tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27600175866859193412024-03-05T08:04:19.384+01:00Around the World in 80 WaysIt all started in 2011 with the travels of the Yeazel clan's 7 month adventure living in Europe. It is now our travel adventures whenever we go somewhere really good.L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10187670725516824354noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-59440485709186072392015-07-19T19:18:00.002+02:002015-07-19T19:19:43.216+02:00As the Days Fly...Well our days are flying by and we only have about 8 days left. Actually Dean left this morning as he is headed to work in <a href="http://www.vimperk.cz/77/en/normal//#.VageTucuW_4">Vimperk, Czech Republic</a> for a few days before heading back to Madison. In any case, this entry will be some of the more recent highlights from this adventure.<br />
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On July 5th we headed into Bilbao for the "<a href="http://www.eitb.eus/es/noticias/sociedad/detalle/3339636/estropatada-wop-bilbao-2015--carrera-patos-goma-solidaria/" target="_blank">estropatada</a>," rubber ducky race. This was the 3rd edition and it is to raise money for people who contract unusual diseases. People "purchase" a duck for 5 euros that enters the race. Each duck has a geolocator so the "owner" knows where it is in the race. 35, 000 ducks were launched off of the Deusto bridge from giant duck painted containers. On the linked site above you can find the news video that tells the story as well. There were several people in kayaks connected to a series of swim lane ropes that created a canal down which the ducks float to the next bridge. The streets were lined with people watching despite the rainy weather. Marina came in from Mundaka to join us for the race. The photos below will give you some idea. <br />
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<a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d22997307k3978407o2l1/estropatada"><b>Estropatada</b></a> - <i><a href="http://www.kizoa.com/">Kizoa Video Maker</a></i></div>
That evening, we went with our friends Raul, Viviana, and Fernanda to check out the nearby abandoned <a href="http://www.verdenorte.com/castillo-de-butron" target="_blank">Butrón castle</a>. It is not far from where we are staying and for years we would drive by it and I always wondered about it. It does, on the outside, look like something from a Disney movie that has gotten run down and not well maintained. The location is nice, although isolated, along a river and we happened to catch a group of horseback riders that had also made their way there to check it out.<br />
Here are some photos from our excursion.
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<a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d23014408k3680910o2l1/castillobutron"><b>Castillo_Butron</b></a> - <i><a href="http://www.kizoa.com/">Kizoa Video Maker</a></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkrv_gsqQCiMO3PJQFDPkt0gNvNwx4Zc8qn3ec4uBhLlsZhGSpaupIpcx7PWj1QEpDn9afV5yeTa_nsOWNXYnOt4drBvc8LARpVXE9uyRKaYxJid1gAtjoz2hJkO_iUefL3gKLoopXMs/s1600/IMG_4904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkrv_gsqQCiMO3PJQFDPkt0gNvNwx4Zc8qn3ec4uBhLlsZhGSpaupIpcx7PWj1QEpDn9afV5yeTa_nsOWNXYnOt4drBvc8LARpVXE9uyRKaYxJid1gAtjoz2hJkO_iUefL3gKLoopXMs/s200/IMG_4904.JPG" title="" width="150" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcO_HwpinhI2St2kfNkQb_eCFTvBPFh032KB56MOBWML2gOpyqNQ2Z7u441rHgVNYtsRFLRNlvK6amRt8r8-7RSLJEGsMWUKpmQsugJu4_miV5ixKAVL4kDOcOp69rgrsvlSdg97L-rA/s1600/IMG_4999.JPG" 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/AVvXsEhtcO_HwpinhI2St2kfNkQb_eCFTvBPFh032KB56MOBWML2gOpyqNQ2Z7u441rHgVNYtsRFLRNlvK6amRt8r8-7RSLJEGsMWUKpmQsugJu4_miV5ixKAVL4kDOcOp69rgrsvlSdg97L-rA/s320/IMG_4999.JPG" width="240" /></a>As you may know the lifestyle here is much different. Most people live in <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_pAioJEwj96Zf3iq2e1kHaLZ-JjlZcAxYJfehFKuGEDzY735khQD11cp11Dajq0avjdGNTZMyTaqpLzEGE_BOlOfqk1ny1bQLbrVco6k7CMI24w5dJxqdbn9bP7IQUijtQBmw7AlZLM/s1600/IMG_4939.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_pAioJEwj96Zf3iq2e1kHaLZ-JjlZcAxYJfehFKuGEDzY735khQD11cp11Dajq0avjdGNTZMyTaqpLzEGE_BOlOfqk1ny1bQLbrVco6k7CMI24w5dJxqdbn9bP7IQUijtQBmw7AlZLM/s200/IMG_4939.JPG" width="150" /></a>flats above stores and don't entertain in their homes. Those who have gardens for the most part are in a community plot, as yards aren't typical. That said the area we are living in used to be mostly an undeveloped area. Between where we are living off a main street and the beach, there were wooded/field paths to the beach. Now most of that has been cleared and there are houses and duplexes going up everywhere for those who would like a beach house. It is a great area to be in for beach and surf. We have enjoyed our flat, although the one house across the street is a
bit loud. It is one of the original old homes that has a fair amount of
fenced in yard. Behind the fence are ducks, chickens, hens, turkeys,
dogs, cats, and I'm not sure what else. We hear the dogs at <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtvGdSSrN9zWB4k1q-cei7d5F7sqd3LwV7ukkPMOSUftgsC-FOSnyR89DyhUWppZ8wXuPpX1x2G1bfwk74rzRm-nmcCtnjZQsyoiB0uqfjhKdES1aBOxan6mwpFGOT-8OsSmfFi32bHw/s1600/IMG_4905.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtvGdSSrN9zWB4k1q-cei7d5F7sqd3LwV7ukkPMOSUftgsC-FOSnyR89DyhUWppZ8wXuPpX1x2G1bfwk74rzRm-nmcCtnjZQsyoiB0uqfjhKdES1aBOxan6mwpFGOT-8OsSmfFi32bHw/s200/IMG_4905.JPG" width="200" /></a>night around midnight and the hens at about 5am. I suspect this is like living on a farm, although we don't have the responsibility of the animals. Despite that, we are in a great location for our needs. Dean and I have been getting our exercise regularly. These photos are a some pictures I took on my speed walk the other day. <br />
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As much as we can we have been reconnecting with our friends <br />
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from when we lived her 4 years ago. Eugenia was one of Morgan's friends from school and her sister Alejandra and Maia are also the same age. We took a stroll with them down to the <a href="http://www.getxokaia.com/" target="_blank">Puerto Deportivo</a> de Algorta for ice cream and a walk on the beach. Since there really isn't room to entertain in people's houses, we have enjoyed the customs of going out for walks, meeting and hanging out with people in parks, plazas, and on terraces. Everyone walks everywhere or takes the metro. All of us are enjoying the fresh air <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTsNF6mDdhIqucfwwmhvdb1xzFnOLiX_3N-mJ4rFZK0b_DYILfuKwhs14v_4i5ZxB6Mi5ytoxVkei6zOaFM4p702z6qOQPKP-vhM9BfRkw9IKTPUuobZHCsIvX0io8j0TcQOaYv2HbOM/s1600/IMG_4934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTsNF6mDdhIqucfwwmhvdb1xzFnOLiX_3N-mJ4rFZK0b_DYILfuKwhs14v_4i5ZxB6Mi5ytoxVkei6zOaFM4p702z6qOQPKP-vhM9BfRkw9IKTPUuobZHCsIvX0io8j0TcQOaYv2HbOM/s200/IMG_4934.JPG" width="200" /></a>and opportunity to walk from place to place with friends. Dean and I are hoping to keep that "habit" up at least a bit in the states to take a walk regularly after we eat as it feels healthier. It's also really nice to see older people out walking all the time. Our dependency in the states on cars to get around and only moving for the sake of exercise is a bit less healthy of a lifestyle in our opinion as we see older people with so much mobility here. The day we were on that walk in the <a href="http://www.getxokaia.com/" target="_blank">Puerto Deportivo</a> we saw a really beautiful sunset.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkIn2DI4CO5IiN45WU8JTfN-WdtCK3DHSSgppUA6raJxqQace6EapDSuHrXx0RjTHuTWDitreXBl8-szp4-zRb-O58FNBuSqqCa49BskiPUo2-jbsaHOdXEyWFWNY4J8pducdFK80azk/s1600/IMG_4936.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/AVvXsEhXkIn2DI4CO5IiN45WU8JTfN-WdtCK3DHSSgppUA6raJxqQace6EapDSuHrXx0RjTHuTWDitreXBl8-szp4-zRb-O58FNBuSqqCa49BskiPUo2-jbsaHOdXEyWFWNY4J8pducdFK80azk/s200/IMG_4936.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
While we are close to the beach we are also only about a 20-30 min metro ride into Bilbao. We have gone in to the city a handful of times for shopping and the best massage therapist I have ever found. One afternoon following a massage, I was walking down the Gran Via, a main street, and came upon a concert by <a href="http://coldplace.co.uk/" target="_blank">Coldplace</a> which is a really amazing tribute band to <a href="http://timeline.coldplay.com/" target="_blank">Coldplay</a>. If you heard them without seeing <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsujdX59wQXAY_kRvwZEIC8n7xvvDJ0SpacJxAxKVo1E70srhmbOSG_MepP43Ugaadtf9zw2BqZndFC4SgrlFzRHp5oLI4Ery6KCj-NwPVSLj0W4iQ6U3ZQC9S9z4dLB2-VaniA7UIhyc/s1600/IMG_4957.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsujdX59wQXAY_kRvwZEIC8n7xvvDJ0SpacJxAxKVo1E70srhmbOSG_MepP43Ugaadtf9zw2BqZndFC4SgrlFzRHp5oLI4Ery6KCj-NwPVSLj0W4iQ6U3ZQC9S9z4dLB2-VaniA7UIhyc/s200/IMG_4957.JPG" width="200" /></a>them, you might not know the difference as <a href="http://www.soundhound.com/" target="_blank">Soundhound</a> identified <a href="http://timeline.coldplay.com/" target="_blank">Coldplay</a>, not a cover, for every song despite crowd noise. It was really awesome. They played for about 1.5 hours. This was the opening, to get people excited before <a href="http://consequenceofsound.net/festival/bilbao-bbk-live-2015/" target="_blank">Bilbao Live</a>, a 3 day concert up in the mountain just above Bibao. <a href="http://www.mumfordandsons.com/" target="_blank">Mumford and Sons</a> played there among other well known artists. Unfortunately we didn't have tickets.<br />
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Another part of summer here in Spain is that every town has it's "fiestas" which are all centered <br />
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around Santos, saints, that they choose to celebrate. That said, these are far from religious events and they typically go all day and late into the night. Since most of our kid's friends are in Algorta area where we used to live, we went to the parties in Neguri. In addition to a variety of theatrical entertainment, portable dj/disco, friends, and a bar, the festival started out with cabezudos which are people dressed up with gigantic heads carrying sacks that they use to chase and wack people with.<br />
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Since the fiestas in Neguri, the girls have regularly returned to the park to meet up with friends and hang out. One of the nice things is that they are able to go alone on the metro. Generally that's how kids socialize. They travel in groups and wonder around parks, stop at nearby stores for snacks and the like. I think the girls will miss that when we return. </div>
L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10187670725516824354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-27435702183376727902015-07-13T21:41:00.005+02:002015-07-13T21:42:39.432+02:00UrederraIt's become clear that I'm just not able to keep up with the blog. We have been very busy, often out from morning until very late at night. We didn't completely forget about July 4th though. In fact, we spent it together, just the four of us on a wonderful hike. We drove almost 2 hours to Urederra in Navarra, Spain. It's an area I have never visited before and it's beautiful.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">We went to the </span><i style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.turismo.navarra.es/esp/organice-viaje/recurso.aspx?o=4310">Nacedero del Urederra</a></i> which is a <span style="font-style: normal;">national park</span><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"> and it’s part of the bigger </span><i style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.turismo.navarra.es/esp/organice-viaje/recurso/relacionado/3168/">Parque Natural de Urbasa-Andía</a></i><span style="font-style: normal;"> chain in Navarra. The best time to go is in the early spring when there is more water running than what was there at this point but it was still incredibly beautiful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-style: normal;">We first checked in at the information booth where they were surprised to find out we were from the states. Apparently there are very few folks from the states that have made their way there, although they did say the numbers are growing due to the photos that have made their way to the Internet. It took us about 3-4 hours to hike the whole thing mostly because of stopping to take pictures. I can't explain how beautiful it was but below is a slideshow of the highlights of what we saw along the way.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d22903121k1391792o2l1/urederra"><b>Necedero del Urederra</b></a> - <i><a href="http://www.kizoa.com/">Kizoa Video Maker</a></i><br />
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As you can see from the photos it is a series of waterfalls and pools along the hike. The word Urederra in Basque means beautiful water. The blue color of the water was amazing. I have never seen water so clear and blue except in pictures of tropical places I have yet to visit. Despite the long drive the kids said it was worth it because of the incredible beauty. I hope to get a few more of these excursions in before we head back to the states. </div>
L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10187670725516824354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-46398779210912003382015-07-05T23:45:00.001+02:002015-07-06T11:22:11.968+02:00Festival and FriendsWell, keeping busy has certainly not been a problem so far. During the first couple of days of our arrival in Sopela/Larrabasterra we settled into our flat. For short term living, we are in great place. It is nice, clean, and well located for all that we need.<br />
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We happened to arrive during the Sopelana festivals so we managed to catch some of the events such as the Gildas band, our friend Sara is a drummer and singer, some other musical groups and a Thai Chi exposition in which our friend Lola participated. Unfortunately it didn't occur to me to take pictures or video of either of them. I wish I could go back in time so that I could share it with you. I did however manage to take pictures of some of the other people we saw but don't know...<br />
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In the pictures below is a musical group from France called <a href="http://www.funkystylebrass.net/en/funkystylebrass/" target="_blank">Funky Style Brass</a> and they were super fun. And the second photo was just a street actor eating some fire for a couple of euros. <br />
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Of course no festival is complete without the weird car parade thing and some giant stilt walking animal things...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-ZXfpZeJC0M-LaRbNkjRujtAZ17kuU1yzE7rOTWYmm05BCAB7VR1ean3S_tKnKm1WFhoWKsbcIXOg-5M4Pl5Rr7c32CWbWLBM0p13CoEWTXuT8DcLbMyz9dKAjE-77_ZhRwvL4CiEk4/s1600/IMG_4713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TsLlGBmTgh4hdJ6IxeSqEYFfMi3JITCyyCTkUq0a8z4cy5kvWuN6BtsIw01NnzAfjnZVC4ZPdl-SB_hFQeda3C45LVWnv8Ox1pbUMoE7JLTJOEd6dSPt6K58v16Xmr93p6A2ayTygkc/s1600/IMG_4750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TsLlGBmTgh4hdJ6IxeSqEYFfMi3JITCyyCTkUq0a8z4cy5kvWuN6BtsIw01NnzAfjnZVC4ZPdl-SB_hFQeda3C45LVWnv8Ox1pbUMoE7JLTJOEd6dSPt6K58v16Xmr93p6A2ayTygkc/s200/IMG_4750.JPG" width="200" /></a>When we weren't spending our evenings at the festival, we were with friends, Viviana, Raul and Fernanda, in a really cool park called Akarlanda. They arranged a big lunch BBQ for us and brought along 3 other kids that Morgan went to school with so it was fun to see everyone again. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-ZXfpZeJC0M-LaRbNkjRujtAZ17kuU1yzE7rOTWYmm05BCAB7VR1ean3S_tKnKm1WFhoWKsbcIXOg-5M4Pl5Rr7c32CWbWLBM0p13CoEWTXuT8DcLbMyz9dKAjE-77_ZhRwvL4CiEk4/s1600/IMG_4713.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-ZXfpZeJC0M-LaRbNkjRujtAZ17kuU1yzE7rOTWYmm05BCAB7VR1ean3S_tKnKm1WFhoWKsbcIXOg-5M4Pl5Rr7c32CWbWLBM0p13CoEWTXuT8DcLbMyz9dKAjE-77_ZhRwvL4CiEk4/s320/IMG_4713.JPG" width="320" /> </a> The kids still seem to get along the same and other than being a bit taller, and presumably smarter, not much has changed. Needless to say, it feels really good to be back here. It's hard to believe that 4 years have passed since our 7 month stint and I hope that we don't wait this long the next time.</div>
