tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18964255258708071142024-02-06T22:32:28.158-06:00Vivir, Reír, Amar“The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G. K. ChestertonEmmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-2870938747037540652013-11-07T07:32:00.001-06:002013-11-07T07:32:25.235-06:00I'm Back!Well, kind of. I've recently been put in charge of keep a blog for Pet U, a doggy day care I work at. The blog will have a lot of dog training tips, as well as lots of cute puppy pictures! I invite you all over to check it out, and please, let me know what you think of my new venture!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://dogtraininginmilwaukee.blogspot.com/">dogtraininginmilwaukee.blogspot.com</a></span><br />
<br />
<img height="400" src="https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1459774_597465560309634_1924309704_n.jpg" width="400" /><br />
<img height="400" src="https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1379713_595515800504610_1656289192_n.jpg" width="300" /><br />
<img height="400" src="https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1383622_594655250590665_1105758789_n.jpg" width="400" /><br />
<br />
See, cute puppy pictures. All the photography you'll see on the blog will be mine as well, unless stated otherwise.<br />
Hope you can stop and check it out! :)Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-34841451849645594052012-07-19T10:59:00.001-05:002012-07-26T08:46:44.056-05:00An event of national importanceI've been procrastinating blogging about this for <i>weeks</i>. Sorry.<br />
About a month ago my family got to be a part of a <i>'once in a lifetime event'</i>. I was less than thrilled about it at first, but the hundred and fifty strangers in my grandfathers living room all seemed pretty stoked about it.<br />
So who do my family, an old Victorian house and 150 strangers all have in common?<br />
Ben Hecht, that's who. A man who before a few weeks ago, I knew absolutely nothing about.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://ustheater.blogspot.com/2011/06/maxwell-bodenheim-and-ben-hecht-master.html">Source</a>]</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugwoyspHxjawDVXSvYPXuusYFgpXDVzNyPscrEYLDER72_8iKpO4V7QoR7TAXgOAb10iGtgMX6ttNk0RMkp57OM7jUrN2j3Y6Wz4GiwX46F7148TSP9TmVbHoqS0jjySVxD9UNCBZqF4/s1600/Hecht.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugwoyspHxjawDVXSvYPXuusYFgpXDVzNyPscrEYLDER72_8iKpO4V7QoR7TAXgOAb10iGtgMX6ttNk0RMkp57OM7jUrN2j3Y6Wz4GiwX46F7148TSP9TmVbHoqS0jjySVxD9UNCBZqF4/s1600/Hecht.jpeg" /></a></div>
He was one of Hollywood and Broadway's most famous and highest paid writers between the 1930's and 1960's. He wrote scripts including <i>Gone with the Wind, Scarface, </i>and 155 other plays, screenplays, tv series and novels. Needless to say, he's pretty important. And for a couple years before he became famous, he rented a room in my grandparents house. (Before it was my grandparents house, of course.)<br />
<br />
This was the house. (I say <i>was</i> because it's in the process of being sold.) It has 3 floors plus a fully furnished basement and attic, 12 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms and far too many walk-in closets. While it was in my grandparents possession it was also covered ceiling to floor in mirrors. Really. You think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. It got creepy at some points, like when I was trying to sleep and opened my eyes and saw myself peering back at me from both the side wall and the ceiling.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">See the turret that goes all the way up on the right side? The 3rd room up was where Ben Hecht stayed. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wgeMFtBw0a145ZTW_KWAQho0Gm2nfamCBLzDKcZgz25Mac6XnIhfa5AImZg9-8DJjRHopZUaTlBjqc24I6dSmEQm2U7hD6jinnEMPwoRHT7vaSojUHv9cFp0IBI-FoXQl3t0CVoCBe0/s1600/100_1689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wgeMFtBw0a145ZTW_KWAQho0Gm2nfamCBLzDKcZgz25Mac6XnIhfa5AImZg9-8DJjRHopZUaTlBjqc24I6dSmEQm2U7hD6jinnEMPwoRHT7vaSojUHv9cFp0IBI-FoXQl3t0CVoCBe0/s400/100_1689.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyGuN1y9ZJWNe1dLXf0O52pELrsLilCooaNdXfRxwGtPR9IxRkmW9VQ0B8zUmDxmyN_bKijq0pgiUbErU6Nf655BQG8IMNQGzR5xIsUvSkgXLFFMh2T6RKSBhh1zCUvD4J9T3YuOUL7k/s1600/100_1687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyGuN1y9ZJWNe1dLXf0O52pELrsLilCooaNdXfRxwGtPR9IxRkmW9VQ0B8zUmDxmyN_bKijq0pgiUbErU6Nf655BQG8IMNQGzR5xIsUvSkgXLFFMh2T6RKSBhh1zCUvD4J9T3YuOUL7k/s320/100_1687.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv06KxOhVSpbI8YwP_Cbnl3AEKop_KXsySFjd5r-j86TrUes0fLlruK70xdRQAaNmtVh4lAOTqcYjbPfW0Z33nlmqvKAdvsq-9yHOuxkN2xYYKpb069TKrINK_kGjFypKqFPI5D1pfuoM/s1600/100_1691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv06KxOhVSpbI8YwP_Cbnl3AEKop_KXsySFjd5r-j86TrUes0fLlruK70xdRQAaNmtVh4lAOTqcYjbPfW0Z33nlmqvKAdvsq-9yHOuxkN2xYYKpb069TKrINK_kGjFypKqFPI5D1pfuoM/s320/100_1691.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
And here is the sign that has been in front of the house, marking it as a place of national importance. <i>Cool</i>. (Too bad I never bothered to look at this sign once in my life before that day.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfI9XrB-TxKiC63IqbApOEIDrrBXRidnwff2Nf5KRF3p6L2KNytDBwiUAledDF46d3QGQhIwFDOx2nzBauzWZKOaI8c8pMc1Jhml-6lEa-eJZM2h3Map-Frr5dCTIMD2CXWUKl_BMgSA/s1600/100_1679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfI9XrB-TxKiC63IqbApOEIDrrBXRidnwff2Nf5KRF3p6L2KNytDBwiUAledDF46d3QGQhIwFDOx2nzBauzWZKOaI8c8pMc1Jhml-6lEa-eJZM2h3Map-Frr5dCTIMD2CXWUKl_BMgSA/s320/100_1679.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Long story short, about a year after the house had been put on the market, a lady came through to look at it and noticed the sign out front. She had connections to a group who puts on literary salons and historical reenactments, and a couple months later she had somehow managed to gather 150 interested people in the living room of the house.<br />
<br />
Having known basically nothing about it before I showed up at the house that night, I was expecting around 30 to 40 family friends in an intimate theatrical setting. <i>Not</i> 150 strangers traipsing through the house, peering in every bedroom and closet. Having just got back from Spain the week before, I was still in a strange adjustment period of meshing together how I remembered things with how they had changed. I was still coming to terms with the idea of my childhood holiday house being sold, and so seeing tons of strangers walking about didn't put me in the best of moods.<br />
<br />
However, once I came to terms with it, I had a blast. I introduced myself to people as the granddaughter of the owner, which led them to ask me a million questions about what life was like growing up there. It was strange to think that people were actually interested in my childhood. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(I felt a little important.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
Also, all of us who 'lived' in the house or were there to set up the event got to dress up in period costumes. I'll post pictures later, because at the moment my camera cord is MIA. I got to wear an awesome black dress embellished with silver 'jewels', and then when I did my makeup and wrapped a bandana around my hair, I looked like a fortune teller. I'm not quite sure how that was a period costume, but I looked awesome so I didn't complain.<br />
Stay tuned for the pictures! I <s>think</s> promise I'll get to them soon!<br />
<br />
Also, <a href="http://www.chicagomag.com/Radar/Deal-Estate/July-2012/Ben-Hechts-Hyde-Park-Home/">this article </a>was published just recently. It has a video showing the inside of the house and a man talking about the history of Ben Hecht. Check it out!<br />
<br />
<br />Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-53205464260207742542012-07-18T21:04:00.000-05:002012-07-18T21:04:14.813-05:00//It's raining, it's pouring//<div style="text-align: center;">
It's raining right now.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For the first time in <i>months</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Not that I was especially pleased when the clouds rolled in and the sky turned green in the middle of the dinner shift at work.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Or when, right in the middle of the downpour, my boss told me I could leave.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I love rain. Just not having to walk in it unprepared.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But anyways.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It's raining.<br />Drought, you are officially O-V-E-R!!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(And heat wave too, hopefully.)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Yay.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.morganga.org/CountyOffices/EmergencyManagement/WeatherSafety/ThunderstormFactsSafety/tabid/442/Default.aspx">Source</a>]</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNc1357nmQMlX7itkd_aTmRkPRcqZtedyieCgYViwVYhMJTneho1tQNp1oiCAxJu9izLNCErLaNlLsD2np-qgBEohQiot3zaf2OwGMG0Ucnp8r7a-lrda3J_Fe7bG7kk32_oMwwL8lsY/s1600/Thunderstorm.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNc1357nmQMlX7itkd_aTmRkPRcqZtedyieCgYViwVYhMJTneho1tQNp1oiCAxJu9izLNCErLaNlLsD2np-qgBEohQiot3zaf2OwGMG0Ucnp8r7a-lrda3J_Fe7bG7kk32_oMwwL8lsY/s400/Thunderstorm.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-13251787465831654222012-07-17T17:13:00.000-05:002012-07-18T21:04:53.226-05:00A definitive wrap up post, kind of.I've been back from Spain for almost exactly a month, but it basically feels like it's been forever. Transitioning has been much easier than I was expecting it to be. That should be a good thing, right?Instead, I feel like I'm forgetting about all the time I spent in Spain, little by little. I <i>know </i>that travelled all over Europe and and increased my Spanish level by about 200%, but it's getting harder and harder to remember that. Sometimes I feel like I never left Wisconsin.<br />
<br />
(Except for the times when the first thing that comes to mind is <i>me da igual</i> instead of 'I don't care' or when I start to say something funny about that one time in Rome...and nobody knows what I'm talking about.)<br />
<br />
A month ago, all of my thoughts came out in Spanish first, English second. Now? It's hard to come up with even basic conversation. I <i>know</i> that I'll go back to Spain eventually. Not going back just isn't an option. Also, because I spent the last nine years learning Spanish, it's just not something that I can drop. Luckily for me, Milwaukee has such a large Hispanic population that stores like Target and Walmart have <i>all</i> of their store signs and item descriptions in English <i>and </i>Spanish!<br />
<br />
It's hard to come up with a definitive post to wrap up my time in Spain. I've been going back through my pictures and blog posts and trying to wrap my head around everything that happened, so that I could write up a nice short final post about my time abroad. I was thinking that maybe that would make it easier for me to transition to blogging about living back in Wisconsin. But so far all that's happened is that I've procrastinated that post, and every other post. Oops!<br />
<br />
So maybe I'll stop trying to wrap my head around everything. Maybe I'll just re-read through my entire blog one more time, to remind myself of all the great times I had. And then I'll throw myself 100% into this new chapter of my life in Milwaukee. Living in Milwaukee isn't all that bad. It's definitely not Spain, but it's also a new city and full of new adventures. And since after 10 months of non-stop traveling I'm finally calling it quits and staying put for a few months, maybe I'll get a chance to really get to know the area. Maybe it will surprise me. Or maybe, just like I did while living on my own in Spain, I'll surprise myself :)<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for posts coming up about the Color Run I participated in last weekend in Minneapolis, and maybe a post or two about my house and (roommate's) fox-like dog!Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-89420139945677974372012-07-08T23:11:00.001-05:002012-07-18T21:05:34.249-05:00Heat Wave 2012Just when I thought I had been lucky to leave Spain right before the brutal summer heat set in, I returned home to find that the US was no better. In fact, the states just experienced the hottest week that I can remember, coupled with a drought, that has resulted in lakes drying up, highways cracking, and people dying. I was completely, absolutely miserable for about 3 days before I realized that this is the heat that Andalusians deal with all summer: 115 degrees and humid. God bless their little hearts for creating siestas, white houses, and narrow streets with canopies overhead. America could learn a lesson or two.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Jimena de la Frontera, a <i>pueblo blanco</i> near Algeciras.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCBV3f6SUqY6BbRg5bJXyFb3ebtj6trf2tXSlgvMPeJmveVFIUT75OFZTDiMTSKajUPS1ymqs7LuoiS5X6kWg49ooEwgRaLrlGGNwesdU5_C2NCGW3zVrCOQ5fPqs_HORbJga3DmZ_RA/s1600/395984_2916097313775_1600539840_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCBV3f6SUqY6BbRg5bJXyFb3ebtj6trf2tXSlgvMPeJmveVFIUT75OFZTDiMTSKajUPS1ymqs7LuoiS5X6kWg49ooEwgRaLrlGGNwesdU5_C2NCGW3zVrCOQ5fPqs_HORbJga3DmZ_RA/s320/395984_2916097313775_1600539840_n.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?q=sevilla+street+canopies&um=1&hl=en&biw=1175&bih=659&tbm=isch&tbnid=29u7OjFK-USp7M:&imgrefurl=http://www.martindelguayo.com/internal-blog/aa-mchworkshoptheclimateandthecity&docid=B93iuNzQ0QzpuM&imgurl=http://www.martindelguayo.com/_/rsrc/1309860281389/internal-blog/aa-mchworkshoptheclimateandthecity/elk-iii-john-awnings-over-calle-sierpes-street-sevilla-andalucia-spain.jpg%253Fheight%253D300%2526width%253D400&w=400&h=300&ei=FVj6T7XKKoa9rQH49sGLCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=310&vpy=310&dur=1341&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=105&ty=90&sig=106372622587022962959&page=1&tbnh=136&tbnw=178&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0,i:94">Source</a>] Canopies over the streets of Seville.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWp5cy90uMR6jsQJJFQeQX__MITBRmbq4JjUKQs799mgFbmz1DpIZe4sm5s92_e6QJcnVg1JKAAyMXzkr_KJL7G7uczXhaOkKqcfgubnTRmNWUkO3eGD5iHWDHp5kXOwUk81OjNvmJo8/s1600/elk-iii-john-awnings-over-calle-sierpes-street-sevilla-andalucia-spain.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWp5cy90uMR6jsQJJFQeQX__MITBRmbq4JjUKQs799mgFbmz1DpIZe4sm5s92_e6QJcnVg1JKAAyMXzkr_KJL7G7uczXhaOkKqcfgubnTRmNWUkO3eGD5iHWDHp5kXOwUk81OjNvmJo8/s320/elk-iii-john-awnings-over-calle-sierpes-street-sevilla-andalucia-spain.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
This past week Wisconsin experienced above a 110 degree heat index for 4 days straight.<i> </i>I would wake up in the morning and brush my teeth, and by the time I was done, sweat was already beading on my face. Sleeping only happened after I channeled my inner zen to imagine that I was actually napping on a beach with the sun on my face, and not baking in the oppressive heat at 11pm at night. All four of us roommates (plus my roommates dog) spent our days splayed out on our backs, moving as little as possible and trying in vain to cool down.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2012/06/five-fun-ways-to-survive-heat-wave.html">Source</a>]</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH9Zk5XqPsO8MoNhy_qF_AM7gWwjDnBjjuipepxrlWUG9kcIo9-PZx9tvcpuNSA1LwuCftye-_wbDWwjkL3mlEPsyIzWkWcxWHNFuQ0LkTXuMXxEgmMou33Y3rH3roH1nYQbVgsUPm08/s1600/heat-wave.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH9Zk5XqPsO8MoNhy_qF_AM7gWwjDnBjjuipepxrlWUG9kcIo9-PZx9tvcpuNSA1LwuCftye-_wbDWwjkL3mlEPsyIzWkWcxWHNFuQ0LkTXuMXxEgmMou33Y3rH3roH1nYQbVgsUPm08/s320/heat-wave.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
This made for an interesting 4th of July. Matt and I went with our roommate and his girlfriend to a local town parade. We lasted 20 minutes before we had to call it quits from the heat. I felt so sorry for the marching bands, who were wearing dark pants and long sleeve shirts. That is the one day that it would have been acceptable to "call in sick".<br />
Some places cancelled fireworks, because they didn't want to risk a spark landing on the grass and setting the whole place on fire. Other places kept the fireworks, but made sure they had the entire fire truck squad on hand, in case anything were to happen. Matt and I watched some fireworks from a nearby park, and sweat out a couple liters of water just walking there.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, the heat wave finally broke Saturday morning. It actually got to the point of being chilly at night, but I refused to put on a sweatshirt. The novelty of being cold was just too good to pass up :)<br />
Now if we could just get some rain...the grass is so dry it hurts to step on.Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-33694007733078272592012-06-21T07:06:00.001-05:002012-06-21T07:06:05.462-05:00My 48 hour thoughtsSo I've been asked to keep blogging. By more than one un-related person. Which means that people actually look forward to reading what I ramble about! (Yay!)<br />
So here it is. I've been back in the USA for less than 48 hours. Thoughts so far are that I'm handling the reverse culture shock better than I assumed I would, which either means that I've just gotten lucky so far and the worst is yet to come (most likely) or that since I already went through it after study abroad I'm much better prepared for this time (but probably not). Because let's be honest; If it only took me 4 months to say <i>hola and hasta luego</i> to everybody I met (even once I got back home), then I've formed much worse hard and fast habits after being there for <i>9 months</i>.<br />
<br />
Jet lag. Aah jet lag. On Tuesday when I landed at O'hare I had already been traveling for 24 hours, and then after I had dinner with my Mom's family and made it back to Milwaukee and into bed, it was 6:30 in the morning Spain time (11:30 at home). I was <i>exhausted</i>. And both yesterday and today I've woken up all chipper and awake at 6am. Which means I'm exhausted again by 8 or 9. I miss staying up until 2.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://nutritiousfood.blogspot.com/2007/12/jetlag.html">Source</a>]</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28S0w8BDd3FS_J50wsZagt-ZPC8WYy4pCgESFrw7L8fZj6pb7A9E9dMtgIzXaJgRxxNp-tIlTPlFSlcoLoeOyRNLe8Z9a3YgBOIpLcaprSare2kVVZOEDO-k3xiHlTo_KC_43sOLR6S8/s1600/jetlag.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28S0w8BDd3FS_J50wsZagt-ZPC8WYy4pCgESFrw7L8fZj6pb7A9E9dMtgIzXaJgRxxNp-tIlTPlFSlcoLoeOyRNLe8Z9a3YgBOIpLcaprSare2kVVZOEDO-k3xiHlTo_KC_43sOLR6S8/s320/jetlag.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
Other thoughts are that driving in cars is scary. (Which I never thought I would say, because I've been known for my led foot all my driving years). But seriously! Matt picked me up from Chicago O'hare airport, and I spent the entire 40 minute drive to my grandparents house breathing deeply and trying to assure myself that he knew what he was doing. After only riding in coach buses that cruise at a comfortable 55 miles an hour all year, being a little car going 70 was quite the shock. Especially while driving through Chicago and Milwaukee traffic.<br />
<br />
I've also noticed that I pause a lot more when I talk, or say things that sound a little weird grammar-wise. Just before I left Spain, I'd noticed that when I would try to think of a question in English, my thoughts would still come out in Spanish. I had to make a conscious effort to think in English. This wasn't so much a problem when I was with friends in Spain, because we all understood our strange mix of Spanish perfectly. Phrases like <i>me da igual, vale, vámonos, qué quieres? está bien? un momento, más o menos, </i>etc., were always said in Spanish. Always. But here, when I accidentally through in a Spanish word, more often than not I get a blank stare. So instead, I pause, think for a moment to find the word in English, and continue with my story. And save the Spanish rambling for my cat.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.lalamag.ucla.edu/features/article.asp?parentid=97276">Source</a>]</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RkdY3c6e0_vBzB-M6s6TylhIJuSMoF_n3Qak3N3UI5kAr8_LC_O_ELVQvHy7X-IgnYpt05NgCHdM6QwUcvc9gklHHUrT9FmgeGmi64aCIPRGvPKayuYGKZ3oaOPkaInhyphenhyphen_j-jPzRPV4/s1600/santiago-lrg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RkdY3c6e0_vBzB-M6s6TylhIJuSMoF_n3Qak3N3UI5kAr8_LC_O_ELVQvHy7X-IgnYpt05NgCHdM6QwUcvc9gklHHUrT9FmgeGmi64aCIPRGvPKayuYGKZ3oaOPkaInhyphenhyphen_j-jPzRPV4/s320/santiago-lrg.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Customer service. Now <i>here</i>, is a problem. I don't like customer service anymore, I've decided. At least, not in restaurants. I would much rather pay a little less to be ignored and to enjoy my meal, for however long I decide to make it, in peace. Matt and I went to Denny's yesterday morning, and within 5 minutes of sitting down (I hadn't even looked at the menu yet) a waitress was rushing over to ask what we wanted and say sorry for the wait.<br />
What???<br />
In Spain, it's an applause-worthy event if a waiter even looks at you 5 minutes after you walk in.<br />
Oh America, we really need to learn how to slow down our pace of life a bit.<br />
<br />
Here's another one. There's so much SPACE!!!! Even if I wanted to walk everywhere, (which I kind of do since I actually miss being able to use my legs after less than 48 hours) I couldn't. It's impossible. Everything is too spread out. While in Denny's yesterday I spaced out while looking at a field between 2 buildings and imagining how many Algecireño buildings would be squeezed into that space.<br />
<br />
And finally, I've ease dropped on entirely too many conversations since I've been back. It's just too easy, and hard to block out. I miss just hearing the flow of Spanish, being able to understand it if I wanted to, but also just being able to let him be noise in the background. People say such stupid stuff sometimes. I don't want to hear it all. <br />
<br />
I've also eaten too much food. The amount of food I had yesterday would be equal to maybe 1 1/2 or 2 days worth of food in Spain. No wonder I don't feel so hot right now.<br />
<br />
So long story short, being home is.....okay. I'm not thrilled to be back in the states. It's been amazing being able to see friends and family again, and yea, the food has been delicious. But I actually miss <i>paella</i> and <i>patatas bravas</i> and <i>jamón ibérico. </i>I miss the slow pace of life, all the old crumbly buildings jam packed next to each other, and all the little Spanish <i>abuelos</i> blocking my way as I try to run to catch the bus. I miss Spain. But America and I will get to know each other better, and I know I'll feel more at home again. It will just take some time.Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-65799493546467847072012-06-18T09:40:00.000-05:002012-06-18T09:37:15.126-05:00All good things must come to an end...The year is over. Wow! I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'm still not quite convinced that I'm actually leaving, even though I just threw away 3 bags of clothes and all my bed sheets. Normally, if I was taking the overnight bus to Madrid for a weekend trip I would be nervous right now, packing and double checking that I'm not forgetting anything. I'd be anxious, and just wanting to get there already. But right now? I'm not feeling any of that. I'm just completely in shock that I'm actually leaving. In 24 hours I will be home, back in the land of American, Jersey Shore, flavorful food, and real beef.<br />
<br />
Spain might have been a little rough, this year might not have gone exactly how I'd hoped it would, but it was nevertheless one of the best experiences of my life. I challenged myself everyday and feel like a better and stronger person because of it.<br />
There were high points (<a href="http://emma-in-espana.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/its-still-worth-it.html">seeing my students markedly improve in their English</a>) and low points (<a href="http://emma-in-espana.blogspot.com.es/2011/12/time-i-tripped-up-stairs.html">a trip to the ER after falling down the stairs</a>). I traveled <i>un montón</i> (9 countries) but still took the time to know <a href="http://emma-in-espana.blogspot.com.es/search/label/Algeciras">my own region</a>. I improved 100% on my Spanish, but in the process lost a lot of my English-speaking and spelling capabilities. (Now everything I say <i>es una mezcla, </i>depending<i> en cuales palabras encuentro primero</i>.) I made great friends, both Spanish and <i>extranjeros</i>. I experienced the local <i>fiestas</i> (<a href="http://emma-in-espana.blogspot.com.es/search/label/Carnival">carnaval</a> and the fería) and also the not-so-great aspects of living in a <a href="http://emma-in-espana.blogspot.com.es/search/label/las%20bombonas">more money-conscience society</a>. I made some really unexpected friendships (the Moroccan worker at the local <i>alimentación </i>or the waitress at the café near my school). Looking back on the year, it was so crazy and so fun that it's hard to come to terms that its over.<br />
<br />
Although, going back home will just be a different adventure in itself. I'll be moving in with the boyfriend and two college friends, who have a dog. So really, life back home can't be all that bad either. And then there will be the period of adjustment, which I'm sure will make me want to jump on the first plane back to Spain. Within the past week I've already noticed small things, like not understanding the 12-hour clock system or fahrenheit anymore. ("You have class at 4:15?? In the morning?? Oh....right.") I can't wait to see my reaction to the price of fresh fruits and veggies. Oy. <i>Vamos a ver</i>.<br />
<br />
