Spain and beyond

Hola:  Yesterday, I went with the family to pick up Mica.  She attends a private, international school, some distance away.  Then, we went to this cute little church on the top of a hill.  Above the church, there was a huge Roman castle at one time--now just some big rocks.  This is a very old area!! Havi demonstrating the hand stand at Mica's school. Mica practising the hand stand--she is very good at this! A church very high on the hill across the valley from the school. Inside this little church. A view of the church from the village. A view of the  village.  Beyond, on the mountain side, is where we live.

Week 4 in Spain Hola Wow, where does the time go when you are having fun!!  My hosts are both over the moon because they have passed their respective oral English Exams and now it is time for the Holy Week, leading up to Easter!!  Tomorrow evening, I will attend a special event at Mica's school, in preparation for the up coming holiday!! Yesterday I had a trip to Seville--it was a rather long day, but I got to see the most famous cathedral, the old town, the major park, the golden tower and the monument to Christopher Columbus--all in one day!!  Next weekend, I will go to Tangiers, for one day--another long one--but certainly. I met two ladies from Edmonton yesterday--they seemed like a fun twosome--they were certainly enjoying there time here.  And, I met another lady from Toronto--she was a delight as well! This is the cathedral in Seville.  It is said to be the largest cathedral in the world, next to St. Peter's in Rome!  This is the main part...

Hola! Wow--week three--where does the time when you are having fun!!  The week has been filled with Spanish study, hiking 10 miles every day and fitting in some English tutoring.  Thankfully, the weather is getting brighter, and my cold is getting better, though I am coughing a lot still!! Today was a big day of travel.  Up at 5:00 AM, Havi drove me downtown so that I could pick up the tour to a place called Caminita del Rey, meaning small path of the king.  The King was Alfonso the 13th, who opened a hydro electric dam back in 1921.  The place is where the trail is.  it was absolutely breath taking. Nothing much had been done to keep up the old tracks around the mountain.  In the year 2000, a zip line was introduced.  Unfortunately, it failed and three young men plunged to their death, so the trail was closed. It was just reopened 3 years ago with state of the art safety.  It was well worth the trip as you will see from the pictur...

Hello All...yes the end of week 2!   I can hardly believe it myself!!  Every day has been full of activity--during the week, I am up early, and out to the park to practice kung fu.  Then, I walk as much as I can to prepare for the big hike.  It is going to be a challenge for sure!!  Yesterday, I met with a representative from the company, and I was a little overwhelmed with what lays before me.  I will be doing the hike on my own, with maps!!  Hopefully the weather gets better!! The  weather here is cold, and unusual, they say--I have quite a bad cold now, even though I am taking some medicine--because it is cold in the house--no central heating--they do have a fire place, but they seldom use it!  Last night was the worst--I am starting to feel better, but my nose is running and I am hacking away Yesterday was great--I got to go to the Flamingo show down in the heart of Malaga, among the old town--wow--it was great.  The show w...

Hola from Malaga!! It has been an amazing first week.  Firstly, my host family is FABULOUS!!  They welcomed me at the airport last week with the most beautiful bouquet of flowers--and it has been a dream ever since!!  We arrived at their beautiful home, and they introduced me to their Spanish Water Dog..Bullness--what a sweetie!!  Then, they opened their wonderful home to me.   I have a large bedroom on the second floor with a full bath all to my self!!  The view is of the local mountains.  The tutoring is a mix of informal chatter at meals, to formal lessons with each person several days a week!  During the day, I am free to look around, hike, practice Kung Fu, read, and generally enjoy myself.  The work is in the evenings..but it is really not work--it is fun!! The first week was quite fun because it was a holiday--so I got to do lots of things with the family.  This week, it is back to work, so I am pretty...