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L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-54154580782404235742015-07-02T23:23:00.004+02:002015-07-02T23:24:20.784+02:00Mundaka!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqp-oHPaQtv8z4N1QlNhyphenhyphenKjovDSYZ3qtelvNaeNTWyg128v3GarkD_3z7oNSUWUDq_WcIvFUCbtwxEUJk3seamG3ygBewFvyifLWbjMlwqDnhJS8Rs5pK9Fqk8WKal77J3EHe-C2ckTl0/s1600/IMG_4594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqp-oHPaQtv8z4N1QlNhyphenhyphenKjovDSYZ3qtelvNaeNTWyg128v3GarkD_3z7oNSUWUDq_WcIvFUCbtwxEUJk3seamG3ygBewFvyifLWbjMlwqDnhJS8Rs5pK9Fqk8WKal77J3EHe-C2ckTl0/s200/IMG_4594.JPG" width="200" /></a>Many of you have met Marina as she lived with us the past two summers. She is from a small town called Mundaka, in the Basque region of Spain. Upon leaving Madrid we headed up to spend a few days with her and her family in their hometown. Mundaka is well known for surfing and beautiful beaches so we made the most of that. This first photo is a view from our balcony that looks out towards the beach across the street. It was well located as Marina's family lives across the street on the beach side.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rVf07MrLI9JVArnbC0efzIJTiJcNNLfF6rERBUjyDcXjsws7yuqg0yymwpTW5Iso55-d6KYr45hJCgsqjcREYjiZpl5OKCUu62sGmJWmD8o2gi_dmwPvbTKBZyzUiulIGDUi-gwdj4I/s1600/IMG_4765.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/AVvXsEj7rVf07MrLI9JVArnbC0efzIJTiJcNNLfF6rERBUjyDcXjsws7yuqg0yymwpTW5Iso55-d6KYr45hJCgsqjcREYjiZpl5OKCUu62sGmJWmD8o2gi_dmwPvbTKBZyzUiulIGDUi-gwdj4I/s200/IMG_4765.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
Mundaka is small enough that you can basically walk the whole town in 10 minutes. It has a small grocery store, several bars, a surf shop that has been open for 30 years (owned and operated an Australian who came to Mundaka as a surfer and made it his home), and great views from just about everywhere you go. To the left are some of the sites around town.<br />
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During our time we made use of the water. In addition to swimming, we rented kayaks and paddle boards. It was Dean's first time trying out SUP, as balance is not something he is particularly confident with. Our new Australian assistant actually got him to stand which was quite impressive. Below are some photos of our water adventures.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Fx-jBKQEYvhTbAUA00rlOKW0H4vd_VeS8ajiyrO-pl1qn0S8HZDChGLqK2xneocPAGnoHWKoAc4vVRN7AGNWV5HgmULYS-Yg2YrvBvOz2_f8toOV_6PjIwf4kFMpa8LHzx554ji3cOA/s1600/IMG_4768.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/AVvXsEj3Fx-jBKQEYvhTbAUA00rlOKW0H4vd_VeS8ajiyrO-pl1qn0S8HZDChGLqK2xneocPAGnoHWKoAc4vVRN7AGNWV5HgmULYS-Yg2YrvBvOz2_f8toOV_6PjIwf4kFMpa8LHzx554ji3cOA/s200/IMG_4768.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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We also did a bit of sea kayaking. It was harder than we expected with the current and ocean waves but still a good time.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqpPoc-UjiArVer4bmgpm6X0bp6I10oFhXPJvo-LegQaIO_4KwXy2XK4HnNMxhRvZji1GTB8tVyaA3DEu-F2eZs1NjBVqOu-0vRzehIOJJO5SkcKcyp88IrZjH6iCbt2Y1XlluMsYYj4/s1600/IMG_4769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqpPoc-UjiArVer4bmgpm6X0bp6I10oFhXPJvo-LegQaIO_4KwXy2XK4HnNMxhRvZji1GTB8tVyaA3DEu-F2eZs1NjBVqOu-0vRzehIOJJO5SkcKcyp88IrZjH6iCbt2Y1XlluMsYYj4/s200/IMG_4769.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTVOPajk8qrUHCM8e-HPr30i9lj986gCNhIi3TTz3cE8L2Xgb9Ptv3OC920uwpay69hSHbr2meIrSkGX_cIKrZzuwUB2noUC1094IxHDTwfCVNHyh-AKRBId8NMrRiILBqEyulbuMqF0/s1600/IMG_4771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTVOPajk8qrUHCM8e-HPr30i9lj986gCNhIi3TTz3cE8L2Xgb9Ptv3OC920uwpay69hSHbr2meIrSkGX_cIKrZzuwUB2noUC1094IxHDTwfCVNHyh-AKRBId8NMrRiILBqEyulbuMqF0/s200/IMG_4771.JPG" width="200" /></a>As luck would have it, in addition to a great place for water adventures, it was time for the town celebrations of Mundaka. They had a small carnival set up with rides. The girls took advantage of the bumper cars and the bungee trampoline. Kids and people were out and about everywhere. One evening there was also a "parade" sort of thing. What was interesting is that people would line the streets and as the parade car came by, they would then join in. It wasn't just a parade for watching but rather for everyone to participate in as they wished.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Mu_LCvB2Jvr9aSqdFTifA_D4wdSRsHAFZHJltIvRNKEu7k4ssDXNnb0NQWyuKQ1Uh0___UspAJ67xNfiMZd1XRpRgAIa4NX0i9DgScIcdDckGdIJPbVjLuuXc8bJgHqfEl00fHXSDmw/s1600/IMG_4770.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/AVvXsEi7Mu_LCvB2Jvr9aSqdFTifA_D4wdSRsHAFZHJltIvRNKEu7k4ssDXNnb0NQWyuKQ1Uh0___UspAJ67xNfiMZd1XRpRgAIa4NX0i9DgScIcdDckGdIJPbVjLuuXc8bJgHqfEl00fHXSDmw/s200/IMG_4770.JPG" width="200" /></a>We also had the opportunity to see Marina dance a couple of traditional Basque dances as part of the festivities. As is tradition with most celebrations around here, everything lasts all night. Marina's dance group had a mobile bar that opened at night. The dancers took turns tending bar and Marina had the 3-6 am shift one day and 12-3am shift the next. It was brutal for her with that and also trying to spend time with us.<br />
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It was a great visit and nice to get to know her parents and her town a bit better. We look forward to a couple more adventures with Marina before we head back to Wisconsin. <br />
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<br />L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-6367509104091019002015-07-01T16:05:00.001+02:002015-07-01T17:36:04.216+02:00Churches, Castles & PalacesWe spent our days in the Madrid area visiting mostly castles and palaces. There are a few common day trips from that area so we took them. We hit Segovia, Toledo, and El Escorial/Valle de los Caídos. What these areas had in common were churches, castles and palaces, of which I think we have all seen enough. While they are beautiful and the history is interesting, it all starts to run together a bit.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d22381526k7853718o2l1/segovia"><b>Segovia</b></a> - <i><a href="http://www.kizoa.com/">Kizoa Video Maker</a></i></div>
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Of the most interesting sites I would say the aqueducts in Segovia, the Jewish area/history and artesania of Toledo, and the views from Valle de los Caídos (VC). Toledo is known for it's swords. While we didn't get one to bring home, however we did get a tour of the oldest true artisan shop for sword making. Most now are made industrially and all look the same. In this small shop tucked away in the corner, the swords are made by hand in a very traditional way. The owner, a descendent from the original owner is short a few fingers from his years of sword making but clearly loves what he does and knows the details in a way that most industrial sword makers probably don't. We were also lucky enough to catch a day when we could view the making of traditional style pendents with there golden designs made into a specially smooth hand cut stone.<br />
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We walked a ton in all of the places we visited. <br />
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<a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d22381881k2893482o2l1/toledo"><b>Toledo</b></a> - <i><a href="http://www.kizoa.com/">Kizoa Video Maker</a></i></div>
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For those of you who are unfamilair, VC is where Franco is buried. I was very tempted to spit on his grave but there was a guard there watching what everyone did and strict silence was to be respected. Also buried there are many who died during the Spanish Civil War. What I didn't realize is what has been characterized as "typically Spain" was also a result of what Franco wanted to show the world so he latched on to the idea of Flamenco dancing from the south and bull fighting and those became the symbols of the country. That's what most people tend to hear about and know. I find this middle area of the country to be extremely different from the northern areas where we tend to spend our time, and frankly, I prefer the north.</div>
L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-8761307051261103022015-06-24T09:14:00.002+02:002015-06-24T09:15:22.509+02:00Experiencing MadridYep, it's definitely summer here in Madrid. I'm all for siesta when it gets us out of the heat of the day. We started this part of our adventure making our way from Barajas to La Latina on the metro picking up friends Lynne and Kevin along the way. In all my travels to Spain this is the first time in Madrid that there was public transportation available point to point rather than the bus to Plaza de Colon. Last time we were here Maia was an infant and it was mostly a tour of Madrid's parks to keep her happy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonWzCkF95D3_jm0M94eHXQE8hgAaPGOyErpFwOC-Bjf1cQim8dHOsz2XGWxQbslmBJelwfow8fs8b9S2EJRVd-zJo0n4Up6-tAdnu8npjyWdsR9ts96KDE0LY5qepdZSS1Vn0OYbibuY/s1600/FlatCollageMadrid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonWzCkF95D3_jm0M94eHXQE8hgAaPGOyErpFwOC-Bjf1cQim8dHOsz2XGWxQbslmBJelwfow8fs8b9S2EJRVd-zJo0n4Up6-tAdnu8npjyWdsR9ts96KDE0LY5qepdZSS1Vn0OYbibuY/s320/FlatCollageMadrid.jpg" /></a>We got ourselves set up in a <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5371540" target="_blank">GREAT flat</a>. I highly recommend it for anyone traveling in a largish group. We are definitely living like kings and queens in the city of Spanish royalty. In fact today we also took a tour of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Palace_of_Madrid" target="_blank">Palacio Real</a>. Unfortunately no pictures allowed inside so I just have a few from the outside to share. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More scenes from the day</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d22285754k2301611o2l1/palacio-real"><b>Palacio Real</b></a> - <i><a href="http://www.kizoa.com/">Kizoa Video Maker</a></i></div>
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Just before hitting the palace we walked around the corner from our flat to check out <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Rastro" target="_blank">El Rastro</a>, a well known flea market, where we picked up a couple souvenirs for the kids. If you are a flea market kind of person or you just like people watching, you could easily spend hours here. It is a place where you need to watch your wallet and camera in a crowd, but worth it.<br />
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Following the market we headed through the Plaza Mayor to get to the palace. It was definitely full of people and lots of vendors out this morning as well. Frankly, on the walk to the palace I was amazed by the number of stores that were open since it is Sunday. Things have really changed in my 30+ years of traveling to Spain. I'm a bit disturbed by the westernization I'm seeing. There are fruit stores where you pick your own fruit, while wearing a glove and many of the stores are open on Sundays including clothing and grocery stores. We almost got run over by a Burger King delivery motorcycle and of course Starbucks has made it here as well. I'm not sure how they survive since it is so easy to get a much better cup of coffee in any bar on the street. I guess it is name recognition for tourists. Very sad... It will be interesting to see if there is as much western influence in the north as we are seeing here.<br />
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<br />L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-84558681938960068352015-06-20T00:13:00.000+02:002015-06-20T20:23:20.556+02:00DachauSo I suspect I'm not alone when it comes to the images that pop into my head when I hear or see the word Dachau. It is synonymous for me with concentration camp, work camp, death, and the horrors of the Holocaust. This dreadful place lies a short train ride from Munich and is something that I needed to return to and I wanted my girls to experience.<br />
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We stepped off the train in the town of Dachau where we then had to wait for a bus to the camp. It was a drizzly sort of day which I guess was fitting for our visit. Across the street was a café, a post office around the corner, and it appeared the same as any other small town. I just couldn't come to terms with how it would be for anyone to say, "I'm from Dachau." The last time, 18 years ago, when Dean and I visited, I don't remember seeing the town but we arrived by car. I'm not sure if the train-bus option existed then or not.<br />
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Anyway, we made our way to the camp. There is a new information center there where we picked up the audio tour which helped guide us through the memorial, the museum, and the buildings. The museum was new as well and was quite well done. If you aren't familiar with Dachau, it's history, and what is there, check out this <a href="https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/virtual_tour.html" target="_blank">virtual tour</a>. I did read through that the night before going as I knew the kids wouldn't have made it through me reading everything there was to read in the museum. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EOodPJjd4HzDUt-HYq71vLhUbbmtsnloTE1l-fL3Sf5pykjXpLbjS_6_QqtPVJwOT_xkFzPtGq2fJjczwbgqY0Eu1vlXui-QIGXz6NXxGFA7eZiOjHXfNayN9BR0mpMm4Ds7l2idmto/s1600/IMG_4424.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/AVvXsEi6EOodPJjd4HzDUt-HYq71vLhUbbmtsnloTE1l-fL3Sf5pykjXpLbjS_6_QqtPVJwOT_xkFzPtGq2fJjczwbgqY0Eu1vlXui-QIGXz6NXxGFA7eZiOjHXfNayN9BR0mpMm4Ds7l2idmto/s200/IMG_4424.JPG" width="150" /></a>Suffice it to say it was an extraordinarily moving experience. While I didn't take a ton of pictures, here is some of what we saw.<br />
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First you enter through the gates. They are a replica of the original ones as the orignals were stolen. They have written on them "Arbeit Macht Frei", work makes you free, something that was certainly not true for those who were robbed of their individuality, belongings, and dignity upon passing through those gates.<br />
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The rest of my photos I posted in a slide show below. You will see parts of the monument erected as a memorial, the Jewish memorial that was built on the grounds, the stones that were placed inside the memorial in memory, the crematorium, and an area by the crematorium, that is marked with remembrance of the thousands of unknown who died in this area where ashes were buried and shooting squads senselessly terminated lives. <br />
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<div>
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<b><a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d22105012k9378455o1/">Kizoa slideshow: Dachau</a></b> - <i><a href="http://www.kizoa.com/">Slideshow</a></i><br />
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After our three hours at the camp, we returned to our flat to prepare our suitcases for travel to Madrid the following day. There was a lot to process but I'm glad we saw it.</div>
L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-74349100005063841592015-06-19T22:15:00.001+02:002015-06-19T22:33:04.338+02:00Whirlwind Tour<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGbU_Cym_OBpZK-R9LVELE8fhjiodxCJqDjrtk3k6gbiX048iLOJVrmgyVFyotsROl6pPt2kVyG3x5wmcw8_kvg4bwTTbObcD-Pl90-BCkAkBGuEjlDOW3DuuOOrcjiQ6WcEP0E-_LlQ/s1600/DSCF4184.jpg" 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/AVvXsEhYGbU_Cym_OBpZK-R9LVELE8fhjiodxCJqDjrtk3k6gbiX048iLOJVrmgyVFyotsROl6pPt2kVyG3x5wmcw8_kvg4bwTTbObcD-Pl90-BCkAkBGuEjlDOW3DuuOOrcjiQ6WcEP0E-_LlQ/s320/DSCF4184.jpg" width="240" /></a>Our time in Munich really flew by and clearly 3 days of touring isn't enough to see and do all we were hoping for. On our second day we tried to get an earlier start but jet lag had other plans for us. We finally got moving and out of the flat by mid-morning and headed to the <a href="http://www.muenchen.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/orte/120347.html" target="_blank">Marienplatz</a>. For those who want the English version of the <a href="https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.muenchen.de%2Fsehenswuerdigkeiten%2Forte%2F120347.html" target="_blank">Marienplatz page</a>...<br />
