The entire time I've been in Europe I've been looking for (but rarely finding) an "authentic" local experience.

It's been more difficult than I thought to escape tourism, but in Logrono - a tiny town in northern Spain - we finally succeeded.

There are no Starbucks, no McDonalds, no cheesy tourist trap activities, no crowds (except for the usual crowds that might gather in a small town.) In addition, in two days, we have not run into anyone that speaks English. A couple people here and there speak 1-2 words of English (even the "English speaker" at the office of tourismo had trouble talking with us) so I have had to switch completely into Spanish mode. The only way to do anything around here is to use Spanish.

Not only have I been amazed by how much Spanish I know, but also by how exhausted my brain is after the last two days.

Living in another language (and a language I haven't used in 5 years at that) is probably the craziest thing I've had to do in some time, but it's been amazing. I've managed to talk shop at local boutiques, discuss the controversy behind bull-fighting and the history of Rioja wine, and I even got us 2 free glasses of some amazing reserva rioja at a tapas bar because I befriended the owner.

Dan habla no espanol, and I think it's been a rough two days for him, just following me around and trying to follow the conversations. I can't even imagine how I'd feel if the tables were turned. I also can't even imagine what I would do if we were in a small town where German or Czech or French was the only language.

I didn't realize how much "tourist" towns provided an extra layer of assistance, and how much more difficult it is when you take the road less traveled. But in spite of the added difficulty, this has probably been one of the most rewarding and memorable stops of the trip.