My first return trip to Spain to visit my college friend Andrés then living in Madrid. We were joined by his sister Cristina and her friend from Miami, and the four of us headed to Asturias in the north. Those were fun-filled days of carefree touring through the scenic Cantabrian Mountains, enjoying phenomenal regional cuisine, and visiting Andrés’ distant but welcoming relatives. His paternal grandfather left the village of Pola de Allande as a youth and headed to Puerto Rico, so this was a heritage trip of sorts for Andrés and Cristina. I was lucky to be able to tag along!