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We did arrive in time for the clock ringing which was interesting but what is more amazing is the number of people that show up for it. I suspect if it ran ever hour instead of only 3 times a day it would be less of a tourist spectacle. <br />
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I did find that I have my own street right off the plaza. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_PKbsU0wIfJ6swuLVRImTO68lzi8PGLQtlgYBig8C75gofaCbSxkgDqOrnEUDqIFJxJHurHwGSlH3udLh9NHPUimBU6r7U_Vi1jwT7gUOGrAIdbO7UF5YhjSK-sVd0Di3hlRvJC9Iwg/s1600/IMG_4419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_PKbsU0wIfJ6swuLVRImTO68lzi8PGLQtlgYBig8C75gofaCbSxkgDqOrnEUDqIFJxJHurHwGSlH3udLh9NHPUimBU6r7U_Vi1jwT7gUOGrAIdbO7UF5YhjSK-sVd0Di3hlRvJC9Iwg/s320/IMG_4419.JPG" width="240" /></a>From this point we headed down a pedestrian shopping area. We came, we saw, we bought. Unfortunately since we got our day started so late and the girls found a bit of joy in shopping, we missed out on the historic parts of that plaza and the next one down the road that we never made it to.<br />
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Our friends contacted us to meet them for a picnic lunch on the grounds of the 1972 Olympic park. If you are interested in a bit of a history lesson on that, it was the first time Germany had hosted the Olympics since the time when Hitler was in power. Tension was high and things didn't turn out so well. Check out this short piece on the <a href="http://history1900s.about.com/od/famouscrimesscandals/p/munichmassacre.htm" target="_blank">Munich Massacre</a> for details.<br />
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Today however you wouldn't know that was the case. The grounds are green and lots of people are wondering around. The swimming pool is open for swimmers to enjoy, there is a lake where they have big balls you can climb into for running/falling on the water, a trampoline park, and some other sightseeing tourist options. We mostly wandered around as the girls weren't interested in any of the other options except swimming but we hadn't brought our suits. <br />
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The weather was beautiful for our walk through the park and we followed that up with a trip back to Patricia and Use's house. While Use, Dean and Maia rested, the rest of us headed out to play a little soccer in the park by their flat. As it turns out it's a huge park so when we got tired of kicking balls around, we took a walk to see some beautiful gardens, a lake and a beer garden. Unfortunately it was getting late and we needed to head back.<br />
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Here are a few of our interesting sightings of the day...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglp-QxWW4RHUs-G6rR7yZB4ZxlqFXE44WeaFqntOK_YcOJIsdMnP5voF7HPC54dr0YMjcB9lKSQ_izT36vWdFOhT2V4BQO1CxUAWAxiP6dd_IR-QaMSKzxM9Vw4Fr03UDNvgstm7Hhqms/s1600/IMG_4408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglp-QxWW4RHUs-G6rR7yZB4ZxlqFXE44WeaFqntOK_YcOJIsdMnP5voF7HPC54dr0YMjcB9lKSQ_izT36vWdFOhT2V4BQO1CxUAWAxiP6dd_IR-QaMSKzxM9Vw4Fr03UDNvgstm7Hhqms/s200/IMG_4408.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If it fits, park it there whichever direction you want...</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5-ZrRFX2RQzlLtgAvhGoXbJUy3NRBsdAZ1tp4nrVvpA9M7ta_zlz7n6ZLfI2gxhOqUxcELl6iWxvihtFZ2b6uoKhT2KmRlNTQSKPy0kq0TO9rLtwrj0-3dUC36FNrqSsEFR-FcbwxzA/s1600/IMG_4436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5-ZrRFX2RQzlLtgAvhGoXbJUy3NRBsdAZ1tp4nrVvpA9M7ta_zlz7n6ZLfI2gxhOqUxcELl6iWxvihtFZ2b6uoKhT2KmRlNTQSKPy0kq0TO9rLtwrj0-3dUC36FNrqSsEFR-FcbwxzA/s200/IMG_4436.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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The next day was a to be a long day as we were headed to Dachau, then needed to pack and a final dinner with our friends.L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-9426242101315995352015-06-17T09:35:00.002+02:002015-06-17T09:35:25.673+02:00First Sightings: Munich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqbIaLowBsMjLrakNyZy_4DzigaAjXGjWJoeMPuA8RMCbpcy75kYQJajWiVoY3fBu5TA6suF3KLF3r7B9usCyGioPMBrST25kE7mpoxeYwRxlYgp-3mO-0BhRtOPGCqsi5ucovQZtpgM/s1600/IMG_4404+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqbIaLowBsMjLrakNyZy_4DzigaAjXGjWJoeMPuA8RMCbpcy75kYQJajWiVoY3fBu5TA6suF3KLF3r7B9usCyGioPMBrST25kE7mpoxeYwRxlYgp-3mO-0BhRtOPGCqsi5ucovQZtpgM/s320/IMG_4404+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We are on another travel adventure. We decided to start this one in Germany. It was an easy direct flight to Munich from Chicago. Upon arrival we were greeted by Nicolle & Patricia, our friends from Spain that have now moved here. If you followed our earlier posts in Spain you will remember them from several of our mini-weekend excursions. It was great to see friendly faces upon our arrival and a sign welcoming us here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNhepLu2jW6yJZVUFurAilkIQKOIketyuDxFkqbnAX5-3an8I0VuZzMdmYM9d7kC5RU4Etll09LCkA1d8N9MSUdOBQF2apBK9AErJoax3FOJ968zYIW1e8t8gy7odN-2DqJEA496wgew/s1600/IMG_4406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNhepLu2jW6yJZVUFurAilkIQKOIketyuDxFkqbnAX5-3an8I0VuZzMdmYM9d7kC5RU4Etll09LCkA1d8N9MSUdOBQF2apBK9AErJoax3FOJ968zYIW1e8t8gy7odN-2DqJEA496wgew/s320/IMG_4406.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random Sightings</td></tr>
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Their help in figuring out the train/U-bahn/Bus pass was great as there were more options than my jetlagged brain could sort through. In no time it was clear that anything we wanted to do would be completely accessible with their public transit system. This is one of the things we love most about Europe and really miss when we return to Madison. From the airport we made our way to our flat in about 45 minutes. It's cozy and not the cleanest but sufficient for our needs. We won't be spending much time inside other than sleeping.<br />
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First stop for me was a shower. The kids flipped on the TV only to find that they seem to have a different word for everything on their favorite shows and their mouths aren't in sync with their voices. That was most annoying for Maia. While the others took naps and showers, I did a bit of wandering to get to know the area we are staying in. It is nicely located and feels very safe.<br />
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Once we were settled in Use & Lara, the other half of the family we hadn't seen yet, came to pick us up. We headed to their flat for dinner. It was a lovely evening with them but we were all pretty exhausted by the time we got back to our place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI_Y156UwbApscvEP-crZtg0JhLmqh3KcHQms9FJYK_RM8s4phPtWMJQgMra4GbBkixnypbnNkeEEqI6sBSkTVi2KfRZP5IBeQE2I2CLXpaowq53Yu8jzJkJwGrsW6vxr053h8ogCboY/s1600/DSCF4167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI_Y156UwbApscvEP-crZtg0JhLmqh3KcHQms9FJYK_RM8s4phPtWMJQgMra4GbBkixnypbnNkeEEqI6sBSkTVi2KfRZP5IBeQE2I2CLXpaowq53Yu8jzJkJwGrsW6vxr053h8ogCboY/s200/DSCF4167.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swan Family in Palace Garden</td></tr>
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After sleeping in, we got Dean's phone set up and found some great berries at a fruit store on the way. At this point it was almost noon since we had slept in a bit. Dean and the girls took in some German pastries and we headed out to the <a href="http://www.schloss-nymphenburg.de/englisch/palace/" target="_blank">Nymphenburg Palace</a>.<br />
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The gardens were impressive, as much or more so than the inside of the Palace. Maia and I especially enjoyed a family of swans. There were several buildings to visit including the stable that had some old carriages and sleighs that really did look like something right out of Disney. Unfortunately my inside pictures didn't fair so well without the flash. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpqLZRgmq-_ktuleB6DGhsrSA2u-j5EzLBH_cDbn-oqDv8Jv22Ks4tcu-3lhihm901j-Yj8csy0KA_fxCMfkCFCgFIJiVkjTWmAfy3NF_z2DbNDWZ4XTSPPovkZjqzPm4oYeGwQY05u8/s1600/IMG_4400+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpqLZRgmq-_ktuleB6DGhsrSA2u-j5EzLBH_cDbn-oqDv8Jv22Ks4tcu-3lhihm901j-Yj8csy0KA_fxCMfkCFCgFIJiVkjTWmAfy3NF_z2DbNDWZ4XTSPPovkZjqzPm4oYeGwQY05u8/s200/IMG_4400+%25281%2529.jpg" width="159" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look Out Tourist!</td></tr>
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So far my cultural tidbit was realizing that the bike lanes, which exist throughout the city, are part of the sidewalk rather than the street. Bikers are often like ragging drivers if you accidentally find yourself walking in their lane. That's a lesson you only need to learn once. L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-92231399868995428322014-01-03T00:17:00.001+01:002014-01-03T00:17:33.100+01:00Warmth of the sun<div id="dE_H" style="font-family:Helvetica;font-size:18px;white-space:pre-wrap;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;;width:100%; height:100%; ;"><br><a id="lnkimg66c6f4a9-7028-414f-b97f-6a1a3294737a" target="_self" href=""><img id="img66c6f4a9-7028-414f-b97f-6a1a3294737a" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tOC25NWbtouuB-q6OefqrQqkhC37GoItoI1jmPbXbZ98Dmwxao6RHL5Yqgak-SS-fcHL3MIURJjkHl42DhxYtByYomHMJB6c5rQmm5FMSmWwwPQzt6hvvL27PTe7_iPEP-Wp8sQ90M4/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 166px; width: 216px; margin: 1em; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: left;"></a>It's hard to believe that in just 24 hours it will be 90° colder than the weather in Sámara. Our two week adventure is coming to an end. Thanks to all of you who have been following along as the audience is what makes it worth finding wifi and trying to keep this going. <br><div><br></div><div>Our final adventure was mostly just relaxing at the beach and pool. Dean went for his first and only run of the trip while the girls and I took a really awesome horseback ride with our friendly guide, Luis. It was just us and we hit the beach and the mountain top for some great views. We also saw a monkey family along the way. We really enjoyed the ride and interestingly enough, Luis managed to pick horses to match our personalities. Maia road <i>Negro </i>who didn't particularly like <i>Blanco</i> who I rode and who led the pack. Morgan road <i>Pinta </i>who was basically content with whatever. Luis took up the rear with his horse <i>Pedro</i>. There were a couple of times that <i>Negro</i> tried to take a bite out of <i>Blanco </i>who bucked but nobody was thrown. Maia and I have ridden enough that I wasn't too worried and she did fine. They also took off in a full on cantor at one point as if to race each other. It was nice to get a chance to ride at full speed again as it had been years for me and was a relatively new experience for Maia. Morgan trotted along happily with only a short cantor for her first time. Our final pictures are highlights along the way. I have to say horseback riding and ziplining with Maia were really highlights of my time in Costa Rica. These are a couple of those mother-daughter moments that remind me how lucky I am to have my girls and such great opportunities to share with them. Enjoy!<br /><br><img id="img5546a42b-3d82-4c48-81da-6aa7e71fe435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcb-9xb33TnphQqWSL3wz14czJ5hOEYKP2dBE6Q77oLoEDkwkTFkcYl1RzyCIk1QEFIIeoqeLSYFJSvVoP0JhUZ8qyzzw7hJmbMeoXPeqLEDQXn6Pg6zO1JhWSuOTph_pxP4M-Vv5y3U/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 508px; width: 508px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block;"><img id="imgd3cb6f07-f21c-4be5-a1bc-7ce91a681323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXljc9HR1HUZS1Vya1yJE9JHKP7H46rORgJYGhKQc_SjJTZFAI7Kzk6VGuBe4N50IHbQa7F-zCuXMY7nb0DEo4ROoH-BE-0NsqshkaQQp4rXb00YyT9VXw6NvD-FMjj74IB5NCnDUHpM/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 508px; width: 508px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block;"><br><br /></div></div>L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10187670725516824354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-63652540195556538302014-01-01T22:36:00.001+01:002014-01-02T03:38:06.587+01:00Long day, good times<div id="dE_H" style="font-family:Helvetica;font-size:18px;white-space:pre-wrap;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;;width:100%; height:100%; ;">We had a great last day in Monteverde. Maia and I went ziplining and Dean and Morgan went on an ATV tour. The ziplines were awesome. I wish we would have had a helmet cam. We went with <br><a id="lnkimga07dea2f-11a4-4d05-9548-2345b51391ca" target="_self" href=""><img id="imga07dea2f-11a4-4d05-9548-2345b51391ca" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEQhc_3Ts_nAvqa3mUsdN6YfJufPQYG9aMUNXs487p2a1EDZTdn4EKypxg1pxat0E1PNQFnpwZun6A7qbA7dmLjfvip8vWnYQNj6xHrIlyjKJOXynfSePuGwAQVqaglNm5Y3xE7gS-1Q/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 374px; width: 290px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: right;"></a>Adventure tours and I couldn't count the total number of lines they had but two of them were so long and high up that Maia and I had to ride as a double because she was too light and would have gotten stuck part way through. At the very end she chose to do the tarzan swing which is a 30 meter drop and then swing, a fancy name for what turns out to be bungee jumping. It was quite the adrenal rush for her.<a href="http://youtu.be/AbdA4bZUG00"> </a><a href="http://youtu.be/fpffV0kc1og">Here's the video of her jump</a>. I couldn't get many pictures on the zip line but I bought them at the end so I can add them once I get to a computer where they can be uploaded.<br><div><br></div><div>Dean and Morgan enjoyed their tour as well. Morgan rode behind the guide much of the time as the terrain was uneven enough that it was safer with him than with Dean. Towards the end she got to drive in an open field which I think was her favorite part.</div><div><br></div><div>After returning to the hotel we headed in to town to grab some lunch at the treehouse restaurant. </div><br><div><a id="lnkimg6f506d36-8588-4dd4-9236-ae8ae4d5daa6" target="_self" href=""><img id="img6f506d36-8588-4dd4-9236-ae8ae4d5daa6" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtOfEBQRkIvsYJgw0iAYq0o39kQKcf8l8Dzh9_AXrElvfyuzjPh1E50AH0ZtLIaMvgmLhd-PXOvauONFMScRm3njTaADeWL1OzboxAb7swye2zmjKFEVxnS5GyZ9DJX4Yb6yv2KHR-_s/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 204px; width: 266px; margin: 1em; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: left;"></a></div><div>Later that afternoon we began our long ride to the beach where we are spending our last couple of days. There were some animals such as monkeys, toucans, other birds and a variety of interesting sittings along our way. </div><br><div><a id="lnkimg0c0984e4-9574-424d-b5df-b6c474fe7491" target="_self" href=""><img id="img0c0984e4-9574-424d-b5df-b6c474fe7491" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vGJaEllvNojuMUDN_4SFJi_KlXnrBYh42H0VwyI1fVTlPWFDvSLqrxv1vsR4OKWs4-vTHWWodeQ3FufuJWlQaYa7v_Ydx0l9pM09PHbanZGVb4J7A8HVh2Vnf8bu_824RxajJl4zkjk/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 298px; width: 298px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: right;"></a>About an hour after our arrival in Sámara we were picked up to head to <a href="http://www.costarica-nationalparks.com/ostionalwildliferefuge.html">Ostional Wildlife Refuge</a>. It's a reserve where they protect turtle nesting. It was about 9 pm when we headed out to the beach to see literally hundreds of large lora turtles. The process takes about an hour as they come to shore, find a spot they like, dig a hole, lay their eggs, cover the hole, compact the sand down so you would never know they had been there, and then turn around to return to the ocean. They lay between 80-120 eggs each the size of a golf ball. It was really cool to watch despite how tired we were. Unfortunately in the dark with only the red flashlight of the guide we couldn't take any pictures so you'll just have to trust me on the cool factor.