<i>Hasta luego Europa</i>, until next time!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC78HUYRXxEutpVMVyLALZbUHcz947eu6EzNME9BJe1tJ2k-_MaLLLnsGC3grmu7OTGMRN9-wDJoEkboUvOft3AGOnnwGLqMN0IeEIBAZkhjQcmZ3D8wh9_aww94aM-9PSWPb8HjqoO2w/s1600/315677_10100462917980610_887661244_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC78HUYRXxEutpVMVyLALZbUHcz947eu6EzNME9BJe1tJ2k-_MaLLLnsGC3grmu7OTGMRN9-wDJoEkboUvOft3AGOnnwGLqMN0IeEIBAZkhjQcmZ3D8wh9_aww94aM-9PSWPb8HjqoO2w/s200/315677_10100462917980610_887661244_n.jpeg" width="150" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fsIXx3YJ4AC4OGM-Kk7MR_-eEuDJ4s4Z2B6lB3e5dfLKbVrTwkZWuJIad0L2fsnAmb9q1nzPuOTB83HDTLAVnjMPhp4LRY9fWguiUWdDmDtScHWX8GU5zhKa85sxTURq5gk13v9P9VM/s1600/376304_2467900309130_462012042_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fsIXx3YJ4AC4OGM-Kk7MR_-eEuDJ4s4Z2B6lB3e5dfLKbVrTwkZWuJIad0L2fsnAmb9q1nzPuOTB83HDTLAVnjMPhp4LRY9fWguiUWdDmDtScHWX8GU5zhKa85sxTURq5gk13v9P9VM/s200/376304_2467900309130_462012042_n.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4fvy63O2oZOUEg6gSomEWlhIPrnLySOJBqtCp1bhvgGGCvo729HYuoeps8zg8mYXa8OfwJo6Ccn8RoOsIemqpDOmjrccBbEwY_4Ap-yeTd2udPZxOQ-vKpSnrdUUkplZS9ayCIxCOoo/s1600/377043_2378603419579_1394420372_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4fvy63O2oZOUEg6gSomEWlhIPrnLySOJBqtCp1bhvgGGCvo729HYuoeps8zg8mYXa8OfwJo6Ccn8RoOsIemqpDOmjrccBbEwY_4Ap-yeTd2udPZxOQ-vKpSnrdUUkplZS9ayCIxCOoo/s200/377043_2378603419579_1394420372_n.jpeg" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAilb6iayz_3CR5SBekPxXiAnZFHwb-n2lvLldGGXc-4nmVSjaqXpQVeu-LJ4gb4-3z73eBL0y5BihgxQOhxStL24668khoQlfb3NyEBy9ccZLKUAdtWgk-WLbSG93uU-lQoZAtVgb9ro/s1600/378858_231314226932074_458526869_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAilb6iayz_3CR5SBekPxXiAnZFHwb-n2lvLldGGXc-4nmVSjaqXpQVeu-LJ4gb4-3z73eBL0y5BihgxQOhxStL24668khoQlfb3NyEBy9ccZLKUAdtWgk-WLbSG93uU-lQoZAtVgb9ro/s200/378858_231314226932074_458526869_n.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTJJZMGGlY5F7XSOsxvNwINxvTjI2EdZxynLvbut25bwhU_A0e1OhIaBt4Km8hS-FXfui8wYmpZ4IS1s4IpeG_pocjyBQg_7hDhwXGB8nwrdFwmkyHnhvnKPxrh17MxShxMAUiNMEe7c/s1600/381678_2467907789317_727409757_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTJJZMGGlY5F7XSOsxvNwINxvTjI2EdZxynLvbut25bwhU_A0e1OhIaBt4Km8hS-FXfui8wYmpZ4IS1s4IpeG_pocjyBQg_7hDhwXGB8nwrdFwmkyHnhvnKPxrh17MxShxMAUiNMEe7c/s320/381678_2467907789317_727409757_n.jpeg" width="320" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAASvjjj0c4Ia67k0rVChyphenhyphenIPoRgaSpQ5UyYSHc_fdOgpmYDfz58msdW8AWS-7yeYDzH87z4dcC_aP4z2m3OkHMd9-OVJUAluRd6EPXmejlhSuMsvoSvtGN7S1-Ut43e3UrAdJ11IRJ4c/s1600/383305_10151151350260314_147827538_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAASvjjj0c4Ia67k0rVChyphenhyphenIPoRgaSpQ5UyYSHc_fdOgpmYDfz58msdW8AWS-7yeYDzH87z4dcC_aP4z2m3OkHMd9-OVJUAluRd6EPXmejlhSuMsvoSvtGN7S1-Ut43e3UrAdJ11IRJ4c/s200/383305_10151151350260314_147827538_n.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4Wf1-nSmzsF3zMC715eR4UFFdid8tcdGTKUI3LC9JSljzWg55pBEep52cW_R766Sb5exmoRvwpOMtqcejPVKZYxVU1M4EfeEeTlh-0YdpYz8YdVVVALDsot-Ip0j41aLj5nA89v336A/s1600/409063_10150480523421436_768819990_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4Wf1-nSmzsF3zMC715eR4UFFdid8tcdGTKUI3LC9JSljzWg55pBEep52cW_R766Sb5exmoRvwpOMtqcejPVKZYxVU1M4EfeEeTlh-0YdpYz8YdVVVALDsot-Ip0j41aLj5nA89v336A/s320/409063_10150480523421436_768819990_n.jpeg" width="320" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqPSpcX-Zf8WE2ayq5987sd65t4zVP1iWQgcKePO6oS9XeTG6P1jX7gMHHc8LccjK5kcM2qlw_xbU0ejU25v1ztqkYsFOo9Xg3zh7oN33RS_TMQcq7HFcPEPeIiKBC348uV9h65BwcXw/s1600/522577_3830812421081_2037161023_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqPSpcX-Zf8WE2ayq5987sd65t4zVP1iWQgcKePO6oS9XeTG6P1jX7gMHHc8LccjK5kcM2qlw_xbU0ejU25v1ztqkYsFOo9Xg3zh7oN33RS_TMQcq7HFcPEPeIiKBC348uV9h65BwcXw/s200/522577_3830812421081_2037161023_n.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLp8L468JuGiAyrS_fhwzKAmg-vfUY5HxSPqlZrQxcXjGnE4dFEV6xxVuncckSb0W4ymOiadKGXNoAWDzn9yP9ciXDPlNTzMfTTYIZU6TAx2Np3_XGMFt692zcchy2m93TYQwe__W5a0/s1600/485235_10151498953100402_360075473_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLp8L468JuGiAyrS_fhwzKAmg-vfUY5HxSPqlZrQxcXjGnE4dFEV6xxVuncckSb0W4ymOiadKGXNoAWDzn9yP9ciXDPlNTzMfTTYIZU6TAx2Np3_XGMFt692zcchy2m93TYQwe__W5a0/s320/485235_10151498953100402_360075473_n.jpeg" width="240" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2f-adFyq-ogygwZtTWJCfiL6meNkBk_VFqa2T13Q6U_r3MdEsPbOSkCC26oZJ4v4fVKNyzmqnWMy0IzLwB8n-Dh_PYQbx7aM2ps1Tyn4WrSCJSOynsh9dlbtH5ZMNPqq6KGbeS35-KN0/s1600/546185_3481421486526_1717733166_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2f-adFyq-ogygwZtTWJCfiL6meNkBk_VFqa2T13Q6U_r3MdEsPbOSkCC26oZJ4v4fVKNyzmqnWMy0IzLwB8n-Dh_PYQbx7aM2ps1Tyn4WrSCJSOynsh9dlbtH5ZMNPqq6KGbeS35-KN0/s200/546185_3481421486526_1717733166_n.jpeg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2f-adFyq-ogygwZtTWJCfiL6meNkBk_VFqa2T13Q6U_r3MdEsPbOSkCC26oZJ4v4fVKNyzmqnWMy0IzLwB8n-Dh_PYQbx7aM2ps1Tyn4WrSCJSOynsh9dlbtH5ZMNPqq6KGbeS35-KN0/s1600/546185_3481421486526_1717733166_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOYFfkKmGE85RIb0sjGIfJ3NJuwoyK7o9olbTLQcXS3NLk7s86rsGF_UP2SRRU5lXZnp9FOuCe44Ywmp_VtshlsniUfRao6wb9FqEIURJ0SWDtJNie2bPul9TuQ9bWpY_RSmviJ7wnNk/s1600/546254_10100753068701240_910206603_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOYFfkKmGE85RIb0sjGIfJ3NJuwoyK7o9olbTLQcXS3NLk7s86rsGF_UP2SRRU5lXZnp9FOuCe44Ywmp_VtshlsniUfRao6wb9FqEIURJ0SWDtJNie2bPul9TuQ9bWpY_RSmviJ7wnNk/s400/546254_10100753068701240_910206603_n.jpeg" width="267" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PZxtavjYN5huWDbyr447BGFF7nVHnTFRLpcyG1No7qF3HtofmsC00kFbCnPP92A2fwM2Sy3XYouFincsI_CET-LE-hnl2OXRqgWRNkts4gvOdpK2PvaGWozM280hnYFRkA9VP9cdzvM/s1600/557746_10151502394295402_988068334_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PZxtavjYN5huWDbyr447BGFF7nVHnTFRLpcyG1No7qF3HtofmsC00kFbCnPP92A2fwM2Sy3XYouFincsI_CET-LE-hnl2OXRqgWRNkts4gvOdpK2PvaGWozM280hnYFRkA9VP9cdzvM/s200/557746_10151502394295402_988068334_n.jpeg" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HLCDB4j2lYbwJZ7tN9hx3fRNAfyjrD2sUWgWseiHRX50Dr99e1wKdhteESrOHPGYKXllEoy8c2Y0m60Sf8_YEBKvvVmgFh6KpO4eXjJstN8NVN5d2_frzX8b423e8R9bWbzyXMoQy6g/s1600/398923_3472150894767_436152523_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HLCDB4j2lYbwJZ7tN9hx3fRNAfyjrD2sUWgWseiHRX50Dr99e1wKdhteESrOHPGYKXllEoy8c2Y0m60Sf8_YEBKvvVmgFh6KpO4eXjJstN8NVN5d2_frzX8b423e8R9bWbzyXMoQy6g/s320/398923_3472150894767_436152523_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6M8lcan2-VqPihQoak4rLus4nCOiUZUjtbRtFYnxLCidOIc55N3oy31vb81tFOJ-9pDdzigTqx1caXm5opD3CBKamDZiz5cxnxLgfDjM7zBTQg0CY21BO_sRJOc7uWOBFE7dTjb9Ca0/s1600/522481_10151502395425402_1212014716_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6M8lcan2-VqPihQoak4rLus4nCOiUZUjtbRtFYnxLCidOIc55N3oy31vb81tFOJ-9pDdzigTqx1caXm5opD3CBKamDZiz5cxnxLgfDjM7zBTQg0CY21BO_sRJOc7uWOBFE7dTjb9Ca0/s200/522481_10151502395425402_1212014716_n.jpeg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIQEfFzOuCFGqKoc9P-7DfBCX6oLyyghb-D40D5T0RGEuyoJD_OEGESlPR78yYooPUUhJC9dy8JB_kyLH8cR6mT2OMTLHSJ16N2zhdVneFz5xSFUk4rZIm5Ls9773x6qmYaqLuDK0y-c/s1600/535434_10151498938405402_749037847_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIQEfFzOuCFGqKoc9P-7DfBCX6oLyyghb-D40D5T0RGEuyoJD_OEGESlPR78yYooPUUhJC9dy8JB_kyLH8cR6mT2OMTLHSJ16N2zhdVneFz5xSFUk4rZIm5Ls9773x6qmYaqLuDK0y-c/s200/535434_10151498938405402_749037847_n.jpeg" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38GOUpTE1Yz4zaAfP9PmBuZ9YKqi1kLpnQ2knRSBiB7iVMwmPGuY6cs7XyectdSgQ4Gg4fV5beYVAsODBKzfLQ1Jd6naISAvKH9gFw1uVMx6YnVxIaoo-0xFUGCjIEo7xRcY-48Lm5dY/s1600/575667_10151499233935402_1537240010_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38GOUpTE1Yz4zaAfP9PmBuZ9YKqi1kLpnQ2knRSBiB7iVMwmPGuY6cs7XyectdSgQ4Gg4fV5beYVAsODBKzfLQ1Jd6naISAvKH9gFw1uVMx6YnVxIaoo-0xFUGCjIEo7xRcY-48Lm5dY/s320/575667_10151499233935402_1537240010_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38GOUpTE1Yz4zaAfP9PmBuZ9YKqi1kLpnQ2knRSBiB7iVMwmPGuY6cs7XyectdSgQ4Gg4fV5beYVAsODBKzfLQ1Jd6naISAvKH9gFw1uVMx6YnVxIaoo-0xFUGCjIEo7xRcY-48Lm5dY/s1600/575667_10151499233935402_1537240010_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOjJvawUzf3C-Ym8clOcMHHKBKyw_DN-_Zyn3dSKMQg9Z5H2Cx2n4MQ8f2qdPg3U9K_8uIXkIyzJfklZjqQHT738ctsoSUV8ENL9zNz_JbTliGLZAe4psKrJYrbhA5mFOZyN7nxBNd5k/s1600/578054_10151498994210402_889376639_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOjJvawUzf3C-Ym8clOcMHHKBKyw_DN-_Zyn3dSKMQg9Z5H2Cx2n4MQ8f2qdPg3U9K_8uIXkIyzJfklZjqQHT738ctsoSUV8ENL9zNz_JbTliGLZAe4psKrJYrbhA5mFOZyN7nxBNd5k/s200/578054_10151498994210402_889376639_n.jpeg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqgTGLpRLIC45RBAQw_Qgs7n-yGSlPfzIKY_7yyRefjstJCf7JVjD9yrZZ7Ar0VvsSl7yVu8hW_dk0k9hFRNB3t5WhnBQFzXp2o4LW7goDk5Hhpx9PRDtkbc9cCBWwWa2hbo3W8HZO4s/s1600/578990_10151499164930402_916334398_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqgTGLpRLIC45RBAQw_Qgs7n-yGSlPfzIKY_7yyRefjstJCf7JVjD9yrZZ7Ar0VvsSl7yVu8hW_dk0k9hFRNB3t5WhnBQFzXp2o4LW7goDk5Hhpx9PRDtkbc9cCBWwWa2hbo3W8HZO4s/s200/578990_10151499164930402_916334398_n.jpeg" width="150" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_g95fpu-g9gSWCj_Xm6lfXGGQmV-4xVclM3JQHA8qaYfFqqyhd1-ymLIVpk3hQwjPVN8mpwNcOyTrcvlNmWkL9QpwoshRZAqRPbUy7h0SbadILlZ0xvcjdNQxhtijIJHwZ9Uvr0YeAko/s1600/579165_3468885973146_442625436_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_g95fpu-g9gSWCj_Xm6lfXGGQmV-4xVclM3JQHA8qaYfFqqyhd1-ymLIVpk3hQwjPVN8mpwNcOyTrcvlNmWkL9QpwoshRZAqRPbUy7h0SbadILlZ0xvcjdNQxhtijIJHwZ9Uvr0YeAko/s320/579165_3468885973146_442625436_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1bE8IyCUNbVGPPzmneRY58K6kvpzheFkfsklJqJyrAJZZH9A_746xJaQuwSn9U3ZqXL1dsYmVzakH6ibSYyfaobMus0Jlgu87rAkrVdKsbSvjOzrL73uji_NHsA7f5ao_9W82lTJhpU/s1600/544664_3559298713408_114211881_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1bE8IyCUNbVGPPzmneRY58K6kvpzheFkfsklJqJyrAJZZH9A_746xJaQuwSn9U3ZqXL1dsYmVzakH6ibSYyfaobMus0Jlgu87rAkrVdKsbSvjOzrL73uji_NHsA7f5ao_9W82lTJhpU/s200/544664_3559298713408_114211881_n.jpeg" width="196" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgee87iqskrEoZYXX51hFASJyQNbeUkgpBnlpWusecQp5n7e5FX_cNZaP4txk_e9cjPxjRdv_9PSyFZgRAwMd4CxJiv-xiv97RiEgZol0Ot4QhmWW3HluZHftyKbwKOrDyC1H0_YXFThxg/s1600/578219_10150669993391436_386504664_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgee87iqskrEoZYXX51hFASJyQNbeUkgpBnlpWusecQp5n7e5FX_cNZaP4txk_e9cjPxjRdv_9PSyFZgRAwMd4CxJiv-xiv97RiEgZol0Ot4QhmWW3HluZHftyKbwKOrDyC1H0_YXFThxg/s200/578219_10150669993391436_386504664_n.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_g95fpu-g9gSWCj_Xm6lfXGGQmV-4xVclM3JQHA8qaYfFqqyhd1-ymLIVpk3hQwjPVN8mpwNcOyTrcvlNmWkL9QpwoshRZAqRPbUy7h0SbadILlZ0xvcjdNQxhtijIJHwZ9Uvr0YeAko/s1600/579165_3468885973146_442625436_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5hewce9yS3MgDzKu-4y3ctlITIxZLKZgiK_ESKLTclESDKzeB7gIfkY1KBzFLFYPZXEhDsazT4H0AfEwzjxgCAyf7sgjXjsSIHmdIWETqi91Dn_fEXENRM4XJ7jVz2fT24DeK11g8oE/s1600/599888_3874010981018_602543277_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5hewce9yS3MgDzKu-4y3ctlITIxZLKZgiK_ESKLTclESDKzeB7gIfkY1KBzFLFYPZXEhDsazT4H0AfEwzjxgCAyf7sgjXjsSIHmdIWETqi91Dn_fEXENRM4XJ7jVz2fT24DeK11g8oE/s320/599888_3874010981018_602543277_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-43890262485905893392012-06-18T09:35:00.002-05:002012-06-18T09:35:31.941-05:00La Fería Real de AlgecirasA few months back, when I was deciding when to buy a plane ticket home, a friend told me that I <i>at least</i> had to stay for the beginning of <i>la fería</i>. She explained that although Algeciras absolutely sucks the rest of the year, they throw everything they have into this fería, and the result is incredible. I was definitely dubious, but I bought my ticket late enough that I would be here for the first 2 days. <br />
<br />
With that in mind, going to la<i> </i>fería this weekend was one of the best cultural experiences I've had this year. I am <i>so</i> happy I stayed! The first night, Saturday, one of those nights where I literally had to work to keep a silly grin off my face. My jaw hurt from smiling so much.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCHWv6mMtYp9Zk016mBa4F7rWc4UuLtHDtwWzuFNkFdnbfXDGK684r3IU4pkMax-jaha_2WMpMInPXADrYfFJpRi4bQFsisn_waVqrOUynmguLmtHb99eAFS3M365r4wExBt_bHzx1jM/s1600/DSC07063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCHWv6mMtYp9Zk016mBa4F7rWc4UuLtHDtwWzuFNkFdnbfXDGK684r3IU4pkMax-jaha_2WMpMInPXADrYfFJpRi4bQFsisn_waVqrOUynmguLmtHb99eAFS3M365r4wExBt_bHzx1jM/s320/DSC07063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOhEZxjsjJYE-_T0DIfb4l5o_guZKpe2uHEDdzw2MRGU-lMnaagEHVtg12jmOu3ypZLvrbqSzN6QvyjuMZcp1YAyNb3FcPsW2t5PvrtCx7RwLS9rYMpSqc0zrXszyHvW_958pxmrqqmk/s1600/DSC07135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOhEZxjsjJYE-_T0DIfb4l5o_guZKpe2uHEDdzw2MRGU-lMnaagEHVtg12jmOu3ypZLvrbqSzN6QvyjuMZcp1YAyNb3FcPsW2t5PvrtCx7RwLS9rYMpSqc0zrXszyHvW_958pxmrqqmk/s400/DSC07135.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>The fería kicked off with a parade from the port. I thought it was supposed to start at 10 and end right at midnight. Instead, it started at 8 and ended around 11:15. So when Cassidy and I showed up at 11:30 all excited to see a parade......well.........we were a little disappointed. Here's what we missed: </li>
</ul>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.algecirasalminuto.com/index.php/toros/toros/41481-la-cabalgata-de-feria-llena-de-color-y-alegria-las-calles-de-algeciras-">Source</a>] (Click on the pictures to make them larger)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfIfEAn2dqAGutfeaH9QMTqHoKEL7QVdPRWsGox0GJKUF-vtflUmJvVzh8lJmbyI35UWWfKFoWCPWi_x8KJK3PXL8_QeY2Kzx0oB48n30d43Zy568NgQ-_liWQgdYOMw6KW_F4PsFBBg/s1600/4036.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfIfEAn2dqAGutfeaH9QMTqHoKEL7QVdPRWsGox0GJKUF-vtflUmJvVzh8lJmbyI35UWWfKFoWCPWi_x8KJK3PXL8_QeY2Kzx0oB48n30d43Zy568NgQ-_liWQgdYOMw6KW_F4PsFBBg/s200/4036.jpeg" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6w34UIvXDFSSCrHWdjBHM3k_pUzaukRAExKiQOyjAT4LUyObGhR9gkn4m4Wd25KbU276D_ydSUkUnor5-08pSujaAFm1eycQiOOjle0SGGT7j4nm8u0e5SV05dRVsOeTIVWKmkL9KOo/s1600/4042.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6w34UIvXDFSSCrHWdjBHM3k_pUzaukRAExKiQOyjAT4LUyObGhR9gkn4m4Wd25KbU276D_ydSUkUnor5-08pSujaAFm1eycQiOOjle0SGGT7j4nm8u0e5SV05dRVsOeTIVWKmkL9KOo/s200/4042.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpufqlF1umX4synw11q2MutWZ27xg9ogEC2Fc1VBEBIl4LAT-W_5_GR7IVwVzhrfVpQSB5Q6JZ5MLVaVN_6_umwAVRVr51-ZSIydNzEWTtZ_Hbdp0ZZL9JzcuQnLE83yp5Xd96VY4U44g/s1600/4048.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpufqlF1umX4synw11q2MutWZ27xg9ogEC2Fc1VBEBIl4LAT-W_5_GR7IVwVzhrfVpQSB5Q6JZ5MLVaVN_6_umwAVRVr51-ZSIydNzEWTtZ_Hbdp0ZZL9JzcuQnLE83yp5Xd96VY4U44g/s200/4048.jpeg" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRB_64wijCI4MqN37NdIUYK0n4lAi15GoVyafYu10r3xrWk08Mey5Xs_FF_dPEWefxmwjwwc6IyFCrrOCaTLXXq4vPMMbKMzvyFE5pNd__hIdWfXIB-48aqmCQmebDRsGJwpXeK-Ocb0/s1600/4062.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRB_64wijCI4MqN37NdIUYK0n4lAi15GoVyafYu10r3xrWk08Mey5Xs_FF_dPEWefxmwjwwc6IyFCrrOCaTLXXq4vPMMbKMzvyFE5pNd__hIdWfXIB-48aqmCQmebDRsGJwpXeK-Ocb0/s200/4062.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oivZGwgrwlBDROFPZD0xxHghi_zc7_0itl4dAU382NBahhrj4_hkgzjTwHQNPcW4W7qvtSC21TfK5180fdyGlBxl7oXwV0hSfHPg2mtSMIrlkHUPXs9eknPKdoSd5du4_-AN8jjgzag/s1600/4078.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ni9RWP9aksl9AxmHwmN6PCEoOpx0GUtN8s0rqBjTxXdzDHAVScV4ldXWqp1GIbtAgewjbmF60XjF7MzjplxDUVrolkmm8jeCGnndLoXml2mxkDkZhiyPYIhS0GeHLk2RCUd_TR5mF2U/s1600/4079.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ni9RWP9aksl9AxmHwmN6PCEoOpx0GUtN8s0rqBjTxXdzDHAVScV4ldXWqp1GIbtAgewjbmF60XjF7MzjplxDUVrolkmm8jeCGnndLoXml2mxkDkZhiyPYIhS0GeHLk2RCUd_TR5mF2U/s320/4079.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>Everybody crowded around the fería entrance around 11:30pm. At 11:59, I heard "<i>cinco, quatro, tres, dos, uno!" </i>and the huge gateway of lights lit up right on cue. It was incredible! Kind of like New Years Eve when everybody counts and the ball drops, only so much cooler because 100,000 little lights all lit up at the same time. </li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(I took the rest of these, unless otherwise noted)</span></div>
<ul>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5oyxOGmgU8ZXz5cypFFHpjmytWe3FrIQXxgGSUwOTnNogZmBbQ86Fp_zoQXucCbn1ITL0B7E2ERP02e7K9lElkuA5k_3Qao2cu6A7EQZVyq49hlCx7qO3GJ2wwOmxPTr0pduHk_GLlA/s1600/DSC07059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5oyxOGmgU8ZXz5cypFFHpjmytWe3FrIQXxgGSUwOTnNogZmBbQ86Fp_zoQXucCbn1ITL0B7E2ERP02e7K9lElkuA5k_3Qao2cu6A7EQZVyq49hlCx7qO3GJ2wwOmxPTr0pduHk_GLlA/s200/DSC07059.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6a28ajUcIZVOPoVzPDZSVfiA5iFDJNGukZgkHBUa9KacoavBtCQuhG4PG3Qi8vSjOEnzN-vi3mStd5RnwbO8L2Ay1ZxnkZX2Q0M_dDG7FUyr2UYIQKHDVRdTuvKVDehgMhLqz-4H5MwI/s1600/DSC07066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6a28ajUcIZVOPoVzPDZSVfiA5iFDJNGukZgkHBUa9KacoavBtCQuhG4PG3Qi8vSjOEnzN-vi3mStd5RnwbO8L2Ay1ZxnkZX2Q0M_dDG7FUyr2UYIQKHDVRdTuvKVDehgMhLqz-4H5MwI/s200/DSC07066.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<ul>
<li>It might have been midnight, but entire families were still out and about. I saw babies in strollers, little girls dressed to the nines in their flamenco dresses, and girls walking around in 5 inch heels. Ow!</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Back home, fairgrounds close down right as it gets dark: so to walk through a maze of carnie games and rides and smell popcorn and see little kids running around and realize that its pitch black out and 1am, was a bit of a surreal experience. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A fería<i> </i>is divided into three parts. First there are the <i>casetas</i>, which are individual stalls dedicated to different bars and companies in Algeciras. For example, the club Kube has a caseta, which means that if you want dance music, go to the Kube caseta. If you want to hear Flamenco music, there's a caseta for that too. If you work at <i>BancoSabadell, </i>then you can go to that caseta. So on and so forth. And this year there are 65 of them. You grab a drink, dance a little, and move on to the next <i>caseta</i>. (Bar hopping at its finest.) </li>
</ul>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ft5pLSlx0W-JUucPmwtILOB_xNXQFBjwTiSRkVX9eAx4-JLMp4ll2OWsbbwNhsggcYDGFFRYyS68WyUig7sYGAgS1Q5JfPUkdNUmp_Qxf7_UiawkPgEUwjX-bp9WHr3JzizlcbWdxdU/s1600/DSC07044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ft5pLSlx0W-JUucPmwtILOB_xNXQFBjwTiSRkVX9eAx4-JLMp4ll2OWsbbwNhsggcYDGFFRYyS68WyUig7sYGAgS1Q5JfPUkdNUmp_Qxf7_UiawkPgEUwjX-bp9WHr3JzizlcbWdxdU/s200/DSC07044.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUmyUoLhFLZGBEuSwjA7_m7XeanPH3qv7sBbb16C4S4eRqFcLWK_2ZETsptSnfVE_FovCt1_uot9yUXUrZUp6b_Ya7TMIMe6Ctr2AjcznW1qoYHErBRwb7Al3Zdt-JRtBIrz3hTefvuQ/s1600/DSC07047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUmyUoLhFLZGBEuSwjA7_m7XeanPH3qv7sBbb16C4S4eRqFcLWK_2ZETsptSnfVE_FovCt1_uot9yUXUrZUp6b_Ya7TMIMe6Ctr2AjcznW1qoYHErBRwb7Al3Zdt-JRtBIrz3hTefvuQ/s200/DSC07047.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpPZo5IqAB75ppnJQ51IqGYrhuGsZ3EKzglUM2uTx16mYtU4ji4Gk2J0jWqGjBz-jVq_e7x5QZ-QrGPuG6bBOR3zRgFK3NukX8dov0mkOliUacvo6-QecfWcF7jQKnsn8GzGHkqidYXc/s1600/DSC07051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpPZo5IqAB75ppnJQ51IqGYrhuGsZ3EKzglUM2uTx16mYtU4ji4Gk2J0jWqGjBz-jVq_e7x5QZ-QrGPuG6bBOR3zRgFK3NukX8dov0mkOliUacvo6-QecfWcF7jQKnsn8GzGHkqidYXc/s320/DSC07051.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>The second part of the fería<i> </i>is the games/rides/fair food part. </li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Q0sDgxuCXiddSGZj10G_d9-853BaW9mDtPJWAlWG___tpaS8nsRxefOTsv7XrlEBLtF3qG9YOGEJ5Yh4w5h6StXHTIsEJ7xiwvxBU3q5COjtejXMdi23ceKNA_6IjEbGts30vvSrnEM/s1600/DSC07080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Q0sDgxuCXiddSGZj10G_d9-853BaW9mDtPJWAlWG___tpaS8nsRxefOTsv7XrlEBLtF3qG9YOGEJ5Yh4w5h6StXHTIsEJ7xiwvxBU3q5COjtejXMdi23ceKNA_6IjEbGts30vvSrnEM/s200/DSC07080.JPG" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhZZvNJZIPXqncERf9vBzTVkr4LqwinU-6zaFd3zsCpzc5b_ZEmJE56oRWMDJl_at3-4ujje8iv-4R8C4K6CaDBFK9TwGXLpZbZ3cJx9owBMwhhsFWOkV0ReCBWXaUfi0aP18rY1jggQ/s1600/DSC07126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhZZvNJZIPXqncERf9vBzTVkr4LqwinU-6zaFd3zsCpzc5b_ZEmJE56oRWMDJl_at3-4ujje8iv-4R8C4K6CaDBFK9TwGXLpZbZ3cJx9owBMwhhsFWOkV0ReCBWXaUfi0aP18rY1jggQ/s200/DSC07126.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br /><ul>
<li>And then a little farther down the street, is the Moroccan market. <i>That</i> is something I was not expecting. Grab a drink, eat some fair food, and buy a knockoff leather purse? </li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjMX1CcJ7-1QI8w2mxRqnQH0V6sWaueVp3dD6lxk65IQmXPx6OMmhX_77ddjrhikiYlOdZCKVkXxnE-emZgVFzt65RjK1VJhjFLEJiCGy86OA6HaI0VSJ1FuaGbRvz9KqU7ypzZy5BY4/s1600/DSC07087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjMX1CcJ7-1QI8w2mxRqnQH0V6sWaueVp3dD6lxk65IQmXPx6OMmhX_77ddjrhikiYlOdZCKVkXxnE-emZgVFzt65RjK1VJhjFLEJiCGy86OA6HaI0VSJ1FuaGbRvz9KqU7ypzZy5BY4/s320/DSC07087.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>Cassidy and I had schawarma and churros for our fair food experience. What a strange take on the usual hot dog and mini-donuts route. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Saturday night we met up with a group of guys from Gibraltar, who found Cassidy on couchsurfing. There was a Kenyan, a Swede and 2 Italians, and they all spoke English so well that at first I assumed they were American. (Except for the Italians. There is no mistaking that nationality.) Talking in English felt so strange, and I kept accidently reverting to Spanish. I had to make a conscious effort to continue in English. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A Spanish song came on at one point that consisted of short verses. I caught this one: (Everyone was belting this out) "<i>camarero! .......qué! camarero.........qué! Champiniones!!!!!!!!" </i>And then everybody started dancing enthusiastically and singing <i>"Champiniones champiniones champiniones champiniones!" </i>(For those of you who don't speak Spanish, this is saying "waiter.....what! waiter.....what! Mushrooms!! Mushrooms mushrooms mushrooms mushrooms!") Oh Spain.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Then during the day on Sunday I went back for a little bit just to walk around. The first Sunday of fería<i> </i>is when all the women and girls wear their flamenco dresses. It kind of reminded me of Halloween, except that everyone looked gorgeous, not scary. They pull their hair back and wear a flower, and then wear tight, mermaid style flamenco dresses in all colors and patterns.</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.algecirasalminuto.com/index.php/toros/toros/41481-la-cabalgata-de-feria-llena-de-color-y-alegria-las-calles-de-algeciras-">Source</a>]</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVUU81hllQ53SqUSOOXBPdDoBSKYUlnxcLqbMq8CgGKgwC7Zz2ZdbWhWFoXfQJSyBIjoRwsmYuGTtnMK8vO0qperJgabV3Nj4yH9KXDxNHqfgiTIPFUyH0g2a-6_9-X-rxxHRRc6Hgxs/s1600/4064.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVUU81hllQ53SqUSOOXBPdDoBSKYUlnxcLqbMq8CgGKgwC7Zz2ZdbWhWFoXfQJSyBIjoRwsmYuGTtnMK8vO0qperJgabV3Nj4yH9KXDxNHqfgiTIPFUyH0g2a-6_9-X-rxxHRRc6Hgxs/s320/4064.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(I took this one too)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1srCqrEBSN-wgx6TQKSYZN5djmesnNhki8_xe-5HvKC_5wBBZX5h8wT0-hGQv4qjbdM1Uw5AeRJBTEeoBnx7PGAc-wxYXvLYoCpAHHIUcmjhm2wxLgGeodnvUluWJRr_4HKoQ7CDh-o/s1600/DSC07132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1srCqrEBSN-wgx6TQKSYZN5djmesnNhki8_xe-5HvKC_5wBBZX5h8wT0-hGQv4qjbdM1Uw5AeRJBTEeoBnx7PGAc-wxYXvLYoCpAHHIUcmjhm2wxLgGeodnvUluWJRr_4HKoQ7CDh-o/s320/DSC07132.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>Everybody was in the streets drinking pitchers of <i>manzanilla </i>(sherry) mixed with sprite<i>, </i>snacking on tapas and just having a great time. There were also horses<i> </i>everywhere. I've never seen a horse-drawn carriage in the streets of Algeciras until today. I also saw a little boy riding an even littler pony. Cutest. Thing. Ever.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.algecirasalminuto.com/index.php/toros/toros/41481-la-cabalgata-de-feria-llena-de-color-y-alegria-las-calles-de-algeciras-">Source</a>]</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCY7uiE20rkic7ymhiNdzyQfInPxLDBa0xFYDgiciqy3B8CUM-2uDz_AsMYX4rwmkYnkEbg2bey2eeHsLapZXM50T4xIRtHAgMUPbf1R6kW2-6V571Rsagr8Sx2ukDSUjx6K5vKSjaUo/s1600/4065.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCY7uiE20rkic7ymhiNdzyQfInPxLDBa0xFYDgiciqy3B8CUM-2uDz_AsMYX4rwmkYnkEbg2bey2eeHsLapZXM50T4xIRtHAgMUPbf1R6kW2-6V571Rsagr8Sx2ukDSUjx6K5vKSjaUo/s320/4065.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>The only thing I didn't like was that taking pictures is really awkward. Who wants to look up and see a strangers camera aimed at you? Not most people. But I sneakily took these pictures on my way home.</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqynF2g-Wof9bQe6FV6wCjMlLYP6xrfcU1MYt5C37U0EcRCoDK2qLiGkXRjPoUoPc6z2CLxeQI_Pgnh_8l2W72LXzoXrtW2rir3pQetl2Y3wSvh2uow_bAqn4IyPw_OmV-8QJPPYodkOw/s1600/DSC07104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqynF2g-Wof9bQe6FV6wCjMlLYP6xrfcU1MYt5C37U0EcRCoDK2qLiGkXRjPoUoPc6z2CLxeQI_Pgnh_8l2W72LXzoXrtW2rir3pQetl2Y3wSvh2uow_bAqn4IyPw_OmV-8QJPPYodkOw/s320/DSC07104.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGtxE65xjrRJtEboBebeFAiTwMyKZxhTSh4AKZs-scZTCi_goYKz9VmnShhfsV4cpgV0VKqp3fUdJGUKPHU6ahrCF81bjHILGSZprnfMunQCb0D07PSSQuZK9AuvC3wXccRaZW9f1z3Q/s1600/DSC07106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGtxE65xjrRJtEboBebeFAiTwMyKZxhTSh4AKZs-scZTCi_goYKz9VmnShhfsV4cpgV0VKqp3fUdJGUKPHU6ahrCF81bjHILGSZprnfMunQCb0D07PSSQuZK9AuvC3wXccRaZW9f1z3Q/s320/DSC07106.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpaaMtLSREcJ7yHKtdYqZhUPIRNzFYwUQeAL8DGYv1NPgnaKiOUwso6KdfROSCCvAkLfqriOQlxdgRe2lxx67OAKQtGvPbq0wrMTW_jUSwc8SYgCyHkjTi4HjQq2YVe1ZWiDYU1FJTCo/s1600/DSC07109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpaaMtLSREcJ7yHKtdYqZhUPIRNzFYwUQeAL8DGYv1NPgnaKiOUwso6KdfROSCCvAkLfqriOQlxdgRe2lxx67OAKQtGvPbq0wrMTW_jUSwc8SYgCyHkjTi4HjQq2YVe1ZWiDYU1FJTCo/s320/DSC07109.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>Sunday night I went back again. The feeling in the air is so contagious that I was completely content to just wander the aisles between the <i>casetas</i> for an hour or so. Cassidy and I spent the night with her roommate and her roommate's girlfriend, having deep intellectual conversations about the fundamental basics of 'society', whether or not Al Queda was really behind the 911 attacks, and wether bullfighting can actually be described as an art form or not. We held all these conversations in Spanish, which is not an easy feat.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>This is also when I saw my first real bar fight, where each guy had 2 or 3 friends holding him back, and one left with blood spurting out of his nose and completely covering his shirt, as well as the shirts of several friends. It was not a pretty sight. And I can't unsee it.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>After her roommate left, we bumped into two off duty police officers. They confirmed our thoughts that Algeciras really is a dirty, crime-ridden city. It's always been fun to discuss a mutual dislike of this city with strangers. It's a great icebreaker, and we wind up bonding over what an unfortunate place we live in.</li>
</ul>
<div>
This was such a great last weekend to have in Spain. It was such a cultural experience and a great chance to go out one last time. But like always, Spain was there for me, to keep me from getting too sappy and too sad about leaving. There are always little things, like waiting in line for forever and a day for no reason at the bank, or the Spaniard shows up 45 minutes late to meet you, or your friend happens to get locked in her house because in Spain its totally normal to need keys to open the door from the inside. (In America, we reserve this feature for the special rooms that serial killers build to keep their victims.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So sayonara Spain, <i>nos vemos cuando vemos</i>!</div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-55460506446812707532012-06-15T16:27:00.001-05:002012-06-15T16:27:14.912-05:005 Days Exploring Catalunya: Part 2Since Kaitlin left early Sunday morning, that left me with 2 full days to explore on my own. I spent Monday exploring a little town called Olot, famous for being built around several extinct volcanos. The drive from Girona to Olot was an hour long, but the rolling hills, greenery and medieval towns kept me occupied.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLN79vMq3SBfp2wm2LGEfEuo_G3P8JZ67sQpOSDED_10ai10Ny5jy8aNToItZ08g8kPVfNCA2_hqv5RKZRQ6kSU2sZQOVxdJxTjeH1wvAJdi9Qe0nKZk2h040k3nhj-iz8t8AaBNKPmxY/s1600/DSC06884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLN79vMq3SBfp2wm2LGEfEuo_G3P8JZ67sQpOSDED_10ai10Ny5jy8aNToItZ08g8kPVfNCA2_hqv5RKZRQ6kSU2sZQOVxdJxTjeH1wvAJdi9Qe0nKZk2h040k3nhj-iz8t8AaBNKPmxY/s320/DSC06884.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSMsPxgAQPOLYYO0Dz7nUVQo8at6pTvEjoVXa0EsDX2nM68nwOqHBIPnRzRqk3f-M9D-G-bBEJ-JL0dlFxB71UjXSJ_W_grBFwmRoc3YvKsDXI83lTWaMvSletsjmR4W5otCSkIK7o4Y/s1600/DSC06887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSMsPxgAQPOLYYO0Dz7nUVQo8at6pTvEjoVXa0EsDX2nM68nwOqHBIPnRzRqk3f-M9D-G-bBEJ-JL0dlFxB71UjXSJ_W_grBFwmRoc3YvKsDXI83lTWaMvSletsjmR4W5otCSkIK7o4Y/s320/DSC06887.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHYJ0mouYZmAtE6janpiDzzAdl2UjyVbv0MffqfG5GP4EZjqDjtaITH_CzBcZkkZBkJNOdAP0jwM1DpGymtb_Y5v2Ak7ohR6lEg77dsD7DAc7BZ-zdSRPs8XLmhmxykIGsXm4O-Pd9xY/s1600/DSC06943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHYJ0mouYZmAtE6janpiDzzAdl2UjyVbv0MffqfG5GP4EZjqDjtaITH_CzBcZkkZBkJNOdAP0jwM1DpGymtb_Y5v2Ak7ohR6lEg77dsD7DAc7BZ-zdSRPs8XLmhmxykIGsXm4O-Pd9xY/s320/DSC06943.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
What makes Olot unique is that it's built on the edge of the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Within the city there are 3 small volcanos, and there are around 40 in the entire national park.<br />
