Ayuntamiento, Astorga
As we began traveling back to Madrid we stopped for a day in Astorga. Our hotel was near the
Plaza Mayor where the ayuntamiento is located. I remember waiting to watch and hear the bells
ring at the ayuntamiento.

It was exciting to be back in Castilla y León. During the bus ride to Santiago de Compostella
from Madrid, I remember being excited to see the dry empty landscape along the freeway. It is
what I picture when I think of Spain. It is comforting like home. In Astorga, I went to dinner
with some of the other students. We ordered tortilla de patatas. We were pleasantly surprised
when the waiter brought two inch tall slices of tortilla to our table. We had been expecting the
thin tortillas like those served in the rest of Spain.

A tortilla in Spain is not the same as a tortilla in the United States. Americans would call these
tortillas "Spanish omlets." They are made out of egg and full of potatoes that have been browned
in olive oil. They also have onions in them. Many other ingredients can be added. The tortillas
in Castilla y León are circular and about two inches tall. The tortillas in other regions are
circular and about a half an inch thick.