</div><div><br></div><div>We returned to the hotel about 11pm, exhausted, a bit hungry, but happy nonetheless.</div><div><br><br><br /></div></div>L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10187670725516824354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-10364490663340533822013-12-30T03:57:00.001+01:002013-12-30T04:04:12.551+01:00Education worth the embarrassment<div id="dE_H" style="font-family:Helvetica;font-size:18px;white-space:pre-wrap;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;;width:100%; height:100%; ;">Once I put aside my embarrassment for being from the US, we learned quite a bit today. Our timing in Costa Rica is good for some things and not others. It is high tourist season. We are surrounded by people from the US, everyone immediately talks to us in English and we are often near people that I wish would disappear. For example, this morning we were with a guide and a small group walking through the cloud forest, across hanging bridges, looking for signs of wildlife. A large family without a guide was walking along singing Christmas carols. Really??? Once I get past that and the kids that tried to call the monkeys as if they were dogs...here monkey monkey, or other bad imitations of the actual howler monkey sound, it was a pretty good day. <div><br></div><div>Some of what I learned includes that my mom has managed to maintain a cloud forest in her house in Missouri. Many of the plants are the same but without the other wildlife and instead of growing up from the ground, in the cloud forest they grow off of the existing trees. Their roots take years to grow down into the soil. In the cloud forest the trees are tall and take up most of the light so the lower plants fight for 3% of the sunlight that filters through. Trees typically last only 100-200 years because they can't set deep roots in the volcanic rock below. Also because trees don't experience all the seasons as they do in the states, they don't develop the inner rings that define the age of a tree. There were many ficus trees as the monkeys like to eat the figs that they produce and then they repopulate the forest with their excrement which usually lands on leaves in the canopy rather than hitting the ground. Monkeys along with the birds, frogs and snakes all live in the upper levels of the canopy where they get their water from some of the plants that form pools of water where their leaves meet the stems. The only lower plants are those with a large leaf base as they need it to grab as much sun as possible.</div><div></div><div><img id="imgc6640f33-e3cd-4bc6-ba8c-8fccda6cd9d1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhackPdcITkp6v47JQLShGaS0kDw5Wv27yPMpaExhTVR5MNJdsj1KtiiFiPrP6RmPuWCVW87_22v0rZnqZ2u7Q2g40DMXGxtomXT4pv8z4OiZzgB6RaLqDraoRiMPXOlfLsiNeV0N35OKA/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 462px; width: 462px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block;"><br></div><div>While Costa Rica is home to many types of butterflies, very few live in the cloud forest. This is because butterflies are cold blooded animals and are unable to regulate their body temperature. With so little sun in the cloud forest it is not a viable environment for them. We did see an <a href="http://www.billholsten.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=104520287">Owl Butterfly</a> which is the largest butterfly. Our only really good pictures are on a camera as it was too far away and too camouflage to catch with my idevice, as was the family of <a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/howler-monkey/">howler monkeys</a>. Both were really awesome to see though.</div><div><a id="lnkimgb84544ba-fa34-4a01-bc29-8bd419780a29" target="_self" href=""></a><a id="lnkimgb84544ba-fa34-4a01-bc29-8bd419780a29" target="_self" href=""><img id="imgb84544ba-fa34-4a01-bc29-8bd419780a29" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJhmgRdxrwQ3bInP1iduZTSlB_h7a7h31tcTHGWRNJ8D-EEStdnhzdlYIhGQ96hjygVuVf_kb8I7JoELqQOk5nYVECE3Cw0XMQxO8son8xA1NqiYFlHiUVGuaplAS2OdG-53hssaP9gA/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 449px; width: 450px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block;"></a></div><div>Other sightings included a millipede which has pairs of legs as opposed to the centipede that has individual legs, black guan bird, a humming bird nest, orchids, and hot lips, also known as Angelina Jolie.</div><div><img id="img0f981785-1f71-45d0-b206-7982b4ef8229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdUbKtggSFE27EMSHvAwNmgT-2duUuwQWhch3mnHZIBo8kMUI2Zs4EY2KV9eKV5rYnlAmsNVqe-igQcpD5Q7dideyg6fHUD59FV7NF3ZiDSjf_ZNY_Uh4BF8D59oJqG9e5qEUqZYx_lVo/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 458px; width: 458px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block;"></div><div>We returned to our hotel which is in a beautiful setting. We had a couple hours to rest before our Don Juan coffee and chocolate tour. We did, by the way, meet Don Juan, father of 9 and grandfather of 23. Literary buffs can take that wherever you'd like, although here they didn't seem familiar with the reference.</div><div><img id="img7a50349e-17b1-4b8b-8686-50b0e2e485cf" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH4_kbY7sjMW2CBlzTxwPO5zBl19Q1Zc5KtDkwT8a5Y4DnTtQKnFY0iPki-Z3t5inHXPkOR2b71lHfk72j0Li3vZkmIwb9rnZs8uY2FzbeyfK173LiKheJADv0b-7zNPA0sEzKufIX9c/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 466px; width: 466px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block;"></div><br><div><br>W<a id="lnkimgf2ed511f-d361-4a40-a34b-6dd77103d2c3" target="_self" href=""><img id="imgf2ed511f-d361-4a40-a34b-6dd77103d2c3" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgk8PQlBuLDR8Np87s9paLtfOyTbJVrWcytqHl4xg8vqzViDM5SaPj37lIU3XIb2c9HhcB_2K_etJglaz4GkAfecCUzQ5hyphenhyphenGFp8AT4vVtuOOKyVNH3JIbOVRCgmYkBs5jfa0rpH23eyBQ/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 374px; width: 290px; margin: 1em; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: left;"></a>e learned about the 8 layers to be removed to get to the actual coffee bean, that the fruit has to be red to pick which only happens in November, December, and January, and one must be careful</div><div><a id="lnkimg484afed9-3665-48ca-ba57-db1c481da602" target="_self" href=""><img id="img484afed9-3665-48ca-ba57-db1c481da602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCem9f0UpRVz4Y4UwxB1WJP49yEkBAUJJmrXc4ZSDF3ZVYynuJoZ-fxHCqpm9-iYfaNsMQYd4WufUnmQso8lm1rN8HpzL3TSqPLDEP1jau-GtKHRIzLPcZnj19diOBvdBaffMLO5KCnZA/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 220px; width: 282px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: right;"></a>to leave the stem on the plant so another bean can grow there the following year. Our timing was good since we were able to see some ripe beans and go through the layer removing process. We learned that the best beans are grown in volcanic soil due to the climate, temperature and rain. That's why Kona and Costa Rica are so well known for their coffee. It takes about 80 beans to make one cup of coffee. The highest concentration of caffeine is in the lightest roast but it has the least taste where as a dark roast loses about 10% of its caffeine but has more flavor. Espresso is over roasted and can be from any bean that is roasted to a point of bitterness such that you don't really know if it was ever a good bean or not. In the process of preparing the bean it must be dried so that it loses most of its moisture, down to about 12%. This is done in Costa Rica through sun drying over 6-7 days. Speeding up the process by using other methods causes the bean to lose its flavor, similar to a fine aged wine vs. a not so aged wine. Generally Costa Rican coffee is not roasted before export so that it will be fresher by roasting closer to the date of sale. For my decaffeinated friends who are curious... the caffeine is boiled out when the bean is still green before it goes to drying and roasting.<br><br><img id="img07ef3196-7553-481a-89c2-3c25a9ca9769" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBC8TQavTirRo6bp2kN32kzYd_bVP3G8J1OWJ71hX3pdTcuIZFFP7eRsvsYxGwyluRusVmvwbM_I30PGFekA8W-7pPY9cgDMR_cVptrV0lGFotd6IvOsmwWrE15shyHpfn9-ugNZbiMOU/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 458px; width: 458px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block;">In addition to coffee we learned about processing the cocoa bean into chocolate. Apparently white chocolate isn't actually chocolate at all but the butter/paste that is squeezed out of the cocoa to which sugar and milk are added, unless that butter is made into lotion or face scrub. We were able to taste various parts of the process. We also learned how the monkeys are very important for the growth of the cocoa plants as they eat the sweet part around the seed and then cast off the cocoa seed which will form a new plant.<br><br>The final part of our tour was processing the juice out of sugar cane. That was probably the tastiest part after our guide squeezed a fresh cut sour tangerine into the liquid sugar.</div><div><br><img id="img429f261f-c5dd-4561-9f99-ebe5e8e1f58f" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUt6rwhrXEA30o9tMYmKoGlkQdNO4BlUEJO8W9dRNvIaTXOSlA4THQx5pU7ZCH-JaQzphMLo-TyyL44QSlL83UkRG_oaTpYX5NvsQOCgJ0-F5C_mVuBPUo_ynqsPtPHLqyuWz-SAoloS0/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 458px; width: 458px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block;"></div><div><br></div><div>Tomorrow ziplines, ATV, and relocation to the beach, our final destination before heading back to winter.<br><br><br /></div></div>L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10187670725516824354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-90325974584948539772013-12-29T03:31:00.001+01:002013-12-29T03:40:28.091+01:00Mixed Emotions<div id="dE_H" style="-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;;width:100%; height:100%; ;">We spent our last full day in Guatemala City. As I mentioned in the last post there is far too much <br /><br><a id="lnkimgd2ac0999-2f8f-45f3-ba14-e9e3a1bc5ffd" target="_self" href=""></a><a id="lnkimgd2ac0999-2f8f-45f3-ba14-e9e3a1bc5ffd" target="_self" href=""><img id="imgf9af70d3-9f2a-4bc2-aa90-e259894d7881" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hQ8AJTMx2qExlAEPddMB73RKzbpTydbB_9bto2ODXbyyaJFsCTvZpydi8cbQ77r-U_3McmqsdYQxy9XAR8OswSJuYmwLJHW5zJuCiCW0fNYfNkte_223A-nshuBCTMrZPDVlZbW2EOA/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 199px; width: 250px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: right;"></a>western influence in the city. While they may be hanging tight to bits of their culture, there is a McDonalds around every corner like there are bars in Wisconsin. Next to our hotel was a McDonalds and across the street was a Pizza Hut and a Kentucky Fried Chicken. All are fast food places I would never visit in the states and it makes me sad too see how much of it is around every corner here. All of them had drive through and apparently they even offer delivery. I also noticed a McCafe full of Guatemalans. Some things I think are better not passed on to others...<br /><br><br /><div><br /><br></div><br /><div>Our hotel was in Zone 9, a short walk from some more typical restaurants in Zone 10 where Maia was able to order a big plate of black beans and tortillas while the rest of us could enjoy grilled meat, rice and fried sweet plantains. Our hotel offered a wonderful breakfast including fried plantains, of which I can never have enough and Morgan's favorite, that she doesn't get at home...Fruit Loops. The fruits and juices were all very fresh but we did have to be careful to only eat that which we could peel.<br /><br><br /><div><br /><br></div><br /><div>There was one main reason to spend 2 nights in the city. On Friday morning at 10am we met up </div><a id="lnkimg8c0cfd66-41c4-48f7-8cc5-29a760eafa98" target="_self" href=""></a><br /><div>with Maia's foster mom, Marina, her daughter Ana, and </div><br /><div><a id="lnkimgd713ca56-b0cc-4159-8cc8-5a2db641c8ef" target="_self" href=""><img id="imgf2ad231a-aa0b-466d-a4d9-16d2b1924876" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBAC4aXInEPzuiRu1wY3b7Oovy-DJ1DzTRpWgFpOGDsSeksB2HEQIW1l8R9T46ivk6IPyrUkklbQGEKtB7JzQFtubVzmIKf-DzwDwjG1HMcIfMQrs5VNX-ijhEQBo9fVQYMiT5EvIbnI/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 116px; width: 116px; margin: 1em; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: right;"></a>Ana's 2 sons. We met at the Relief Map and to get there we took a taxi. Most, if not all, taxis are used cars from the US that have often been in accidents or for some reason cast aside. There is a huge market for these damaged vehicles as long as the interior is in reasonably good condition. Mechanics will fix up or replace the engine and repair any exterior damage. The government will then allow a driver up to 15 years with that vehicle serving as a taxi. The girls enjoyed the novelty of an older vehicle when they saw this...</div><br /><br><br /><div><a id="lnkimg8e83c6fb-8954-483a-9aa7-aafd63454b92" target="_self" href=""></a></div><br /><div>While Maia was very quiet during the time we were with her foster relatives, it was very emotional for me, and for Marina to see Maia again after 13 years. Maia was the 2nd of 13 kids that Marina had fostered and she was the youngest to leave at only 4 mo<a id="lnkimg8c0cfd66-41c4-48f7-8cc5-29a760eafa98" target="_self" href=""></a><a id="lnkimg8c0cfd66-41c4-48f7-8cc5-29a760eafa98" target="_self" href=""><img id="imgba8872c4-1217-4b6b-b0ed-0edff6bbacdd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_cq6tRzG6Mo5TtQFavVacDZWfmr6IHubnNqAomq8Ow6gyjgHE5cQ3Wd3YYimq6Ouc97k6BD4oY1egbtelnglGqO4Zuw3_PLudgwY2ZcjD2gqb_JHFDZ5vXg2ANL3YOnvonbkT43hYCI/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 170px; width: 208px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: left;"></a>nths. </div><br /><div><br /><br></div><br /><div>We talked about the affect on her and her family of adoptions closing in Guatemala. She told me how hard it was on her family as her husband had previously retired due to illness. She also clearly loved taking care of babies and misses that tremendously. Adoptions closed to the US first and later other countries. The last child they fostered went to a family from Israel that waited 2 years to bring their baby home. That child left Marina walking. She and Maia were the hardest for Marina to let go of as they had the longest and shortest stay with her family and Marina's first grandchild was born a month after Maia. Unfortunately We were unable to meet her oldest granddaughter that is Maia's age as she now lives in Coban. We have pictures of them together as infants.</div><br /><div><br /><br></div><br /><div>Once there was no work for Marina or her husband the family from Israel helped them start a second hand clothing sale out of their house. They started with selling the many baby items that had </div><br /><div><a id="lnkimg91732a2c-7bc5-4556-a5e5-d9d1f595e433" target="_self" href=""><img id="img8eabd5d9-b217-4439-a202-bc569bb9e285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNz4MTbsPEyIKFtrs47xItdWMADBY0auekfND8AS0g_R5YrI9N94t94uGI07TsmaMiKguzqW0UK94RtgoHz90dhDWrheoiIQ5cs2GOL79s8XpPhYW3cvKW-5dvywq4VkODBQ8k-0GyboQ/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 212px; width: 274px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: right;"></a>been donated to them over the years. Today this work continues. Marina's husband has since passed away but she continues her work and has her daughter's family and her son living with her. While we met at the relief map, which was perhaps interesting for the kids, catching up with Marina was far more valuable than anything else we could have done.<br /><br><a id="lnkimge303e128-79c7-4dab-bf69-e08b475b14d1" target="_self" href=""><img id="imgd1a132f5-1fdb-47be-964a-12a104ee3244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPTUT8n-Unnskn0Gk2z9-LUQ-lSXq2sT5faHYqr0HxMNca8YDwpPzaH4jzgOD_NdlCumwA7x-u3w-PAgK0J_KXGE1rym7fghe3hxfAvdvZFZn0W2Ow5oNcPVxnXgRXIZOlP3JmmIhuAU/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 236px; width: 298px; margin: 1em; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: left;"></a><br /><br>After saying good by to Marina, Ana and family, we went to the city center briefly but it was hot and the kids really just wanted to swim. We took a cab back to Zone 10 where I got a picture of the apartment where Maia and I lived for a month and then headed back to the hotel. We spent the rest of the day at the pool which was a really nice way to end our time in Guatemala. </div><br /><div><br /><br></div><br /><div>Next post...Costa Rican Adventures.