I was only there for a few hours, since it was Sunday and everyone knows that Spain shuts down on Sundays, but it was long enough to accomplish my main goal of hiking a volcano.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I showed up in town right during the middle of a festival. Yes, those <i>are</i> giant statues of a king and queen, and yes, the townspeople <i>are</i> holding flowers and each others hands' and dancing in a circle. And yes, there was also a live band. Oh Spain, you really have the whole <i>fiesta</i> thing down to a tee.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtQTE1JNTjuGiipivBb-1pAQdbCiS0qYI65hpSRizHULMyQyAIwtQ5ohwuJwHHSrwRcbGnn8MLxgtHTCu9KuXyWY1dcSTkL3R3y_zmGSym89I4VeGH1BPMoHxOZpDo0D23nopsERucDY/s1600/DSC06889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtQTE1JNTjuGiipivBb-1pAQdbCiS0qYI65hpSRizHULMyQyAIwtQ5ohwuJwHHSrwRcbGnn8MLxgtHTCu9KuXyWY1dcSTkL3R3y_zmGSym89I4VeGH1BPMoHxOZpDo0D23nopsERucDY/s320/DSC06889.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2SXgwWite4Eprgn1LOQbOLeRrUA4UNus3rtSg8jcrAZUQG4dMnJKWSZtvJm3Wp_T0lKz_ZCnJ6-YO0oplWjpcUNyW-mdU6_HcLmN6f78lTQqOVpqDrliGWbC5GViYWpklFLi0eOw_oM/s1600/DSC06892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2SXgwWite4Eprgn1LOQbOLeRrUA4UNus3rtSg8jcrAZUQG4dMnJKWSZtvJm3Wp_T0lKz_ZCnJ6-YO0oplWjpcUNyW-mdU6_HcLmN6f78lTQqOVpqDrliGWbC5GViYWpklFLi0eOw_oM/s320/DSC06892.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJqO7w7FoEsgN6kIgPyV3DGKaIPkL9_5780HQiFaG8_4qsPjZHbn9CXlYeqnVhImeBHFZg2p-HTtGCdk-ynuQiCNzuJlLYQ5cRpMj5Q9OpetpB_jiVjqoft1-JS_9wyNhctvULxvCZ78/s1600/DSC06895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJqO7w7FoEsgN6kIgPyV3DGKaIPkL9_5780HQiFaG8_4qsPjZHbn9CXlYeqnVhImeBHFZg2p-HTtGCdk-ynuQiCNzuJlLYQ5cRpMj5Q9OpetpB_jiVjqoft1-JS_9wyNhctvULxvCZ78/s320/DSC06895.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOb0xrrIyVTMckmKh2XBE_iO-_B-lINz3tRZumpjC503Xvjew1dwtnD59u1VZCqnxYZD_uuLB98u3p1r20PbM_tkF3oXDIhBeVUjOmuJyovcdf8ypOymY6tSUP0IFa53YPnnq80HQ6I0/s1600/DSC06934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOb0xrrIyVTMckmKh2XBE_iO-_B-lINz3tRZumpjC503Xvjew1dwtnD59u1VZCqnxYZD_uuLB98u3p1r20PbM_tkF3oXDIhBeVUjOmuJyovcdf8ypOymY6tSUP0IFa53YPnnq80HQ6I0/s320/DSC06934.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"Hiking" up the volcano. It literally took 5 minutes. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvzQnkBO1D9CS-AawBvuZwTbBwTBzSg9esPpVGVb80uTiQCe0gvFTZ_XyukxQQ5NRO5DshCtzC2pzu3ht5NNMQd-pjHe9RbftRSCbGwwXcrtDNdS6kNjaoUSiAVmwpcoHTA75P3bDxrQ/s1600/DSC06906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvzQnkBO1D9CS-AawBvuZwTbBwTBzSg9esPpVGVb80uTiQCe0gvFTZ_XyukxQQ5NRO5DshCtzC2pzu3ht5NNMQd-pjHe9RbftRSCbGwwXcrtDNdS6kNjaoUSiAVmwpcoHTA75P3bDxrQ/s320/DSC06906.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Poppies! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0N3TWrDATmKkLjmY-qRsCedlYhBnfLFmHuincymYCllYr3UmgjVoqwEeHDB1j3V1JHVpZtO2xOgJDWsQoQHvGw6KIzk71w9HLVyA5SD-Go3PrhwwonB0-JrYaY_qckggD_ywL7YhVJ4/s1600/DSC06897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0N3TWrDATmKkLjmY-qRsCedlYhBnfLFmHuincymYCllYr3UmgjVoqwEeHDB1j3V1JHVpZtO2xOgJDWsQoQHvGw6KIzk71w9HLVyA5SD-Go3PrhwwonB0-JrYaY_qckggD_ywL7YhVJ4/s320/DSC06897.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">This was the view from the top. In the background you can see another of the volcanos.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31NzrvxHQYsBjcbjinpX2fJWKSQhlE6ahWHVbWjcmpX2zaCqBkoHc4kVcc23ZSelFxrKc0kV2vx4DddItYYtwn8Rkj2UAChao7BTqpEsKlqQcfaOome6Bn7ahWT-WQ5h_nwA8Ksb4fnw/s1600/DSC06914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31NzrvxHQYsBjcbjinpX2fJWKSQhlE6ahWHVbWjcmpX2zaCqBkoHc4kVcc23ZSelFxrKc0kV2vx4DddItYYtwn8Rkj2UAChao7BTqpEsKlqQcfaOome6Bn7ahWT-WQ5h_nwA8Ksb4fnw/s400/DSC06914.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The crater is entirely closed and grassed-over, and on the edge of the crater, there was a church!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6r0w9ZpEy7fenGmE3YOKgW01R-xcbhjp14y1l0leG-WtTQVYEsSGfosFnYFT1RAo3XP9pSFPUdeEgqIJsKDOSZ_bGceAMdaLf_nC3RjISuI37hnQWUrQ9iSL4K4XUfrIcMc4oy-X1fpk/s1600/DSC06918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6r0w9ZpEy7fenGmE3YOKgW01R-xcbhjp14y1l0leG-WtTQVYEsSGfosFnYFT1RAo3XP9pSFPUdeEgqIJsKDOSZ_bGceAMdaLf_nC3RjISuI37hnQWUrQ9iSL4K4XUfrIcMc4oy-X1fpk/s320/DSC06918.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
In short, Olot was cool. If you are ever in Girona, I highly recommend a day trip to Olot and....this next city, Besalú. If you like medieval architecture and cool bridges, this city will be your dream come true. Walking across this bridge was like taking a step back in time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyknaOV6tC1c4rl0wnpv4DjeeK2ove7jQoQ1uMoEFRVPf7qlQMsoiyAo_Gh0dvQGdaMZS6kjLtwmPgbdczElcGYO1Nlu0ecPD8gvxdXq2ogribjsF-UYbzUdJAN2a0T-nRT-u6ompUQYY/s1600/DSC06979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyknaOV6tC1c4rl0wnpv4DjeeK2ove7jQoQ1uMoEFRVPf7qlQMsoiyAo_Gh0dvQGdaMZS6kjLtwmPgbdczElcGYO1Nlu0ecPD8gvxdXq2ogribjsF-UYbzUdJAN2a0T-nRT-u6ompUQYY/s320/DSC06979.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10GUi_Pn5fed3qcvBTlvSd6UUz8MveObQ_urYUxKAGolJ4QhNvtWwfSUX2LEWhuEQOMakPto5nnTsJGeHPe8GFH5-YWmaze1RdEiv4zRODWDKWkolwoHgBIq_dZXGTcIjKyq11Ep06q8/s1600/DSC06983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10GUi_Pn5fed3qcvBTlvSd6UUz8MveObQ_urYUxKAGolJ4QhNvtWwfSUX2LEWhuEQOMakPto5nnTsJGeHPe8GFH5-YWmaze1RdEiv4zRODWDKWkolwoHgBIq_dZXGTcIjKyq11Ep06q8/s320/DSC06983.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfCRZ8IgHaioZsjEMKCFq6io98488YkTtSNtlXxwwLj4aBScJVr4h9bXycmLeeqxdl0kDZ7F01xv7Vo5VPUljx_DmJrHNUagGfq0z5Dhyphenhyphen3M2KNSnolFZDhb1gPhAiXPSHTOw7c2fTiUw/s1600/DSC06988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfCRZ8IgHaioZsjEMKCFq6io98488YkTtSNtlXxwwLj4aBScJVr4h9bXycmLeeqxdl0kDZ7F01xv7Vo5VPUljx_DmJrHNUagGfq0z5Dhyphenhyphen3M2KNSnolFZDhb1gPhAiXPSHTOw7c2fTiUw/s320/DSC06988.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJU6EXMt-vOqVVyvJqU2erGSRmhFFNyBaB86_KtJUhrqZvoHjZRWlq2SBXBA81BP9AIDJKK2p9cp6K1nZOkw0GoPbSdCOPR_h2BhAyZ1BkIf2vJ9KKenO4IjO4WCmWkpI2Nyi-b13A7M/s1600/DSC06997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJU6EXMt-vOqVVyvJqU2erGSRmhFFNyBaB86_KtJUhrqZvoHjZRWlq2SBXBA81BP9AIDJKK2p9cp6K1nZOkw0GoPbSdCOPR_h2BhAyZ1BkIf2vJ9KKenO4IjO4WCmWkpI2Nyi-b13A7M/s320/DSC06997.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_qWh_JSpjqhhM9E0tEwZ7XTd5nlDqeUSesnnXNTpfULZa6KPwxR8VF6tT34KotGBf8oLHk-Tt-zSU1gEwOBmAQ4x3LAWZOVu4kT7V5y9ujmCsB9MA3t6dVavrzjORqN9MC7tNOuvMK8/s1600/DSC06978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_qWh_JSpjqhhM9E0tEwZ7XTd5nlDqeUSesnnXNTpfULZa6KPwxR8VF6tT34KotGBf8oLHk-Tt-zSU1gEwOBmAQ4x3LAWZOVu4kT7V5y9ujmCsB9MA3t6dVavrzjORqN9MC7tNOuvMK8/s320/DSC06978.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Real chair? Or 2D chair?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YSElS8D3mOsFIWgEyIqL8II8znKYX6n0u3oYWqxBEkDb5ytzfaT30KL0UcZS4kLcHSzvAHBKo3F2Spsf37teucoXcYJuMcE77sUQnTnfvgbXqBinuIXjbTfRmvVe5Fc5iwJF0tOsSP0/s1600/DSC07012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YSElS8D3mOsFIWgEyIqL8II8znKYX6n0u3oYWqxBEkDb5ytzfaT30KL0UcZS4kLcHSzvAHBKo3F2Spsf37teucoXcYJuMcE77sUQnTnfvgbXqBinuIXjbTfRmvVe5Fc5iwJF0tOsSP0/s320/DSC07012.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KM98lahyphenhyphenma0M6bjNqmcfYs_AQ8FRtDXbaKrajCOidZaYO6OnS3MMVEifAUUR6XMpPRQ8yVudUS-F6ybZIoFXz9hIo3dK47e7qqey9e7ByF3gEU_hoNRlakL6YJ8-iFPBqnnZ1DNX8oo/s1600/DSC07016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KM98lahyphenhyphenma0M6bjNqmcfYs_AQ8FRtDXbaKrajCOidZaYO6OnS3MMVEifAUUR6XMpPRQ8yVudUS-F6ybZIoFXz9hIo3dK47e7qqey9e7ByF3gEU_hoNRlakL6YJ8-iFPBqnnZ1DNX8oo/s320/DSC07016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I found a hiking path that went behind the city. Not only where the views absolutely stunning, but I was in heaven since I hadn't seen a real hiking path since leaving Wisconsin. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwXiqUaYsjoA_i5obZOlWLqyem8Rvl39NtjYEEs6AyYo9Y6we2BX3bYGlTcVw9HqLKaJ4dBMJtg_4yatSLO4aiTptnYg-C0OMEWhp7Og93CGHWr1zTeTw2oUSgwYaxUlCJB9Mdf5pY24/s1600/DSC07006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwXiqUaYsjoA_i5obZOlWLqyem8Rvl39NtjYEEs6AyYo9Y6we2BX3bYGlTcVw9HqLKaJ4dBMJtg_4yatSLO4aiTptnYg-C0OMEWhp7Og93CGHWr1zTeTw2oUSgwYaxUlCJB9Mdf5pY24/s320/DSC07006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Besalú's main city square. Love it!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkzlWWX_vV011VuRhoFXdcEL3cNWJm9S3LfTDDQF0lXsGsL5x3D1C8QQSh4zPPqFF3KaX3cEn8wqiNnGQvHEtrT0g9PrdJk2kZ7zGGyM5FPdN98G8KTvsqn-DqX1G6MHZ51S0FgMVXzk/s1600/DSC07018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkzlWWX_vV011VuRhoFXdcEL3cNWJm9S3LfTDDQF0lXsGsL5x3D1C8QQSh4zPPqFF3KaX3cEn8wqiNnGQvHEtrT0g9PrdJk2kZ7zGGyM5FPdN98G8KTvsqn-DqX1G6MHZ51S0FgMVXzk/s320/DSC07018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mi0ei91tMzVUQfcE0-NUbjYUCHG4iIvwky8HLIJYG8oMPc283sAkReT3jc2YvrB9d7mOAOvZqjATLWOIsI_Sw9vcz0rWusEKD9LR3YIjCnez8OC5oJ6MCBQO5BL-rK140XOznE4cE5s/s1600/DSC07021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mi0ei91tMzVUQfcE0-NUbjYUCHG4iIvwky8HLIJYG8oMPc283sAkReT3jc2YvrB9d7mOAOvZqjATLWOIsI_Sw9vcz0rWusEKD9LR3YIjCnez8OC5oJ6MCBQO5BL-rK140XOznE4cE5s/s320/DSC07021.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Catalunya was so much more than I expected it to be; I'd also associated the region with Barcelona, and never thought to explore it any further. I'm so happy I changed my mind! The people were so friendly, and when they heard us speak Spanish they excitedly asked us where we were from. I guess there are so many tourists in that region that foreigners who actually speak Spanish isn't common? I'm not sure. This trip was definitely one of my favorite's from the past year, and I highly recommend visiting this region if you're looking for a fun weekend trip!Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-86749049452316319862012-06-14T17:38:00.001-05:002012-06-14T17:38:26.006-05:00Back at the SchoolSo, I stopped by the school today to pick up some papers from my bilingual coordinator. It was a strange feeling. The second I stepped foot in the front yard, I heard the 3rd years scream and saw them, literally, rushing at me. Awww it's so nice to be loved :) I'd only been gone for 2 weeks, but it was nice to know they missed me.<br />
<br />
As for the rest of the trip...well..it basically summed up my year's experience there in 1 minute. The bilingual director saw me and said tiredly "I forgot your letter." (Of course you did.) "Can I just email it to you later? When do you need it by?" (No, you can't, because if I let you do that you'll just keep forgetting.) So I said I would come back Monday, and that I needed it printed off and signed. She looked confused, but agreed and walked away. Ever the unhelpful and forgetful one, she is.<br />
<br />
Then some of the 3rd years asked if I was coming to classes with them. I said no, with the excuse that I had to be in Gibraltar in an hour. The real reason I didn't however, was that I didn't think the teachers would be pleased to see me show up in class. They would mostly likely be annoyed that I was wasting their "valuable time" that they seem to have so little of. (Let's not get into how when the bell rings they sit around chatting until it's too late to put off going to class anymore. That's where a lot of their "valuable time" goes.)<br />
That pretty much sums up my year. I always felt like I was in the way, or wasting their time. I'd like to leave the school with good memories of my co-workers, but every time I try it just falls flat. At least I'm going out with great memories of my students, and that's really the only part that matters.<br />
<br />
However, since I have to be back at the school on Monday anyway, the teachers will just have to deal with me crashing their classes this time :)Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-86203041762530880092012-06-14T04:01:00.001-05:002012-06-15T16:27:36.850-05:005 Days Exploring Catalunya: Part 1I just got back from a 6 day trip exploring Catalunya, and can I just say how happy I am I saved this for my final trip, instead of going earlier in the year. If I had gone any sooner, I would have spiraled down into a deep depression about what a sad city I have spent my last year in.<br />
<br />
But thankfully, that didn't need to happen.<br />
<i>Instead</i>, I'll only have to spend my last week in Algeciras really, truly hating the city.<br />
So it could definitely be worse.<br />
<br />
My friend Kaitlin and I met up in Girona last Thursday night.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sHsa-zdrH9vaW2sThL03fXvbc57EncUvDjRObhBY9SXwCJbPZCfDarrpGYw_7eLQf1mbkT2nJzBBQczB8cXIur_PaOKh0oe6yY9IfxRUtfScFtManKZB-_DxeESRvubzTtSakaAOVIo/s1600/DSC07038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sHsa-zdrH9vaW2sThL03fXvbc57EncUvDjRObhBY9SXwCJbPZCfDarrpGYw_7eLQf1mbkT2nJzBBQczB8cXIur_PaOKh0oe6yY9IfxRUtfScFtManKZB-_DxeESRvubzTtSakaAOVIo/s400/DSC07038.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The city was gorgeous, full of life and old architecture, and everything that Algeciras is not.</div>
Thursday night we explored the city and splurged on fondue for dinner. Which is something I don't understand. First of all, we couldn't order it to share: we each had to order a separate serving. Secondly, a single serving of fondue should really be enough for 2-3 people. Thirdly, add that to the amount of bread needed to eat all the cheese, and we wound up feeling pretty sick that night. The whole idea of it just doesn't make sense...so apparently we have a lot of educating to do on the subject of fondue etiquette.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I loved all the medieval architecture and window decorations.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWfvqsd_5hWVldEvvsbHm2ElWEMoEZn95-kFrkKs_uIU-kVoMc4o1mG3jtINDT7cTlGoqLO9N3TGfaII0Uw9pmU9u6MZXpbA2JCZMOJ8Xpr4WNVXxbePkby04p9Kk5mmAbf6dVwauKJI/s1600/DSC06627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWfvqsd_5hWVldEvvsbHm2ElWEMoEZn95-kFrkKs_uIU-kVoMc4o1mG3jtINDT7cTlGoqLO9N3TGfaII0Uw9pmU9u6MZXpbA2JCZMOJ8Xpr4WNVXxbePkby04p9Kk5mmAbf6dVwauKJI/s320/DSC06627.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Girona Cathedral</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFJ8LOUCNiTb7LAyxywmB1gO9TpXWUPAINOATvjJiy-UKGzJgs5xRbyWnfitjMk2DG_dRp4LY1jF8dU4parc1qPEIlBtQRZiYd4S3Cg8kupNjm7F_5lgmL_YUGB73Cjq3ioQpHYvR7Zg/s1600/DSC06630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFJ8LOUCNiTb7LAyxywmB1gO9TpXWUPAINOATvjJiy-UKGzJgs5xRbyWnfitjMk2DG_dRp4LY1jF8dU4parc1qPEIlBtQRZiYd4S3Cg8kupNjm7F_5lgmL_YUGB73Cjq3ioQpHYvR7Zg/s320/DSC06630.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">River-side houses.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnc1-5nXjJ38KjKtc8VU9tRX7J3AYKHSsaeiRp4FVYgajMOUbb1SYMeiDKG0DThvGlAUjZ4otJa-QWkicxoLKfV8l-yxqs5VMjs_At6vxmhA6bNvsIqlSxr1b5BhTeTVZhiYTHpX8ptk/s1600/DSC06648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnc1-5nXjJ38KjKtc8VU9tRX7J3AYKHSsaeiRp4FVYgajMOUbb1SYMeiDKG0DThvGlAUjZ4otJa-QWkicxoLKfV8l-yxqs5VMjs_At6vxmhA6bNvsIqlSxr1b5BhTeTVZhiYTHpX8ptk/s320/DSC06648.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Friday, we traded the big city for a small Costa Brava beach town, L'Estartit. There's not much to say for the town, except that it is a hotspot for those interested in exploring the Medes Islands. (Which we were.)<br />
<br />
<u>The Medes Islands</u> are a group of 7 tiny islands just off the coast of northern Spain. The waters around them are protected by the Spanish government, so the number of boats, scuba divers and snorkelers allowed each day is carefully regulated. There is an incredible diversity of fish and plant life, and lots of underwater caves and tunnels to explore. These islands were my original reason for going to Costa Brava, for scuba diving. However, after some problems with my contact lenses, I had to "settle" for snorkeling instead.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The water was <i>fuh-reezing</i> so we had to wear wetsuits. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ov5siKhMdhKuCy5vAUx8aqx9z3zTYWrIKcSAxR-05jZdR9pff1GGVfikmSYUK73znEadK6NonUaRRfd6L3UGF_-5TBGlmNKEGnBjucez7PHBcdKeRMZvPVXdRA2AOwmSJnhE2yqwVo4/s1600/DSC06684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ov5siKhMdhKuCy5vAUx8aqx9z3zTYWrIKcSAxR-05jZdR9pff1GGVfikmSYUK73znEadK6NonUaRRfd6L3UGF_-5TBGlmNKEGnBjucez7PHBcdKeRMZvPVXdRA2AOwmSJnhE2yqwVo4/s320/DSC06684.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The wetsuits made it easy to float, so instead of struggling to swim we could just float quietly and watch the fish swim by underneath. Or, if you're like me, you could dolphin-kick with the fins and chase after schools of fish like real dolphins do. It was so exhilarating! (I might have had <s>a ridiculous amount</s> too much fun doing this.) The guide caught my eye during the middle of this, laughed underwater, and gave me a huge thumbs up.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When I took the time to calm down, it was equally exhilarating to be as still as possible and watch all the little fish swim by in front of my goggles. In the words of our Dutch friend, "<i>Look at all the fishes!!" </i>(I love non-native English speakers!)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeEhc15dZZCNvyI0qybWLDNf1eKjpnpWKXFCJPynq4zF0FrZnVyTHHqTVz37Q9USLS_bMVGVRbVdO3L89gKJ0VMQaD49qMugxF-fXv7ahHEy1DxfJ0EbzX1Jyvv9mqF685Q0-NwfmN8g/s1600/DSC06699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeEhc15dZZCNvyI0qybWLDNf1eKjpnpWKXFCJPynq4zF0FrZnVyTHHqTVz37Q9USLS_bMVGVRbVdO3L89gKJ0VMQaD49qMugxF-fXv7ahHEy1DxfJ0EbzX1Jyvv9mqF685Q0-NwfmN8g/s320/DSC06699.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFW5aog3VdT8IjiCHPbYk6lWiXX_iFSQiVBJZnk1YdQr0dhz9qX4IXSHykN80QC6CYzIpOeUi96ewp3Oq_P14b4WrlzG_U-eKpNaAGZadduXRHQp6bJIBs9DDSBoDGJckPDKUlvtfONw/s1600/DSC06721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFW5aog3VdT8IjiCHPbYk6lWiXX_iFSQiVBJZnk1YdQr0dhz9qX4IXSHykN80QC6CYzIpOeUi96ewp3Oq_P14b4WrlzG_U-eKpNaAGZadduXRHQp6bJIBs9DDSBoDGJckPDKUlvtfONw/s320/DSC06721.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKo_I7et8xGBmfzeppE6tbuTBwXFYqfczWX2mtjmI8c-lojpF0jqGXVy0uyEaWvsBwuQLQhBhtBrfHkDQpVw9jO69BWCoR3aG5iXIgUEZICEHzb-0ckD2syrFtshkePtt3ndeEyOOwAU/s1600/DSC06689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKo_I7et8xGBmfzeppE6tbuTBwXFYqfczWX2mtjmI8c-lojpF0jqGXVy0uyEaWvsBwuQLQhBhtBrfHkDQpVw9jO69BWCoR3aG5iXIgUEZICEHzb-0ckD2syrFtshkePtt3ndeEyOOwAU/s320/DSC06689.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvV6YuQFBwAIEXS7w56z4FE0wfvqXoCfe70FY3YmYOXOvuO8uzFgcXu-UshvsmAe9jHBWi6grQqKdmWE-hJ5iIm3c_3IqA9fd0EdTxlx2cnVsHrT95Fy8Wphu92tkwQNnPyeCdH3-7P4/s1600/DSC06693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvV6YuQFBwAIEXS7w56z4FE0wfvqXoCfe70FY3YmYOXOvuO8uzFgcXu-UshvsmAe9jHBWi6grQqKdmWE-hJ5iIm3c_3IqA9fd0EdTxlx2cnVsHrT95Fy8Wphu92tkwQNnPyeCdH3-7P4/s320/DSC06693.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Speaking of our Dutch friend, we quickly befriended him on the boat, and before long he was offering us a place to stay if we ever made it out to Amsterdam. Awesome, right? Until Kaitlin and I left without getting a name <i>or</i> number. Fail. Just...........fail. That day will forever be remembered as the day we let Holland Man go. Dammit.<br />
<br />
On Saturday, we went to explore another nearby town, <u>Lloret de Mar</u>. We knew absolutely nothing about this town before going, except that it had a really pretty garden that was highly recommended on Viator. So, when our bus dropped us off in the middle of <i>this</i>.............we were highly unprepared.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">There are so many things wrong with this picture...should we start with Burger King and the Statue of Liberty?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy48ViJBJQS7Rk6nud9Iirv4zJRSHkAA9KpZ1sT4sL2DDWHKW3NE8FH0KUVBkCkgUbwj-PBZc2xPV1tr5bsMIApHA_YklQ7dxX1LDbZ2LxFV5KxWa7DcDk1zNSH1uTELYpqOzrfMRyX64/s1600/DSC06816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy48ViJBJQS7Rk6nud9Iirv4zJRSHkAA9KpZ1sT4sL2DDWHKW3NE8FH0KUVBkCkgUbwj-PBZc2xPV1tr5bsMIApHA_YklQ7dxX1LDbZ2LxFV5KxWa7DcDk1zNSH1uTELYpqOzrfMRyX64/s320/DSC06816.JPG" width="320" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00uRAVaqejvZN8tCFm2taMfWU_pBBZEgoF3EALJyBDeoIEPmC2DLQS1z92srU0Lxt1uYFKLOmUwV7HzKzOU5arGte9ik78Ft7Q4FpyMJes2yOd79_fUORbjYwDf-qGWZTaiE9yTfdUec/s1600/DSC06818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00uRAVaqejvZN8tCFm2taMfWU_pBBZEgoF3EALJyBDeoIEPmC2DLQS1z92srU0Lxt1uYFKLOmUwV7HzKzOU5arGte9ik78Ft7Q4FpyMJes2yOd79_fUORbjYwDf-qGWZTaiE9yTfdUec/s320/DSC06818.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zrnkh45CMFmjY2RHwE0SprD5j9_nbIohr321mjnYf3cUL4CSQsStlhyphenhyphenHlqi7baEcPKls_yTUHv7xyu15x8NmpvBS8BbJLeTdOGfgOZqauYnQaLH1uH_aThMs527W7rLkgeX858-Z_mA/s1600/DSC06820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zrnkh45CMFmjY2RHwE0SprD5j9_nbIohr321mjnYf3cUL4CSQsStlhyphenhyphenHlqi7baEcPKls_yTUHv7xyu15x8NmpvBS8BbJLeTdOGfgOZqauYnQaLH1uH_aThMs527W7rLkgeX858-Z_mA/s200/DSC06820.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Fb0J3UPtGuS3qhl4ZlL3ioBL-MrxyOZxxgXI24ActG0MO7cOK63hXwEUgEer0Y38SG52ir46YAe3WEB4GxvXjSXTW2dwjwZDs1YesE9Rsa-0tPF8h840sg3Uw7OCdDrArAu-6MLy1yg/s1600/DSC06819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Fb0J3UPtGuS3qhl4ZlL3ioBL-MrxyOZxxgXI24ActG0MO7cOK63hXwEUgEer0Y38SG52ir46YAe3WEB4GxvXjSXTW2dwjwZDs1YesE9Rsa-0tPF8h840sg3Uw7OCdDrArAu-6MLy1yg/s320/DSC06819.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswoQ7uJwvUqzZYsy_UzaxeI9Udqr25Xh_idWOr-DfyxC98hDC-t-BtV1QWGW2ubY9tnRRQX0WDF8CiCRLaQijdD03JRUlhSOb_MsEqcVepnbyLl7vWuz4ShKmFZvYGpUj0UQN6Nuxnao/s1600/DSC06823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswoQ7uJwvUqzZYsy_UzaxeI9Udqr25Xh_idWOr-DfyxC98hDC-t-BtV1QWGW2ubY9tnRRQX0WDF8CiCRLaQijdD03JRUlhSOb_MsEqcVepnbyLl7vWuz4ShKmFZvYGpUj0UQN6Nuxnao/s320/DSC06823.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OE2c_AZgCNSknGa3QBD0rOIOd-napbYUbSYo-K-kMoTP4gmg_km8-vdSyYt3Ld_f99pppYRxHwxNiGlVT0hJIjBPGKWNe3Wttt6fkIYz5vMxxyCPHRs237bGLW99x4fPIO8i7hZIzu0/s1600/DSC06865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OE2c_AZgCNSknGa3QBD0rOIOd-napbYUbSYo-K-kMoTP4gmg_km8-vdSyYt3Ld_f99pppYRxHwxNiGlVT0hJIjBPGKWNe3Wttt6fkIYz5vMxxyCPHRs237bGLW99x4fPIO8i7hZIzu0/s320/DSC06865.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kaitlin and I called this place "the love child of Hollywood, Las Vegas and Cancun." That was the shortened version, anyway. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Despite the strange beginnings, we did eventually find the garden. And it was worth it. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCE26-m47zbwz4q7nMhMPwdtuZQF4-byBm1FYLCpYi15tEb7jbUi29ljp22StM-cQHUCObdF_R_yGUUezp8-iWiSkVGJ1Cvsr83P7iA4eUn2KzsiJNGpRslNPPTr969jK1FO-navAceTk/s1600/DSC06851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCE26-m47zbwz4q7nMhMPwdtuZQF4-byBm1FYLCpYi15tEb7jbUi29ljp22StM-cQHUCObdF_R_yGUUezp8-iWiSkVGJ1Cvsr83P7iA4eUn2KzsiJNGpRslNPPTr969jK1FO-navAceTk/s320/DSC06851.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLwXmMbmoPzBtFUGt6hYFeBYPSghFh3-9uPi7iaIlhBQzQEmoKccnRO5VWY4D9ailDifwaDVWnY3nXIe7zrMO1WM3YhMYS062s19D2y4HbIGAkSa2RmITwl0I-OqvjTKt4FzVG0Ug2Ek/s1600/DSC06834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLwXmMbmoPzBtFUGt6hYFeBYPSghFh3-9uPi7iaIlhBQzQEmoKccnRO5VWY4D9ailDifwaDVWnY3nXIe7zrMO1WM3YhMYS062s19D2y4HbIGAkSa2RmITwl0I-OqvjTKt4FzVG0Ug2Ek/s320/DSC06834.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbkB0gUAiSeNPiJ5PPlu8_TPFclQrcPv0-AaNaTECXljecPcXvqrQoCeWwdGo2c34xAbjZZ8wnifU7umVoNl7L8eYwMsTG9fKOjX3Z2lzIw2K6xJCkilN8p3UXWgPJ7OUiaoUKcV_ZdQ/s1600/DSC06850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbkB0gUAiSeNPiJ5PPlu8_TPFclQrcPv0-AaNaTECXljecPcXvqrQoCeWwdGo2c34xAbjZZ8wnifU7umVoNl7L8eYwMsTG9fKOjX3Z2lzIw2K6xJCkilN8p3UXWgPJ7OUiaoUKcV_ZdQ/s320/DSC06850.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
From the garden, we looked down the coastline and found a small, rather hidden, pebble beach. The 20 minutes I spent swimming in the ocean was one of the most exhilarating, cleansing, refreshing feelings I've had in a while. There's nothing quite like a swell of icy cold salty ocean water knocking you off your feet to make you feel like a kid again. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppXoW-BLAJDLlJ1J53fRlc_4vIHsXUPiJ1PJ9B-61Ex3bgctLNHK8j2q7WnkUZMrP9no9TKsQLp-VXuP8J45FL2JM45K5ZHoh_NIZ1VKOLX3gGUytGzHUdDUYAipzIDZxxc0D4k9lJZY/s1600/DSC06840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppXoW-BLAJDLlJ1J53fRlc_4vIHsXUPiJ1PJ9B-61Ex3bgctLNHK8j2q7WnkUZMrP9no9TKsQLp-VXuP8J45FL2JM45K5ZHoh_NIZ1VKOLX3gGUytGzHUdDUYAipzIDZxxc0D4k9lJZY/s320/DSC06840.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7e-9VoyejcxBdBe02cwCu8vt3xaDl9pz-NigY6Cy1ew65e0lcBHafyrEmlFdWlFtSYnhNRA43FgqtDjqU14Yjd_whIQDak_eE5hH3qVlpM8HzGvxEvO4cREvV0acT-gUhLl22D6BXAJQ/s1600/DSC06858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7e-9VoyejcxBdBe02cwCu8vt3xaDl9pz-NigY6Cy1ew65e0lcBHafyrEmlFdWlFtSYnhNRA43FgqtDjqU14Yjd_whIQDak_eE5hH3qVlpM8HzGvxEvO4cREvV0acT-gUhLl22D6BXAJQ/s320/DSC06858.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHocPgxKx83mp066t_JY5Npk85uvbJaV85wBiwBeyRcbxfl6iFMg09gI21qMInSwEhI5TZRk3HnFg1Jaw4J0gln9wdudBYicR7Um6rky4sre-nofpYJ3l2IBxOr-fJd87ngBsPpO505U/s1600/DSC06864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHocPgxKx83mp066t_JY5Npk85uvbJaV85wBiwBeyRcbxfl6iFMg09gI21qMInSwEhI5TZRk3HnFg1Jaw4J0gln9wdudBYicR7Um6rky4sre-nofpYJ3l2IBxOr-fJd87ngBsPpO505U/s320/DSC06864.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This was also the day Kaitlin and I checked 'visit a nude beach' off of our European to-do list. But it was actually more like: 'stumble accidently onto a nude beach and then run away with as much dignity as possible'. There were sooo many old naked man butts. Too many. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtta3QLwF8Ia06NYdA-5Wv_y5cp_RTlNaV5XYaLUpvesvqDV3pGAvIzuHa3HBCAOL5SllVTm1A5mxKCvWEfb76KH4_wUSoRte6Ti5-NpxI3wXicrWBnUBVIJosGoMigS8LHniOsUXcaU/s1600/DSC06855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtta3QLwF8Ia06NYdA-5Wv_y5cp_RTlNaV5XYaLUpvesvqDV3pGAvIzuHa3HBCAOL5SllVTm1A5mxKCvWEfb76KH4_wUSoRte6Ti5-NpxI3wXicrWBnUBVIJosGoMigS8LHniOsUXcaU/s320/DSC06855.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
To top off our spectacular weekend, we wound up getting surrounded by a group of kids pounding on drums in the middle of the town square back in Girona. We were just standing by watching, when all of a sudden the group dispersed and each kid grabbed the hand of somebody watching. They said "come on!" And then when we were in the circle and surrounded, they yelled "dance!" and started playing again. It was sheer madness, and one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of. And yes, those tall people <i>are</i> girls on stilts. Talk about talent!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7rQNe-LMcBK6Lvs25WRo3xRanyYw8oAcZ2yB1coJUJnLLPvYmo0w7E83KTnvmfvXK-yke5grJSwLZnHoIEV09fiYWZ7x0WWRxnD2dNs0Ddi4JHahNmy74cvVnh3TotLrNHQQjkbrp1k/s1600/DSC06873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKV6tMfM-dMF-ZH2XuYoPWLybVf2vrOto7NgUZpiSoqxDQFV_iVxbs1hIVLEpQCTRmXDJ7uDuL739FBUuXb0q-qtcJwzbe3SEhmfhf4SOtLFemSiW6gJQZfA5wv7U3QuOTgWUBv0IkNY/s1600/DSC06876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKV6tMfM-dMF-ZH2XuYoPWLybVf2vrOto7NgUZpiSoqxDQFV_iVxbs1hIVLEpQCTRmXDJ7uDuL739FBUuXb0q-qtcJwzbe3SEhmfhf4SOtLFemSiW6gJQZfA5wv7U3QuOTgWUBv0IkNY/s200/DSC06876.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8z_Udx58183mHFZ_A-Ogbjib5_cVtldhZf3bSnECfDAApRrrarEeTpRP_3YSrVMm0Tb2u1W1zbYiz64ArdaWwJVJfaDqPJbi7knl8N4EO9eOrZ0nv7h8TO9yRovLN8a-f3FO-__GvDY/s1600/DSC06877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8z_Udx58183mHFZ_A-Ogbjib5_cVtldhZf3bSnECfDAApRrrarEeTpRP_3YSrVMm0Tb2u1W1zbYiz64ArdaWwJVJfaDqPJbi7knl8N4EO9eOrZ0nv7h8TO9yRovLN8a-f3FO-__GvDY/s200/DSC06877.JPG" width="200" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7rQNe-LMcBK6Lvs25WRo3xRanyYw8oAcZ2yB1coJUJnLLPvYmo0w7E83KTnvmfvXK-yke5grJSwLZnHoIEV09fiYWZ7x0WWRxnD2dNs0Ddi4JHahNmy74cvVnh3TotLrNHQQjkbrp1k/s1600/DSC06873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7rQNe-LMcBK6Lvs25WRo3xRanyYw8oAcZ2yB1coJUJnLLPvYmo0w7E83KTnvmfvXK-yke5grJSwLZnHoIEV09fiYWZ7x0WWRxnD2dNs0Ddi4JHahNmy74cvVnh3TotLrNHQQjkbrp1k/s320/DSC06873.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Stay tuned for the last 2 days of the trip, after Kaitlin left and I did some exploring on my own!</div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-43329112454018132002012-06-04T07:57:00.002-05:002012-06-04T07:59:25.542-05:00Goodbyes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The year is really over....wow. </div>
