto all of its charm and beauty.
Of course, we shopped some more as well.
Eventually, hunger set in.
The Menú lunch at El Rincon de Toni
The food, drink and friendship all mixed flawlessly.
After lunch, we continued our sightseeing and then returned to the apartment where we sat and talked for hours before I had to get a move-on to our last practice of the season.
It was truly a wonderful day reconnecting with Alberto.
In the final analysis, lasting friendships like this one are what playing and coaching should all be about.
Absolutely True!
Well, this was something different
A horse and two of its best friends at the cross walk by our practice field as I got off the ever reliable #1 bus.
The local Women's Rugby team
had the field until 9:00 p.m. tonight
One of their drills in action
At precisely 9:00 p.m., the four rugby teams that were simultaneously working out on the field left and our Mariners stepped on to hold a short, light walk-through practice.
We will host the Osos Rivas (4-3) on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in what will be the Mariners' (1-6) season finale.
The Osos are in Second Place in the Serie A Western Conference standings and win, lose or draw tomorrow, that will not change.
They are set to play the Eastern Conference Champion Badalona Dracs in the opening round of the Serie A National Championship tournament in a couple of weeks in Barcelona.
We lost to the Osos in Madrid, 38-0, back on February 15th.
Our practice was ever up-beat, focused and relaxed.
Though the Las Vegas sports books have us as heavy underdogs on Saturday, one never knows.
That's why we play the game.
You can watch the game that kicks off at on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Savings Time by clicking on this YouTube link:
Go Mariners GO!
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