<br /><br><br /><br><br /><br><br /><br><br /><br><br /><br><br /><br><br /><br><br /></div></div></div>L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10187670725516824354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-33688176020586616562013-12-27T03:32:00.001+01:002013-12-28T02:46:18.577+01:00Interesting Sightings<div id="dE_H" style="-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;;width:100%; height:100%; ;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><img id="img0a7b05de-c7c9-4284-9d9c-e93abc8fdff1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQyEyENS36Ojs0wIGg6Ws5UxxxjA8h2PFGfPCC7wYZ2TSD70uPBg17NalpsQF6FFIs8B8q9nDByo_QkBmc5CM2QDCB9iowvbXaneup1e69-M6hwHrYxbR6-z9vutUMMVGjyn9bIHiK8Y/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 197px; width: 309px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; background-color: transparent; border-style: none; box-shadow: none; float: left;">Xmas day was fairly mellow as we needed some down time so we spent most of it just at the hotel in Antigua, or at least the others did. Since I can't sit still I did a bit more exploring of Antigua both Wednesday and Thursday. This is a post about some interesting things I came across.</span><br /><br><br /><div><br /><a id="lnkimg84804b08-c957-41c0-bbe3-32edd0ed6104" target="_self" href=""></a><a id="lnkimg84804b08-c957-41c0-bbe3-32edd0ed6104" target="_self" href=""></a><br></div><br /><br><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">While it may be a bit hard to tell from the picture, this is the largest jar of Nutella I have ever seen. I would guess it contains about as much as two double packs from Costco. </span></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span><br /><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The next sighting was around the corner. A store I never anticipated seeing, <a id="lnkimg84804b08-c957-41c0-bbe3-32edd0ed6104" target="_self" href=""><img id="img84804b08-c957-41c0-bbe3-32edd0ed6104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntOAt9gXC1qjNwKpDOpyKfBU3PKYJfrp5H903zdcS3u5R3TuvUHHuiIJiWSFR63DxbVgTN5Pmd-GGpzTKO1G14k-E7GjRPXkk9om1LHlfunEp4GPaWij8ZxBRzYOVHzybcJKEjPIHbTU/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 215px; width: 250px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: right;"></a>although the western influence is growing, especially in cities in and around the </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">capital. </span></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /><br>I couldn't help but walk in only to find that while the products are the same, one does not browse alone. No sooner was I in the door when an employee wanted to know exactly what I was looking for and was intending to accompany me throughout the store. </span><br /><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /><br></span></div><br /><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I wandered a bit further to make my way towards the plaza. I spotted this woman on her way to sell woven products. It was a nice reminder of where I actually am.</span></div><br /><div><img id="img19fda0d6-5224-4519-bd11-a9db2cd10a20" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCVMliKPrUTJT_8hEzpX8YLoGQuZsF6d1Yyj8r_qpYBv2TOpFvbaT8Udd0xY7rx7dKnZ9RrUYfFraVAUSphw3TyBSm_N7-w3cH61X6sswg8DL1_AZQ-SzFFi0FjSYYwZyzodh-iO8Nsg/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 204px; width: 266px; margin: 1em; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: left;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Once in the plaza I came across these two young girls selling hand woven scarves. They told me they were both 13, just like Maia.</span></div><br><br /><div><a id="lnkimgdfa45a50-a7e9-4dc4-801a-64f0bf88a5b2" target="_self" href=""><img id="imgdfa45a50-a7e9-4dc4-801a-64f0bf88a5b2" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINqIRbmS4A_BMXWw_U0_KJDP2Hg2GLJK1HyxHv-NUYLS76M5zLg1Fk2f91B86trVXiifMNdeUIx6yKiEY7GTkq8QWMHt4rrsN_-93TnSLaUJyQL-N-v1B19233XfVSeDC3LE8fEDLhkA/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 204px; width: 266px; margin: 1em; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: right;"></a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">From there I headed back to the hotel and took a few more pictures along the way. Below you see a moto-taxi which we have seen throughout the country. At some point we might have to ride in one just to try it out. I also took a picture of one of the racing buses that I mentioned in a previous post. <img id="img5c04ce50-0719-436d-a7f1-6112954d12f8" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfsb8r-GYxtWmdWshb44opqBLAC0aqRDwwCXqutoqklx2T9xClCEdJXQRNTlP2EFsE_Q3Baew-RDcAuoESKof0TI0bHaCt7bb3UK9rWlQg7o8RPBLDDrTNvfuP87v6eAD8Wi-y5OWRiE/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 366px; width: 282px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: left;"><img id="img1eba1113-10ee-4fa6-900a-308d2504dd1a" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfu9D75VP6z2z1bKsxZ4uWAzEwsI66gR_iq1e35KT320nQvJc0ggZCLtdS4rqljTwZ_0H1jHe1_MALyRFHoNVzBWHykIy17eJr68I50XHmIU8nsKDH187SCd_ZI2BZP8vmzdHnD6dEV_o/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 398px; width: 314px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: right;"></span><br /><div><a id="lnkimg5c04ce50-0719-436d-a7f1-6112954d12f8" target="_self" href=""></a><a id="lnkimg1eba1113-10ee-4fa6-900a-308d2504dd1a" target="_self" href=""></a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><br><div><a id="lnkimg04f8bd28-ceb1-4d6a-bfc2-f20c7f4e9114" target="_self" href=""><img id="img04f8bd28-ceb1-4d6a-bfc2-f20c7f4e9114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutve2TZFd2xUMrKNx0cm1drziKE7ikXkUl4jHkCzJR3tHyhDOKSj9zcy-U0U7cvQUX5aku5mAVhsy7Yzcw2KSmdRzE3T1aY_gjiYkh_pW9JrRuH4d6ZzZ-vVb-pJwnePsiVc0FhirTsU/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 204px; width: 266px; margin: 1em; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: left;"></a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I happened upon a bicycle repair shop. There are lots of people on bikes although between the bumpy streets and crazy buses, I wouldn't ride here.</span></div><br><br /><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /><br></span></div><br /><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Finally, I took a picture of the street. All these bits of paper are everywhere.</span></div><br><div><a id="lnkimg5b8ec551-827e-4f06-ac3c-af24a59ee075" target="_self" href=""><img id="img5b8ec551-827e-4f06-ac3c-af24a59ee075" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0Wyj17OXjYA64A5ukumKEzo17W7soNPwzt4LgpSMxiYs4Zkn0FjAPTgvsU8p2BbJZ1T-W9BYeylSu7m7hmcC4TcWijGS3o7K8AebTpAlkhq2xOaqFA2tshhhjtVpI8fPHsVRNlhyphenhyphenKKs/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 350px; width: 266px; margin: 1em; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: right;"></a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> Its not just any trash. In Guatemala on Xmas Eve and Xmas Day as well as for New Years there are constant fireworks. The streets are full of the leftover exploded paper.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><br /><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As you may be aware, there are certain areas of Guatemala where foreigners tend to travel, study Spanish, and at times take up residence. For one of my favorite sightings, I have to thank my dad. Prior to our trip he connected me with his patients, Ray and Judy who have taken up residence in Antigua. They invited us for breakfast this morning. Their house is nothing short of amazing. When they bought the property, which is very close to center city, it was ruins of a building with no roof. After 2 years of planning and 2 years of building it has to be one of the most incredible homes I have ever seen. Our nickel tour included a visit to the rooftop where I took the following photos overlooking the city.</span></div><br /><div><br /><a id="lnkimg6d8d1a06-8f41-4bc9-95a6-b1d618d04cf2" target="_self" href=""><img id="img6d8d1a06-8f41-4bc9-95a6-b1d618d04cf2" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkEE2O9YemqYP5nAQfK3elfadtRKHaY9JMm7lsqmlg6GxZWu1Z9G4V0kbqbEoV8AYk2RWUsqJyEVwdcC1XShM5rtqjx3MRH-6lkGoXLfLtdOvtygZmt18iS9zCn5mX7sgmWpvtu10mKo/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 204px; width: 266px; margin: 1em; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: left;"></a></div><br /><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><img id="img051446cc-0675-4215-88f6-835295d8aa5f" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bvdP2lgAYBAGCxgmUYZODXPHQ3V6Fy26-bBqpqXrr0z06mW_0CF69Zu-4d_Lvfk4utNW7hwGtOBMGX1M-gT8pikhB6m0L51JCFJpZcXmIi8x3yz7DpXFtKpBpG8CijP5Dn4RT7I1RPM/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 196px; width: 258px; margin: 0px; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block;"></div><div><br></div><div><a id="lnkimg4ab26a10-cc2c-4a8a-8bd7-bca94f9c7ff9" target="_self" href=""><img id="img4ab26a10-cc2c-4a8a-8bd7-bca94f9c7ff9" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8m1JTXNDAzYbFAoWFfmOZMvwstGehnaZ_SDOglo8Ul3urUW80XIML5smO6U8S3weNzS1yRzcoO9ZWklQDWBvWj0bOMty_TTAb6lBwZ8JPyMzuQDLE-2Fikuhwd9lfoHuHLw0r6qyC_IQ/" mvc="false" class="" style="height: 204px; width: 266px; margin: 1em; resize: none; zoom: 1; display: block; float: left;"></a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">They also have two beautiful Swiss mountain dogs, Kat and Maya. Our Maia of course made two new friends instantly and by the time we left even I had warmed up to them.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><br /><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Our Antigua adventures came to an end as we headed to Guatemala City for our final day. </span></div><br /><div><br /><br></div></div>L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10187670725516824354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-54527198487598979852013-12-25T21:45:00.001+01:002013-12-26T00:50:49.947+01:00A Holiday Blessing<div id="dE_H" style=";width:100%; height:100%; ;"><a href="http://Www.ninosconbendicion.com">Niños con Bendición</a> was our first stop on Christmas Eve and I can't think of a better way to start off this holiday. A <br><br><img id="img75c16f7a-d7a0-46a8-8b21-34d0647bfb46" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrq7GISi4Yhw97QdKV2O1_jb_Ox2hNazJFViCcg8u9jAM4bJ2YaZDTpYKlLtS8gSS59xzf5WVQklDYPjgj_JEKD7mFzGVD7JbOlnMg4BJAihHrSq4ffsucb0kP2jNO0xmXwxaZgJ-8lLU/" class="" style="height: 188px; width: 250px; z-index: 100; opacity: 1; margin: 1em; float: right;">tremendous thank you goes out to friend Anna Ohlrogge who told us about them. We also would like to greatly thank our many friends who helped us by providing donated goods and funds that we were able to pass along to these children and their families. <br><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">We arrived and were the only participants as Lesbi welcomed us with an introduction to who they are and why they do what they do. </span><a href="http://Www.ninosconbendicion.com" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Niños con Bendición</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> is a growing group now of 23 children. They learn the dances of their region and put on performances to earn money to pay for their food and education. It is possible to sponsor a specific child or donate to the organization. The children we met ranged in age from 5 years to 15.</span></div><br><div>The children all started out by introducing themselves with their name, age, and the department from which their native outfits came. While all the children are from San Antonio Aguas Calientes and the surrounding villages, they wore a variety of traditional clothes representing the whole country. Following their introductions, they performed 4 dances, each demonstrating an aspect of their culture from farming to a love and rejection story. For their final dance they asked us to join them. The older children played the drums and the marimba to provide the music for all the dances.</div><br><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/b9Xr4YURkAM2hviV3RGwx65bu_Z2N0fAijFy6Vlq5M8?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Twjar8w72dk/UrszaK-NSkI/AAAAAAAADF0/xo4OIu0NNhk/s288/IMG_1106.gif" height="162" width="288" id="img393fd820-28ce-47b1-a82f-7ba5610ebb4d"></a></td><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/S1iOl6523LWMM1AiOvEDwa5bu_Z2N0fAijFy6Vlq5M8?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XfpTD105saY/UrsyRzD4o2I/AAAAAAAADEc/-fRAei1oiv0/s288/IMG_1115.gif" height="162" width="288" id="img671c84af-2de2-4564-b4c6-783cf6bf91ea"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/106327592430066247807/Guatemala2013?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJmXs7uh-puP7AE&feat=embedwebsite">Guatemala 2013</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div>Once we finished dancing we were taken to another area where Lesbi and a couple of the younger girls taught us about making tortilla and the tradition/evolution of the tortilla making process. Without tortilla, Guatemalans can't eat and it isn't uncommon for growing boys to eat up to a dozen or more tortillas per meal. Then we were all given a chance to try smoothing out the masa, making it into balls, and then patting it out into a tortilla. Maia was a bit shy about participating in everything but when it came to actually making tortillas, she was a natural. Perhaps it's genetic. Mine were by far the worst. Not very round at all but they still tasted like tortilla. After we flattened them out they were placed on a big round clay slab over a hot wood fire. Lesbi explained to us how this is the traditional way to cook them and those who try to speed up the process and cook on metal with gas, while it works, the tortillas don't taste as good.</div><br><div><br><br><br><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/picasaweb.googleusercontent.com/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F106327592430066247807%2Falbumid%2F5961423558978311441%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCPHTnt3Xu6ycfw%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"><br></div><br><div>We were then served some tortillas made by us, black beans, and a very tasty spicy sauce. As we ate we learned more about the project. Lesbi is a trained teacher but was never able to secure a position with the government teaching. Her concern however is for the many children who can't attend school because they can't afford the uniforms, supplies and transportation to get there. For that reason she and her husband started <a href="http://Www.ninosconbendicion.com">Niños con Bendición</a>. (They have a son of their own that turned 10 on the day we were visiting.) </div><br><div><br><br></div><br><div>While Lesbi still doesn't have an official classroom, she has her 23 children of the community and an opportunity to teach. The children come to her almost every day. They learn music, dance, English, and are often fed there as well. Those who teach are volunteering their time to help the children and more and more children are coming all time as the word gets out about the great work they are doing. She dreams of some day having a bigger space to be able to provide a dance room, music room, classroom, and a larger performance space. All in good time with enough sponsors and people helping to support them, we hope she will realize her dream.</div><br><div><br><br></div><br><div>We are so thankful that with the help of friends and family we were able to provide toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, pens, pencils, scissors, erasers, paper, crayons, colored pencils, monetary contributions and so much more. For those of you who were kind enough to help us collect for this cause, we will be forever grateful and so are they. We also hope for any of our friends or family that happen to venture to Guatemala, that you take the opportunity to visit this very special place.