I didn't expect my last day at the school to be so hard. After having spent the last 9 months complaining about the program, the teachers and the complete lack of discipline in the classrooms, I more or less expected to say <i>adiós</i> and leave feeling pretty happy.<br />
Instead, I walked into the 2nd years classroom Thursday morning and my lip immediately started quivering. They had all signed the whiteboard and written 'Emma we will miss you!' and gave me a poster board that they had all signed with little messages. They also turned off the lights and had me sit through a 5 minute long youtube video of 'Graduation' by Vitamin C, while they sniffled and sang through the choruses. That part was slightly awkward.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLWkKWX6_Y91Y80p9OEyaNb03VxR37l9-JMrUgFf0wCwyyst-lvBIN3DbfWkI7wJND6OIoLvP2STHIq58We57Q57-XiDyAvYjD2-WBxVdPQjzL-rXvexecXTrC4iSPOLbQUrvmUcM78Q/s1600/392541_3814042841852_569506586_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLWkKWX6_Y91Y80p9OEyaNb03VxR37l9-JMrUgFf0wCwyyst-lvBIN3DbfWkI7wJND6OIoLvP2STHIq58We57Q57-XiDyAvYjD2-WBxVdPQjzL-rXvexecXTrC4iSPOLbQUrvmUcM78Q/s320/392541_3814042841852_569506586_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
This hour was in comparison to the day before, when I had stomped out of the room at the end of class, after having gone hoarse from yelling at them to be quiet all hour. Aaaa the highs and lows of teaching.<br />
We spent the hour taking pictures and watching more youtube videos and I signed about a bazillion 'yearbooks'. (In English of course.) Bless their little hearts that they are still at the age where its okay for the girls to cry about me leaving, and for the boys to look decently sad. I'll miss that class.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-muSorsVOna3Gr5o9nwN5BNRTf9c82HubXYG7swkAGr9HXcXiJdMljLxpPYkw2gBwUtsGSWaSmthErS9Rb2wLcqOdtRzPupIqUBmnEijbeUoJmdGLwv7YTK4xH5Nd0ubtGCFOdQ8wCHs/s1600/552984_3814040201786_1212773165_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-muSorsVOna3Gr5o9nwN5BNRTf9c82HubXYG7swkAGr9HXcXiJdMljLxpPYkw2gBwUtsGSWaSmthErS9Rb2wLcqOdtRzPupIqUBmnEijbeUoJmdGLwv7YTK4xH5Nd0ubtGCFOdQ8wCHs/s320/552984_3814040201786_1212773165_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Even saying bye to some of the teachers was hard, especially the secretary, who had been giving me rides home for the last couple of months. Even though, after 9 months, I <i>still</i> don't know her name.<br />
As I said thanks for everything and goodbye to the bilingual coordinator, I was <i>really</i> glad I hadn't printed off and handed in the angry evaluation letter I had written on Monday. Looking back on the year, I survived, and had a great experience. I don't want to leave a bad taste behind.<br />
<br />
Then when I went for a café at my usual place, I gave the waitress <i>2 besos </i>goodbye and she said my toast and coffee was on the house. Awwww, Spain! You're finally pulling through a little with all the hospitality I'd been missing all year!<br />
<br />
Even my 3rd year class was decently sad to see me leave, although even just being 1 year old than the 2nd years meant that they were far too mature to shed any tears.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06oYk67N9uj3IUOMvnvKNMBaftxeWbe-aR3yLonthQ0Incq_P_5-r6xdRdldkGPw03yzD8DMah7uOICPC-YRv3SLUfCGpUomYBhljPfU7HRhiiNrhJZQF758wem5L_4lrP324Cv3zftU/s1600/184563_3814048922004_1600980049_3014498_557151854_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06oYk67N9uj3IUOMvnvKNMBaftxeWbe-aR3yLonthQ0Incq_P_5-r6xdRdldkGPw03yzD8DMah7uOICPC-YRv3SLUfCGpUomYBhljPfU7HRhiiNrhJZQF758wem5L_4lrP324Cv3zftU/s320/184563_3814048922004_1600980049_3014498_557151854_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
I walked out of the school feeling vaguely unsettled, and not sure what to do next. Saying goodbye is hard. But as they like to say in Spain, it's only see you later, not goodbye!<br />
(But to be perfectly honest, I will <s>hopefully</s> probably never be back to this city again. So it really is goodbye.)Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-41610623696444838732012-05-28T12:32:00.000-05:002012-05-28T12:32:19.325-05:00The Pyramids of Mississippi && other important facts..There have been some moments during the past year when I've wondered why the heck I am in this school, when students are obviously not listening to me and the teachers are just taking me for granted.<br />
<br />
For instance,<br />
<br />
- When a 3rd year said that the United States had a king.<br />
- When a 2nd year told me that Vermont is famous for its 'syrup of moose', after I had given him a <i>clearly labeled picture</i> saying it was 'maple syrup'.<br />
- When one of Eli's students wrote that "an other famous monuments are the Pyramids of Mississippi, these were built in ancient times by the Aztecs, Mayas and Incas", in reference to interesting facts about the state of Mississippi.<br />
- When I walked into school today and the teacher with whom I have class with on Wednesday said, "you're still working this week??"<br />
- When I asked my students to hand in the report they've been working on for the last 4 weeks, after I explained last week <i>in Spanish</i> that today was the final day to turn it in, and they looked at me with sad eyes and say they thought they didn't need to turn it in at all.<br />
- When a teacher pronounced the Spanish word <i>paella</i> as 'pa-lela', because she was reading something in English, and I corrected her and said it was still pronounced the same, but she went on to say the word with wrong pronunciation 3 more times. Even though it was a word in her native language. Fail. Just.....fail.<br />
<br />
Ahhhh, the good life. Where students can look you in the eye and nod and say they understand, and then turn around and whisper "wtf did she just say" to all their classmates. Yet nobody has the courage to raise their hand and actually ask.<br />
<br />
Only 2 more days of this nonsense!Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-44892212687534807102012-05-24T18:34:00.002-05:002012-05-24T18:34:14.439-05:00Joooooder, Tangér<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(<i>Joder</i> is European Spanish equivalent of 'fuck'. In Spain, its used like 'good grief'/'holy shit'/'that sucks'/etc.)</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span>Remember when I went to Tangier, Morocco back in January? No? Well, <a href="http://emma-in-espana.blogspot.com.es/2012/01/my-first-last-day-in-tangier-morocco.html">here's</a> a refresher: it was an experience, I'm glad I went, and I vowed that I would never go back. (To Tangier that is, not to Morocco in general.) However, when my friend Kaitlin decided to come visit a few months later, she told me that she wanted to see Gibraltar and Morocco. And I cursed silently in my head, because I knew I couldn't afford to do anything more than a day trip to Morocco, and Tangier is the cheapest city to get to.<br />
<br />
My second experience in Tangier was no more wonderful than the first. The best part of the day for me (sadly) was when we crossed the border in a bus from Spain to Morocco. Our ferry landed in Ceuta, a Spanish colony in the northern-most tip of Morocco. It's a very Spanish city. We got on the tour bus and drove about 20 minutes to <i>la frontera</i>, the border. The Spanish side was neat and orderly, people were standing in lines and the buildings were nicely kept up. Then we had our passports checked and crossed onto the Moroccan side. Immediately<i>, </i>everything changed. Even the ceiling had a definite line on it. All of a sudden cars were parked chaotically all over the road, the white paint on the cement walls was cracking and peeling, and there was sketchy looking barbed wire on the tops of all the walls. Welcome to Morocco!<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Actually, the best part was when we crossed <i>back over </i>the border back into Spain that night.)</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span>The tour was a full day and included walking tours of the <i>medinas</i> and <i>souks</i> of Tetuán and Tangér.<br />
The title, '<i>Joder, Tangér'</i> was something everyone was thinking as we climbed onto the tour bus the final time in Tangier. We had just been followed across a parking lot by 4 older men and 3 boys, trying to sell us everything from little beaded bracelets to small wooden camels to giant-sized rugs, as we ran across to the bus. One guy even went so far as to yell up the stairwell, telling us that this was our last chance and we didn't want to miss out. Yeesh. As soon as we were in the relative peace and quiet of the bus, an old Spanish lady behind me let out a sigh accompanied with '<i>joder!!' </i>Which summed up as any number of swear words. The rest of the bus laughed and vehemently nodded heads in agreement.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Ceuta, the Spanish colony.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMjyhJexGHmYHAZsNbG8IMOlr5schf91dg0eAyRHZ_8TR98AeRkfIFpVB3H1nH6rsvCooA7CDBaQ8pb49EsM9jTtuGqhJugw_ZiRxR7loVyawJf7wrtEryNr68wAuWqkn68EyIwhTxUg/s1600/DSC06415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMjyhJexGHmYHAZsNbG8IMOlr5schf91dg0eAyRHZ_8TR98AeRkfIFpVB3H1nH6rsvCooA7CDBaQ8pb49EsM9jTtuGqhJugw_ZiRxR7loVyawJf7wrtEryNr68wAuWqkn68EyIwhTxUg/s320/DSC06415.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1jPl3ruExijEhjXIUOpj4Y8JMG3Fh1sq-eH90YgynXD3RUHzI3TLVw28yw9oCNMLsHsuOberRQLVsOJOShyphenhypheniQmaNQpIKgZ1m2YBY7YoHfGFTv0EDn47zGvmVlYhDKnZRSmhbBM5x7TU/s1600/DSC06523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1jPl3ruExijEhjXIUOpj4Y8JMG3Fh1sq-eH90YgynXD3RUHzI3TLVw28yw9oCNMLsHsuOberRQLVsOJOShyphenhypheniQmaNQpIKgZ1m2YBY7YoHfGFTv0EDn47zGvmVlYhDKnZRSmhbBM5x7TU/s320/DSC06523.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Baby camel, meet little girl. Little girl, meet baby camel.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bSR4Kkw_w7ufXEyU-Y1qqwXBHUR0sVCe6XtSteZbr19DMKDBVsR0IYxldKBqqqLr0k3ydUcG4IHmjlEx6b_-AGI4rTwNHPRs_FJwje5Drdd1KWtRRMUpHXtkZQZc4X7RTsUJKpCcHz0/s1600/DSC06438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bSR4Kkw_w7ufXEyU-Y1qqwXBHUR0sVCe6XtSteZbr19DMKDBVsR0IYxldKBqqqLr0k3ydUcG4IHmjlEx6b_-AGI4rTwNHPRs_FJwje5Drdd1KWtRRMUpHXtkZQZc4X7RTsUJKpCcHz0/s320/DSC06438.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">These next 4 pictures are from Tetuán.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pbulwtwW_vRHCp-9goa9ilZt1ArpK9wlYDOrPpkgK29kVTZdJERCecoGuXkz4svrby6PTHZGOfZkvofDDiWVCDjtjKO1L2V4H8FfJHsL5B8S3ZaFuSQWdo4Z1J6-jYvas_oIBKADCNc/s1600/DSC06448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pbulwtwW_vRHCp-9goa9ilZt1ArpK9wlYDOrPpkgK29kVTZdJERCecoGuXkz4svrby6PTHZGOfZkvofDDiWVCDjtjKO1L2V4H8FfJHsL5B8S3ZaFuSQWdo4Z1J6-jYvas_oIBKADCNc/s320/DSC06448.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJHit7b1m00ucJQZNwFquXrXRLWW_zTX5EHkg7DBtnAsQGePGxCQnoubiNkoXED4EIUBu9xALCKliExvM-LghxECs7jR5taZXWUSXKNddz4dy-9VqUIijfguW9bv8-MdtL6k5iHoO6Tg/s1600/DSC06450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJHit7b1m00ucJQZNwFquXrXRLWW_zTX5EHkg7DBtnAsQGePGxCQnoubiNkoXED4EIUBu9xALCKliExvM-LghxECs7jR5taZXWUSXKNddz4dy-9VqUIijfguW9bv8-MdtL6k5iHoO6Tg/s320/DSC06450.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPN1WfELTlL-fLRO1V39TRVqxyZ2PFVPy0svPLrMIegCs7Ey3TGebK3Zne9sg1E0CaiGtaMsLHeKQQZBH7-OdhYZQhw9WofSSfWfJIIHSBbP9P44K_NZJE29MW-T-jm0Y5z_207PHRKg/s1600/DSC06454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPN1WfELTlL-fLRO1V39TRVqxyZ2PFVPy0svPLrMIegCs7Ey3TGebK3Zne9sg1E0CaiGtaMsLHeKQQZBH7-OdhYZQhw9WofSSfWfJIIHSBbP9P44K_NZJE29MW-T-jm0Y5z_207PHRKg/s320/DSC06454.JPG" width="228" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFE3tsb7wg0TTTqquNQ6dJYTqxwrrz0MUSOSbOM0JgPhUpI5fVdeaZZ3Q20MaQrurMfKGUMWMMJ4vT_9gqOtICY9rOM7wh2mg2PWTIXhFif60nE-lN-NqMUHTu3ahACSJe7T3_hHPWzHg/s1600/DSC06465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFE3tsb7wg0TTTqquNQ6dJYTqxwrrz0MUSOSbOM0JgPhUpI5fVdeaZZ3Q20MaQrurMfKGUMWMMJ4vT_9gqOtICY9rOM7wh2mg2PWTIXhFif60nE-lN-NqMUHTu3ahACSJe7T3_hHPWzHg/s400/DSC06465.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Tangier <i>medina</i>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFE3tsb7wg0TTTqquNQ6dJYTqxwrrz0MUSOSbOM0JgPhUpI5fVdeaZZ3Q20MaQrurMfKGUMWMMJ4vT_9gqOtICY9rOM7wh2mg2PWTIXhFif60nE-lN-NqMUHTu3ahACSJe7T3_hHPWzHg/s1600/DSC06465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienjxvl9vUU3iKymEtSZFYhd5hynxVVpunR1QJeljgOUhXZ41qqAOTBUN9RwAsT1-frR6CsVDKDxSfGK470icQUZYx4BN468MBiGJxZx-dDDGYXqhim8C-wwP04H0OPruyyDr2u310Y10/s1600/DSC06494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienjxvl9vUU3iKymEtSZFYhd5hynxVVpunR1QJeljgOUhXZ41qqAOTBUN9RwAsT1-frR6CsVDKDxSfGK470icQUZYx4BN468MBiGJxZx-dDDGYXqhim8C-wwP04H0OPruyyDr2u310Y10/s320/DSC06494.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienjxvl9vUU3iKymEtSZFYhd5hynxVVpunR1QJeljgOUhXZ41qqAOTBUN9RwAsT1-frR6CsVDKDxSfGK470icQUZYx4BN468MBiGJxZx-dDDGYXqhim8C-wwP04H0OPruyyDr2u310Y10/s1600/DSC06494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xdRLeMfjAOEW9pKf1SEYH4amN2ehh_r5oFl7cwEytItvGopwysMb5xh4eM_ZkBQ2qTvK9GU7bWhBhq04Mwmc6BNx3rfCQVicJFiqzAamRTPAfnGaZPGVTrd5Ggj2l1iIblOAGDGPxgA/s1600/DSC06496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xdRLeMfjAOEW9pKf1SEYH4amN2ehh_r5oFl7cwEytItvGopwysMb5xh4eM_ZkBQ2qTvK9GU7bWhBhq04Mwmc6BNx3rfCQVicJFiqzAamRTPAfnGaZPGVTrd5Ggj2l1iIblOAGDGPxgA/s320/DSC06496.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdeafuJgxfwfP9lvSGMmRdhmuQ8101bQ3fUSScv0-wQwbyP_OY7Cjj8a3HyVzmO-H_POGRSndVGYUKDQNF5YIXaQ5dNkTKv-3TyYry51GHjBUFU9l6_95oQdiRZc6UnDocs1u4nhhDjc/s1600/DSC06500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdeafuJgxfwfP9lvSGMmRdhmuQ8101bQ3fUSScv0-wQwbyP_OY7Cjj8a3HyVzmO-H_POGRSndVGYUKDQNF5YIXaQ5dNkTKv-3TyYry51GHjBUFU9l6_95oQdiRZc6UnDocs1u4nhhDjc/s320/DSC06500.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Free time to shop. The owner pulled us aside to show us pictures of him with Rick Steves, ex-President Zapatero, and John Malkovich, to name a few. He was very excited to have American visitors. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfSxWrKrmLr9dI-bQjWhESF42XRZk_dxDvcxwhNYx_X5fhh-8H0Rl29Bu7ZBXDU5OA-Dc6t_7kabo7ce6kLIogfow2umgboD9A_qTxN7cGlMEf4H9ISjgwf2VhkVZc5ueetePCQSI9IU/s1600/DSC06502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfSxWrKrmLr9dI-bQjWhESF42XRZk_dxDvcxwhNYx_X5fhh-8H0Rl29Bu7ZBXDU5OA-Dc6t_7kabo7ce6kLIogfow2umgboD9A_qTxN7cGlMEf4H9ISjgwf2VhkVZc5ueetePCQSI9IU/s320/DSC06502.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWBQdRkyTxDawgGdeHwmSceeGnp8DYHtJ5zqBFcFnBoimHwCUIVm8llCvcjEuPU4pH4UOt-GfIuwNUsqw4oQIoyvauIinZTgeKrNo4UyfH6fyZKyRE8-0B8J2f_uty8FSie2YNpGcKWE/s1600/DSC06498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWBQdRkyTxDawgGdeHwmSceeGnp8DYHtJ5zqBFcFnBoimHwCUIVm8llCvcjEuPU4pH4UOt-GfIuwNUsqw4oQIoyvauIinZTgeKrNo4UyfH6fyZKyRE8-0B8J2f_uty8FSie2YNpGcKWE/s320/DSC06498.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Gibraltar in the background</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tZ6qfGZaZ0G70cZlzd9Vmv-ZBoOM4hLvgwcpn38o4N58w1FSy2VqkPl20B9d5oHsfENN9atB4c6GF2vWSarjVn7ctswBeHpLUzkGJck7SnRqJL1cs0FrN7gVpqg0FT7R6trdKEyVtpg/s1600/DSC06508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tZ6qfGZaZ0G70cZlzd9Vmv-ZBoOM4hLvgwcpn38o4N58w1FSy2VqkPl20B9d5oHsfENN9atB4c6GF2vWSarjVn7ctswBeHpLUzkGJck7SnRqJL1cs0FrN7gVpqg0FT7R6trdKEyVtpg/s320/DSC06508.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Ceuta from a distance</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvOkbAUlXEy7gt0I61XCAbWfe6i1CB8sk0eye-7hcxefwJcXeS2AyMRxwjvFJ9IMKge0ZBTYi7IMimLi4Ed19YI41q7M8R6D0hq9A0U3iPsizRSmAzKcZEo0_YjGR7ajguXZlymV5Dlg/s1600/DSC06520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvOkbAUlXEy7gt0I61XCAbWfe6i1CB8sk0eye-7hcxefwJcXeS2AyMRxwjvFJ9IMKge0ZBTYi7IMimLi4Ed19YI41q7M8R6D0hq9A0U3iPsizRSmAzKcZEo0_YjGR7ajguXZlymV5Dlg/s320/DSC06520.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_MH4jGgr2n_OymVHrjXCXfdNJEJsVMplZ3TWAu4r-l7K-qOF0fjImjlkceCqy7qYmJrdsuGVefo0-6bQWm-xqbyM_GzDRkoOtNRl5rKlR1ZOlHHfFvh15ULmbikA2BdsGI0wyEN_ZKA/s1600/DSC06521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_MH4jGgr2n_OymVHrjXCXfdNJEJsVMplZ3TWAu4r-l7K-qOF0fjImjlkceCqy7qYmJrdsuGVefo0-6bQWm-xqbyM_GzDRkoOtNRl5rKlR1ZOlHHfFvh15ULmbikA2BdsGI0wyEN_ZKA/s320/DSC06521.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tangier, I sincerely hope I never see you again. </div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-46890923172179246392012-05-20T16:21:00.000-05:002012-05-20T16:28:01.965-05:00Soy como un flor...y mi novio es el agua.I left the house wearing shorts this morning.<br />
This doesn't seem like a big deal, right? And it shouldn't be. Unless you happen to live in Spain and don't put on tights under the shorts. <br />
(That's a big no-no, unless you want to attract attention from all the wrong guys.)<br />
<br />
I left the house wearing running shorts and was sitting on a bench waiting to meet Eli to go on a walk. An old man walked passed me at one point, looked me up and down, and said with a slightly confused (because of my clothing choice) and decisive look on his face, "<i>no hay verano este año." (</i>There's no summer this year.) Basically, he told me that it wasn't summer and that I couldn't go around wearing so little clothing, I had to cover up. (Solely because it wasn't the <i>summer season</i> yet, never mind that it was <i>summer weather</i>.) I got very indignant and replied that I could wear whatever I pleased, thank you very much. I guess I amused him, because he broke out in guffaws and sat down next to me on the bench, looking very pleased with my response.<br />
<br />
He asked me if I had a boyfriend. I said yes. He asked "here?" I said no, the United States. He said "that can be very dangerous." And I said "oh yeah?" And he explained that a woman without a man "<i>es como un flor sin agua. La flor está aquí y el agua está allí. Como vas a vivir</i>?" (It's like a flower without water. The flower is here and the water is there. How are you going to live?) <i>Joder, </i>man!<i> </i>I assured him I was living just fine.<br />
<br />
And then he asked me if I wanted to get coffee. No. No I most definitely did not. He asked me for my number, so that maybe we could get coffee later. I said not a chance. Then he asked me if he could give me his number. Nope. "But how will we be able to maybe get a coffee later? Oh! I'll show you where I live!" Super. So now I know that he lives on the first floor of an apartment on the corner across from the train station, and that he is always in a café right on the corner, so I won't have any trouble finding him. Fantastic.<br />
<br />
I love getting hit on by old creepy men who tell me that I can't live without a man and it's not okay to wear shorts in 70 degree weather. Spain, you really need to get with the modern era.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Only 1 month until this look won't get me stares and catcalls. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8f2NxEwMS3iZXFMYHRo4L0coawUVBZRPpM9Mz7ZpLSQDxH0ff3_kJPXVpicmuBV_mADznu-1x0Q8NGBnVq0qSGpI8gmaElZa5o2FhRpIE-F4O7HrFXF8uTDmCsafrrY1nPQwBZm_JdEU/s1600/549278_10100754004915060_15917061_54621723_854262973_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8f2NxEwMS3iZXFMYHRo4L0coawUVBZRPpM9Mz7ZpLSQDxH0ff3_kJPXVpicmuBV_mADznu-1x0Q8NGBnVq0qSGpI8gmaElZa5o2FhRpIE-F4O7HrFXF8uTDmCsafrrY1nPQwBZm_JdEU/s320/549278_10100754004915060_15917061_54621723_854262973_n.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-34876870753954985352012-05-16T18:30:00.000-05:002012-05-20T16:34:34.758-05:00Things to Make You Happy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sometimes work sucks.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
But then I hear a baby laughing from a coat pocket in the teachers lounge (cell phone ring) or see the most respected teacher in school laughingly give the middle finger to a group of students hanging out the 3rd floor window, and the day gets a little brighter.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Here are some other things to make you smile. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Flashmob experiment in New York City. My favorite part is the flashlight lightsaber war, and the strobe light mask party.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZG7F9G4AEak?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">How can you not be happy after watching this?</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/bQLCZOG202k?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The laugh at 0:22 gets me every time :)</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RP4abiHdQpc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<br />Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-74130105317959307802012-05-14T17:36:00.001-05:002012-05-15T15:40:02.131-05:00Kayaking SnapshotsToday was such a good day. It was eventful, fun, and worthwhile, which is not something I can usually say about my week days. Why was today so special? I <s>went to work</s> went kayaking! Which was such a better use of time, lets be honest. And then did an hour of spinning without sitting down <i>once, </i>which is a huge accomplishment for me. My legs usually give out a couple times throughout the hour, so tonight was the first time I could say that I successfully completed the entire class. It was a great feeling.<br />
<br />
Here are some snapshots from the Bay of Gibraltar, where Jeff and I spent the afternoon:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Along the coastline. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ehltx9Y3-6lQ3Wt9RdWIIUK2PM_OsZWJstcU_bcPecpGO5u6-fi_U53hBMyvqSAPxcJL2s8jl3eWQunjHK188aOLtQXmQy8I9FGnjBNgyH5-M-09wPg1RPIzGPbgQi4ik2AO5YOhyphenhyphenEQ/s1600/522888_3713099038320_1600980049_2965932_1784711003_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ehltx9Y3-6lQ3Wt9RdWIIUK2PM_OsZWJstcU_bcPecpGO5u6-fi_U53hBMyvqSAPxcJL2s8jl3eWQunjHK188aOLtQXmQy8I9FGnjBNgyH5-M-09wPg1RPIzGPbgQi4ik2AO5YOhyphenhyphenEQ/s320/522888_3713099038320_1600980049_2965932_1784711003_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">More coastline, complete with the picturesque ruins of a house.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMi16BFPW2Grs0w7wbPn3o9HFholhDIfkQNvAldnCn097OZvyHcg0BXvuSyNyjnAVeryoqLa7PTa7vawIemL85Kpm_uj3BV6XYZ0QEUc9VlL2WezjkpKy51jlxu0v_t497iOxujjsSDHM/s1600/538303_3711765084972_1600980049_2965459_872585306_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMi16BFPW2Grs0w7wbPn3o9HFholhDIfkQNvAldnCn097OZvyHcg0BXvuSyNyjnAVeryoqLa7PTa7vawIemL85Kpm_uj3BV6XYZ0QEUc9VlL2WezjkpKy51jlxu0v_t497iOxujjsSDHM/s320/538303_3711765084972_1600980049_2965459_872585306_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Playa Getares, the prettiest beach in Algeciras. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSOjk-SPjXEerPw7ZMy95m-Gw9ohuOT1rLzKF-XlLd4V0SZSgO7ni0tMAm_-YhOBtZg3-bVrHqBG9LMrsD-aYUfSls6paNUqQWsoTIvQsusIbopvQ3tyREfQtyGURpKT_LF9y-H_48SQ/s1600/558732_3711697403280_1600980049_2965446_1560793051_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSOjk-SPjXEerPw7ZMy95m-Gw9ohuOT1rLzKF-XlLd4V0SZSgO7ni0tMAm_-YhOBtZg3-bVrHqBG9LMrsD-aYUfSls6paNUqQWsoTIvQsusIbopvQ3tyREfQtyGURpKT_LF9y-H_48SQ/s320/558732_3711697403280_1600980049_2965446_1560793051_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Completely unrelated hike from a few months ago. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">This is Eli and I gazing out across the Bay of Gibraltar.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Jeff and I were kayaking right below this cliff. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.christineinspain.com/">Photo credit to Christine</a>]</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuGAKNiq1iCDJpEV7Tp-rKrv7QMWsvjgRcCOSxbhyJKHas6RpG0kdg5Sd96Ntj-i8vnc4CeHk6r1tRHo19Q8uhn8ATfFEyh4p0C6qffMt4fP0ZDZNgmbB-DofWRXPriznsZfJcZxqm_A/s1600/546254_10100753068701240_15917061_54618238_910206603_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuGAKNiq1iCDJpEV7Tp-rKrv7QMWsvjgRcCOSxbhyJKHas6RpG0kdg5Sd96Ntj-i8vnc4CeHk6r1tRHo19Q8uhn8ATfFEyh4p0C6qffMt4fP0ZDZNgmbB-DofWRXPriznsZfJcZxqm_A/s320/546254_10100753068701240_15917061_54618238_910206603_n.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, if for some reason you are ever in Algeciras for a day, don't despair. I know the guide books make it seem like the worst place in the world, but it does it have its little pockets of sunshine! Take a bus out to Playa Getares and relax at the beach, before heading back to the grit and grime of the city at night.</div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-40143259995300565712012-05-11T16:36:00.002-05:002012-05-14T14:26:49.231-05:00It's Still Worth ItI've been having a really tough time at work. That's pretty obvious. All my posts lately have been about trips I've gone on, because there was absolutely nothing of worth to mention about all my hours spent at the school. On a daily basis, I feel like a waste of space. An unnecessary expense. An intrusion. I sum my job up as being a CD player. A really really <i>really</i> expensive CD player. All I do in class is read whatever sheet the teacher hands to me when I walk into class.<br />
<div>
<div>
<div>
This last week I learned about volcanos, Michaelangelo, sedimentary drift, and read the names of all the elements multiple times so the students could repeat them. When I hear the teacher start to interrupt, I stop. And then I space out for the next 20 minutes standing awkwardly at the front of the class, waiting for teacher to finish explaining in Spanish what I just read in English. It's such a waste of my time, and theirs. There are British women who are paid to do recordings of what I'm getting paid to do in class. And the recordings cost about 1/50th as much.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
During the first couple of weeks, back in October, I was being asked to prepare classes and interact with the kids in the classroom. But after a month or two, teachers started getting too busy to have me in the classes. They had too much to do and too little time, which of course, I could understand. To a point. Being a teacher is hard work! I've only gotten a brief glimpse with my position as a teachers assistant, but after planning just one or two lessons my mind was boggled with how teachers can do that daily, for multiple classes. Then I considered that these bilingual program teachers have to teach all the material in two languages, and I could muster up a little sympathy. After all, having a class or two cancelled just meant I had an hour or two more to spend on facebook.<br />
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But now it's gotten to the point that I haven't gone to 3rd level biology since March, the social studies teacher "forgot" she had me in class last week, and there's been no math with 2nd or 3rd years for over a month due to a very complicated disparity in when the substitute teacher left and when the actual teacher came back from pregnancy leave. And then there are the times when teachers realize as the bell is ringing to start class that they forgot to mention we don't have class that day. (Keep in mind that I've had the exact same schedule since I started.) </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My co-worker and I have discussed once or twice that one of the most important aspects of a job is knowing that you have a purpose. And with this job, I absolutely do not have that feeling at all. There is <i>so</i> much potential, but it just never gets there. </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
WITH THAT SAID. I actually started this post because of something one of my students did on Thursday. This came at the end of a very long, very bad day at work. (2 private hour classes with my least favorite teacher, and the next teacher telling me there was no time to waste on me in class....great...thanks.) </div>
<div>
This 2nd year is one of my favorite students. He is <i>extremely</i> shy, to the point where I think he has a disorder of some sort. He never volunteers in class, hates talking in front of people, and turns bright red and starts stuttering when I ask him how he's doing. A lot of the teachers use this as an excuse to dislike him, and say that he's lazy and doesn't try. But he's so sweet, and despite all this he always makes an effort to shyly say hi and ask how I am. He's one of my favorite students.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
He is also truly terrible at English. The first time I heard him read a paragraph in English out loud, I was shocked. He was stumbling over words like 'it', 'an' and 'tree'. It was no wonder the rest of the class laughed at him. Then, on Thursday, I got the biggest surprise of the year when I called on him, and....his pronunciation was perfect! It was actually better than a lot of other kids who have been speaking in class all year. My jaw almost dropped. (I called on him a second time in class just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.) After class I stopped by his desk and asked him if he'd been practicing. He did his trademark flush and duck of the head, and smiled and said "...yes." I wanted to jump up and down, I was so excited for him. I've never seen somebody make that kind of improvement over the course of a couple months, especially when he made no outward signs of working towards it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, after a day of feeling completely worthless and fed up my job, that was just what I needed to put it all in perspective. The government program might be messed up, the teachers might not have any idea what resource they're missing out on, but I'm here for the kids, and as long as one student gets something out of my year here, then it wasn't a waste. </div>
</div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-27774268476618981372012-05-09T17:52:00.001-05:002012-05-09T17:59:03.953-05:00Ireland part 2: Meet the FamilyGenealogy has always fascinated me. I am very clearly American, born and raised in the country known as 'the melting pot', but have always wondered exactly where my roots are from. Throughout the years I've gathered that my Mom's grandmother was an immigrant from Poland, and that I am a mix of Russian/Polish/Irish and probably about 10 other nationalities. (My grandma spoke both Russian and Polish fluently, but unfortunately that skill never got passed on to my generation.)<br />
<br />
As I was getting ready to leave for my year in Spain, a relative off-handedly mentioned that we have relatives in Ireland. *Cue me jumping up and down at the thought of being able to visit Ireland*.<br />
After I settled in in Algeciras, I sent a 'hail mary' sort of postcard to the address I had been given. A couple months passed with nothing. Then, out of the blue, I got an email from the niece of the couple I had mailed. She explained that my direct relative was 88 years old and not in the best health, but that he and his wife would be delighted, of course, to have me visit.<br />
<br />
Two days later I booked a ticket, and three weeks later I showed up in their little coastal town in Northern Ireland. Call me compulsive.<br />
<br />
The day that I spent getting to know this side of the family was by far the most rewarding day I have spent since coming to Europe. Over the course of the day I met my 3rd set of grandparents, and another aunt and uncle. (That's easier than saying than 'the 88 year old man who is a blood relative and his 82 year old wife, their niece, and another guy who is a direct descendent of the guy who my genealogy traces back to.' Right?)<br />
<br />
Let's start off with some background, so you can get to know my family too.<br />
In 1810, my great(x5) grandfather was a minister at a little church in Northern Ireland. (He was very well respected, and I managed to find quite a bit written about him on various history sites.) He married and had a bunch of children. Most of those children had lots more children. One of those children married, and they had lots more children. One of those kids moved to Illinois, where he met and married a woman who was also originally from Northern Ireland. They had lots more kids. And so on and so forth, until my mom was born.<br />
<br />
Rewind to the minister's grandchildren, still living in Northern Ireland. While one son moved to Illinois, other kids stayed in Northern Ireland and continued to raise their families in the same town where their father had preached. I'm not sure of that lineage, but the end result was my grandma, grandpa, aunt and uncle that I got to meet.<br />
<br />
(Confused yet?)<br />
<br />
What this means is that part of the family history can be traced back through that single town for over 200 years. Aunt M drove me around, pointing out sites like the church where he was a minister, the farm where he was born, the graveyard where numerous other relatives are buried, and the current houses of all the living relatives. It was an incredible mix of old and new. It was fun to see how Aunt M interacted with everyone in the community. Because the town is so small, only around 1,500 people, and she has lived there her whole life, she knew everyone and everything about the small town. She gave me an incredible tour of the area.<br />
<br />
Later in the day I met uncle N, and he showed me pictures of the little town from the 1920's. He was so excited to meet me, and thought it was great that I was just stopping by for the weekend. Aunt M told me he was known as "the bear" because he was such a big guy, but very sweet and fun. His Irish brogue was a bit harder for me to understand than Aunt M's though, which made for a couple awkward moments when I didn't want to admit I couldn't understand him. Luckily, after living in Spain for 7 months, I've gotten really smooth at the smile-and-nod move.<br />
<br />
After that it was off to meet Grandpa B and Grandma M. Grandpa B had been bedridden for the past 4 weeks and wasn't doing very well, but I watched his eyes light up as I walked in the room, which was enough to make me tear up a little. He asked me how I liked 'their section of the world', and I replied that I loved it and never wanted to leave. That got a small smile from him.<br />
Then Grandma M showed me pictures from over 20 years ago when my great grandmother and her kids came to visit. She had met my Mom's parents as well, and we shared stories about my Grandmother's strange eating habits. (If you're family you know why that's funny). She immediately made me feel so at home, like I belonged there. We talked for ages, and there was never a dull moment in the conversation. It was such an amazing feeling to connect with relatives on the other side of the world. I wish I had gotten to know them years ago, they are a great bunch!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Driving out to see the house where my great(x5) grandfather was born. I loved how the sea was so close no matter where in town we were.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSSgmv6Zmtl0zc9Oe2eUKWbuuf7Ufj-B3-SY9LPSqHpvBAwzIHjKJ9Vwl4VuSAG3fTrOSkZLxLVphhhd4gGRHmpzugtHCtSXg_rXtqKt9DtvbH5fEkCUdzsR-xDIH2lnP3yvWLd3eCzQ/s1600/DSC06292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSSgmv6Zmtl0zc9Oe2eUKWbuuf7Ufj-B3-SY9LPSqHpvBAwzIHjKJ9Vwl4VuSAG3fTrOSkZLxLVphhhd4gGRHmpzugtHCtSXg_rXtqKt9DtvbH5fEkCUdzsR-xDIH2lnP3yvWLd3eCzQ/s320/DSC06292.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">This plot of land is where my great(x5) grandfather lived. It used to be a farm on the outskirts of the town. Most of the farm is still there, and this gated entrance, but the house has been knocked down.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN88kIwc69IAuJ9NUqjXguvmz4Km1TXg3Nu5-hZR5PxXCvMsRpH5IauaOpS5IsuV6tS0Od4BUMKsDOrvaow7RVGM92uO6-XnGNYlBrP0ll0hveSzAa_1PK5oUuRG_w83kex9mI0luhdf8/s1600/DSC06286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN88kIwc69IAuJ9NUqjXguvmz4Km1TXg3Nu5-hZR5PxXCvMsRpH5IauaOpS5IsuV6tS0Od4BUMKsDOrvaow7RVGM92uO6-XnGNYlBrP0ll0hveSzAa_1PK5oUuRG_w83kex9mI0luhdf8/s320/DSC06286.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Town garden, right by the sea.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWCEGkA1wIhZ2YLkIM6gwRhX7kBIXFwX9c9uYKRNwhfAV3oicwT2gBB_OTGZcdodcAnSeBP7PKBW1-ejGWRmelqTYLNksR6tkCQ9dx-HSAZ3Cp_btG6dffLtdMhunYYfgMfJs8FvIoIE/s1600/DSC06296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWCEGkA1wIhZ2YLkIM6gwRhX7kBIXFwX9c9uYKRNwhfAV3oicwT2gBB_OTGZcdodcAnSeBP7PKBW1-ejGWRmelqTYLNksR6tkCQ9dx-HSAZ3Cp_btG6dffLtdMhunYYfgMfJs8FvIoIE/s320/DSC06296.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Town garden mural.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYOn9RjrPhqbRSP9RgIT_0ZKn3KP7WGamaGRHQ5aRhLyFEXqq-qsmDjKzESL1bAb8WDAa6kgWvGm_Vu94WBgBMJRM5hRc-TZe6mCMmWVuSClYjfmlpc7wPj_2klcte9GDnyaWwpMcUQU/s1600/DSC06298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYOn9RjrPhqbRSP9RgIT_0ZKn3KP7WGamaGRHQ5aRhLyFEXqq-qsmDjKzESL1bAb8WDAa6kgWvGm_Vu94WBgBMJRM5hRc-TZe6mCMmWVuSClYjfmlpc7wPj_2klcte9GDnyaWwpMcUQU/s320/DSC06298.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Beautiful coastline.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNr9L3HcpPAeF6kE8PwkGuoijYD_Yaah0fXfpNCz_qQcBlblHJUDtR5yQaLN_kKsQkB0OxwrFBQlYTZnzu8b4KOtoP-ZPjkf5zZq2Hy24ntuIr7kwGz8NM2XS1JHxvzCOtrLHoPiMZfM/s1600/DSC06299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNr9L3HcpPAeF6kE8PwkGuoijYD_Yaah0fXfpNCz_qQcBlblHJUDtR5yQaLN_kKsQkB0OxwrFBQlYTZnzu8b4KOtoP-ZPjkf5zZq2Hy24ntuIr7kwGz8NM2XS1JHxvzCOtrLHoPiMZfM/s320/DSC06299.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">200 year old windmill. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjh1Gro0SO2WTZ5fXUZVYuo1l2Rc8bJiJSPY7neCp8b6CZnXWU7ItKtiOHY9tm7iYBOgWLR6_z_I6IlmlR8lKDBpoot7A_t0nOd4DRn2RUBsiwrMrVk9wAkerSfOKY5oDc2x7XkJZ7gio/s1600/DSC06311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjh1Gro0SO2WTZ5fXUZVYuo1l2Rc8bJiJSPY7neCp8b6CZnXWU7ItKtiOHY9tm7iYBOgWLR6_z_I6IlmlR8lKDBpoot7A_t0nOd4DRn2RUBsiwrMrVk9wAkerSfOKY5oDc2x7XkJZ7gio/s320/DSC06311.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Main St. in 1946. It still looked pretty much the same, except with a few more buildings and few less horses. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLMUQZ7ofccKozBCjqc1LBP_k67PaNsh1MUTSnrFO07zbomeiSxE-skEHt8Jn7ufFrXnY8f0HlNk-wqvWFcZPCRbme-etL8uenQg-_mvcLqMUyXD5SR_3sjjFhW0qexAILCQ4pH5flUE/s1600/DSC06314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLMUQZ7ofccKozBCjqc1LBP_k67PaNsh1MUTSnrFO07zbomeiSxE-skEHt8Jn7ufFrXnY8f0HlNk-wqvWFcZPCRbme-etL8uenQg-_mvcLqMUyXD5SR_3sjjFhW0qexAILCQ4pH5flUE/s320/DSC06314.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Main street today.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijICMSNB4hrmp-VHHFMJXjZpFcqJfIDyqlS-MO8N4Ie0qYPHBPZoXiPNpUu9RvcW8fz2Vk71A6eXyeizbw5Po9WUm7Pl1A3lcyJprjngLsgcPCjrXEMKC6PgmbTuYC8aeQtFiJYKzt6Po/s1600/DSC06371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijICMSNB4hrmp-VHHFMJXjZpFcqJfIDyqlS-MO8N4Ie0qYPHBPZoXiPNpUu9RvcW8fz2Vk71A6eXyeizbw5Po9WUm7Pl1A3lcyJprjngLsgcPCjrXEMKC6PgmbTuYC8aeQtFiJYKzt6Po/s320/DSC06371.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Crazy-talented cat at Uncle N's. I'm not sure if this means he wanted out of his cage, or if it was just good exercise...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOugzJWwpE7f9FDbZgzdl1AgPzRVTlYjEzqXM6HCxN_qcxHze8GLdvyQCNyeb0lgmHS163mMo3iotKEcmS2LJ5POu_J_chnAJg-aeFLZcDnddiYzRq-dUMhpf9Vc-jwRhvzw4Za5x4vE/s1600/DSC06317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOugzJWwpE7f9FDbZgzdl1AgPzRVTlYjEzqXM6HCxN_qcxHze8GLdvyQCNyeb0lgmHS163mMo3iotKEcmS2LJ5POu_J_chnAJg-aeFLZcDnddiYzRq-dUMhpf9Vc-jwRhvzw4Za5x4vE/s320/DSC06317.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Uncle N's wife, Aunt M, Uncle N (The aunt and uncle are not the married ones, sorry if that's confusing. They're relatives.)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNoRgznPUt7ioqQrbyJhu4w0WzmT2DP00EIxs1RG126_JgW_vTAq9qBThm-k_MiHejAVF82FE2-rNEYH09DwNQBj5x-lq8o0iVILrwX3zRaeGq2SVs07PxwSQ9fTgMC3Iumr9GPy7juc/s1600/DSC06322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNoRgznPUt7ioqQrbyJhu4w0WzmT2DP00EIxs1RG126_JgW_vTAq9qBThm-k_MiHejAVF82FE2-rNEYH09DwNQBj5x-lq8o0iVILrwX3zRaeGq2SVs07PxwSQ9fTgMC3Iumr9GPy7juc/s320/DSC06322.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A picture of a picture - Grandma M and Grandpa B are the white-haired ones.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19K-WwFRhlzhnTYUo0GUJbl4HQKZtJ4RiTUTOQrACNKMYYZBdPyA0pWah1h-HK0-tjRc1wdy39vxXoCnXESZ7q2wFcBcVPJpJJaJXiYyyjF8gjHNcJu70aOkLaDVjwGXS6G1jAUr_maE/s1600/DSC06325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19K-WwFRhlzhnTYUo0GUJbl4HQKZtJ4RiTUTOQrACNKMYYZBdPyA0pWah1h-HK0-tjRc1wdy39vxXoCnXESZ7q2wFcBcVPJpJJaJXiYyyjF8gjHNcJu70aOkLaDVjwGXS6G1jAUr_maE/s320/DSC06325.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Grandma M and Aunt M</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7c9eafmcWGwRYI3UzenUjxOSzy0Uh9114QAeuq2T3pzW2ta_1W_HR0OuoZyMd7GSn6NJZ8WKmev243Ry9yD0EEOejsLZldKpmv2u0hVpBEzA7gg_G-rWPHyGkF_b7bzI7AI4C0_HuP3Q/s1600/DSC06333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7c9eafmcWGwRYI3UzenUjxOSzy0Uh9114QAeuq2T3pzW2ta_1W_HR0OuoZyMd7GSn6NJZ8WKmev243Ry9yD0EEOejsLZldKpmv2u0hVpBEzA7gg_G-rWPHyGkF_b7bzI7AI4C0_HuP3Q/s320/DSC06333.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Irish cows just hanging out in the backyard of their house. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRb9meE4iISb0dKR3SbvuzwH8Np05cYj6PvF_8GXIi4q2K9-EnXeK0ndO4cbqtsC0HBkxPlCZhEZgg9EdXw3V73o7nXIQtEhSyS58TQBouEFJLKAa-iRlKe_xhmKXM8qZu6_BjAUgWHQ/s1600/DSC06337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRb9meE4iISb0dKR3SbvuzwH8Np05cYj6PvF_8GXIi4q2K9-EnXeK0ndO4cbqtsC0HBkxPlCZhEZgg9EdXw3V73o7nXIQtEhSyS58TQBouEFJLKAa-iRlKe_xhmKXM8qZu6_BjAUgWHQ/s320/DSC06337.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The famous church! It was built in the 1700's and hasn't changed much since. The graveyard has graves from the 1800's all the way up to now.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByf5dZ-XoFBLEawx1ASRDHVT4NiEPWUAZcbk3IHNCtCW7o5N3XiPhVmCW695QEDJ4SKVac3ubMJ4w9JTPVfHQ2EpoD18pJ_UJ0v_f_HrIEYjF23S7umSEB32VhM3mWoyIj5tB2smV8M4/s1600/DSC06349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByf5dZ-XoFBLEawx1ASRDHVT4NiEPWUAZcbk3IHNCtCW7o5N3XiPhVmCW695QEDJ4SKVac3ubMJ4w9JTPVfHQ2EpoD18pJ_UJ0v_f_HrIEYjF23S7umSEB32VhM3mWoyIj5tB2smV8M4/s320/DSC06349.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Gorgeous location right by the seaside.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ltb0EVav4_JNKnr8ODSiGgTA4J1KmjYg7D36Gp707SBpRvD5-M20aVrJN93kGDDHDxrzdFQNO_5bddWO7i_VTlVHn-gKsIj_XlXq3RkMk7gFLRios6nTUomjv2xLBv__XHdpv-vKImc/s1600/DSC06351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ltb0EVav4_JNKnr8ODSiGgTA4J1KmjYg7D36Gp707SBpRvD5-M20aVrJN93kGDDHDxrzdFQNO_5bddWO7i_VTlVHn-gKsIj_XlXq3RkMk7gFLRios6nTUomjv2xLBv__XHdpv-vKImc/s320/DSC06351.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Turns out I was unknowingly named after a relative.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0l0sJsbsmOGM1Gi6wIAVF9-r5dyutqTGVnJo5-4jBm7hgE_n8jWMyiygTr6GbaDDJcC8ISgwSaDv5yUmfLZ3FGlrbdLrwNWozPPk3IW7CJ_AX5O7MlTpobjlOees9_gyNQ_h3O0IcBU/s1600/DSC06358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0l0sJsbsmOGM1Gi6wIAVF9-r5dyutqTGVnJo5-4jBm7hgE_n8jWMyiygTr6GbaDDJcC8ISgwSaDv5yUmfLZ3FGlrbdLrwNWozPPk3IW7CJ_AX5O7MlTpobjlOees9_gyNQ_h3O0IcBU/s320/DSC06358.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Yellow flowers that absolutely <i>cover</i> Northern Ireland. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWp4uxCgQqdVsv-bbHOW_Y-phkSDw72AUleelT75jUYXLtdtnIj1Myt-Piv4fyKEBDWCoq2rMPGEg_Wlts6oXBA7t3XvRmO5ZoD-uQn_iOrGS74S6k-85lJALHh_LM2xOko8niPnP5Ptg/s1600/DSC06388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWp4uxCgQqdVsv-bbHOW_Y-phkSDw72AUleelT75jUYXLtdtnIj1Myt-Piv4fyKEBDWCoq2rMPGEg_Wlts6oXBA7t3XvRmO5ZoD-uQn_iOrGS74S6k-85lJALHh_LM2xOko8niPnP5Ptg/s320/DSC06388.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">View across the bay of a nearby town</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHy553qqLd12WRq93RUdWJ0npTtKLsxBNghhl160bJartr8CalmEafiN0XvKcsSzvWFPtQR6xTWcWd2RG1HKeDU8N3azXhJ5wpn0hDj8ejDyenWuKjTDMAzSzxqyUVGMSSq7ifhMgU-c/s1600/DSC06389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHy553qqLd12WRq93RUdWJ0npTtKLsxBNghhl160bJartr8CalmEafiN0XvKcsSzvWFPtQR6xTWcWd2RG1HKeDU8N3azXhJ5wpn0hDj8ejDyenWuKjTDMAzSzxqyUVGMSSq7ifhMgU-c/s320/DSC06389.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayBs4FqyJTkJAdvT5BmpuNY53c2n7FMN12HcSPvkI8oq_a1iBDSl8kzBklLpNt37QJ9brFR2RF2B31OydEzwN6aEidJAj4gcNBZNkydjP3LO9UXXqkRFwyCYqQGXyXqMkMygBpaNK1qQ/s1600/DSC06390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayBs4FqyJTkJAdvT5BmpuNY53c2n7FMN12HcSPvkI8oq_a1iBDSl8kzBklLpNt37QJ9brFR2RF2B31OydEzwN6aEidJAj4gcNBZNkydjP3LO9UXXqkRFwyCYqQGXyXqMkMygBpaNK1qQ/s320/DSC06390.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Cute beach houses.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemgW77k2teQUET1fSNKcvGgdt_OxIMTCY9WbpbN9cXypjW3jbfyCb0rtvFXvnEZ6zHvX4iPuAiOc5KrT5rFaLvNSrMFLY9icjO6BaYm2xisLzzys0_j6kjHFpr8MHIOJH41JwPLU7cz4/s1600/DSC06385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemgW77k2teQUET1fSNKcvGgdt_OxIMTCY9WbpbN9cXypjW3jbfyCb0rtvFXvnEZ6zHvX4iPuAiOc5KrT5rFaLvNSrMFLY9icjO6BaYm2xisLzzys0_j6kjHFpr8MHIOJH41JwPLU7cz4/s320/DSC06385.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As the day was wrapping up, I was contemplating exactly how much it would cost me to "miss" my flight home and spend a couple extra days in Northern Ireland. Luckily though, common sense kicked in and I decided against it. This made it especially ironic when there was a miscommunication the next morning over which airport I needed to go to, and I realized at 5:30am that I was at the wrong airport for a 7am flight. Sigh. I knew my weekend had been going too smoothly. </div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-40116914968406641832012-05-08T16:25:00.002-05:002012-05-08T16:28:22.902-05:00A gigantic, titanic weekend in Northern IrelandEver since I first checked out a book on Ireland during my mom's impromtu homeschooling geography lesson where we went to the library and I picked out a book on the country I wanted to study first, I was hooked. I remember looking at pictures of the rolling green hills and thinking "ooooooohhhh pretty!" 10 years later, when I actually got to visit the rolling green hills of Ireland, my reaction was pretty much the same. There might have been a little jaw-dropping too.<br />
<br />
This wasn't the sole cause of my excitement however. When I was about 10, there were two main sources of my nerd-ness: Pompeii, and the Titanic. I could spew off endless amounts of information about either of the two, and even had a miniature 3-D puzzle of the Titanic that took me <i>weeks</i> to put together. It was my prized possession for a couple of years.<br />
I was lucky enough to visit Pompeii a few years ago, and it was incredible. So then for this trip, when I realized that I would be in the birth town of the Titanic, I flipped out a little. (Ask my parents.)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The yellow flower is known as <i>Paddy's Poison</i> down in Australia. It's easy to see why, because even in its native Ireland it's everywhere. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVtNUx_8SLG-XMOFWTs4oahM7Bul6i8YWLpODiFZ08tK3q3pVhHjFFbJt2ZMLCCc1n_bpf9VNPGUBxmZ3hjx12OkA-hhSqbwxhfLnboctyhFUmJCc0QQFWgtWLDRnpEvw1oTeQUYl5f0/s1600/DSC06301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVtNUx_8SLG-XMOFWTs4oahM7Bul6i8YWLpODiFZ08tK3q3pVhHjFFbJt2ZMLCCc1n_bpf9VNPGUBxmZ3hjx12OkA-hhSqbwxhfLnboctyhFUmJCc0QQFWgtWLDRnpEvw1oTeQUYl5f0/s320/DSC06301.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
Northern Ireland captured my heart. Plain and simple. The people were so welcome and friendly, and when I spent around $80 on taxis trying to catch my flight home, I had such great 5am conversations with my taxi drivers that I <i>almost</i> didn't mind. But that's a whole 'nother story. </div>
<div>
<br />
I had flown into Dublin Wednesday night because it was cheapest, and Thursday morning I had to take a 7am train to Belfast to go on a tour. This is when the ATM card eating incident happened and I was left with no cash, no debit card, no breakfast, an unpaid tour and hostel, and a long day ahead of me. Thanks Dublin, you rock. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Luckily my tour guide was fantastic and took my inability to pay right in stride. (She even bought me a coffee later in the tour.) Susie Millar is the great granddaughter of Thomas Millar, first an apprentice at Harland & Wolf and then a deck engineer on board the Titanic. Thomas Millar took the job on the Titanic so he could go to America and find a better life for himself and his 2 young boys. Just before he left, he gave 2 pennies to each of his sons and told them not to spend them until they were all together again. When the Titanic sank, Thomas was killed. His youngest son kept his father's wish, and 100 years later the family still has those pennies. </div>
<div>
Susie gave an incredible tour of the history of the Titanic, intermixed with the history of Belfast and her family story. I was lucky enough to be the only person on the tour that day, and so it was very informal, laid back and relaxed.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The drawing room offices, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">where all the magic happened. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> Harland & Wolf logo </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsByPQ5714d0RRIDvLcJ1Yzgyg7jjdWUyiaNHUH5WP_KaxhptJXhAwV_mHz2i_S8MdFW_xkkbAR4IVVeIen5tXQlZ2JyvbmoAUVIsCyE6HSJJYpsUO-U5yEs9wjZpAF6vlvtIbGKE_Wvw/s1600/DSC06095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsByPQ5714d0RRIDvLcJ1Yzgyg7jjdWUyiaNHUH5WP_KaxhptJXhAwV_mHz2i_S8MdFW_xkkbAR4IVVeIen5tXQlZ2JyvbmoAUVIsCyE6HSJJYpsUO-U5yEs9wjZpAF6vlvtIbGKE_Wvw/s200/DSC06095.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5QjcKlG4zVijUNXuX2IEhUMMLv3JymeNHAGUGf7yzgavqdV9aujzz2rFRCB1jEVQ8xJbbY_5Ol4tg0ijMw6V1gZOsoxGYqXgNUZAeZSfioyW4g9zcUsv2kvdyPBgZhNC1VGs5Xj-uxw/s1600/DSC05938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5QjcKlG4zVijUNXuX2IEhUMMLv3JymeNHAGUGf7yzgavqdV9aujzz2rFRCB1jEVQ8xJbbY_5Ol4tg0ijMw6V1gZOsoxGYqXgNUZAeZSfioyW4g9zcUsv2kvdyPBgZhNC1VGs5Xj-uxw/s200/DSC05938.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The drawing room in its heyday. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The drawing room today.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XLS286NZEclaY8iIm0lnWdju1HfGl5ajsBkQUf78l3pLlv31Sxbn-oIT8Cv5d16X7S9wDcbX_FWPzh_xe-C-TshZjp1-x4II_6SWKSMon78njBmJzwXAfEKcZIYNh5yiAGBJjc0Ojf0/s1600/DSC05940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XLS286NZEclaY8iIm0lnWdju1HfGl5ajsBkQUf78l3pLlv31Sxbn-oIT8Cv5d16X7S9wDcbX_FWPzh_xe-C-TshZjp1-x4II_6SWKSMon78njBmJzwXAfEKcZIYNh5yiAGBJjc0Ojf0/s200/DSC05940.JPG" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zzsi3Sz0GpstkhFrO-Oggbo_lzG98l83Ceguq1qmu9u4ScaW4WfK_PSmvJFrk3EVDWU8SXMWppklLaBOE3QmmJpnqZ-GHKUgQjIlOrU-nD27wSwzT47iA06fnRFuQsikMEhS5m9UZo0/s1600/DSC05949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zzsi3Sz0GpstkhFrO-Oggbo_lzG98l83Ceguq1qmu9u4ScaW4WfK_PSmvJFrk3EVDWU8SXMWppklLaBOE3QmmJpnqZ-GHKUgQjIlOrU-nD27wSwzT47iA06fnRFuQsikMEhS5m9UZo0/s200/DSC05949.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yHLwMSm7bZ6QIesCDsJ2hwKzWYYV1o6Z81Mt2sdToWVA95xb7pv1J2z6DKvbfM3fm7MqZ-U4L9bgaX_PQ_7tHNSaDz5gaVD_cTkJ_FcyEAqbexFonZD5MrYkRhHQnqCkciTvUWiTF3U/s1600/DSC05969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yHLwMSm7bZ6QIesCDsJ2hwKzWYYV1o6Z81Mt2sdToWVA95xb7pv1J2z6DKvbfM3fm7MqZ-U4L9bgaX_PQ_7tHNSaDz5gaVD_cTkJ_FcyEAqbexFonZD5MrYkRhHQnqCkciTvUWiTF3U/s200/DSC05969.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3nYu364F6iomtyfBhfQGbHnQx4W97PzKGsA8oeiqBFMbQLXrPI_60nnwOYdg5sW6RX6jJ1tj_RlF-ibV4_JrjfhRr5KmjNw263teet1AvhK1CCAptWA6z4UnKlrPP5nfbIYLG9Cp2v8/s1600/DSC05972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3nYu364F6iomtyfBhfQGbHnQx4W97PzKGsA8oeiqBFMbQLXrPI_60nnwOYdg5sW6RX6jJ1tj_RlF-ibV4_JrjfhRr5KmjNw263teet1AvhK1CCAptWA6z4UnKlrPP5nfbIYLG9Cp2v8/s200/DSC05972.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Chairman Lord Pirrie's office. Creepy and possibly haunted.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53PSgCkdzb9UmLDxth674lq9GT8snae30RbB9goUY00MBAcqkdqI2M3XQIGJ9c9LEuO6_PRSsUPyjXhKMSaF98yMJDnUEcT_AExF-nC8mleNcLdmeihUR-3aF_sB_fa1fr_RspaMeZaY/s1600/DSC05957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53PSgCkdzb9UmLDxth674lq9GT8snae30RbB9goUY00MBAcqkdqI2M3XQIGJ9c9LEuO6_PRSsUPyjXhKMSaF98yMJDnUEcT_AExF-nC8mleNcLdmeihUR-3aF_sB_fa1fr_RspaMeZaY/s200/DSC05957.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSQ0-O07mpGWuP6srv_KEqntjteEchn72g-2Z3lhXYKwdAIlghJtCDPjTBZzUqxjsdOcd_VqnGsIJoa2xp-WhyphenhyphenZ3MYx0XO4vIj8s521nFU7WvH07qCBfRc3KNR3v9ZZbTwmvXmNXZQ_E/s1600/DSC05951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSQ0-O07mpGWuP6srv_KEqntjteEchn72g-2Z3lhXYKwdAIlghJtCDPjTBZzUqxjsdOcd_VqnGsIJoa2xp-WhyphenhyphenZ3MYx0XO4vIj8s521nFU7WvH07qCBfRc3KNR3v9ZZbTwmvXmNXZQ_E/s200/DSC05951.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">These are the 2 pennies from Susie's great grandfather. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCKW9KJxbus4Tvvaakp1u7OfYvkWrnMz4nTM_uV8ct93eKIZCAyB575ZfVbrfsLQeHzU_uERNCtuaIp-e-fnNxL5uVC_KscF4tWAglWNBcCqkBZoMy7tQo25iS4ZUb35lN_dG-bmRdOo/s1600/DSC05994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCKW9KJxbus4Tvvaakp1u7OfYvkWrnMz4nTM_uV8ct93eKIZCAyB575ZfVbrfsLQeHzU_uERNCtuaIp-e-fnNxL5uVC_KscF4tWAglWNBcCqkBZoMy7tQo25iS4ZUb35lN_dG-bmRdOo/s320/DSC05994.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">When Belfast was bombed during WWII, most of the buildings were destroyed. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">This one street however, somehow survived. Now it looks like a movie set, set down in the</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> middle of bustling Belfast. This houses were called '2 up 2 down', and they were tiny, and </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">huge families of 9 or 10 lived in 1 of these. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3re2IWa_DteLj2e8hx9eeKZ53F1KOSOMfnsG31dwhwJ6burHdCczA8t6BYjroX2ObYGcHRuhpTm7wrLKAN27XDcBjygt0ythIhyQUgSjpT_4o1H-8IRtuvCrt4PkMxvhE2yvJJ_DKZg/s1600/DSC06007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3re2IWa_DteLj2e8hx9eeKZ53F1KOSOMfnsG31dwhwJ6burHdCczA8t6BYjroX2ObYGcHRuhpTm7wrLKAN27XDcBjygt0ythIhyQUgSjpT_4o1H-8IRtuvCrt4PkMxvhE2yvJJ_DKZg/s320/DSC06007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A memorial to the Belfast shipyard workers.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20e9Qa4305GzsC7AqVCKYAEVwre51gnW_lbQ7AGbE4r0stzw6X6P4DPBY6m09VjEB9MJwQ78931ur7G67GOts90e3-Tjo9cOpFEh75D7zNyiz9XmkJCh7tCMxmv6a2vL_BE9SibQEne8/s1600/DSC06011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20e9Qa4305GzsC7AqVCKYAEVwre51gnW_lbQ7AGbE4r0stzw6X6P4DPBY6m09VjEB9MJwQ78931ur7G67GOts90e3-Tjo9cOpFEh75D7zNyiz9XmkJCh7tCMxmv6a2vL_BE9SibQEne8/s320/DSC06011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Thomas Andrews's house. He was the top designer of the Titanic.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2nwxplZXmVq2mWOni-wUMaowxpf93Dxm6O7GzcRem2i94fX5gXWuDBzW67n1vgg_jiZXH-6WdE-qyGwLkOeEiBKdQJsDCFmXu560GnI4VCY7mETP1KpiEQCEmNoitnksIFYDeCPTyVY/s1600/DSC06037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2nwxplZXmVq2mWOni-wUMaowxpf93Dxm6O7GzcRem2i94fX5gXWuDBzW67n1vgg_jiZXH-6WdE-qyGwLkOeEiBKdQJsDCFmXu560GnI4VCY7mETP1KpiEQCEmNoitnksIFYDeCPTyVY/s320/DSC06037.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Today his house is the main office for the Northern Irish Football Association, </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">but its still has the same decor that it did from the 1900's. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXdYOGiQ9Ezt6yPoBgXXL_HvPfIGPT6myxIfcqQSb5MSrPpBCcG6noLUtuTFPNrJBAtG1iOKqeWLAVxfURg3ufYuMeOryNRVL6L5Fk5MYT23QjClyauEmWlyhTXI5RlXKbWA49dw8B0M/s1600/DSC06035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXdYOGiQ9Ezt6yPoBgXXL_HvPfIGPT6myxIfcqQSb5MSrPpBCcG6noLUtuTFPNrJBAtG1iOKqeWLAVxfURg3ufYuMeOryNRVL6L5Fk5MYT23QjClyauEmWlyhTXI5RlXKbWA49dw8B0M/s320/DSC06035.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The 1,500 names of the people who died. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxrrAEO-swSNKTYuHgOgj_FOn_2BYpflTk6JHSbEsGMOtq7nL4Kvjd11virk51d_5f1FdiPKpToIHNITmCxl949WLgHSeHHN0LV3RVyxKEXghmJcWWEaFKLO55owX_uXfM68iZDZ-ljQ/s1600/DSC06041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxrrAEO-swSNKTYuHgOgj_FOn_2BYpflTk6JHSbEsGMOtq7nL4Kvjd11virk51d_5f1FdiPKpToIHNITmCxl949WLgHSeHHN0LV3RVyxKEXghmJcWWEaFKLO55owX_uXfM68iZDZ-ljQ/s320/DSC06041.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Titanic Belfast: the largest Titanic exhibit in the world!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8Mj1Aj1EU6lSlziHTEmrP0TxNfmIzRU8WHQLMxCCRG4WKv7W8q4bKyAOmSawwMyfVTjAHqR0JWA5oq-y2Bd2s-8BLIm2WJMAymf9yRyV2iV71FsBFf5Pr1IRaQ3XB99E1XCeBO7vxds/s1600/DSC06057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8Mj1Aj1EU6lSlziHTEmrP0TxNfmIzRU8WHQLMxCCRG4WKv7W8q4bKyAOmSawwMyfVTjAHqR0JWA5oq-y2Bd2s-8BLIm2WJMAymf9yRyV2iV71FsBFf5Pr1IRaQ3XB99E1XCeBO7vxds/s320/DSC06057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The gray lines on the ground mark</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">out the shape of the ship. Same spot [<a href="http://www.indiantvtoday.com/titanic-scene-tops-most-romantic-movie-moments/2011/02/09/">Source</a>]</span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZxRSOITkoFFCNYJBp-RX8MauHFXZSZ6D03iMFz34-GmxbpomqIfxBtZ6Kztj-XMgT8a0wYO3jXklMrURINWaPHVWaV4XouOF76gDTY0ozBPfukOxU9JJAy-2kWCsADhaIEjll8j-PEw/s1600/DSC06103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZxRSOITkoFFCNYJBp-RX8MauHFXZSZ6D03iMFz34-GmxbpomqIfxBtZ6Kztj-XMgT8a0wYO3jXklMrURINWaPHVWaV4XouOF76gDTY0ozBPfukOxU9JJAy-2kWCsADhaIEjll8j-PEw/s200/DSC06103.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7_jad4CasnQ5EnzcY5_zt2pm_FF1ym4qgbeCn-vq8qrYOnWggFSqN2YvItVAEzyIAgNzgpREjxdQ_Cc_QZ89o-mn1GEyFDsVjjrRBZ3Hzh41Uive4AaO7kXyOIWvBUktqMGc3E8JWWs/s1600/titanic1Titanic-scene-tops-most-romantic-movie-moments.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7_jad4CasnQ5EnzcY5_zt2pm_FF1ym4qgbeCn-vq8qrYOnWggFSqN2YvItVAEzyIAgNzgpREjxdQ_Cc_QZ89o-mn1GEyFDsVjjrRBZ3Hzh41Uive4AaO7kXyOIWvBUktqMGc3E8JWWs/s200/titanic1Titanic-scene-tops-most-romantic-movie-moments.jpeg" width="147" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinjQ8OVeahkasCifCI3klfSFulpZ_E2nQTVMyeVI3IGc9Jeq4JklvROVMrQsnbrTXOfHxu2r_F7sqq70EDys96sc6Ah_pBUAQDatx-Pdrcx_3Dm7HpLuP_Ash1d2Cgs7eVzZ_eYc6Jy4/s1600/DSC06123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinjQ8OVeahkasCifCI3klfSFulpZ_E2nQTVMyeVI3IGc9Jeq4JklvROVMrQsnbrTXOfHxu2r_F7sqq70EDys96sc6Ah_pBUAQDatx-Pdrcx_3Dm7HpLuP_Ash1d2Cgs7eVzZ_eYc6Jy4/s200/DSC06123.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_63rd2pb1Dmu4GzgKqzGTX1Uxzer1l5xK4YNLYNprCQhQ-PDQQBYCl8NTvspYaLxohnvItCNt55eoGBYKJx9x107qXPuoEdGMzw2NufiOybqrbjeNjeDlgK-61c5UPR0C41ts7Wn7MjE/s1600/DSC06061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_63rd2pb1Dmu4GzgKqzGTX1Uxzer1l5xK4YNLYNprCQhQ-PDQQBYCl8NTvspYaLxohnvItCNt55eoGBYKJx9x107qXPuoEdGMzw2NufiOybqrbjeNjeDlgK-61c5UPR0C41ts7Wn7MjE/s200/DSC06061.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