</div><br><div><br><br></div><br><div>As the holidays for us is a time not only for spending with friends and family but to also think about our community and role on this planet, our next stop was <a href="http://www.exvalhalla.net/index.htm">Valhalla</a>, a macadamia nut farm that Dean and I visited 13 years ago. It is owned by Lorenzo a retired firefighter from San Francisco and his wife. They farm completely organically and have 2 varieties of macadamia nut trees. They have been running this farm for 35 years. The beauty of these trees in addition to being a source of food and other products is their contribution to the environment and their ability to clean the air. Unfortunately it can be seen as a losing battle in an area with no regulation of vehicle fumes but the hope is for them to eventually plant enough trees worldwide to fight against the impacts of global warming. Not long ago they received a major award in Switzerland for their impact on the world. They have planted over 350,000 trees in Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nigeria.</div><br><div><br><img id="img42c13b0b-a9c4-44bd-a986-694de76bfed0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlnvK2NIU26kl7APSv4rIsCmPVakWCdpjn4Xs7KA8S4M2iWEORkThUN3T0cx7zRl1vbepLriXg6Tsa_z8TlzuoA2natEMTrg4BgSOz5OsRvThqcw0WOIinFJzC1vJYtgmbcAsol4Q4m4/" class="" style="height: 188px; width: 250px; z-index: 100; margin: 1em; float: right;"></div><br><br><div>After learning about their completely organic farming methods and their very low impact methods of processing the tree fruits into a final product for sale and export, we entered their spa/showroom space. We were introduced to macadamia lotion that does wonders for psoriasis and eczema, oils and shampoos, and of course chocolate covered macadamia nuts.</div><br><div><br><br></div><br><div>We followed up a few purchases with a lovely conversation as we joined Lorenzo and family during their breakfast. Lorenzo loves to tell stories and the girls thought that he reminded them a lot of their Papa (Lauren's dad).</div><br><div><br><br></div><br><div>We returned to the hotel where Dean took a rest as he wasn't felling well, Maia decided to just chill, and Morgan and I took a van in to town to check out a bit of Antigua. More on our impressions of Antigua to come.</div><p><br><a href="http://www.bewriteapp.com"><img src="http://bewriteapp.com/iblogwithbewrite.gif" alt="I blog with BE Write"></a></p></div>L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10187670725516824354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-60673439812749462952013-12-25T04:40:00.001+01:002013-12-25T04:43:44.585+01:00Guat's up?<div id="dE_H" style="height: 100%; width: 100%;">
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Guatemalans enjoy playing with the English language. Those who can afford it take English classes but those aren't typically offered in school and there are many children that can't afford the basic needs to go to school. More about that in a future post.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We got a bit later start today as we met up with Jairo, our guide <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">at 9:3</a><a href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">0</a>. We walked down to the port where we boarded a boat to cross Lake Atitlan. The lake is really beautiful as it sits in a crater overseen by 3 volcanos and possibly a 4th which is emerging slowly.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Our first stop was the village of San Juan La Laguna (known to some as San Juan La Locura). Upon our arrival several young men descended upon our boat before we could even get out, offering their services as a guide. Jairo did a great job of fending them off for us. </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We noticed some buildings that appeared to be mostly under water. Jairo explained to us how the lake is fed by 3 rivers but there is no outlet for it. So during the winter months there is heavy water flow and the only way water is eliminated is </span></div>
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<img class="" id="img8221bd63-bbf5-4eda-8520-1e14d9d2fcff" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SEoFQFML7SWjM7GAm597A8Au8Ed52dbS2_OyZ2uh9OSAPutCwxkf2U8LBwPGiTYEQH9y6VhMcr5nDWfUWmOJ4HdMr9pey_wj9bsKXc_Eup4K60r8-MsHkHyT30VfDsJ88Ds28d3QsP8/" style="float: left; height: 188px; margin: 1em; opacity: 1; width: 250px; z-index: 100;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">through evaporation in the summer, when the rivers dry up. As a result, anyone who builds too close to the edge eventually gets flooded out.</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We then headed up a steep hill towards the center of the village. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We saw a couple of schools which reminded me of what I have seen in Nicaragua and even in Spain. Schools don't have fancy parks and playground equipment. The kids are expected to use their imaginations to play. There were some basketball hoops and walls for playing with balls against a wall, but that's really about it.</span></div>
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<img class="" id="img3c8473b6-cfaa-4e68-887e-2caab9a56200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hXHIWm0rl0mcZwefp9xgByny2OgSU3E6mYdQ1g8ExhNOrBJd3VuF4uDl9LUzObKYsYuwedqlxuVWUNVAXmyEYyyVbamr7XPeAuqzBMV5DLVHLbyHc1DcwQYSAX3NoPaPGO4E73clhlk/" style="float: left; height: 188px; margin: 1em; width: 250px; z-index: 100;" /></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">From there we continued on towards the town center. We passed some really beautiful wall paintings that offered some stories and history of the people in that area as well as very artistic graffiti. It is apparently common to see houses with a single floor and then some partial construction on top. Jairo explained to us that as funds come in to move the economy of the village they build what they can and then wait for the next inversion of money to be able to continue and build the next story.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moving on into town we found an Xmas tree made of AstroTurf with presents under it. A bit more influence of western culture. We continued on to a small garden coop. The woman who worked there explained how they are working with a number of families who have small gardens at their homes. They grow a variety of plants including chamomile, basil, rosemary, and others I'm less familiar with. From these plants they make shampoos for all hair types and teas for everything from indigestion to helping nursing mothers produce more milk.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Across the street we entered a coop where we learned about weaving and textiles. In the center of the coop was a cotton tree. They showed us how they went from the cotton on the tree to turning it into yarn. From there they use a variety of </span></div>
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<img class="" id="imga0d321d6-166c-4402-8197-a0fe6200ada9" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8P2GmbdUDpz3tkcoGloUw18W3pPmXyS-lRzs1X4HWysIMfN40XBXx_GZFdsPJgw2Su8r2FVXD3DjNML7ksTrJ8x7mAPyXBRsrD89XUpXMB5fok2HPUgHCqkD775jJkA2Uzevi-pPh1s/" style="float: right; height: 334px; margin: 1em; opacity: 1; width: 250px; z-index: 100;" /><img class="" id="img023692ae-9c6a-4e2e-8097-4bd62d1aee6b" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbA7t0G7BgZxRBihyzzcHTF-RIQzfsWPtIhqRIFwRCdHdRKdjKK5iE6uLYvxOqlghu8x2gAcBeCkdZ6AQQ0ynAqI1QltqjPUR9twTfF99tqVNP_7TVGRYssYy121zusg8XudLyvTWOOc/" style="float: left; height: 334px; margin: 1em; opacity: 1; width: 250px; z-index: 100;" /></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">foods such as carrots and basil to create the dyes that they soak the yarn in. In order to set the color so it doesn't lose it's intensity when washed, they finalize the process by soaking it with banana leaves. Finally we were shown how she sets up her loom on her waist and weaves. It's a slow process but the results are beautiful. The girls and I each chose a few things to buy and every item had a tag indicating the name of the weaver.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We finished out our tour of San Juan la Laguna and headed by boat to Santiago Atitlan, the largest village along the lake. Jairo stopped an elderly woman as we entered town and asked her to show us how she ties her hair. It was really interesting to see how quickly she did it. This particular head wrap is specific to this village. Each village has its </span></div>
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<img class="" id="img10697aaf-e021-4380-bf81-fc4bd1cb0e78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGl380oW13bhNadzn5kGtFHBpiKpmL3M7nUmK5Prdkm5Ntuxrtife8kVR_Hktzkq_7Uunhgq2rBYtIU2N4Iz1G4Y6mSCjsnBoYThgkcKjr9GDnCbGKNk5X4ifCYx0S8ox_ab_8d-j85lQ/" style="float: left; height: 188px; margin: 1em; width: 250px; z-index: 100;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">own dress and those in the know can identify where a person is from based on the clothes that they are wearing. Today it is mostly the women who continue to dress in traditional clothing while the men are mostly in western clothes.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Jairo then explained to us the different religions and beliefs that are most present in Guatemala. We went to see the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim%C3%B3n">Maximón</a> (pronounced more like ma-she-mon). It was a wooden figure that is overseen all day long by its caretakers. They always have a cigarette in his mouth and they even tilt him back for a drink of whiskey. His caretakers charge for you to see him and take pictures but their primary focus is when people come in looking to this being/saint of sorts for assistance. We happened in on a couple of men that were looking for some sort of help. There is an interpreter there to communicate with this being. We couldn't understand what he said as it was in an unknown language and he moved and spoke as if he too was drunk. It's very hard to describe but the linked Wikipedia article does a nice job of explaining how this figure came to be.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We finished out our visit to Santiago walking through the market to get to the Catholic Church. Once there Jairo was able to explain some of the carvings on the wall behind the altar and how the invasion and attempt at converting the people from Mayan beliefs to Catholic. It didn't work as well as they had hoped since the belief in Mayan idols and traditions is so strong. They now intersect a bit but Catholicism as we know it, didn't take over this community.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We then returned to Pana to get the car and some food before our 2.5 hour journey to Antigua.</span></div>
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L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10187670725516824354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-82807681331027760222013-12-24T23:45:00.001+01:002013-12-24T23:45:00.550+01:00Western influences... Indigenous cultures...<div id="dE_H" style=";width:100%; height:100%; ;">Our late night arrival in Guatemala went as planned and was without incident despite only 30 minutes to change planes in San Salvador. Upon arrival, I couldn't believe how much bigger and more modern the airport looked. In 13 years much has changed but we are hoping to find that the overall culture remains the same. On our van ride to the hotel we realized how much western culture has now influenced life here as we passed McDonalds, Burger King, and Taco Bell. Very disappointing...<br><div><div><img id="imgfbcca252-0ea8-453a-97bb-54b8f2bb30da" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMDaGWacSlK1G6i_T9ITiUjjiX6lExT0nhUT4iFke9LxOUujGtzWhnCDr1L3RhbK2fpw3GXsmE8GXZjqk097zirYxvpErNzQ3wd43k29hCN-1xffRMxL9ib8-6WnEbVY0rhTWmo8jivA/" class="" style="height: 188px; width: 250px; z-index: 100; opacity: 1; margin: 1em; float: left;"></div><br><br /> <div>Today we traveled to Chichicastenago with our piloto/guía, Jairo. He's a really nice guy from just outside of Antigua and has an 11 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. He is very knowledgable about the history of the people and the governance of the different departments (the Guatemalan version of states) that we drove through on our 2.5 hour drive. He told us also about the agriculture, overall economy and pointed out some foods at roadside stands that were new to us. </div><br><div> <div></div><br> <div>As we got further out of the city we saw more and more families along the roadside waving. Apparently they do this in hopes that people will stop and give them candy or, I suspect, any other spare food one might have. We also saw the racing buses. Racing buses are soupped-up versions of school buses from the US and Canada that are now used for urban transport. They are often referred to by us as chicken buses. The reason for the </div><br><div><img id="imge58f8483-3574-4e7e-ba4f-ff7b8c2ce484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1ikMsMO2nIIOE79wfgRIIdMM_Vm9Rz0dnCHDUXin6bhApq-MFC_pyRPrkZ39t0hTFYChe5Q6N3jhNvAu0a-SGOoXdH5Jt7pLg7aNm3aR4HegDoepo6fkuvNZF_e1kvrFtUj4VxGBy-E/" class="" style="height: 188px; width: 250px; z-index: 100; opacity: 1; margin: 1em; float: right;"></div><br><div>racing is that they are required to pay a set fee everyday plus the cost of their gas and maintainence. If they race to get the most passengers they make the most money. On the highway towards Chichi they put in speed bumps to slow down the rate of accidents and fatalities that result from these racing buses.</div> <div><br></div> <div>Once in Chichi we learned that it was the anniversary of Santo Tomás which meant there was an extra level of crazy by the main church. Chichi is the only city that has both a Mayan and a Catholic Church. Jairo explained to us how it was more </div><br><div><a id="lnkimg450d69d8-ff48-4f70-b6ab-550bc35a40cb" target="_self" href=""><a id="lnkimg450d69d8-ff48-4f70-b6ab-550bc35a40cb" target="_self" href=""><img id="img450d69d8-ff48-4f70-b6ab-550bc35a40cb" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdavKpa6yXca_bHvkdqf-Gn0_imhiTtP95nUVAj2Sfu6XimMXgqIt0PtQVLFJL3IJCn9JK3LPzXNsQauP_B-NucNGln0hoYU1zsjBS6LspEaypt57bZZCcVm7m-RGi8X02qz6txoKpGks/" class="" style="height: 187px; width: 250px; z-index: 100; margin: 1em; float: left;"></a></a></div><br><br><br><div>of an invasion than a conquest when the Spanish came in. Their plan was to convert the Mayans to Catholics and they thought this would be easy since the Mayans already believed in Gods. However it wasn't as easy as they thought since the Mayans weren't looking to give up their beliefs. That said, I n order to comply and not face persecution, many Mayans agreed to Catholicism in name only but continued practicing their own religion.</div> <div><br></div> <div>In a parallel vein, there were battling bands in front of the church. The loudest one made the stone ground below us shake and the other one we could hardly hear even when standing directly in front of the stage. They didn't quit though or even </div><br><div><img id="img240d9f4b-1236-4257-b84f-002c8da27015" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSuNWyk92dPlLjzkEKB9OK9WksQBxKcACeAFyVu7F2DY0dJzbK_lR-n6_MUfSAeDMR5vScyEu_sfpt4UaP8mIGesq8Vs1u23_LMDoUglIGtUar8WFXjUP-EfG0JpHkBEQ8zdPhWpqn_w/" class="" style="height: 188px; width: 250px; z-index: 100; opacity: 1; margin: 1em; float: right;"></div><br><div>seem bothered by the battling bands. They just accepted it and carried on with their own beat. There were a couple of dances going on as well. In one, the men were dressed in typical Mexican clothing and dancing with snakes in their hands. This costume was to remember the Mexicans that accompanied the Spaniards during the invasion. The other dance involved elaborate costumes with headdress and apparently the traditional tennis shoe. We were able to get a picture with one of the dancers as he was a friend of Jairo, who seemed to know people everywhere we went.</div> <div><br></div> <div>After a bit of an historical tour, Maia befriending a talking parrot, and some lunch, it was time to let the shopping begin. The girls picked up some instruments and a few other things, I got a couple </div><br><div><a id="lnkimg8f78af34-4260-4483-8acd-eb9a02ad0957" target="_self" href=""><img id="img8f78af34-4260-4483-8acd-eb9a02ad0957" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexE_HlnUihheNBd0D4Lvxz-S6_Ku0iSMsAN0CqzFECveOEr8yV2iAWc5l8Hik7iJvgTgGKOWRw3bi2s_UWC5OnkIkgTvZpnK1U_3z31Trn8ZjXus7ULyXGEXnWMqKAFqKsSWDfMDsR0g/" class="" style="height: 188px; width: 250px; z-index: 100; opacity: 1; margin: 1em; float: left;"></a></div><br><div>woven belts, and Dean just enjoyed looking around. Then we were off to Panajachel, about 1 hour more. Perfect for Dean to get a good nap in and for Jairo and I to have a nice discussion about religion, travel, and people around the world.</div> <div><br></div> <div>Upon arrival in Pana we checked in and Morgan and I went exploring while Maia searched for wifi and Dean finished his resting. Later our dinner was delicious and Morgan and I found a few more things that we just had to have.</div> <div><br></div> <div>Tomorrow a tour of some of the towns on the other side of Lake Atitlan.</div></div></div><p/><br/><a href="http://www.bewriteapp.com"><img src="http://bewriteapp.com/iblogwithbewrite.gif" alt="I blog with BE Write"/></a></div>L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10187670725516824354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-28035504241393642182011-07-25T05:43:00.007+02:002011-07-25T06:40:34.442+02:00Our Last Few weeksThese last few weeks in our overseas experience have simply flown by. I had hoped to document them along the way but life is what happens after you make other plans. My back went out for a little over a week and I was completely non-functional. Meanwhile the kids had a few days of sports camp before heading off to away camp. Today, the morning of our departure, I woke up at 5:30am and haven't been able to fall back asleep so here's the last few weeks in short. <br />