The next day I went on a day tour to the Giant's Causeway. I was a little nervous when I was picked up outside my hostel in a large, old yellow clunker bus. It had seat belts that you wore like harnesses, no heating, and signs on the door saying 'please don't talk to the driver while vehicle is in motion.' It was shaping up to be a <i>very</i> long day.<br />
Luckily, that was just for hostel pick ups, and we were transfered to a real tour bus with normal seat belts. Thank god.<br />
The tour took the Antrim coastal road, a scenic drive that follows the eastern coast of Northern Ireland. It was <i>BEAUTIFUL</i>.<br />
<br />
We saw Carrickfergus castle:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Dm7DJLSAYs20fEnZCuax6SBNQ0-2zQNLQzuh1xvB7gPaXt_1zb0gIxYf5UjATsByQr9HBNdefLt1xoD3fB0aZnPXVRKcXyer8X0s6xgA6mSDcUN7PeRvwXs-dOZxGkm5rrSr1r8kycE/s1600/DSC06131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Dm7DJLSAYs20fEnZCuax6SBNQ0-2zQNLQzuh1xvB7gPaXt_1zb0gIxYf5UjATsByQr9HBNdefLt1xoD3fB0aZnPXVRKcXyer8X0s6xgA6mSDcUN7PeRvwXs-dOZxGkm5rrSr1r8kycE/s320/DSC06131.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
stopped in a small seaside fishing village:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHYcKhhtFHJolmDYnAuaDb4llKUelkeFIwR_mBNj3nhWgzJsgKCHEEbWGHBgZK7if24YQh3U6vkX_Ud0LUz4Z5d-vnbI-GRwbcggsxVPTKxrbJpiNMP4wTGgoJiTknENW9iFpU9uy5bY/s1600/DSC06155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHYcKhhtFHJolmDYnAuaDb4llKUelkeFIwR_mBNj3nhWgzJsgKCHEEbWGHBgZK7if24YQh3U6vkX_Ud0LUz4Z5d-vnbI-GRwbcggsxVPTKxrbJpiNMP4wTGgoJiTknENW9iFpU9uy5bY/s320/DSC06155.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
walked across a rope bridge surrounded by stunning cliffs and turquouise water:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OA2li6dwLf6WLcG3NLmiy_zW8LrMdYAVgnEr6tz1ajOn_8j0n5t3bEQlscMXsBAMlYwkUwokvIrm5hmz8dVX7Iemq8O7aWbT166ZGIpOawzykI2qYQEFBj3UyK5zezemTOxAV46YHy4/s1600/DSC06184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OA2li6dwLf6WLcG3NLmiy_zW8LrMdYAVgnEr6tz1ajOn_8j0n5t3bEQlscMXsBAMlYwkUwokvIrm5hmz8dVX7Iemq8O7aWbT166ZGIpOawzykI2qYQEFBj3UyK5zezemTOxAV46YHy4/s200/DSC06184.JPG" width="150" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlJVTInZs_LSP3o1hOcClo580utMKcp626maXetBC5ovuDkf0q7Club1SfNSnCdWCitBIWyYRke-6eIJwh2f9hmBmQCoe58Dd1Gzmt2r9GXSzSdY_NEtq__CxQJ6cRk5Lp3wOm2bNzu8/s1600/DSC06227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlJVTInZs_LSP3o1hOcClo580utMKcp626maXetBC5ovuDkf0q7Club1SfNSnCdWCitBIWyYRke-6eIJwh2f9hmBmQCoe58Dd1Gzmt2r9GXSzSdY_NEtq__CxQJ6cRk5Lp3wOm2bNzu8/s200/DSC06227.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8DGwRert3e-wP80yqcNJYhDKVS6BoQYDTg8roDxW6u9zjgtR6NayZMS165wPhGUpGDezD33vsScDnRof0u5Efrq-6lwDRLEsI-rNNOW-utT4a1g0KxrrY_2Fat6CLxRDHoiOJFl4_bw/s1600/DSC06210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8DGwRert3e-wP80yqcNJYhDKVS6BoQYDTg8roDxW6u9zjgtR6NayZMS165wPhGUpGDezD33vsScDnRof0u5Efrq-6lwDRLEsI-rNNOW-utT4a1g0KxrrY_2Fat6CLxRDHoiOJFl4_bw/s200/DSC06210.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUlObQg2ki_GmIULagjLAkinbrnQlX7JZQBAZ83mNGSeGlSScKogrwwG2Zb_W3wLUYMvNt9vMUAeWuYE4bYrshvh26khj6sFfgudwgBsiYhJyeEB9Mv5p1g1wk8e3Zdd-RyxHunqYcr0/s1600/DSC06198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUlObQg2ki_GmIULagjLAkinbrnQlX7JZQBAZ83mNGSeGlSScKogrwwG2Zb_W3wLUYMvNt9vMUAeWuYE4bYrshvh26khj6sFfgudwgBsiYhJyeEB9Mv5p1g1wk8e3Zdd-RyxHunqYcr0/s200/DSC06198.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
stopped at one of the oldest distillery's in the world and drove by a medieval castle:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67kTlfbTXNIFf2kErQEzwLehuXajClfEnuoDiG2lM_og857_HZnmuDEcrQ8wpw82KRU1sbEGWtdqQ2FhJcdGNX-xb4Hxamkan3s4ZUD0kINq4Jo2sO0pBA2Hgi0lLueC5Ho7Ztn1zhc8/s1600/DSC06235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67kTlfbTXNIFf2kErQEzwLehuXajClfEnuoDiG2lM_og857_HZnmuDEcrQ8wpw82KRU1sbEGWtdqQ2FhJcdGNX-xb4Hxamkan3s4ZUD0kINq4Jo2sO0pBA2Hgi0lLueC5Ho7Ztn1zhc8/s200/DSC06235.JPG" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nKHG3pjmJoGA6mk_9s8245fsHLG-hOs91QhMxDQuvIy-cRdvLpfFPsdEo0dyF0-iTfyzJtRRy1YGu1afLuIUHgD3JF9j1kXi4eqwcrvVUJRtFtNE-owVVtNzATInduCagyo83sgePPU/s1600/DSC06239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nKHG3pjmJoGA6mk_9s8245fsHLG-hOs91QhMxDQuvIy-cRdvLpfFPsdEo0dyF0-iTfyzJtRRy1YGu1afLuIUHgD3JF9j1kXi4eqwcrvVUJRtFtNE-owVVtNzATInduCagyo83sgePPU/s200/DSC06239.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nKHG3pjmJoGA6mk_9s8245fsHLG-hOs91QhMxDQuvIy-cRdvLpfFPsdEo0dyF0-iTfyzJtRRy1YGu1afLuIUHgD3JF9j1kXi4eqwcrvVUJRtFtNE-owVVtNzATInduCagyo83sgePPU/s1600/DSC06239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>and ended the day at a 60 million year old rock formation, Giants Causeway:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmYbjWYFBGGNsycA2vIHmgKrR_Vzlo0IAjLN33rvy6eUplrPdj-bVM_folt936x728tb7iGa8wMNqjDe-wVIyyjpOLruEEFY7exTBIxycp-n5lfifqvxo9NBy5BlM_8ZGiYEtdwMMdA4/s1600/DSC06245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmYbjWYFBGGNsycA2vIHmgKrR_Vzlo0IAjLN33rvy6eUplrPdj-bVM_folt936x728tb7iGa8wMNqjDe-wVIyyjpOLruEEFY7exTBIxycp-n5lfifqvxo9NBy5BlM_8ZGiYEtdwMMdA4/s200/DSC06245.JPG" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORP46w37z2VPZZSMGWqmc1WGU_qhmVNBgjM-4PFEN9gEz5duItHQoVrWDK3_b9mlO3K_H1t3f9rRip22_VA7CpkySE7MNY42ni3DGe6WT2ZIKwM0q8RB_588KTn8Z8hETl_eYilINbdw/s1600/DSC06255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORP46w37z2VPZZSMGWqmc1WGU_qhmVNBgjM-4PFEN9gEz5duItHQoVrWDK3_b9mlO3K_H1t3f9rRip22_VA7CpkySE7MNY42ni3DGe6WT2ZIKwM0q8RB_588KTn8Z8hETl_eYilINbdw/s200/DSC06255.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioE3ulgZC30v8X3xaBqbbsV20EkzX1TWs8yMjSweMNWMNvhNRHQJ5vV9TF7mfC6chxbUbvVWG76j3tbUKAUzXwUOngd42huz0m9OW8Z_hI3XYLDBmZtYtKdWUviq9KRwyPBLdk8v7I3lA/s1600/DSC06267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioE3ulgZC30v8X3xaBqbbsV20EkzX1TWs8yMjSweMNWMNvhNRHQJ5vV9TF7mfC6chxbUbvVWG76j3tbUKAUzXwUOngd42huz0m9OW8Z_hI3XYLDBmZtYtKdWUviq9KRwyPBLdk8v7I3lA/s200/DSC06267.JPG" width="150" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiuTNbFBOYhWDxmeGOSTYVrf9bgw31BnRiKa_uEZe0pHW_lbvh4fNDuBe-ptS_7HL47tklgd_NkDC1KKyLFw1kn9u7g49NRLJoa40jfHV3ud5LMnKsAAQitwHhSe7sRsdkdxvg0wL-Xw/s1600/DSC06270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiuTNbFBOYhWDxmeGOSTYVrf9bgw31BnRiKa_uEZe0pHW_lbvh4fNDuBe-ptS_7HL47tklgd_NkDC1KKyLFw1kn9u7g49NRLJoa40jfHV3ud5LMnKsAAQitwHhSe7sRsdkdxvg0wL-Xw/s200/DSC06270.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJE4zk-_oVJeA5-YvK8AsQoM3GQO3hbS5G4YiSm9ipJ86YlcXusv2Id7fvvihp_ZRtwoUITgY67iEzqnVN89CBEI1ERLdtJOGV_IF3_W4iQWbfnvWtYcYvqXtb9ZbsV9hmwm6K99APKU/s1600/DSC06271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJE4zk-_oVJeA5-YvK8AsQoM3GQO3hbS5G4YiSm9ipJ86YlcXusv2Id7fvvihp_ZRtwoUITgY67iEzqnVN89CBEI1ERLdtJOGV_IF3_W4iQWbfnvWtYcYvqXtb9ZbsV9hmwm6K99APKU/s400/DSC06271.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">If you're interested, check out the history of Giant's Causeway <a href="http://www.discoverireland.net/giants-causeway.php">here</a>. Scientists say that the stones were created during a volcanic eruption, but the Irish like to think that a giant built it. Or, as my tour guide stated, "volcanos don't exist so it was obviously Fin MacCool who built it." </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I made friends with a fellow solo traveler at the Causeway, thankfully, because otherwise the high velocity winds whipping my hair in my face and knocking me off balance on the rocks would have just been obnoxious, instead of cause for some laughter. Somehow the Irish weather made me numb and shivering from the wind, while still managing to sweat from the sun overhead. </div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Belfast and the surrounding areas where absolutely gorgeous, and it quickly nestled its way into my heart as a city I'll have to return to. (Just add that on to the ever growing list....) Stay tuned for day 3 of my trip, when I went to a nearby coastal town to meet some distant relatives! They were very Irish and very wonderful, and showed me around 200 years of family history in their little town.</div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-25928593275844889362012-05-06T18:08:00.003-05:002012-05-07T17:53:29.225-05:00Basque Country, Spain<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A tour through País Vasco </span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Basque Country, northern Spain)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">One 12 hour road trip spanning the entire length of Spain.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> (It's kind of cool to say I drove from the southernmost tip of Spain to the northern coast.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">4 days to explore as much of Basque Country as we could. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">1 local friend to show us around his hometown and local haunts.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(You can click on the pictures to make them full-sized.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<b>Lekeitio</b>: a small fishing village on the coast, and our home base for the weekend. It was fun getting to be part of the local culture, especially one so different from that of Andalucía.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjnqBECXnkME0jpyJCy1GXVbKDcero8PFASLEvqMQGJ0ZkKn0AKkLjUV8WdU9Zqat8iFzsW4eyppDXmXORQ17BIuXAki6jylrzXU-lwq17088M69GP5scPo337Sz9uZNQQl4OmFWoOag/s1600/DSC05544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjnqBECXnkME0jpyJCy1GXVbKDcero8PFASLEvqMQGJ0ZkKn0AKkLjUV8WdU9Zqat8iFzsW4eyppDXmXORQ17BIuXAki6jylrzXU-lwq17088M69GP5scPo337Sz9uZNQQl4OmFWoOag/s200/DSC05544.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzuO8UD0RjQQa3CUm7pz1UsczkHlpIpouFrcjd5CYYFVMyQYjWSFgAKyC7489cRy673RYJ39p1P2jd27wb_LpVghaepGWB62agOg_bbC3p67cPCJOe_eoka1BnGpa2O7JDLDss4RJxhU/s1600/DSC05550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzuO8UD0RjQQa3CUm7pz1UsczkHlpIpouFrcjd5CYYFVMyQYjWSFgAKyC7489cRy673RYJ39p1P2jd27wb_LpVghaepGWB62agOg_bbC3p67cPCJOe_eoka1BnGpa2O7JDLDss4RJxhU/s320/DSC05550.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4nmr2-w-AnNY0VNXhk1sSN3kwu_zbYSrQCB0exeNsk-x-nqoGkIGTvpVIsMCkn-QARYISBZE0wMvG7zskdGiG2dGbtbBjvDtIaIzB-7FAiXbf_6uwLk0ES-mp9D_D_CQQBl9oqJ0Fag/s1600/DSC05563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4nmr2-w-AnNY0VNXhk1sSN3kwu_zbYSrQCB0exeNsk-x-nqoGkIGTvpVIsMCkn-QARYISBZE0wMvG7zskdGiG2dGbtbBjvDtIaIzB-7FAiXbf_6uwLk0ES-mp9D_D_CQQBl9oqJ0Fag/s200/DSC05563.JPG" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtRtKrKytUCTT6GaT-Tb-mQ8V6edv5ysqCxQgC1o3rbN0AQ104sFV-YDDQowc1i7aeWWDRcyBepJq7maJcxC7QLK5c-PnBLxluC98w_Oh9O6LFBaOYRNTaV4hX4kRaQ8aM91MikFzAu8/s1600/DSC05584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtRtKrKytUCTT6GaT-Tb-mQ8V6edv5ysqCxQgC1o3rbN0AQ104sFV-YDDQowc1i7aeWWDRcyBepJq7maJcxC7QLK5c-PnBLxluC98w_Oh9O6LFBaOYRNTaV4hX4kRaQ8aM91MikFzAu8/s200/DSC05584.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYocZbeQFQTfHK6G7C-Kt_0WoL8ry67o8nVvB3qAsgLnGRTTA_c7R1Gi37P-v5U25dNW2ky_iS5nZ35ftKEylJC_uqVlA93yHzxVSc0r7bhiWv0lIpxo8cucmpLh0Pa9nS1l7p7hOb4-s/s1600/DSC05566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYocZbeQFQTfHK6G7C-Kt_0WoL8ry67o8nVvB3qAsgLnGRTTA_c7R1Gi37P-v5U25dNW2ky_iS5nZ35ftKEylJC_uqVlA93yHzxVSc0r7bhiWv0lIpxo8cucmpLh0Pa9nS1l7p7hOb4-s/s200/DSC05566.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Asking for the return of exiled Basque prisoners - written in Euskara, the native language.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZk5XQsBVLIJK_Iq-cJIOwa5eEFI3kyqsTlO9fGoUiWZ8fEZTIrijV35Km-fpzO13MoI8n08Gp4fyPmta59pzIwG9TesUGiN4FLZJq_T3P4USSz-LxdWcZH5ZaVv8sNvZzriAy2YFOOFQ/s1600/DSC05596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZk5XQsBVLIJK_Iq-cJIOwa5eEFI3kyqsTlO9fGoUiWZ8fEZTIrijV35Km-fpzO13MoI8n08Gp4fyPmta59pzIwG9TesUGiN4FLZJq_T3P4USSz-LxdWcZH5ZaVv8sNvZzriAy2YFOOFQ/s200/DSC05596.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJBqxS8iUOpsWG5xjmUrVqEs7_jjMiq_x7Id0C2WhqLWYsAEYOYhrYmpmQsYK3SPKCl_R9F8IQrR5OuPbUgI7d2cS2hu6mE_uARB4-Clc9tNWVKyf9CMRcSon92jA4N-54mQ4rGcVkvA/s1600/DSC05918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJBqxS8iUOpsWG5xjmUrVqEs7_jjMiq_x7Id0C2WhqLWYsAEYOYhrYmpmQsYK3SPKCl_R9F8IQrR5OuPbUgI7d2cS2hu6mE_uARB4-Clc9tNWVKyf9CMRcSon92jA4N-54mQ4rGcVkvA/s200/DSC05918.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZk5XQsBVLIJK_Iq-cJIOwa5eEFI3kyqsTlO9fGoUiWZ8fEZTIrijV35Km-fpzO13MoI8n08Gp4fyPmta59pzIwG9TesUGiN4FLZJq_T3P4USSz-LxdWcZH5ZaVv8sNvZzriAy2YFOOFQ/s1600/DSC05596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3v3GOkHef-w-yETmo0ys2LNgR-5oTjOcDF2a7jaAh-KGqvU4sIViwEsVvC5LsA28hEnWp2aSBDCIiFjnW8udRb_J2hdjjhlB6LNcgfI9eKrWzNHK52eBZf0GR_EpDoSO_V_QcanuA-s/s1600/DSC05598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3v3GOkHef-w-yETmo0ys2LNgR-5oTjOcDF2a7jaAh-KGqvU4sIViwEsVvC5LsA28hEnWp2aSBDCIiFjnW8udRb_J2hdjjhlB6LNcgfI9eKrWzNHK52eBZf0GR_EpDoSO_V_QcanuA-s/s320/DSC05598.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>Athletic Club Bilbao's training center</b>: Somewhere outside of Bilbao. It is completely open to visitors, so we spent an hour watching them train and feeling like paparazzi. The players in the picture are all players on the National Team. If I were a true fútbol fan I would know their names. But I'm not.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVcZ1UIyKh3-vb9s2dYa7lDo7SuZhx0sfnU0vzTQX34U9wkie9_Mwe_gzZoIHKXZUsj-G4GpB5QTd0oNzTP4vj0L40ZW0IDB3bsxMAbl3qWhD2GyHO4bthGP7DVH3dR3H-csXUUq2HPY/s1600/DSC05617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVcZ1UIyKh3-vb9s2dYa7lDo7SuZhx0sfnU0vzTQX34U9wkie9_Mwe_gzZoIHKXZUsj-G4GpB5QTd0oNzTP4vj0L40ZW0IDB3bsxMAbl3qWhD2GyHO4bthGP7DVH3dR3H-csXUUq2HPY/s200/DSC05617.JPG" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2z1MtyHSbmHc5e52qh4fiZ-LhKzcwDg9zUK2FxLNj8ASQVA8OOJpqic9E4IDbORe-uW45f7jFRQBY9rz1-INoxezMVzKJvvQodkO722pPX5EXsk1ThO6ZFseJbC3oJLtos9OiiEsSm0g/s1600/DSC05619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2z1MtyHSbmHc5e52qh4fiZ-LhKzcwDg9zUK2FxLNj8ASQVA8OOJpqic9E4IDbORe-uW45f7jFRQBY9rz1-INoxezMVzKJvvQodkO722pPX5EXsk1ThO6ZFseJbC3oJLtos9OiiEsSm0g/s200/DSC05619.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCkL3a4dRkqEWS8lXTrFQoZDmWbDV1vmtgpTQbz0g4_wutWNpxF06dF1AwDFv8fvfUJeemhPCxCMU4BPyNuHDljXShfmpDvW7PXoOGxhSRQi9uZyqQwlsgCY4rwyvx0ZXdNEJUavfbsY/s1600/DSC05624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCkL3a4dRkqEWS8lXTrFQoZDmWbDV1vmtgpTQbz0g4_wutWNpxF06dF1AwDFv8fvfUJeemhPCxCMU4BPyNuHDljXShfmpDvW7PXoOGxhSRQi9uZyqQwlsgCY4rwyvx0ZXdNEJUavfbsY/s320/DSC05624.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqY39ruPq5CIqRiBTxoyqbLZE0Zur4LNdbAygvOlWZw7Srl8SHYyHUm1wTCOXeS0PrSDSE66cWzFVmvfyf2xJyrajzhhWZf49Gr2Vol_wvurbW6MnO2bPlBN6RIb3uD4fxLcYv6dtkX8/s1600/DSC05625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqY39ruPq5CIqRiBTxoyqbLZE0Zur4LNdbAygvOlWZw7Srl8SHYyHUm1wTCOXeS0PrSDSE66cWzFVmvfyf2xJyrajzhhWZf49Gr2Vol_wvurbW6MnO2bPlBN6RIb3uD4fxLcYv6dtkX8/s200/DSC05625.JPG" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3D6NPiKcER7O1gwRZMBOspNKF9FL7sglNZl1SVPH9SE_j7hyphenhyphenSNthfzu5NVdDTzv-cwFD9bsIZ9B6cy0RWP_vj2qjm51-zTuX5aIS5Ai4gVBGvnz99cpJ292c8KfyTOGS6jvUPxdx_-WE/s1600/DSC05655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3D6NPiKcER7O1gwRZMBOspNKF9FL7sglNZl1SVPH9SE_j7hyphenhyphenSNthfzu5NVdDTzv-cwFD9bsIZ9B6cy0RWP_vj2qjm51-zTuX5aIS5Ai4gVBGvnz99cpJ292c8KfyTOGS6jvUPxdx_-WE/s200/DSC05655.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfETC8zFGJRZLttBZHRR964L8Hmn2lXItUGesZlBjUjaFmP9utLrcPfVXQLgqu1zma2EpnLC73kFKgGM2OBGio5AZ-2n7FiGhyphenhyphen13WGvcpkwmscCoGhO4-YkE3Ovj9_InIWLmvtK7LBE08/s1600/DSC05645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfETC8zFGJRZLttBZHRR964L8Hmn2lXItUGesZlBjUjaFmP9utLrcPfVXQLgqu1zma2EpnLC73kFKgGM2OBGio5AZ-2n7FiGhyphenhyphen13WGvcpkwmscCoGhO4-YkE3Ovj9_InIWLmvtK7LBE08/s320/DSC05645.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFEE8Bt_gfUDsu182Yl42fGXb3HxojVIP6FyMNfl8jn9dQ1D4ktmfut1_M-r67JR5zVjL2F3LgWKDrrjCNrIR76Q7YYPRp_FK49h-wBfFDp0AQR4wveJydQziAG901enOyG218k0SGpk/s1600/DSC05662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFEE8Bt_gfUDsu182Yl42fGXb3HxojVIP6FyMNfl8jn9dQ1D4ktmfut1_M-r67JR5zVjL2F3LgWKDrrjCNrIR76Q7YYPRp_FK49h-wBfFDp0AQR4wveJydQziAG901enOyG218k0SGpk/s320/DSC05662.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>Bilbao</b>: Spent an afternoon eating pintxos and exploring the streets. Pintxos are basically the north of Spain's take on tapas. Instead of ordering them, all the pintxos are laid out on the bar, and you can pick and choose at your leisure. When you're done, you pay based on the honor system.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH3gplrJM2VjjaSj_6z1pkDmCsn8Bt1zw5eRhLEiVLlpNnAWpnit1gENGpZNQQQYNKDEhLap-QHhQAtQ4DKPgSpGYrSDxY8F4kmKXXcLPpEZEhVmgfy2vVsHvuPuY_fHulFSHjgG7q7Y/s1600/DSC05684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH3gplrJM2VjjaSj_6z1pkDmCsn8Bt1zw5eRhLEiVLlpNnAWpnit1gENGpZNQQQYNKDEhLap-QHhQAtQ4DKPgSpGYrSDxY8F4kmKXXcLPpEZEhVmgfy2vVsHvuPuY_fHulFSHjgG7q7Y/s200/DSC05684.JPG" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEile0vfENR6yPFrYK-hUDDUkDp-l2Yr7so6LDE16uFvNCx1W9d4hqtlBlctgWRLUiwNztj6t8i3KRmCBQUgHIXR2wkHwz8_m-kyHv6xvB6230jd-d5oZrFIKw1EhV1sFKUGTF_71wddd9k/s1600/DSC05710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEile0vfENR6yPFrYK-hUDDUkDp-l2Yr7so6LDE16uFvNCx1W9d4hqtlBlctgWRLUiwNztj6t8i3KRmCBQUgHIXR2wkHwz8_m-kyHv6xvB6230jd-d5oZrFIKw1EhV1sFKUGTF_71wddd9k/s200/DSC05710.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjid5UTv0SIiocs6ZHmGx2Xgmv5LmNNJUIlH4K_UwJlkaXa1nFI1IDasJNpmKlad37prwWUWqUVvstOGJDXNrYKmSGGhXFgbTQUEMiJP7NjmSJxM4ti_ndPuAwY6ckyJ1Z2IEeXrZcAIt8/s1600/DSC05686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjid5UTv0SIiocs6ZHmGx2Xgmv5LmNNJUIlH4K_UwJlkaXa1nFI1IDasJNpmKlad37prwWUWqUVvstOGJDXNrYKmSGGhXFgbTQUEMiJP7NjmSJxM4ti_ndPuAwY6ckyJ1Z2IEeXrZcAIt8/s200/DSC05686.JPG" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4m9GhgEV7OlretHqdT_K7o-H_2oHvP_MpxCxtyyd70PI2b9iq7j-8zLVDrMbLT1t3wYhF4YBDOJMLQpluFhh_kMhigwTIFS0P4TFYmuiqV60-DEMW1EsBjLOoglTpMjBwj2P7TUbMEU/s1600/DSC05732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4m9GhgEV7OlretHqdT_K7o-H_2oHvP_MpxCxtyyd70PI2b9iq7j-8zLVDrMbLT1t3wYhF4YBDOJMLQpluFhh_kMhigwTIFS0P4TFYmuiqV60-DEMW1EsBjLOoglTpMjBwj2P7TUbMEU/s200/DSC05732.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgTJQTROzxyaxyvvkA4fX8Ivj2fn7w8OsNZF8CYKixO95jcu7-NKE9p-xcbUiV4Fagi56EgE88CNa9MJvNiktsn5K0DI4lMYtQwJloqpai6JOM_PpVpL2Onq3dNIg3hOGLcZb35pb7HQ/s1600/DSC05742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgTJQTROzxyaxyvvkA4fX8Ivj2fn7w8OsNZF8CYKixO95jcu7-NKE9p-xcbUiV4Fagi56EgE88CNa9MJvNiktsn5K0DI4lMYtQwJloqpai6JOM_PpVpL2Onq3dNIg3hOGLcZb35pb7HQ/s320/DSC05742.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Anti-bullfighting ad - "put yourself in its place."</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFiauezly-Hsok9PRTd8kOnrTx4PG23OreZfGRT3C-rZdF196xEOLMPQ9WQryI7EZ1HN_j2jy1o7os5pMNnimtNbTYd4k6Q1WYATdzTiOVLc6aZMgo806KHdizmcxXbh8fcFWMIeRDn8/s1600/DSC05711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFiauezly-Hsok9PRTd8kOnrTx4PG23OreZfGRT3C-rZdF196xEOLMPQ9WQryI7EZ1HN_j2jy1o7os5pMNnimtNbTYd4k6Q1WYATdzTiOVLc6aZMgo806KHdizmcxXbh8fcFWMIeRDn8/s320/DSC05711.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<b>San Sebastian</b>: A picture-perfect seaside town, with a noticeable Parisian feeling. We ate more pintxos and explored more streets. And spent some time relaxing on the beach.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkFj2wlL6St4KtDjPmPrNHM1rc5AFDgqKNj6ZHT9M9StsNGYc5Kxzi8IvDRJrT5UdSlXwPyHnMV_l4DylN2V6M-O41fi2aq8FFDJZBgQz2Kyfxt8dL1pLb5B8eAMoBHLx5zRMF5NGKVA/s1600/DSC05797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUSE6Zl6gW1Q4TvP9q8asY-I5dZRNhMXBUKFOUNSmw2_rEmDF5LuqaOscrkqtrHCDtDFp0Wea_ub6BOU6ygGlQP80bWNYp8S5jD2YVYKQjMkYLXWRnQLU-geWnRTMuabKECEP_svpOYQ/s1600/DSC05804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUSE6Zl6gW1Q4TvP9q8asY-I5dZRNhMXBUKFOUNSmw2_rEmDF5LuqaOscrkqtrHCDtDFp0Wea_ub6BOU6ygGlQP80bWNYp8S5jD2YVYKQjMkYLXWRnQLU-geWnRTMuabKECEP_svpOYQ/s200/DSC05804.JPG" width="150" /></a><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkFj2wlL6St4KtDjPmPrNHM1rc5AFDgqKNj6ZHT9M9StsNGYc5Kxzi8IvDRJrT5UdSlXwPyHnMV_l4DylN2V6M-O41fi2aq8FFDJZBgQz2Kyfxt8dL1pLb5B8eAMoBHLx5zRMF5NGKVA/s200/DSC05797.JPG" width="200" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsGRuVIUEuDhUn6-DxthobEM6fxmwcdoMVXqByKEV5uyApGQyhYSaWn-UXyP3YUUWQkGBM1DXNqJgvMA_XBc4ZZBuMh-e0pIWZcMF4Gnce8Xa-d5OjcqJjKZOACPKBOMK4duWcqXbifA/s1600/DSC05833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsGRuVIUEuDhUn6-DxthobEM6fxmwcdoMVXqByKEV5uyApGQyhYSaWn-UXyP3YUUWQkGBM1DXNqJgvMA_XBc4ZZBuMh-e0pIWZcMF4Gnce8Xa-d5OjcqJjKZOACPKBOMK4duWcqXbifA/s320/DSC05833.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNmLb2rmwWWS1YzmyQnK5y6wJPXycYEUu8TkiTSLMhyphenhyphenDnUj4W2JznG41xODBoK0YgzumBrQf0l9mbc5kSFgNuYZAojtX0YtUiOCCfp2HNpOyDAAriA-T737oLfAWPEiGMoZFhu-UtPTI/s1600/DSC05827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNmLb2rmwWWS1YzmyQnK5y6wJPXycYEUu8TkiTSLMhyphenhyphenDnUj4W2JznG41xODBoK0YgzumBrQf0l9mbc5kSFgNuYZAojtX0YtUiOCCfp2HNpOyDAAriA-T737oLfAWPEiGMoZFhu-UtPTI/s400/DSC05827.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsGRuVIUEuDhUn6-DxthobEM6fxmwcdoMVXqByKEV5uyApGQyhYSaWn-UXyP3YUUWQkGBM1DXNqJgvMA_XBc4ZZBuMh-e0pIWZcMF4Gnce8Xa-d5OjcqJjKZOACPKBOMK4duWcqXbifA/s1600/DSC05833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMiCNwOIAmN06iczpX1To6T-HxgwLorQqYmGyLo-tJK-Ciu8mcRbRNC4m4jRzzpgXZhwV2iDLpXeATU6b0X8tRj1uclj6XUTTADnKjKkqDA22oTw-JTO5qiQ0NfLoJN9zuUC2ZWnkUdk/s1600/DSC05838_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMiCNwOIAmN06iczpX1To6T-HxgwLorQqYmGyLo-tJK-Ciu8mcRbRNC4m4jRzzpgXZhwV2iDLpXeATU6b0X8tRj1uclj6XUTTADnKjKkqDA22oTw-JTO5qiQ0NfLoJN9zuUC2ZWnkUdk/s320/DSC05838_2.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UeW6Lmp6z2w6GvqslZVftXz1O2-iiEFomc1xpNWiyMPKu45b6XVn9zaI7I9KIpGQOMQ1ljJZ3yZdMyEGcxXcqt55OnX-3YwQM4FOgfvCqylN5cu0e6_WKajnPya1X0UPCJQJxtR9EjA/s1600/DSC05874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UeW6Lmp6z2w6GvqslZVftXz1O2-iiEFomc1xpNWiyMPKu45b6XVn9zaI7I9KIpGQOMQ1ljJZ3yZdMyEGcxXcqt55OnX-3YwQM4FOgfvCqylN5cu0e6_WKajnPya1X0UPCJQJxtR9EjA/s320/DSC05874.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></span></span>Since this post completely lacked my usual abundance of descriptions,<a href="http://northwestandthensome.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/basque-country-el-centro-del-mundo-or-so-they-tell-me-18/"> here's a link to my fellow roadtripper's blog</a>! Eli has an excellent summary of our weekend, as well as interesting tidbits about the region. Go check her out! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Also, check out <a href="http://christineinspain.com/">christineinspain.com</a>. I've followed this blog religiously ever since I first found her <a href="http://www.christineinspain.com/post/943279740/algeciras">slightly favorable take on Algeciras</a>, and now she just so happens to be a great real life friend :) </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.christineinspain.com/post/22610898551/why-go-to-basque-country">Click here </a>for beautiful pictures of Basque Country, and a couple reasons why you should probably add it to your itinerary. </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsGRuVIUEuDhUn6-DxthobEM6fxmwcdoMVXqByKEV5uyApGQyhYSaWn-UXyP3YUUWQkGBM1DXNqJgvMA_XBc4ZZBuMh-e0pIWZcMF4Gnce8Xa-d5OjcqJjKZOACPKBOMK4duWcqXbifA/s1600/DSC05833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></a>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-84065639786630070062012-04-26T09:10:00.002-05:002012-04-27T09:09:21.206-05:00Making up puentes as I goWell, I'm off for another long blog hiatus. (It will <i>almost</i> be nice when I am back in the states and stuck in 1 country for an extended length of time.) I'll be spending the puente in Basque Country (<i>País Vasco) </i> with a couple friends,<i> </i>and then creating my own personal puente Wednesday-Sunday to go to Northern Ireland. Sometimes its nice to have a job where you're under-valued and under-used, so you don't feel bad when you take off such large chunks of work. <br />
<br />
My trip to País Vasco is one that I've been looking forward to since last October, when I first met a native Basque and began to learn just how special their little corner of the world is. We have trips planned to Bilbao, San Sebastian, and his coastal fishing village. I am ready to be blown away by all that País Vasco has to offer, as well as load up on pintxos and kalimotxo. ( Which will be a welcome break from the Andalucían tapas and tinto.)<br />
<br />
Then on Wednesday we say goodbye to northern Spain, and I say <i>helloooooooooooooo</i> to Northern Ireland! I recently learned that I have distant relatives living in Northern Ireland. They are <i>very</i> distant, our common ancestor is something like 7 generations back, but hey. I'm not one to discriminate :)<br />
<br />
This will be my first solo-travel experience. I'm nervous. When I studied abroad in Granada, my spacyness and general lack of self-awareness earned me the nickname Space Cadet. While I can be awesome at planning trips and making sure the itinerary lines up, the actual <i>going and doing it </i>part can be my downfall. Let's all cross our fingers that I make it back to Spain in one piece, and without losing too much money or personal belongings.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Lekeitio, Basque Country <a href="http://munkiki.tumblr.com/post/9745090716/jonnie-is-a-girl-3-iluntzean-lekeitio-l">[Source]</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDI58sw4zOT3oTR4jPLano1A16Ub9wARnxY_KYn0gfljD8jkTSZk0xmKMB2btB_7xbdQ7kFF8sr2zdTDbtChofmh61YdOQNp5MH3Yhy3trv7Ev23yjfdHK1hkCVG8nqoX8RniJ2sxF5I/s1600/tumblr_lqnsisphzE1r2q8zlo1_400.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDI58sw4zOT3oTR4jPLano1A16Ub9wARnxY_KYn0gfljD8jkTSZk0xmKMB2btB_7xbdQ7kFF8sr2zdTDbtChofmh61YdOQNp5MH3Yhy3trv7Ev23yjfdHK1hkCVG8nqoX8RniJ2sxF5I/s400/tumblr_lqnsisphzE1r2q8zlo1_400.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Northern Irish Coast <a href="http://www.shaunkillenphotography.com/travel/northern-irish-coast/">[Source]</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5c30-rABssB-x7wPWZImsVz-Zj5gfZy-j_KKidg3g-vBaUZrSRrnKXSqRcDZ5rxiHTl862LrGrHgWsD36r2jm2ThuRtVievMerGvDoAE90-idsSZOPmwTRqbEB29biWVwK1BxjnkAac/s1600/northern-ireland-beach-900x600-srgb.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5c30-rABssB-x7wPWZImsVz-Zj5gfZy-j_KKidg3g-vBaUZrSRrnKXSqRcDZ5rxiHTl862LrGrHgWsD36r2jm2ThuRtVievMerGvDoAE90-idsSZOPmwTRqbEB29biWVwK1BxjnkAac/s400/northern-ireland-beach-900x600-srgb.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'll be back in early May with my own pictures to post, stay tuned!</div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-74326874920934556552012-04-24T15:37:00.001-05:002012-05-08T16:32:24.863-05:00You take the high road, and I'll take the low road... Edinburgh, Scotlandand I'll be in Scotland before you :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLLA0b8b56f8twAFCw03hT7YYWtmS5JB3xo7sRtFSfMo7nRPTfqaSYtRb6URl8fF2dhaAY3ZtEvtatpmJbRvYA6IMrwi0iD9X8_yBmHJb6drAQZBkvLFh8d-QFlR5jsb82-SBgd5phHA/s1600/DSC05218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLLA0b8b56f8twAFCw03hT7YYWtmS5JB3xo7sRtFSfMo7nRPTfqaSYtRb6URl8fF2dhaAY3ZtEvtatpmJbRvYA6IMrwi0iD9X8_yBmHJb6drAQZBkvLFh8d-QFlR5jsb82-SBgd5phHA/s320/DSC05218.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8qngCMGxEnKuoYnTwVicNjEn5Z-EVHqTUAqMYGN0BRwoZ4ISGMomRuVUBuot-GbA3lsZLlhOlt43xv0-z-h-6f5_H43LP5LadgcoJgvcCg0rxYtHTh_mx2Wldd13aBKowHiNVNOWOpA/s1600/DSC05262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8qngCMGxEnKuoYnTwVicNjEn5Z-EVHqTUAqMYGN0BRwoZ4ISGMomRuVUBuot-GbA3lsZLlhOlt43xv0-z-h-6f5_H43LP5LadgcoJgvcCg0rxYtHTh_mx2Wldd13aBKowHiNVNOWOpA/s320/DSC05262.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I like to think of myself as fairly well-traveled. There will always be a million places on my bucket list and a million people who have seen more than I have, but I like to think that I'm doing pretty well for myself. I've been to Paris, London, Rome, Munich, and lots of other big name cities. I fell in love with Italy and will always been trying to find an excuse to go back to New Zealand. So, when I say that my past weekend trip to Edinburgh, Scotland was one of the best travel weekends I've had, that's saying a lot.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBfynlDCizb_jUyHklgQgmOfjllYFh7h0VBtA9IfqycaRB5gD4tSRUMD38TWdtxJ44X5JdYP0TVye3VTYNpd75s_ni_p0rm9FoDzUEftIkWzWdoUMFOFwNyeJXEnqbUhKG4WBaggCHmw/s1600/DSC05221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBfynlDCizb_jUyHklgQgmOfjllYFh7h0VBtA9IfqycaRB5gD4tSRUMD38TWdtxJ44X5JdYP0TVye3VTYNpd75s_ni_p0rm9FoDzUEftIkWzWdoUMFOFwNyeJXEnqbUhKG4WBaggCHmw/s320/DSC05221.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Edinburgh captured my heart in so many ways. I had such a great experience both with the capital city, as well as with the Scottish people. I've never met a more friendly, down-to-earth, sweet group of people. Everyone I met, from the tipsy old Scottish man sitting next to me on the plane who talked for 3 straight hours, to the guy who gave us a 75% discount off of dinner for no reason, made our trip that much better.<br />
<br />
Our trip started off Thursday morning with an unexpected hitch. As Eli and I were on our way to the mall to buy last minute raincoats, I had such a severe allergic reaction to the granola bar I was eating that we immediately had to turn around so I could rush to the hospital. The last time I'd eaten a brazil nut, 12 years ago, my throat and tongue swelled up so much that I couldn't even tell the doctors my name. Since that day I have faithfully checked the ingredient list whenever I eat something with nuts in it, but the nut was so far down on the list that I guess I just didn't see it. Thankfully, there were only trace amounts of brazil nuts in the bar that had claimed to have only "cranberries, dark chocolate, macadamia nuts...and nothing dodgy", (liars), and I quickly got it under control at the clinic.<br />
<br />
After that little setback we crossed our fingers that the rest of the trip would go smoothly, and left for Edinburgh. Here's a recap of the weekend:<br />
<ul>
<li>We sat next a sweet old Scottish man on the plane, who spent the entire 3 hours drinking and telling us stories of places he'd travelled with his wife. He had an <i>intense</i> Scottish brogue. Couple that with noise of the plane and his soft voice, and I spent most of the time enthusiastically nodding and smiling and hoping he wasn't expecting an actual answer.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>We went on the Sandemann's NewEdinburgh walking tour of the old city, which if you ever get the chance to go on a Sandemann's tour, DO IT. You will not regret it. The guides don't get paid by the company, and so they work solely for tips. They have to be incredibly knowledgeable and excited about what they do to make any money. We had a terrific guide, who spent 3 hours showing us around and telling us stories about the interesting people who had called the city home over the centuries. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<ul>
<li>We walked through the cemetery where J.K. Rowling stole inspiration for character names in Harry Potter, and also saw the school which she based Hogwarts off of. </li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJEu4mtt-h-oRib2LSvPNhSGsBjM99mqNtDiCxfai0vntlozOIOywKurkKmm-0-vikDVEvZeVtqePL-QyLE15DIyMMm1lubBpKhWVeP03H1owQptXnfoJnpwwO3YeNUjTHDkT2zRD8QY/s1600/DSC05239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJEu4mtt-h-oRib2LSvPNhSGsBjM99mqNtDiCxfai0vntlozOIOywKurkKmm-0-vikDVEvZeVtqePL-QyLE15DIyMMm1lubBpKhWVeP03H1owQptXnfoJnpwwO3YeNUjTHDkT2zRD8QY/s320/DSC05239.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjI98aniFZrWAuld6X0BZi3Vj3eVzO98v-kNI5XUVYN8fEkjIDZsYv-xAk_3lH47z3fUwUfX8ADO7KmdOAm8p7kjL-S2RojzXuIM7GL2Woy8KSsLUOqAq6ZQ1Q-Enw2KvLTEOLZg53uk/s1600/DSC05237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjI98aniFZrWAuld6X0BZi3Vj3eVzO98v-kNI5XUVYN8fEkjIDZsYv-xAk_3lH47z3fUwUfX8ADO7KmdOAm8p7kjL-S2RojzXuIM7GL2Woy8KSsLUOqAq6ZQ1Q-Enw2KvLTEOLZg53uk/s320/DSC05237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCCjgEJDAeI8mIlytYhBn_hPf7cHtgO-gPTSmazDLc1Rnhq31QEolId5I6QZlbkIDiOLQSBXKBZPKRtJJ8pXdFqVAqQKVZwoYL0DNzQuLcWNbjhQkLgt_SsA1zY440A6RYaugOnGsUrc/s1600/DSC05238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCCjgEJDAeI8mIlytYhBn_hPf7cHtgO-gPTSmazDLc1Rnhq31QEolId5I6QZlbkIDiOLQSBXKBZPKRtJJ8pXdFqVAqQKVZwoYL0DNzQuLcWNbjhQkLgt_SsA1zY440A6RYaugOnGsUrc/s320/DSC05238.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>Our guide explained that Edinburgh has around 700 pubs and taverns, and anybody who was anybody in Edinburgh's history has a bar named after them. Even Greyfriar Bobby, a little terrier dog who visited his owners grave everyday for years after he died waiting for him to return, had not only a pub but also a statue in his honor.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQ9jtvnyXxlm4qmbzmxwXg881-80rSdMs8UTGAd6Bfg7i4g6KNfB_DsPYeiCiAVPeyTwEIGi_BLOQuCxfG_jkZFx8bj7DMUAF9wyzw2pMoINyZGvzLoNH4cFo4ZYmEU9btkjR0aAhUE4/s1600/DSC05256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQ9jtvnyXxlm4qmbzmxwXg881-80rSdMs8UTGAd6Bfg7i4g6KNfB_DsPYeiCiAVPeyTwEIGi_BLOQuCxfG_jkZFx8bj7DMUAF9wyzw2pMoINyZGvzLoNH4cFo4ZYmEU9btkjR0aAhUE4/s320/DSC05256.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>A woman was convicted and executed for hiding a pregnancy, but as they were taking her coffin to the cemetery the pallbearers heard scratching and thumping. The woman was alive! They took her back to the gallows a second time to re-execute her, but the mayor decided that she couldn't be tried for the same offense twice (double jeopardy) and she was allowed to live. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li>There was a locksmith who made his living by making keys for the rich people of Edinburgh, duplicating the keys, and using the stolen keys to break into their houses and steal all their money. Genius. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li>There were 2 men who made a living hiding out in back alleys after dark, and smothering drunks to kill them and sell their bodies to the Royal Medical School. The Medical School had a severe shortage in bodies available for dissection in classes, and so they never asked questions about where the bodies came from. They had killed almost 30 people and gotten away with it, until they killed a well-known prostitute, and a medical student "recognized" her body a few weeks later in class.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li>Our guide talked about what a pretentious city Edinburgh is. Back in the 1800's the city wanted to revive its image, and so they started adding statues, carvings and buildings around the city with no other purpose than to make the city appear more important. For example, on top of Colton Hill is a half-finished replica of the Parthenon. It's half-finished because the city ran out of money. There are also various stone statues of sphinxes on top of buildings, as well as statues of various important people with no actual relation to the city's history.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Eli and I ate way too much shortbread. And spicy ginger fudge. And these things called mint cakes and butter tablets. Mint cakes are what you get when you take a peppermint patty and subtract the chocolate. And probably add a little more sugar. Butter tablets are more or less butter-flavored sugar cubes. Yikes. But oh so good!</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>We went on a day tour through the Western Highlands, Glen Coe and ended at Loch Ness. Although we didn't have any Nessie sightings, we did pass the castle where Mary Queen of Scots was born, and another castle where Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed. I was also especially excited that we drove through the landscapes used to film the Hogwarts Express scenes.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Linlithgow Castle, birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots [<a href="http://www.marie-stuart.co.uk/Castles/Linlithgow.htm">Source</a>]</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_S8I-H1fggwQWDoaSt3l_SbgM7mMRTi9DRITNqfDolZJEBnm3UolHkDg9SFi1V1oNTD0yU8clbarUJ8744JsK4qBIbHy6S42BqEEcLnePrDatfsLcOf7U-ocvd1tPShrM__sXpkUwVX0/s1600/Linlithgow_palace_front.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_S8I-H1fggwQWDoaSt3l_SbgM7mMRTi9DRITNqfDolZJEBnm3UolHkDg9SFi1V1oNTD0yU8clbarUJ8744JsK4qBIbHy6S42BqEEcLnePrDatfsLcOf7U-ocvd1tPShrM__sXpkUwVX0/s320/Linlithgow_palace_front.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Doune castle, where 70% of <i>Monty Python</i> was filmed [Source]</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJiqw71kmPr43Wk4b7b9w8c4ATZvwKZpdv7eq0uXWRwZ_AOny2hcVfd0EIOCjTx9Lu0OWmbbBEj6i-Efxv2bDbiBjlZjFo4MyLJrEDIW-zLjYxoAqgzH7PrRAf4SIHcR0Cou4YK3LPDZI/s1600/Visit-Scotland-Doune-Castle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJiqw71kmPr43Wk4b7b9w8c4ATZvwKZpdv7eq0uXWRwZ_AOny2hcVfd0EIOCjTx9Lu0OWmbbBEj6i-Efxv2bDbiBjlZjFo4MyLJrEDIW-zLjYxoAqgzH7PrRAf4SIHcR0Cou4YK3LPDZI/s320/Visit-Scotland-Doune-Castle.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Entering Glen Coe. Glen means a narrow, rocky valley.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7e2zN7Te7A3uQHqORIIrqyMWKqJ5suyWReRJc9iYxJT-AHPO-S1nHI-t6bQyhm46eTTbdJB0O502O4Jcv4fGI15TEdKvE39dcQuyg2spAIVgEi_FSaV7TIHPECWoWX6jr6wegzZi4G0Q/s1600/DSC05367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7e2zN7Te7A3uQHqORIIrqyMWKqJ5suyWReRJc9iYxJT-AHPO-S1nHI-t6bQyhm46eTTbdJB0O502O4Jcv4fGI15TEdKvE39dcQuyg2spAIVgEi_FSaV7TIHPECWoWX6jr6wegzZi4G0Q/s320/DSC05367.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7n0K42QlSFnO-9g7N-k_2nKeLJPJBHSGiEyjjyHELtppRKLfiOkjf6R7_-tnPcO0IoD7YzXWqQbD_pO48CiOvdPgfeTRm37IygDcP5aLXcv5eeii6lxUcFpwbYOaBQv0sEAse5lGeCo/s1600/DSC05356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7n0K42QlSFnO-9g7N-k_2nKeLJPJBHSGiEyjjyHELtppRKLfiOkjf6R7_-tnPcO0IoD7YzXWqQbD_pO48CiOvdPgfeTRm37IygDcP5aLXcv5eeii6lxUcFpwbYOaBQv0sEAse5lGeCo/s320/DSC05356.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Small town we stopped in for a break.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUY4zt_XU7pG5bIx2Thyq-0IPVJUR1VSsCESV1-V68rWx0WrlFkW9meHaZhyphenhyphenTIhsfxWuZI5yvn_cv99EMujrzTo0TnmIeE1UvN6a1BQvm7omAnsKuI-aAhxoQvzQUQoyecT3OhqouQKM/s1600/DSC05461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUY4zt_XU7pG5bIx2Thyq-0IPVJUR1VSsCESV1-V68rWx0WrlFkW9meHaZhyphenhyphenTIhsfxWuZI5yvn_cv99EMujrzTo0TnmIeE1UvN6a1BQvm7omAnsKuI-aAhxoQvzQUQoyecT3OhqouQKM/s320/DSC05461.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Loch Ness!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehSBqNs5PcKD4jObx5-0VBdYatzf5bL9XIy2dr5SJVJ2h6Pk80_DUiVFNIodlhSV_SZWQ-0XiKghjaO2ewy8WOjvyeSaoZCAWTOYkuinnsg1VnnkVdoxrH8vRqymcIAiWkoFTqflKoro/s1600/DSC05410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehSBqNs5PcKD4jObx5-0VBdYatzf5bL9XIy2dr5SJVJ2h6Pk80_DUiVFNIodlhSV_SZWQ-0XiKghjaO2ewy8WOjvyeSaoZCAWTOYkuinnsg1VnnkVdoxrH8vRqymcIAiWkoFTqflKoro/s320/DSC05410.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdMtkhYvjg9Pjz_ROYAOx4x3qK4zomTQFn5Yw6CKrNtm8ZRPZ8uMUbxCBP62maw6pBfF7ajEU0rk5a81IO2ZQxaXOL8aFZduNYolh4L-DnyNAxwxZgrXLu2DsXkfXaVxuc_u4BBm6dCI/s1600/DSC05413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdMtkhYvjg9Pjz_ROYAOx4x3qK4zomTQFn5Yw6CKrNtm8ZRPZ8uMUbxCBP62maw6pBfF7ajEU0rk5a81IO2ZQxaXOL8aFZduNYolh4L-DnyNAxwxZgrXLu2DsXkfXaVxuc_u4BBm6dCI/s320/DSC05413.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The highlands have <i>so</i> many pine trees. The government used to give incentives for planting evergreen trees, so the hills are covered with them.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6-vAbvSlRjIF-s2TvxS9MTA1ASU0pD9UuhLB-vmBBurSWa82SYwiGmBXiimZ1nilj62Wyq3362THQRdUedGSehyG7WVHHQy0xNUGZk0NvRlvkhV1TO5RxBBhyX9h93QXCLv3aAoOlA0/s1600/DSC05395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6-vAbvSlRjIF-s2TvxS9MTA1ASU0pD9UuhLB-vmBBurSWa82SYwiGmBXiimZ1nilj62Wyq3362THQRdUedGSehyG7WVHHQy0xNUGZk0NvRlvkhV1TO5RxBBhyX9h93QXCLv3aAoOlA0/s320/DSC05395.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>That night, Eli and I made it through a 6 hour pub crawl spending only 15pounds. We made fast friends with a group of guys from Canada (so nice to hear a normal North American accent for once), and also met a bachelor party visiting from England that immediately gave me flashes of the Manchester United team from the movie Eurotrip. "We're speaking the same language but I have no idea what you're saying!"</li>
<li>We spent Sunday morning getting lost in the streets of the old town, eating real Scottish breakfasts, desperately trying to get rid of the hangover caused by 6 hours of free drinks, and hiking up Colton hill for incredible views of the city. </li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Half-finished replica of the Parthenon. Strange.</span></div>
<ul>
</ul>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXN0QD69LaRXkDsd83g2E7jOEQyHMyG6wTCrQkFbHIUoq6THKNMGurORzniR-L2EWEu9TGdgKmUlS5EiBM0Dg4YeOCaFPZcuW4RPKR1C8w8dWR5GaTpC9QP5iSqnkOh4_RgaEcKUfM68w/s1600/DSC05514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXN0QD69LaRXkDsd83g2E7jOEQyHMyG6wTCrQkFbHIUoq6THKNMGurORzniR-L2EWEu9TGdgKmUlS5EiBM0Dg4YeOCaFPZcuW4RPKR1C8w8dWR5GaTpC9QP5iSqnkOh4_RgaEcKUfM68w/s320/DSC05514.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Edinburgh is a city that I will forever be trying to return to. Because, honestly, any country that has bagpipers dressed in traditional Scottish garb on every street corner is obviously very special. And, if you're a Harry Potter geek like me, you'll really appreciate it as the "birthplace of Harry Potter".<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">University of Edinburgh's School of Theology</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97Gyg31UlzXiu4NA7xpwFLYYEGmPlH1KpKyqkPds7aDF7mc2lNaDOfFA-OBpGwYNfx2ZxtCKKdhH96FvHpyT21BplxoEw5VbkCXxX1oCirpJ6JYK9pjANS4aOenKE1ACaqhjjQSOonrM/s1600/DSC05274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97Gyg31UlzXiu4NA7xpwFLYYEGmPlH1KpKyqkPds7aDF7mc2lNaDOfFA-OBpGwYNfx2ZxtCKKdhH96FvHpyT21BplxoEw5VbkCXxX1oCirpJ6JYK9pjANS4aOenKE1ACaqhjjQSOonrM/s320/DSC05274.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Princess Street Gardens</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AePki08JBrxJgZ2vRHHCMhr4nr5lLUBOyq3UuC6tpKZgHH1h4KSfzFhZVtEJvHGbnoRgab2Z3KrAudK22fGzls5NtDhLYAYgrjURdGb3mz0MU_DC7HKjLq-MJ6xOE6dzC1gGbIp3yuA/s1600/DSC05293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AePki08JBrxJgZ2vRHHCMhr4nr5lLUBOyq3UuC6tpKZgHH1h4KSfzFhZVtEJvHGbnoRgab2Z3KrAudK22fGzls5NtDhLYAYgrjURdGb3mz0MU_DC7HKjLq-MJ6xOE6dzC1gGbIp3yuA/s320/DSC05293.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The most inviting park I've ever been to. Why yes, I think I would like to sit. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrh-4-2CCSiah7BIfKfutRgAFDkTkk11tqNVUhtBKPhNriDAkK4j33-_A0ByzUSFzmEG7ZIh7emkmja6Ap_WB4I2-W0uQ2ZjCsU7qRre1do5dJi9N2p2gQkFiCDVJ9ZkoRf0kuiFuqW_I/s1600/DSC05300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrh-4-2CCSiah7BIfKfutRgAFDkTkk11tqNVUhtBKPhNriDAkK4j33-_A0ByzUSFzmEG7ZIh7emkmja6Ap_WB4I2-W0uQ2ZjCsU7qRre1do5dJi9N2p2gQkFiCDVJ9ZkoRf0kuiFuqW_I/s320/DSC05300.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Irn Bru is more popular than Coca Cola in Scotland. I thought it tasted like drinking bubble gum at first, but it grew on me!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsGBBb7d6_2SFquljiWdQvgMtPYZ_cWAIG7vZFwBmyVZEogiHaovQaOTyd5JrsTFYgDM6SVOWTUyRNnuDC6qRzRzIxt0D5Zya3-eg_F_2MJUWIijahLMn3IzOWmaDUhi8lc0-Iv6c4ys/s1600/DSC05307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsGBBb7d6_2SFquljiWdQvgMtPYZ_cWAIG7vZFwBmyVZEogiHaovQaOTyd5JrsTFYgDM6SVOWTUyRNnuDC6qRzRzIxt0D5Zya3-eg_F_2MJUWIijahLMn3IzOWmaDUhi8lc0-Iv6c4ys/s320/DSC05307.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73pundPPASzA-E30a_oR69qVAK1PXx2zIQhLYRtVwJIuQ9ci_O-s1GaYvQ6wCY3QoKWEduLbz26x67eGsDD6T6e8IO8mYpxvVN5_3VvK-6lxJPkj1KF_-uL89FCYDhWGjoW18A2H30-A/s1600/DSC05310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73pundPPASzA-E30a_oR69qVAK1PXx2zIQhLYRtVwJIuQ9ci_O-s1GaYvQ6wCY3QoKWEduLbz26x67eGsDD6T6e8IO8mYpxvVN5_3VvK-6lxJPkj1KF_-uL89FCYDhWGjoW18A2H30-A/s320/DSC05310.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The Scots have a great sense of humor!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-8D0Lxj6SoGUCY1r_jkH5sKr5uz5c40WHDbLh0K6-BJH3DX7yQY0RtLPMQOfOGm-0F5xFuUsS_dzbFBygH0TJZI26raxOntSgczkfoqLheso_J2rAij-zmdQZCUsStVcpdSu5f25T-A/s1600/DSC05488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-8D0Lxj6SoGUCY1r_jkH5sKr5uz5c40WHDbLh0K6-BJH3DX7yQY0RtLPMQOfOGm-0F5xFuUsS_dzbFBygH0TJZI26raxOntSgczkfoqLheso_J2rAij-zmdQZCUsStVcpdSu5f25T-A/s320/DSC05488.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br /></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-36212720316359237352012-04-17T16:08:00.001-05:002012-04-17T16:09:06.068-05:00Semana Santa 3 - FranceThe Food Tour 2012 wrapped up in southern France, along the French Riviera. We had crepes, gelato, fondue, baguettes, cheese, and wine. Lots of wine. Oh Nice. Let's see, where to start with Nice...<br />
After walking around Geneva for a day, Nice was like a breath of fresh air. In all the ways that Geneva was bland and French looking (while not actually being French), Nice was refreshing and Italian-esque (while still actually being French). Ironic. We learned during our walking tour that Nice has actually only been part of France for the last 150 years, and that before that it was Italian territory.<br />
<br />
After a brief mishap of arriving in downtown Nice with no further instructions of how to find our hostel and very low phone credit, we got settled into what I might call the best hostel I've stayed in so far. It was a little far from downtown but its views from a hill overlooking the city were so pretty that it made up for it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWUF6YJPjd7UlPz7msw3UK3-UN65N59Rg13Aza_WGxr0anNVQT4PS0KoJgpV9-Lsl2Ts3LADnXJAsU81wMv4fUTCr9bzbPfLxQL2q7ANuysFc7ps26wHcgMSptvQlrkmF_ptR1CSt-ls/s1600/DSC04904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWUF6YJPjd7UlPz7msw3UK3-UN65N59Rg13Aza_WGxr0anNVQT4PS0KoJgpV9-Lsl2Ts3LADnXJAsU81wMv4fUTCr9bzbPfLxQL2q7ANuysFc7ps26wHcgMSptvQlrkmF_ptR1CSt-ls/s320/DSC04904.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
As we were waiting in line to check in, there was an ad on TV playing for the sailboat cruises offered by the hotel. It was just a video loop of girls lounging on the boat in their bikini's and then jumping in the water and shouting and having fun. I had been watching it for a while when all of a sudden Kaitlin noticed it. She said "Is it Shark Week??" And then as the group of girls were splashing about in the ocean having fun, she started chanting "Shark! Shark! Shark!" No dear, no.....no it's not.... :)<br />
<br />
Friday in Nice was by far the most relaxing day of our trip. We spent some time hanging out on the beach, took a short walking tour of the old town, had an authentic French picnic on a hilltop overlooking the boardwalk, saw some Roman Ruins, and found better Italian gelato than we had in Italy. We also learned <i>twice</i> how not to open a wine bottle. The first mistake resulted in red wine all over Lisa and Kaitlin's face and shirts. The second mistake however, left red champagne dripping down walls of our hostel, and covering Kaitlin's sheets and suitcases. While she was in the shower. Completely unaware........Oops.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Place Masséna, the main and most impressive plaza</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCcvkoHx2w9PhR1xja3fxuniZUkcdyJEPsg4ewxk2RAsgfo4CCMQRj9wbEVrgMqPHqmC8kli4AvyM-8odONskxqQhXpmX1dvGQxLT6lG4LEIAv050WkqKUpffH-scEaOlu_p9NSJLRLk/s1600/DSC04910+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCcvkoHx2w9PhR1xja3fxuniZUkcdyJEPsg4ewxk2RAsgfo4CCMQRj9wbEVrgMqPHqmC8kli4AvyM-8odONskxqQhXpmX1dvGQxLT6lG4LEIAv050WkqKUpffH-scEaOlu_p9NSJLRLk/s320/DSC04910+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Fruit & Flower market</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSwX37TbhnRZYxmjNxf5y6cqxWgO5fXid4HLHQ1aJls8uRhaBu572xV1J4RKm7BdPt3tW2-2goMs0jwD719Lxhdd6F65ljpykAefLEoYOi4TbQYbanwKabU44nBhOoyC5J1TKEevo2nM/s1600/DSC04938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSwX37TbhnRZYxmjNxf5y6cqxWgO5fXid4HLHQ1aJls8uRhaBu572xV1J4RKm7BdPt3tW2-2goMs0jwD719Lxhdd6F65ljpykAefLEoYOi4TbQYbanwKabU44nBhOoyC5J1TKEevo2nM/s320/DSC04938.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">All the buildings in the old town used to have painted walls like this, but this one is the only one that's still around today.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7tgtj4vhvFdzB89mNDw3yfke_vyNPeBNK_rrVo5oCTcqD2bRqRHKkqR1dJCYbYidbIxMQbpgQKn6sPU74yeqUh2OKV8xOXNnq-7j4Jbodf2uqBVoxj2O2Y1Jqroc41FpYvv6TX2oBqg/s1600/DSC04952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7tgtj4vhvFdzB89mNDw3yfke_vyNPeBNK_rrVo5oCTcqD2bRqRHKkqR1dJCYbYidbIxMQbpgQKn6sPU74yeqUh2OKV8xOXNnq-7j4Jbodf2uqBVoxj2O2Y1Jqroc41FpYvv6TX2oBqg/s320/DSC04952.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbydpL9jQoWLM3C3xiKuRO15-BYYndJ2kxDMY47CrBMxG9RloF99ZbGWbWHHQ5xAxw-v0eT5Czc5JDVNgIKz3uUeEnFHInVn2hSdj4_LJ5AySag501PNf9quhmA1WT4H6klnWmFN3TB8o/s1600/DSC04959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbydpL9jQoWLM3C3xiKuRO15-BYYndJ2kxDMY47CrBMxG9RloF99ZbGWbWHHQ5xAxw-v0eT5Czc5JDVNgIKz3uUeEnFHInVn2hSdj4_LJ5AySag501PNf9quhmA1WT4H6klnWmFN3TB8o/s320/DSC04959.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Baguette, cheese wheels, pear and wine: a poor Frenchman's lunch.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu52tqRe-2eSz4USpunt_aeju22WOSZbhfP0qpa3YmffXVqBMHigcLtRmcVOoXrRbPrcZUOjtsqjqt-ZKmo0gcn9xb0xv9wPz_k_C7VoBhV9ETDejxHehEjXnryQyHfWPcAh3dTKmvpXc/s1600/DSC04961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu52tqRe-2eSz4USpunt_aeju22WOSZbhfP0qpa3YmffXVqBMHigcLtRmcVOoXrRbPrcZUOjtsqjqt-ZKmo0gcn9xb0xv9wPz_k_C7VoBhV9ETDejxHehEjXnryQyHfWPcAh3dTKmvpXc/s320/DSC04961.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Bay of the Angels, French Riviera</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9c2zjFoIZdzss8Wn-zfGauCSFxFhN5I2pEToZ88yMa2o83rj3tNQW-PX9FO0WO3nbfQRatmgGC6J-vxbbWSTjYEpM_YkN3kYt0QTeTYiM-2po8uYnfURvpejcZj9249stlN3lJLEJDss/s1600/DSC04970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9c2zjFoIZdzss8Wn-zfGauCSFxFhN5I2pEToZ88yMa2o83rj3tNQW-PX9FO0WO3nbfQRatmgGC6J-vxbbWSTjYEpM_YkN3kYt0QTeTYiM-2po8uYnfURvpejcZj9249stlN3lJLEJDss/s320/DSC04970.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaO9TCNS_Je5H6zW2aIIbG-Ry8Z2AQbHzC63j8SC25GGjNDZpsfBUaGwbi_I72xVRSfdbIfDqPHj1MsPbZsr8G4N2XoI_KhPk7PzLtOl1gAa5RMNnIBvVP-nJmJxuIxQ4ezEvKp-oNjaM/s1600/DSC04983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaO9TCNS_Je5H6zW2aIIbG-Ry8Z2AQbHzC63j8SC25GGjNDZpsfBUaGwbi_I72xVRSfdbIfDqPHj1MsPbZsr8G4N2XoI_KhPk7PzLtOl1gAa5RMNnIBvVP-nJmJxuIxQ4ezEvKp-oNjaM/s320/DSC04983.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcewYb-Ht2EmsLGHaUijY7CZMtNl6vNMW6SeUTNUAh2FJdrBzdplSsyksKj2i3aibsPqqcGR_V-pKycLJ0sH0q8O54O47iv85MC0DQtg82BpHJS1CWqsFCCet6JPJ0Ugy02lhFwv4hPsg/s1600/DSC04996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcewYb-Ht2EmsLGHaUijY7CZMtNl6vNMW6SeUTNUAh2FJdrBzdplSsyksKj2i3aibsPqqcGR_V-pKycLJ0sH0q8O54O47iv85MC0DQtg82BpHJS1CWqsFCCet6JPJ0Ugy02lhFwv4hPsg/s320/DSC04996.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Walking through roman ruins = happy Emma. And these were exceptionally well-preserved.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbukXPZXbFVyRXpVOsE38ImMXLei8KvDddcxo7iG8vAMWnncbjaxwmFS6Z0xgmhyfmrKX09U82Eenh2avwpZh-Usj2guX1xCE0GmkWut_MtXyP-TgxvOX0xVqeLKKkM6qXu-5Exb1GlI/s1600/DSC05021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbukXPZXbFVyRXpVOsE38ImMXLei8KvDddcxo7iG8vAMWnncbjaxwmFS6Z0xgmhyfmrKX09U82Eenh2avwpZh-Usj2guX1xCE0GmkWut_MtXyP-TgxvOX0xVqeLKKkM6qXu-5Exb1GlI/s320/DSC05021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Don't we make a good Roman family? (I'm the baby, if you couldn't tell.)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid51wPkztHJ84hXo58VEnZ4Mm0m6iZZjf1JaDlO30o1h5Xb4IFpmg_5dSu-UzNdicp1gKvWOrXA43ntzj5x8Voz7_IwuS-ZEE0kQutt4pPRkHf3eA4z2HfV9aSaJMMmdctQi_m7mqV_iY/s1600/DSC05006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid51wPkztHJ84hXo58VEnZ4Mm0m6iZZjf1JaDlO30o1h5Xb4IFpmg_5dSu-UzNdicp1gKvWOrXA43ntzj5x8Voz7_IwuS-ZEE0kQutt4pPRkHf3eA4z2HfV9aSaJMMmdctQi_m7mqV_iY/s320/DSC05006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Part of the main road that went through the ruins. It was so interesting to see 2,000 year old remains leading up to such a strikingly new and modern building.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ia826t0M2BVPoq54l4cDVD2JkNOGQRmN90VHo6xc0MFtmeEWJhAlVKDojFJHjWgR4cnDlMvRFhsapkYEY2DRHod7AcJRTVNYOc4d-Fpfv93l3ZbpBZk0RT5eXq124-og4uBy7awhhfc/s1600/DSC05011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ia826t0M2BVPoq54l4cDVD2JkNOGQRmN90VHo6xc0MFtmeEWJhAlVKDojFJHjWgR4cnDlMvRFhsapkYEY2DRHod7AcJRTVNYOc4d-Fpfv93l3ZbpBZk0RT5eXq124-og4uBy7awhhfc/s320/DSC05011.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">This is what happens when you pop the cork without thinking. It looked like somebody was murdered. Thanks to laundry soap and a magic eraser and a couple hours of good hard scrubbing, the sheets turned back to white and the wine <i>almost</i> disappeared.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnHHao0Z3QXYP9hmYI0J6TKpjPn1eVr-_BSkPnZsCFxLejr1HCwoaXnnL8SX_iQhVHlqvy_6JCcVW8V0vKMTgWBVaE_RDHJWcAWm_oilRDGi5x789BCv-PZUT7lCv4wpbP4mRAmHfZ9s/s1600/DSC05032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnHHao0Z3QXYP9hmYI0J6TKpjPn1eVr-_BSkPnZsCFxLejr1HCwoaXnnL8SX_iQhVHlqvy_6JCcVW8V0vKMTgWBVaE_RDHJWcAWm_oilRDGi5x789BCv-PZUT7lCv4wpbP4mRAmHfZ9s/s320/DSC05032.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>On Saturday we woke up early to make the most of a day trip to Eze and Monaco. Eze is a small medieval village with incredible views of the Riviera. It's perched on top of a cliff about 20 minutes up the coast from Nice. We spent the morning exploring the winding cobblestone roads up to the top of the cliff.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0fCZVzoIIPY29mEeKYblFaBUJC6nUU1p7A0g6uk7UR3cPa7DeftJImWOJXvykZ8gJfep1lTei1r41PncofIyN4_cvC4mm6YHr3nxPJkCiEoO2W6FTh0d5fDMxQoxZIeLjVe_IYJhUn4/s1600/DSC05036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0fCZVzoIIPY29mEeKYblFaBUJC6nUU1p7A0g6uk7UR3cPa7DeftJImWOJXvykZ8gJfep1lTei1r41PncofIyN4_cvC4mm6YHr3nxPJkCiEoO2W6FTh0d5fDMxQoxZIeLjVe_IYJhUn4/s320/DSC05036.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMk92itq7u5cyizYHFZ9X4BNFp5rV-SP0jNrKGZLv3BfT6O4N4upB_Lhw0ubAhH2MKVkte1hwwclwdSIyxPLdWzPkmjA8f8hI9yK2Wk1OGGOLGSDvDCF45l9iQv7BB7z6Nsu29ty6Qbg/s1600/DSC05048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMk92itq7u5cyizYHFZ9X4BNFp5rV-SP0jNrKGZLv3BfT6O4N4upB_Lhw0ubAhH2MKVkte1hwwclwdSIyxPLdWzPkmjA8f8hI9yK2Wk1OGGOLGSDvDCF45l9iQv7BB7z6Nsu29ty6Qbg/s320/DSC05048.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6iBju5jUUbr59QJZ1IXQYQ7y_sklnuWdA440mhdN-EIwcSTo__ymSCjeal7YEDUuWdLboBSseaZ5KSIdVXaX438UJm7cYxCesCjzlsytrBTfVHxqRda47ms92u8YD70vdvrbgWlvMqcU/s1600/DSC05057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6iBju5jUUbr59QJZ1IXQYQ7y_sklnuWdA440mhdN-EIwcSTo__ymSCjeal7YEDUuWdLboBSseaZ5KSIdVXaX438UJm7cYxCesCjzlsytrBTfVHxqRda47ms92u8YD70vdvrbgWlvMqcU/s320/DSC05057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Then it was off to the real attraction of the day, Monaco! To be honest, Monaco was not at all what I was expecting. Considering that it is it's own country and has the most millionaires per capita, I was expecting something like a gated community with a ridiculous amount of fancy cars, people in suits, and lots of glittery buildings. (Not really sure why i always pictured it with glittery buildings, but I did.)<br />