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Away Camps</b><br />
Morgan went away to camp in <a href="http://gipuzkoagazteria.net/udalekuak/estancia_c.php?zeinaterpetxe=1&zeintxanda=ad2at1tx2">Barria</a> for a week. Here away camps are by lottery rather than first come first serve. The camp Morgan attended is run by the government and she signed up with a good friend. We arrived at the bus in Bilbao and all seemed fine for her. She climbed aboard the bus and then a few minutes later when all the kids were on, she came running off. Morgan had never been away from home for that long and wasn't so sure she could do it. In the end, she had a really good time, went swimming, did lots of crafts and sports , made new friends and loved all the counselors. The food was horrible but that's to be expected. Apparently they had a nightly dance that ended around 11:30, long after Morgan can usually keep her eyes open. All in all, I think she might even go away to camp again...<br />
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Maia also went away but she went to <a href="https://portal.bbk.es/roller/coloniasbbk/category/Pedernales/TURNO+3%3A+11-16+julio">Pedernales</a> which is a camp run by the bank, also a lottery. In her case she was not able to sign up with a friend but since she has been away before that was less of a concern. Her camp is near the ocean and in walking distance to our friend Marina's house, for those of you who knew Marina, the high school student that lived in Madison last year. Pedernales was a boarding school and it is very organized. Each child's bed has a number that matches the wardrobe and the towel hook in the bathroom. There are 2 swimming pools, lots of animals, ocean, biking, hiking, sailing, horseback riding, gymnastics, and a variety of other activity options. Needless to say, Maia had a great time and liked it better than horse camp in the states.<br />
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What I learned is kids are a bit more catered to at camp here. I have been told children are sacred and I'd have to say I agree with that in how they are treated. That isn't to say that they are all princes and princesses. The community is really built around children and making sure they have the parks, activities and the experiences available to them that the society deems important. That means all children regardless of socio-economic class or disability have access. The lottery is one example and the price of the camps is another. A week of day camp in the states is far more expensive than even overnight camp in Spain. Camps are for the kids to enjoy and learn both activities and values. The kids are responsible for their own things, but they are served. They don't have regular jobs of hopper and scraper at meals, they don't have to clean the bathrooms, and if they don't feel like making their beds, they don't have to do that either. Sheets and bath towels were provided for Maia while at Morgan's camp the kids slept in sleeping bags but bath towels were provided. <br />
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Our trip to pick Maia up included a visit to Mundaka to see Marina and her family one last time. We spent a bit of time at the beach with Morgan and then enjoyed lunch and the company of Marina's family before heading to the camp. <br />
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<b>Despedidas, Until We Meet Again</b><br />
For as beautiful and sunny as our day in Mundaka had been on Saturday, the following day when I had planned a "See you later" get together including beach and BBQ picnic, we ended up with rain, wind and cold. We had a last minute change of location, still outside but under a roof at <a href="http://www.restaurantes-vasconavarros.com/restaurantes/elmolino/">Cevecera El Molino</a> near where we live. Everyone survived the cold and we all agreed that this is what happens when you try to plan something. Hard to believe it was the 17th of July and we were in long pants and jackets. Regardless the company was great and that was what we were there for. Our friends from Vitoria came as well as Marina who traveled 2 hours alone to join us. Of course my exchange sisters, their families and many of our friends were also there.<br />
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<b><br />
</b>In the short two days remaining the kids went to sports camp while Dean and I worked, packed the house and did as many of those last minute things as we could. I decided to bike my run and take pictures. Here's what I have been looking at for the past 7 months, although there weren't always leaves on all the trees...<br />
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Our last two nights were late ones as we got together with friends in the evenings which turned into night. <br />
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Dean and I spent late nights/early mornings packing and cleaning the apartment. Today is the morning of the end of our seven month adventure that flew by. We would all like to stay longer and we know we will be back, hopefully sooner rather than later...L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-84381294615212220602011-07-08T21:17:00.000+02:002011-07-08T21:17:01.413+02:00Switzerland, A City View: Zurich, Schaffhausen & Old Friends<b>Saturday</b><br />
We decided to sleep in a little. Eventually we headed out beginning at the train station. From there we started a walking tour along the river towards the lake, <a href="http://www.zuerichsee.ch/">Zürichsee</a>. <br />
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I continue to be amazed by the beauty of Switzerland with its old buildings, many of which are painted with typical Swiss style, and the beauty of the rivers and lakes that run through so many of its cities. Add to that an incredibly efficient public transit system used by thousands daily and there isn't much to complain about, except perhaps the prices. We did well in buying a Swiss Pass which covered all of our transportation needs to and within all cities as well as many of the museums and other places we visited throughout the week. <br />
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Once we reached <a href="http://www.zuerichsee.ch/">Zürichsee</a> the girls were asking for a boat ride. We soon discovered that our Swiss Pass covered that as well. We hopped aboard a 90 minute boat trip on <a href="http://www.zuerichsee.ch/">Zürichsee</a>. The excursion took us to several ports of interest including <a href="http://www.kuesnacht.ch/xml_1/internet/en/intro.cfm">Küsnacht</a>, a fashionable suburb where I believe Tina Turner has a home, <a href="http://www.thalwil.ch">Thalwil</a>, an important railway hub, <a href="http://www.rueschlikon.ch/de/">Rüschlikon</a>, a former farm village, now home to 3M and IBM, and <a href="http://travelingluck.com/Europe/Switzerland/Z%C3%BCrich/_6292880_Kilchberg%20_%20Bendlikon.html#local_map">Kilchberg Bendlikon</a>, once home to a few famous writers and now home of <a href="http://chocolate.wikia.com/wiki/Lindt_%26_Spr%C3%BCngli">Lindt & Sprüngli chocolate</a>. It was a beautiful sunny day and quite relaxing. We discovered a few fine spots for a swim as well if we return on a warmer day. We arrived at the pier quite hungry and found a nice pasta place set back into the old town. From there we started back toward the train station and on to the hotel. <br />
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After dropping our things and regrouping it was time to meet up with Sofia and family. I met Sofia 24 years ago in Spain and we have remained in contact through letters, then email, holiday cards and on occasional visits in between. This was the first time that our kids would meet. Despite how many years had passed, we still connected like old friends. It was really great to see her and her husband again. The kids took a few minutes to warm up to each other but in no time they were playing quite well together. Spanish was the common language for them. <br />
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Dinner was amazing and I was so glad to be feeling well enough to eat again. The homemade pizza-like appetizer was followed by several kinds of grilled meats, salads, and corn. The weather was perfect for grilling out and they have a lovely home in the countryside making for just the right setting. During our time at their house we were visited by the neighboring cows and some horses that were out for a stroll. Dinner was followed by a lovely pastry assortment.<br />
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We headed back to the hotel full, happy and with a meeting plan for Sunday.<br />
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<b>Sunday</b><br />
We met up with Sofia and family at the Zurich train station. The kids were happy to see each other again. We found our train to Wintertur where we then changed to <a href="http://www.schaffhauserland.ch/en/land/places/rhinefalls">Schauffhausen</a>, 3 minutes between trains and a change of platforms but still made it with 4 kids and a stroller in tow. The Swiss rail system is an incredibly well greased wheel. Even the girls have come to appreciate train travel and public transportation done right. <br />
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Dean and I had visited <a href="http://www.schaffhauserland.ch/en/land/places/rhinefalls">Schaffhausen</a> many years ago during the spring. It was quite different to see the falls in the summer with so much of the mountain snow having melted. The water was mesmerizing and extraordinarily loud.<br />
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We took the boat ride to approach the falls for some pictures and a quick shower. The kids seemed to enjoy the shower part. There were also some paths that went down along the cliffs to the side of the falls where we were able to get some nice photos. <br />
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By 1:30 we were all ready for lunch. Sofia had reserved a lovely table for us on the terrace of the castle. Just below the terrace was an old park which worked out well for the kids. <br />
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After enjoying our leisurely meal we decided on a visit to the castle. The view of the falls from the inside was quite nice and the tour was a bit curious. It was like a Walt Disney animated ride only the animations began as you entered each room rather than you sitting in a boat being driven by each scene. The animations told the history of the castle and the area during various periods of its use. Entertaining, informative but perhaps a bit cheesy. <br />
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From there we headed back to Zurich. As always we parted with an until next time rather than a goodbye as I'm sure we will meet again, hopefully at some point within the next decade. Monday morning, the 4th of July we headed back to Bilbao with only 16 days left in our 7 month adventure. Time is really flying by and there is never enough of it.L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-40060015127000605382011-07-03T23:53:00.000+02:002011-07-03T23:53:23.505+02:00Switzerland, A City View: Cheese, Chocolate & the Olympics<b>Wednesday</b><br />
Probably the most anticipated day of the trip. Can there be a bad day when it includes a cheese factory and a chocolate factory tour? For most people not, but of course I managed to get a stomach virus so it was definitely not my best day... This day took us to <a href="http://www.la-gruyere.ch/en/welcome.cfm">La Gruyere</a> region of Switzerland, a day trip from Bern.<br />
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We went at a normal pace rather than a Lauren pace but it was also a bit rainy so that worked out. Our first stop was <a href="http://www.gruyere.com/en/home/?">Gruyère</a> for the cheese factory. We had planned a trip up into the town which is really beautiful but it was raining so hard we decided to skip it. We ate lunch in the factory restaurant instead. <br />
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From there we took the train to Broc Fabrique for the <a href="http://www.cailler.ch/fr/Chocolaterie/Informations.aspx">Callier chocolate factory</a> tour. It has changed a ton since our last visit. We started out seeing some old films on chocolate to pass the time while we waited our turn on the tour. The tour itself was quite interesting and completely animated with lights and sounds to bring ambiance to the story. It started from the discovery of chocolate and led us through to the current factory. There was a bit about how chocolate is made, without giving away any of the secret recipes of course. Following the tour and buying a few souvenirs, the kids played in the Calliers playground while we waited for the next train.<br />
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Here's what the girls have to say about what they liked best:<br />
Morgan: I liked learning the history of chocolate because it was interesting.<br />
Maia: I liked the tasting of the chocolate and the movie theater part.<br />
(They are still girls of few words when put on the spot.)<br />
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We returned to Bern exhausted but in time to prepare dinner and to play a couple games of foosball before calling it a night.<br />
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<b>Thursday</b><br />
We checked out of our hotel and took a few final pictures of Bern before heading to <a href="http://www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/">Lausanne</a>. It was a an hour or so which was a nice rest for me as I was still a bit under the weather. Our main point of attraction was the <a href="http://www.olympic.org/museum">Olympic Museum.</a> <br />
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We took the metro down to the lakeshore where we had some food by the lake. From there we walked along the water spotting some really fun paddle boats. I'd love to have something like that on one of the Madison lakes for weekend enjoyment. We continued our walk until we came upon the <a href="http://www.olympic.org/museum">Olympic Museum</a>. We weren't allowed to take any pictures inside the museum but we did get some fun ones on the outside. <br />
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Here's what the girls have to say about what they liked best about the day:<br />
Morgan: The torches were the most interesting part. <br />
Maia: Everything!!!<br />