Instead, the city bus from Nice took us right to the center of the city in front of the casino and dropped us off. No customs, no country borders, no security, nothing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZs1mPG63GmvcAqz50R_p64mPMeUpZ-tcNRg7UCDukmcYaGv2VAe6hDi0KvBzljc9dlb8FLCrzTH8kQXur0c2C-0PmFogTmmqbcuWsvFrBybXe8UFbqdGscjca7RLzBSBdJJS7y-KZcvo/s1600/DSC05073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZs1mPG63GmvcAqz50R_p64mPMeUpZ-tcNRg7UCDukmcYaGv2VAe6hDi0KvBzljc9dlb8FLCrzTH8kQXur0c2C-0PmFogTmmqbcuWsvFrBybXe8UFbqdGscjca7RLzBSBdJJS7y-KZcvo/s320/DSC05073.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The casino was very impressive. And there were <i>tons</i> of fancy cars. And lots of people in suits as well. And a boat in the port with a heliport. So yeah, there was a fair share of money being thrown around there. But there were also condos, high rise apartments, little wooden boats, and a surprisingly large amount of broken-down crappy cars. Basically, Monaco didn't resemble its own country: it looked just like any other town along the coast, with a few extra rich people.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The Monte Carlo Casino. Fun fact: residents of Monaco aren't actually allowed to gamble there.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3aEahPRVnWFcFEnJQvI8b0oDuuRFdw3JPx7CJqTIPDqE3xEpK9B9TdO0lN9BF3HQxYPZ5f94unxLlNxrBEv8cJ8KhcW_aQJdf2A1gxutct6IIh7HxO0bCGEen8CkJz_mmRhovjYoKcI/s1600/DSC05076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3aEahPRVnWFcFEnJQvI8b0oDuuRFdw3JPx7CJqTIPDqE3xEpK9B9TdO0lN9BF3HQxYPZ5f94unxLlNxrBEv8cJ8KhcW_aQJdf2A1gxutct6IIh7HxO0bCGEen8CkJz_mmRhovjYoKcI/s320/DSC05076.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Want.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhyphenhyphenboBzEvOL0PvmmM0kKgVeDVQLgZQQxSIGCUvw17XZh0Ea5uxy2omlm39lePCEIRe_PXqQfCftc42T0xqnqIXi4-WdtnU7S0Q4Zrits1N61rlDSVlif-kH1mnb0fbgyEk0A6mYDSWLU/s1600/DSC05082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhyphenhyphenboBzEvOL0PvmmM0kKgVeDVQLgZQQxSIGCUvw17XZh0Ea5uxy2omlm39lePCEIRe_PXqQfCftc42T0xqnqIXi4-WdtnU7S0Q4Zrits1N61rlDSVlif-kH1mnb0fbgyEk0A6mYDSWLU/s320/DSC05082.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6BbCOJCarY-7kerph2evv7VH63vxYkSJLlCssNtLo4VB_ICHBt-bYJ_-cJ2R1uajETfFtzAe7xYI6hWlnCikvhh7bVJpXvLtZxhHNo2Ieph5SC2QPSwcKdDMxe32hgWZhN9shyXyHQE/s1600/DSC05134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6BbCOJCarY-7kerph2evv7VH63vxYkSJLlCssNtLo4VB_ICHBt-bYJ_-cJ2R1uajETfFtzAe7xYI6hWlnCikvhh7bVJpXvLtZxhHNo2Ieph5SC2QPSwcKdDMxe32hgWZhN9shyXyHQE/s320/DSC05134.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCtlJpu-isJrvEYjUMKPQYc0CzxLU9saeUKT_Pt1mPKeW3yCv2Mvympa0JOg4e5YUnRsje_j9GU9MPQqzov79pgf61c0tjMATdvBwb6o_evElikBnvvHda2udLGlqD66d1J4vudUaFFo/s1600/DSC05141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCtlJpu-isJrvEYjUMKPQYc0CzxLU9saeUKT_Pt1mPKeW3yCv2Mvympa0JOg4e5YUnRsje_j9GU9MPQqzov79pgf61c0tjMATdvBwb6o_evElikBnvvHda2udLGlqD66d1J4vudUaFFo/s320/DSC05141.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>On the way back from Monaco the bus dropped us off in a little fishing village, Villafranche, known for its beautiful beaches. We never made it to the beaches though, because we couldn't figure out how to get all the way down there from the highway. So instead we spent 2 hours walking around the cape on the highway, getting passed by not 1, not 2, but <i>3</i> buses that wouldn't pick us up.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGlGzofvdVC9S6Ui8HTFkC-oMfMm2F-Q9F2t84p-ExAa6UEZ9tf1kfvn1YTdCF-vOczfE7XyndpUHYnW14ysCj2QF0Lk1AoUYeIqwT6zzDVCJbMF0GL4wKwumhzVMl-n27oK9HTNabQ0/s1600/DSC05152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGlGzofvdVC9S6Ui8HTFkC-oMfMm2F-Q9F2t84p-ExAa6UEZ9tf1kfvn1YTdCF-vOczfE7XyndpUHYnW14ysCj2QF0Lk1AoUYeIqwT6zzDVCJbMF0GL4wKwumhzVMl-n27oK9HTNabQ0/s320/DSC05152.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nczmpDsKlJRF4SysaZx7NnH-c4ZFI354DVOeHItjP5UUBOS4DBqmhokmVNxQg9egPuRWJNt_YJokgqi81UGqtDka3FPPqx55kWU2XgKMOe6IH3fkLTlYRFLsH8or5NA5pQeLCa2gQhI/s1600/DSC05156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nczmpDsKlJRF4SysaZx7NnH-c4ZFI354DVOeHItjP5UUBOS4DBqmhokmVNxQg9egPuRWJNt_YJokgqi81UGqtDka3FPPqx55kWU2XgKMOe6IH3fkLTlYRFLsH8or5NA5pQeLCa2gQhI/s320/DSC05156.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Once we were finally back in the city, we found our favorite gelato place again. It took an hour of searching, but yeah, it was <i>that</i> worth it. (The place is called Fenocchio, for any of you planning trips to Nice in the future.) We tried flavors like rose, lavender, lilac, cactus, mojito and cinnamon. It was the best gelato I've ever had, hands down.<br />
<br />
Once we were full on gelato, the real fun began. Our tour guide had recommended a restaurant that was built into an old city bunker, underneath the city. He said it was cheap and had amazing fondue. We were already full, but really wanted to give it a try. We figured we could get one to split and call it good. Unfortunately, we learned once we had sat down and ordered drinks that splitting meals wasn't allowed. "There are four of you and you are taking up a table, why would you only order one dinner? That doesn't work", the waitress explained in her broken English.<br />
<br />
I have never felt the blood drain so quickly from my face, or been so at a loss for words. Image being stuffed, and told that you have to order your own entire dinner. (And eat it all, because clearly if sharing meals is not allowed, neither is taking it home in a doggy bag.) I was ready to say "sorry!" and pay for the drinks and leave, but that would have been rude. So, two bruschettas, one salad, and a beef and wine fondue later, we had literally eaten until we were sick. The food was <i>delicious</i>, and so it was <i>almost</i> worth every bite, but not quite.<br />
<br />
Back at the hostel, recovering from our dinner fiasco and tram ride, we realized we still had to magic erase the champagne from the walls. <i>That</i> was a fun night...<br />
<br />
On Sunday it was back to reality, back to the land of <i>jamón y queso</i> and less fattening foods. And Spanish. A language I actually speak. Gosh, it felt so good to be able to communicate again!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Soaking up the rays one last time.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoV8os111n3EKqg-4orieHLEI1XHAPXXSdM7JXPKFh3puc57-60QvwG8I01x6np1K619BvZJ26XCciIIi8TpCO1nN1qEciQcCO1L3BDgLfaf9C7AhbSBd8Fc9vEfXUZ7jR7T40rHgYWo/s1600/DSC05164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoV8os111n3EKqg-4orieHLEI1XHAPXXSdM7JXPKFh3puc57-60QvwG8I01x6np1K619BvZJ26XCciIIi8TpCO1nN1qEciQcCO1L3BDgLfaf9C7AhbSBd8Fc9vEfXUZ7jR7T40rHgYWo/s320/DSC05164.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896425525870807114.post-20435982640246474982012-04-15T07:12:00.000-05:002012-04-15T07:12:17.663-05:00Semana Santa 2 - SwitzerlandI fell completely, head-over-heels in love with Switzerland the minute I saw it. Coming from Florence, we took had a short stop in Zurich before continuing to Lucerne. As we stepped off the train in Zurich, and I took in the pretzel and brat stands, my happiness level went through the roof. My favorite trip before this had been to Munich, Germany. Something about the language, all my favorite comfort foods, and scenery that looked like home combined with hundreds of years of history, caught me. Zurich felt just like Munich.<br />
<br />
As we rode the train from Zurich down to Lucerne, my jaw kept getting further and further toward the floor. Switzerland is drop dead gorgeous. The lakes were an aquamarine color which contrasted against the bright green of the rolling hills. Not to mention the swiss chateaus and swiss cows scattering the mountainsides.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2bNhgzAlvWt1-Ily8DY1EAZbr4q8kTvhyEZ_A1F5Aopey-bimyaDE_shOh6ftAbGDCk4L_NiobSdu3Tm2830GeA1mdT3bfAZxg-JRpTjmZJpg1WDHvTCNHsZrl7Kii1wRzeWqY1veEQ/s1600/DSC04797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2bNhgzAlvWt1-Ily8DY1EAZbr4q8kTvhyEZ_A1F5Aopey-bimyaDE_shOh6ftAbGDCk4L_NiobSdu3Tm2830GeA1mdT3bfAZxg-JRpTjmZJpg1WDHvTCNHsZrl7Kii1wRzeWqY1veEQ/s320/DSC04797.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMs5bl7x2QfYkXUmeMaEW8eB1XAxYI4QKbUUdm6YfC10Hv8yqOOLlKHcmTP37fXSMNJ-0oL8H44xoWXaI2-eG0S3XKhMlyz2Nxf_Cp51mBI7Xgu31MhWJ4FthvFpmdg9hJC5QGm1LE-c/s1600/DSC04799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMs5bl7x2QfYkXUmeMaEW8eB1XAxYI4QKbUUdm6YfC10Hv8yqOOLlKHcmTP37fXSMNJ-0oL8H44xoWXaI2-eG0S3XKhMlyz2Nxf_Cp51mBI7Xgu31MhWJ4FthvFpmdg9hJC5QGm1LE-c/s320/DSC04799.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeFs0uezXY9HyUe46klmOyFMey1mkDKJDvvc1WkB7rTH7RYwiSVUzcHlZZQiHO_mV15nM4bLauNkLTcRUaERtl_51VFz8QOh0szzUMbSx8gZWOqc1b9PtbjivD7Zda2fgmx_3cLanBYM/s1600/DSC04815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeFs0uezXY9HyUe46klmOyFMey1mkDKJDvvc1WkB7rTH7RYwiSVUzcHlZZQiHO_mV15nM4bLauNkLTcRUaERtl_51VFz8QOh0szzUMbSx8gZWOqc1b9PtbjivD7Zda2fgmx_3cLanBYM/s320/DSC04815.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
But first, lets back track to our ride from Florence to Zurich: For those of you you have the fortune to be skilled in the art of avoiding Moroccan street vendors, have you ever wondered what they're actually like when they're not trying to sell you something? The 4 of us were sitting next to a guy from Nigeria who was "living" and "working" in Rome, and on his way to Zurich to "..........haha........." find more work. The conversation was...interesting...to say the least.<br />
<br />
During the half hour that Kaitlin talked to him before I eventually realized that she needed an escape, he grilled her on her family life, whether or not her parents where in Spain with her, why weren't they, she wasn't married?? She was living on her own in Spain? She didn't love America? But...America is the land of the free! America is a great place to live! You should love America! Can I come visit you in Spain? Where do you live? I'll come visit you, but you have to ask me too. You don't have facebook? But, <i>everybody</i> has facebook? Are you weird? You don't have email either? Well then I'll give you mine. Email me and ask me to come to Spain with you.<br />
<br />
At this point I cleared my throat, stood up and said "Kaitlin! Coffee! Let's go!" And the man gave a "you're leaving? Oh, okay. I see." The strange part was, was that he was completely 100% serious. He didn't understand why Kaitlin wouldn't want to be his facebook friend, or why she wouldn't be excited to ask him to come visit her in Spain. I understand the grilling her about being single and living on her own was a cultural difference, but the whole interaction was so....off.<br />
<br />
Anyway, we shook him off as we changed trains for Lucerne, although Lisa and I would take every opportunity to say "Kaitlin, we'll do it if you ask us to. But only if you ask." She hated it, but it made us laugh every time.<br />
<br />
We spent the night exploring Lucerne, and quickly found that almost all stores close at 7, including supermarkets. What do people do at night in Switzerland?? There was almost nobody on the streets past 8, and for 2 girls coming from a culture in which one doesn't even contemplate eating dinner until 9, this was difficult. We walked around for a bit, saw the Dying Lion of Lucerne monument, and had took in lots of fresh mountain air.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyX6y1a2fbkJSujS4hGDJqxRBXmYsUHwp8TGuUQ-3EmVBORj2mz0uWltbjCjmnDA4qdxrPJNWjE_o6M_5ylF58rQKxvopQDuGS2oRQQVxbRagqokcjMYhHbcdj-8slbw2xWLY-Tt9RGw/s1600/DSC04552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyX6y1a2fbkJSujS4hGDJqxRBXmYsUHwp8TGuUQ-3EmVBORj2mz0uWltbjCjmnDA4qdxrPJNWjE_o6M_5ylF58rQKxvopQDuGS2oRQQVxbRagqokcjMYhHbcdj-8slbw2xWLY-Tt9RGw/s320/DSC04552.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Lots of painted buildings in the Old Town.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39hPsl9GYUu3teleDLjHv2fB7-mefbZAKaTun4FqCtMq1ke_caAsVkWtMFhVWwJNaWGp4CaukadNP3ayEqU18AohBVF5dPbW0mTSqLE8bJr351UKd3JSlBsl8YYEoB_LHIKzSa9AtM3Q/s1600/DSC04562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39hPsl9GYUu3teleDLjHv2fB7-mefbZAKaTun4FqCtMq1ke_caAsVkWtMFhVWwJNaWGp4CaukadNP3ayEqU18AohBVF5dPbW0mTSqLE8bJr351UKd3JSlBsl8YYEoB_LHIKzSa9AtM3Q/s320/DSC04562.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6jbXOsygU4F2c5IaDhXCdRF92DzWoYwXCk5LoGPUMuFXk_vVee6ac0_oRZmgaftuypLdwIfn_WrA8pRhkearYh2qkhuE5h42xzR5IOSPtNb4IXyoJvvR1rcb-kC-inMmK4nhkiaL4qQ/s1600/DSC04559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6jbXOsygU4F2c5IaDhXCdRF92DzWoYwXCk5LoGPUMuFXk_vVee6ac0_oRZmgaftuypLdwIfn_WrA8pRhkearYh2qkhuE5h42xzR5IOSPtNb4IXyoJvvR1rcb-kC-inMmK4nhkiaL4qQ/s320/DSC04559.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIi07NpXRmj1S0zJviH8fqNIjnqdIBotYhgz7GpR45XWvxvxDME7UY7AcW-lLxzK1ZhY4wv3oD29M4bLcgiND6NLNRXX9vfqSSQRSBPB9KBXHRBpWlV1qq0mUuCeBIY61gvhFxg2V5mY/s1600/DSC04602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIi07NpXRmj1S0zJviH8fqNIjnqdIBotYhgz7GpR45XWvxvxDME7UY7AcW-lLxzK1ZhY4wv3oD29M4bLcgiND6NLNRXX9vfqSSQRSBPB9KBXHRBpWlV1qq0mUuCeBIY61gvhFxg2V5mY/s320/DSC04602.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Chapel Bridge in the background.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VSfTk6QZILnaS39YspG9R0pMaOp8XxIQoBXo1tcwbCNBVp3Pg_-T0-nteEg4KMugsEctqPlzFHykX92vbgESkpme4QlW24CfsH9P0AXfKcLub7XFCu8f-uWnX3Ce8YS0Q8rRAOaCWX4/s1600/DSC04583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VSfTk6QZILnaS39YspG9R0pMaOp8XxIQoBXo1tcwbCNBVp3Pg_-T0-nteEg4KMugsEctqPlzFHykX92vbgESkpme4QlW24CfsH9P0AXfKcLub7XFCu8f-uWnX3Ce8YS0Q8rRAOaCWX4/s320/DSC04583.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqEAfeC6lHtqk8MViBbT3AWxiHTMJ9nluNXN6wh7PPn0RxoaLo4V7laG7PtNvbAXYBVh0hZH_IpkeLt5M_XKyVBX7hLoeeMe1EzODaib3Udgxoh3XmszUvgnRfNA0P2mOFos5EFKRbCQ/s1600/DSC04599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqEAfeC6lHtqk8MViBbT3AWxiHTMJ9nluNXN6wh7PPn0RxoaLo4V7laG7PtNvbAXYBVh0hZH_IpkeLt5M_XKyVBX7hLoeeMe1EzODaib3Udgxoh3XmszUvgnRfNA0P2mOFos5EFKRbCQ/s320/DSC04599.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Tuesday morning we woke up bright and early to start exploring. We saw the Fruit & Flower Market and then took a cable car up to Mt. Pilatus, a mountain peak 7,000 feet above sea level. The view from the top was incredible, although a little cloudy and rainy at first.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvgG_I7ocFAWGEXreapl8AaoDtbJds0_EU4S4ccjELJRJLdlzAdX66PznU-qexbwZ7SjlW3O6Lx4gjlV4wM7ljZ12biD1suSCVyOGgRaszbfb9cuDEbaL9d61STUpnALW_7AwBd6AY9g/s1600/DSC04650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvgG_I7ocFAWGEXreapl8AaoDtbJds0_EU4S4ccjELJRJLdlzAdX66PznU-qexbwZ7SjlW3O6Lx4gjlV4wM7ljZ12biD1suSCVyOGgRaszbfb9cuDEbaL9d61STUpnALW_7AwBd6AY9g/s320/DSC04650.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSwkHKyrRneGJuii8WRLtYBMGWSSQTSyG4xSPWQgFX12Z7eUKzmZZgYIfYDfEbEjT3Ea2Di6_MyQzlG3c1_dCc_1Bq54DrBJX3q-TFROc9O15ys0MuZPTu7VbhDAxo7Aj2MKM9tCu5qs/s1600/DSC04663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSwkHKyrRneGJuii8WRLtYBMGWSSQTSyG4xSPWQgFX12Z7eUKzmZZgYIfYDfEbEjT3Ea2Di6_MyQzlG3c1_dCc_1Bq54DrBJX3q-TFROc9O15ys0MuZPTu7VbhDAxo7Aj2MKM9tCu5qs/s320/DSC04663.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NeFCZwLLDGFRmjlDzxkwnX8ErxKXiN29YE9BOUg0yj8tmfWjA2_-zZggOFRpNZVLDhbvdSXtAECbWgwDGYB4WEWiajOqmdp7obXfx7K9MRlatKKPR5hzezNcwZE5XZIUrdIXK1Y9LEM/s1600/DSC04669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NeFCZwLLDGFRmjlDzxkwnX8ErxKXiN29YE9BOUg0yj8tmfWjA2_-zZggOFRpNZVLDhbvdSXtAECbWgwDGYB4WEWiajOqmdp7obXfx7K9MRlatKKPR5hzezNcwZE5XZIUrdIXK1Y9LEM/s320/DSC04669.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-Pz2qrihNRDnDZIInQS-viilAfhivIs-DWXJOZ4AkCHOTQlbcmZABaTuvHQeKwxah1l-jXmXh3jXxH9n-KyZ1wIS1pXUxMJnz-YUTlH5DwZ4pbxkitZlByY190ZbyRTxbwzicSnGaoI/s1600/DSC04693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-Pz2qrihNRDnDZIInQS-viilAfhivIs-DWXJOZ4AkCHOTQlbcmZABaTuvHQeKwxah1l-jXmXh3jXxH9n-KyZ1wIS1pXUxMJnz-YUTlH5DwZ4pbxkitZlByY190ZbyRTxbwzicSnGaoI/s320/DSC04693.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRFCOH8DmoMVzeHVTDNyhFP6cG0044ihD_pfBi-V7NDD0RqkBS3XbqUsHRTuBojS61oTS7cXjMiSU5tHvTXlwCayPOBojAXIh90Xu3Cm5SLK7XDdRX99DCepnLKdvi7bR-FWCXNA7VYo/s1600/DSC04703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRFCOH8DmoMVzeHVTDNyhFP6cG0044ihD_pfBi-V7NDD0RqkBS3XbqUsHRTuBojS61oTS7cXjMiSU5tHvTXlwCayPOBojAXIh90Xu3Cm5SLK7XDdRX99DCepnLKdvi7bR-FWCXNA7VYo/s320/DSC04703.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlt_P0jf499-elZf2fMUa_6auHDWuYkClkrEyn6rNlBxUPQ0oOvCShQO_CeE_yfWgz_nG0PxzM9Y5xnCqyKExorFuijj7KNXZCqZ-eLyCyleFQBv9pw7dy-rw8CX4NR2iKnr_MvRzVgJU/s1600/DSC04711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlt_P0jf499-elZf2fMUa_6auHDWuYkClkrEyn6rNlBxUPQ0oOvCShQO_CeE_yfWgz_nG0PxzM9Y5xnCqyKExorFuijj7KNXZCqZ-eLyCyleFQBv9pw7dy-rw8CX4NR2iKnr_MvRzVgJU/s320/DSC04711.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After spending the morning oggling the view from the mountains, we went back down to the city on a mission to find chocolate. 6 macaroons, 12 truffles, 2 chocolate bars, and 2 bags of chocolate flakes later, we weren't feeling so hot. But I have to admit I've never had better chocolate anywhere else. We topped off our day of eating with a microwaveable dish of fondue, which our hostel recommended over paying for the over-priced restaurant fondue. It was delicious!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqSmKqBVkmjBgTtlCSRhaxcA_O9uWtZRsPchJ6XdwiV7MlvESMi3J6_jtts2hbETywjFbS572WMNT6zQSjAuZLuPR7jhWc_f78pLgjX4b93OpHCWzGphWiI4mEmhnWPpWLi391gfONI8/s1600/DSC04740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqSmKqBVkmjBgTtlCSRhaxcA_O9uWtZRsPchJ6XdwiV7MlvESMi3J6_jtts2hbETywjFbS572WMNT6zQSjAuZLuPR7jhWc_f78pLgjX4b93OpHCWzGphWiI4mEmhnWPpWLi391gfONI8/s320/DSC04740.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Even though we were only there for 2 days, Lucerne has been one of my favorite cities I've travelled to. It is an adorable medieval-looking town, split in two by the Ruesse River and overshadowed by the towering Swiss Alps in the background. It looks like a fairy tale, especially with the town's resident swan population taking up the river.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEY-dGb9l_uq6srlo4SBEx-RbsDAiUUC4YStT7o8GM_dv8R8Jhs6WwojJQLo-X_mT9OHsOuS4Rs1TL2dyIufjv6FBX7KNzIXvc-RVSORnXmpoMyf-kY5SbkVQcr4ZcCF_qFL19fs9TusQ/s1600/DSC04593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEY-dGb9l_uq6srlo4SBEx-RbsDAiUUC4YStT7o8GM_dv8R8Jhs6WwojJQLo-X_mT9OHsOuS4Rs1TL2dyIufjv6FBX7KNzIXvc-RVSORnXmpoMyf-kY5SbkVQcr4ZcCF_qFL19fs9TusQ/s320/DSC04593.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj996OzBwzGZhhmh5ugwMkF4UCsGO_zSo3bl5hhFU91Gp4pbghtWK8MHX6S7oAtiBCP5qR_2-E2rdIU4u1W__f2aEuPuZhHHkLb1lX1uNr0eUYZrDtil-eGFhwSk_3P170a5SqlOSY3nkM/s1600/DSC04748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj996OzBwzGZhhmh5ugwMkF4UCsGO_zSo3bl5hhFU91Gp4pbghtWK8MHX6S7oAtiBCP5qR_2-E2rdIU4u1W__f2aEuPuZhHHkLb1lX1uNr0eUYZrDtil-eGFhwSk_3P170a5SqlOSY3nkM/s320/DSC04748.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZ9lRKdt-ju4tbH1s98wmGL8z9f5cApwV_1Bvm2dIIkE331J0K2WyEHLzdW2YZkda3KcyyspfFrqnKj-ALF4F72YgDlRQBzO-BuUIJMS_LySX5PS9t7ZtuO6WajD3AzS8wOOu8d0GtHI/s1600/DSC04762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZ9lRKdt-ju4tbH1s98wmGL8z9f5cApwV_1Bvm2dIIkE331J0K2WyEHLzdW2YZkda3KcyyspfFrqnKj-ALF4F72YgDlRQBzO-BuUIJMS_LySX5PS9t7ZtuO6WajD3AzS8wOOu8d0GtHI/s320/DSC04762.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOq2DgH-XLB-AKiGFzQVJ90Hgkwi1r52is-8Yq0hC6O20htOGKcEy3KgvrRas7sBP7ivCJ0V6I5_b4fHAqiHL2XU0nwPR_8HT4rI7QtKRPTvO_DEa3-EfV5Y3x7BdBgyTDuLZ3oOFl_ms/s1600/DSC04781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOq2DgH-XLB-AKiGFzQVJ90Hgkwi1r52is-8Yq0hC6O20htOGKcEy3KgvrRas7sBP7ivCJ0V6I5_b4fHAqiHL2XU0nwPR_8HT4rI7QtKRPTvO_DEa3-EfV5Y3x7BdBgyTDuLZ3oOFl_ms/s320/DSC04781.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGmuazX7Nbvyci76R9N9vSeRWXYKU6R6rLfvqzIFHH2mUeJEFX_cs0IcGNIVjuBxe_f03olIseibfHCkV2fbZ5f10mvdRzbqbD2ZWVbFYDRh7Ys4scuZhZjINY7-_wj4evI5C44BIunA/s1600/DSC04751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGmuazX7Nbvyci76R9N9vSeRWXYKU6R6rLfvqzIFHH2mUeJEFX_cs0IcGNIVjuBxe_f03olIseibfHCkV2fbZ5f10mvdRzbqbD2ZWVbFYDRh7Ys4scuZhZjINY7-_wj4evI5C44BIunA/s320/DSC04751.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2LRF9LUu0bppKJxwdsWOn1_bA4C_Dnyxbjq34V007bG5iiBUCC21q0oFq1AxoXLYTHSOGGa2qsNGaXPCpz62SkRvlcIGxx2aJrlfK1XDlD6VX1cplLw0ULyDY4KF6yZMMSPmZBFial8/s1600/DSC04760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2LRF9LUu0bppKJxwdsWOn1_bA4C_Dnyxbjq34V007bG5iiBUCC21q0oFq1AxoXLYTHSOGGa2qsNGaXPCpz62SkRvlcIGxx2aJrlfK1XDlD6VX1cplLw0ULyDY4KF6yZMMSPmZBFial8/s320/DSC04760.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJ3yqn6Jj6jDSG5w11MacWvexiEoLU-G7fHJGiQYMl4feXG9PFiBeRCoerWYR9lKnpPtS4sBqRzUJwAv3VwSIlj7COnIk3FEJgiy0c4LUwOLMEcNjXOKMxjfsAbUR6yefZ0GG3pjG1DI/s1600/DSC04775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJ3yqn6Jj6jDSG5w11MacWvexiEoLU-G7fHJGiQYMl4feXG9PFiBeRCoerWYR9lKnpPtS4sBqRzUJwAv3VwSIlj7COnIk3FEJgiy0c4LUwOLMEcNjXOKMxjfsAbUR6yefZ0GG3pjG1DI/s320/DSC04775.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Traveling with a 7 foot tall guy also gave way to plenty of funny stories and situations. He kept hitting his head on things, which led Kaitlin to seriously tell him, "Brian, if it's at eye level than its too low to walk through." Poor kid. Being 7' tall can have its disadvantages sometimes.<br />
<br />
The next stop after Lucerne was a 3 hour stop over in Interlaken. We had booked seats on the 'Golden Pass Panoramic View', or something like that, which meant that the windows opened!! So we got to take some really awesome pictures without worrying about the reflection from the window. But then we got yelled at by a worker who said we had to close the window because the 'evening chills' would be coming soon. It was 11am. Whatever.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1Df3ICXstwuWxYBP7nV4LaBxt1ti1pK9GO3kiItCFxrLiMplmGKOANGqnN5G4RFV7Ffy6pI5qMrelPZ5aPToRAAMSc_RPqzEbDs7wcRpMJDwwU4dQpkBOngB7IzrU7ym3Tj9XfQpauo/s1600/DSC04799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1Df3ICXstwuWxYBP7nV4LaBxt1ti1pK9GO3kiItCFxrLiMplmGKOANGqnN5G4RFV7Ffy6pI5qMrelPZ5aPToRAAMSc_RPqzEbDs7wcRpMJDwwU4dQpkBOngB7IzrU7ym3Tj9XfQpauo/s320/DSC04799.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Tlh-mhOUMFruVVTtjL4hL-SeNl6HvM3io6wZ3sYcGRMcmJKSKPXQDp5RWXuUCAs74oA9CNNW55ShyeWdY5-_ulngAnpXcx9HIhSVUfTDYB9kyA3BLM6NojS9FIc6jiDst_45vrqzv-4/s1600/DSC04812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Tlh-mhOUMFruVVTtjL4hL-SeNl6HvM3io6wZ3sYcGRMcmJKSKPXQDp5RWXuUCAs74oA9CNNW55ShyeWdY5-_ulngAnpXcx9HIhSVUfTDYB9kyA3BLM6NojS9FIc6jiDst_45vrqzv-4/s320/DSC04812.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Once we got to Interlaken, we made a beeline for one of the lakes. As we laid on our backs with our feet dangling off the pier, the sun shining down on us and the alps in the background, I said "this is what bliss must feel like."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21J1pGWc_ldcO9B-vO-Zc51ZSMmcWp0Gi4-R_3c4kRmwJ36FNUfLKE0v0-CRDhq2rs9k_piouCfS5tJezncTv6qOXC2-7ORDivstA8k4dNq92EneW7HpmWljHSw_0vT5ySDZJ8YxaQt8/s1600/DSC04822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21J1pGWc_ldcO9B-vO-Zc51ZSMmcWp0Gi4-R_3c4kRmwJ36FNUfLKE0v0-CRDhq2rs9k_piouCfS5tJezncTv6qOXC2-7ORDivstA8k4dNq92EneW7HpmWljHSw_0vT5ySDZJ8YxaQt8/s320/DSC04822.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBD-5C57CfPu89u0ItO-t3b7SrBE2T3J9wfS-azXlahHjcKyELGWas21cNvFxUb_NSf4v_HkHuEAUa_L_HPz601Md157tYRNwYf1Phm8VpgGNI_5RG2PCzAyCuhZBh8LrSTuOrItYnCk/s1600/DSC04824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBD-5C57CfPu89u0ItO-t3b7SrBE2T3J9wfS-azXlahHjcKyELGWas21cNvFxUb_NSf4v_HkHuEAUa_L_HPz601Md157tYRNwYf1Phm8VpgGNI_5RG2PCzAyCuhZBh8LrSTuOrItYnCk/s320/DSC04824.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Sadly, we had to leave Interlaken and trade the Swiss Alps for Geneva. Of which I was <i>not </i>a fan. The only good thing that came out of our day in Geneva was the dark chocolate covered giant fudge macaroon that Kaitlin and I spied in a window display. So so so so so so soooooooooooooooo good!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiki4obLzzsj_hRRw7CEuQh6xhyphenhyphenQ3FBUmIT6DBOCQ5yR8OB3Izb0Q8s6LJ5VhB7tGsRK7dmjIc11ysU4F9VU2MVAnfql4ICja56p-jDX4u-kP4Aae6kNIet50oubdOK-ehBqsL_Ol2vWK4/s1600/DSC04900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiki4obLzzsj_hRRw7CEuQh6xhyphenhyphenQ3FBUmIT6DBOCQ5yR8OB3Izb0Q8s6LJ5VhB7tGsRK7dmjIc11ysU4F9VU2MVAnfql4ICja56p-jDX4u-kP4Aae6kNIet50oubdOK-ehBqsL_Ol2vWK4/s320/DSC04900.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Geneva was a weird city. On the one hand, it was still Swiss, which meant that stores closed at 7. But it is also right on the French border, which means that they speak French, their building and street design is French, and they eat French food. I'm not really a huge fan of French architecture, and especially paired with the fact that I had just spent 2 days in a cute-german speaking city, I was not loving Geneva. I don't think I would go back. It was just...bland compared to everything we'd seen before that.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Geneva's famous fountain</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJr496tiYJmfAcwU2-39QXRm9QdZi8vbl7WiCtfIm_sIOtyTOGgsWROY5m-UUaHwZK-MpvRqn5uWt4M9TDdS_rV8-2gB_FTQhIAXWwAw3AsoPF9SRupN0mPtDH-RgRDPYt7YjlrsvWKZc/s1600/DSC04889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJr496tiYJmfAcwU2-39QXRm9QdZi8vbl7WiCtfIm_sIOtyTOGgsWROY5m-UUaHwZK-MpvRqn5uWt4M9TDdS_rV8-2gB_FTQhIAXWwAw3AsoPF9SRupN0mPtDH-RgRDPYt7YjlrsvWKZc/s320/DSC04889.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPOVVUu7crqsFC1jWpYbA3ulqfDasayCpldC2RlLDTU_r-_b2ACZkxGLbenMCcCGE8242kuUCUxBuxtVfrlJHvR70fQzhZjnEg1ilrKaqvpO73-Ejei6rBwVpxHG50V8YSCo2nhPNxrw/s1600/DSC04902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPOVVUu7crqsFC1jWpYbA3ulqfDasayCpldC2RlLDTU_r-_b2ACZkxGLbenMCcCGE8242kuUCUxBuxtVfrlJHvR70fQzhZjnEg1ilrKaqvpO73-Ejei6rBwVpxHG50V8YSCo2nhPNxrw/s320/DSC04902.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08008848837978032726noreply@blogger.com0