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When we finished at the museum it was time to head to <a href="http://www.luzern.com/de/welcome.cfm">Luzern</a> for the night. I have always loved the beauty of that city and in past visits have wanted to stay there. We arrived to find that we were upgraded from the <a href="http://www.roesli.ch/en/">Rosli Guest House</a> to the <a href="http://www.baslertor.ch/en/">Baslertor Hotel</a> about which I certainly wasn't going to complain.L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-6270234511002250702011-07-03T09:45:00.001+02:002011-07-03T09:48:57.779+02:00Switzerland, A City View: Bern<b>Monday</b><br />
We arrived at our hotel in Zurich around 8:30pm on Monday. Easy to find and great location. Typical Swiss hotel, no AC. It was around 25ºC/90ºF with our room on the 5th floor of the hotel. HOT! But the beds were comfortable as well as the sofa sleeper so that was the most important. We took military style showers or sponge baths as the water was ice cold. Apparently the water heater must have been out and they couldn't divert the sun to heat the shower water. Once we were out it felt good in the room. <br />
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<b>Tuesday</b><br />
First thing Tuesday morning we found breakfast at the pastry shop on the corner. Then we gathered our belongings to head to <a href="http://www.bern.ch/weiche_en">Bern</a>. We'll be back in Zurich for the weekend so we didn't take the time to see any of it at the moment.<br />
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We hit Bern around 11:30 and quickly caught a tram to the <a href="http://www.bernbackpackers.ch/">Backpackers Hostel</a>. They are closed between 12-3pm so we would have been stuck with our luggage if we hadn't arrived in time. Our room is phenomenal. Spacious with 2 single beds and 2 bunk beds along with lots of floor space, a very unusual find in Switzerland. <br />
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Another sweltering hot 90 degree day. We grabbed picnic lunch and headed to a park. Challah and salami with gruyere followed by some fruit hits the spot. By the way, the pre-made challah sandwiches were with ham. I never quite understood that combination but it always humors me. <br />
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We then headed down the main shopping street towards the <a href="http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Specials/New_Bern_-_300_years/Bears_get_21st-century_home.html?cid=7618776">bear pit or perhaps I should now say enclosure</a> as it is a much improved space over the original dry barren pit. The pit now has a small gift shop and the enclosure is a large hillside with a water stream below. <br />
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We abandoned our original plan to head to the Rosengarten due to the heat. Instead we opted to head back to the hotel for our bathing suits and check out the free public pool beside the river, a perfect spot for a steamy hot day. The pool was definitely refreshing. After a bit of swimming, Maia and I decided on a short float down the river. The current is extremely fast and we didn't have good shoes to wear so we went barefoot. Staying close to the shoreline was a bit hard on our feet but we weren't going to venture too far, only from one stop to the next. A nice experience but a bit scary with a kid. Maia, my amusement park thrill rider, didn't want to do any more than what we had done. The float part was fine but the getting out was challenging. Maybe when she is older we'll be a bit more adventurous about the experience.<br />
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After a brat, another dip in the pool, and some ice cream, we were ready to head back to the hostel. We walked by the Parliament and the splash park after riding the tram up the hill. <br />
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On our way back we realized that the stores close at 7pm and we still needed to buy dinner and breakfast. One of the nice things about our hostel is the ability to buy, store and cook food in the kitchen. So after a bit of grocery shopping we were in for the night. Fed, showered and exhausted, we headed for bed. <br />
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<b>Scenes of Bern</b><br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Flrosen608%2Falbumid%2F5624863085236324561%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCLzZ4M247riVAg%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-73342814992836571072011-06-28T01:22:00.000+02:002011-06-28T01:22:21.585+02:00Westward Expansion: Our ViewAt some point we do have to recognize that there is more to the north than just the Basque Region. We decided to take one more excursion but this time we went west through Cantabria. Once again we took Patricia, Eusebio, and their girls with us as it is always more fun to explore new places together.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday, June 18</span><br />
We started out in the morning towards Santillana del Mar. On the way we made a reservation to tour El Soplao, a cave in the mountains south of San Vicente de la Barquera. Due to time constraints we decided to skip Santillana del Mar and head straight to <a href="http://www.comillas.es/">Comillas</a>. Having done a little research ahead of time I knew that we would be able to get some pictures of <a href="http://www.elcaprichodegaudi.com/comillas_en.php">El Capricho de Gaudi.</a> It was like a candyland house. So cool. It was one of Gaudí's earlier works assigned to him by his master who was to design the palace found just up the hill from El Capricho. To get pictures from the outside we headed up that hill towards <a href="http://www.comillas.es/ficha_visita.asp?id=3">El Palacio de Sobrellano</a>.<br />
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More interesting to us than the palace itself were some of the sculptures on the outside. As you can see, the girls enjoyed climbing in and around them.<br />
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Below the palace was a field where they were having a medieval festival. We would have liked to check it out but we were short on time to make it to our date with the cave. We headed down the hill and took a quick loop through the center of town. It's a really lovely place and next time we will have to plan to spend some more time there for sure.<br />
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Returning to our cars, we headed to <a href="http://www.elsoplao.es/">El Soplao</a> which was definitely worth it. It was the Florida mine up in the mountains that was being worked when in the beginning of the 20th Century the miners discovered the cave. It was only recently opened for tourism. Our tour began with a short ride on a miner's train car to enter the cave. Once inside we had an hour long tour. The cave consists of more than 30 kilometers of galleries. From the entrance there is a 35ft. drop into the gallery called "La Gorda", named for its immense size, with a maximum height over 60ft. There was another gallery called "Los Fantasmas" (The Ghosts) named for its huge white stalagmites. Unfortunately I can't remember the names of all the galleries but there was one with a low ceiling full of eccentric stalactites. They are considered eccentric because they are growing horizontally to the floor. There are a few theories for what causes them to form that way but no one is absolutely sure. I've visited a few caves but never have I seen one so big or with so many eccentric formations. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside but you can see a bit of it <a href="http://www.turismocantabria.net/eng_soplao.htm">here</a>.<br />
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The tour ended around 3pm and we were starving. We headed to S<a href="http://www.sanvicentedelabarquera.org/">an Vicente de la Barquera</a>. There we found lunch, really huge ice cream and took a walk up the hill to the monument section of town. We visited the outside of the Santa María de los Ángeles church. The views were certainly nice from up there. On our way back down the hill we went into the Castillo del Rey. There were a few artifacts left inside but mostly it was for the views from the outside. When we finished there it was getting late and the kids were getting tired. We did make our way to the lighthouse, which wasn't as interesting as expected. Then we headed for the breakwater known as La Barra. The water was really rough in that area and fascinating to watch.<br />
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Next stop, home. It was a long day and everyone, not driving, fell asleep on the way home.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday, June 19</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vdnTayvfN3I/TgkNKus-n0I/AAAAAAAABs8/84K48vOGnO8/s1600/DSCF2117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vdnTayvfN3I/TgkNKus-n0I/AAAAAAAABs8/84K48vOGnO8/s200/DSCF2117.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>We definitely had a slow morning after our long day but there was still a bit more of Cantabria we wanted to see. We headed out to <a href="http://www.laredospain.com/">Laredo</a> where we spent a few hours on the beach with a picnic lunch. The sand was very soft and the water really welcoming. It is a beach of about 4 km in length, known as the longest in the area. Once we were sufficiently lobster-like where we weren't careful enough with lotion, we decided to head out.<br />
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We went to a town called <a href="http://www.castro-urdiales.es/">Castro Urdiales</a> which is still Cantabria but just the other side of the border of the Basque Country. It was a nice town. From the point, we could see La Galea and the windmills that mark the area of Getxo near where we live. We did a typical walk around the monuments and old area of town. While we didn't make it to the natural pool, we were told they have one. Our next trip I'd like to spend a little time in the water as it seemed very inviting.<br />
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There's never enough time for all that we want to do so we are doing our best to enjoy the time that we have.L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10187670725516824354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-714137444826076452011-06-23T00:04:00.000+02:002011-06-23T00:04:51.183+02:00School Goes Out Fighting...One thing the Basque people are never short on is finding ways to enjoy themselves and the company of others. The end of the school year is no exception, and yes teachers in all countries are always up for a good party.<br />
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Friday the 17th was the last Friday of the school year and was the all school party. According to the girls, the party started about 9:30 with all school games on the patio. I missed that part so I don't have much in the way of details.<br />
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However, at 12:30 the parents were invited. The afternoon started with graduation which consisted of the fifth graders handing the sixth graders their framed class picture. After the hugs and pictures, the incredibly awesome music teacher who is retiring, was presented with a violin. She had been talking about learning to play during her retirement. Then the festivities began.<br />
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First there were a series of musical performances, a very entertaining play by 4th & 5th graders using idioms, followed by dances done by all the grades. Here are some pictures as my video shoot didn't work out so well. (Oh, and Morgan's wrist wrap, just 8 year old drama...)<br />
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Following the dance, hunger had definitely set in. It was a beautiful sunny day and banquet tables and chairs had been set up on the grass in the shade. We joined a group that had ordered delivery of cheeseburgers, roasted chicken, tortilla patata, and croquetas. Do potatoes count as vegetables? We served the kids first. As we were serving, the teachers, who had a few tables reserved that extended off of our section, were bringing out food that made for a banquet. It wasn't large pots of things to share but rather a typical Spanish-style celebratory lunch. The "first plate" was a series of beautifully designed appetizers, or pintxos as they are known here. This was followed by "larger food" and then dessert. The kids had finished eating before all the teachers' food made it to the table.<br />
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At this point I began thinking, "this could never happen at the kid's school in the states." First off following the meal was the water <i>gun</i> fight. A water fight could definitely happen on school grounds in the states but I'm not so sure that the "gun" version would be acceptable. While the kids enjoyed that, under the supervision of the extracurricular activities monitors, the parents and teachers ate, and drank. Drank, yes, that's the other part that could never happen in the states. Some people brought wine and beer. The teachers even had bottles of champagne. No one by any means got out of hand. It is quite typical during the large meal eaten between 2:30-4pm in Spain that wine is served. The school patio was no exception, apparently.<br />
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Eventually the teachers headed home but several families stayed on. We were there until around 7:30pm. Once the kids had enough water, there were games as well as face painting, molding clay, and other art options. <br />
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The rest of the events to end the year were kid-only activities such as cleaning their things out of the class room, a class party and an all school field trip to <a href="http://www.vallesalado.com/es/">Salinas de Añana</a>. As with all school trips here, the parents are not asked to chaperone. In addition to an educational experience, the students enjoyed a salt spa, picnic, and yet another water fight. According to the Morgan it was superrequetebien. They returned tired but happy.L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-40982277276573678252011-06-22T09:39:00.000+02:002011-06-22T09:39:33.091+02:00A Tourist's View: Part III The Final Chapter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-eXaaX75hzWWUd9B6DexqTWPWV9-A2oqvTc39UA2v4sVlO-7Wls2tWEQ97sIk6m14mNmWILnmmpmkVjOoliuaRIyRVlHrNuaij4rW1WCsDk1klUL17vjnSxwiZzHI0L0UZT2szKXAKI/s1600/DSCF1879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-eXaaX75hzWWUd9B6DexqTWPWV9-A2oqvTc39UA2v4sVlO-7Wls2tWEQ97sIk6m14mNmWILnmmpmkVjOoliuaRIyRVlHrNuaij4rW1WCsDk1klUL17vjnSxwiZzHI0L0UZT2szKXAKI/s1600/DSCF1879.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/AVvXsEg9-eXaaX75hzWWUd9B6DexqTWPWV9-A2oqvTc39UA2v4sVlO-7Wls2tWEQ97sIk6m14mNmWILnmmpmkVjOoliuaRIyRVlHrNuaij4rW1WCsDk1klUL17vjnSxwiZzHI0L0UZT2szKXAKI/s200/DSCF1879.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Monday</b><br />
Hard to believe Kevin and Lynne's trip was already nearing an end. By Monday they were well adjusted to the time zone. So, it was the day of the grand tour from Algorta to Bilbao. We put on our walking shoes (no we didn't walk all the way to Bilbao...).<br />
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We started outside their <a href="http://www.httamariseshotel.com/">Hotel High Tech Tamarises</a> and walked along the coast toward <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Arenas">Las Arenas</a>. Its a very nice stroll along the water which included in numerous locations plaques describing the historic mansions we were passing along the way.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF32Uy2VOWpdbKSqF844T4Kquz1OeTjvrnVj6YFxzs9pKYEubsuPbY1E6Z8Z8dDLdskPWdvoMVhh9rjfNAniLTYe-6E1Wh7YMMwy-Jv66go9cQpFcVj2Q7ky0rEho3q1Wu7nG-9H858rQ/s1600/DSCF1861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF32Uy2VOWpdbKSqF844T4Kquz1OeTjvrnVj6YFxzs9pKYEubsuPbY1E6Z8Z8dDLdskPWdvoMVhh9rjfNAniLTYe-6E1Wh7YMMwy-Jv66go9cQpFcVj2Q7ky0rEho3q1Wu7nG-9H858rQ/s200/DSCF1861.jpg" width="200" /></a>We crossed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nervi%C3%B3n">Nervión river </a>on the <a href="http://www.puente-colgante.com/">Puente Vizcaya</a> to <a href="http://www.portugalete.com/">Portugalete</a>, where I had lived. From there it was an uphill walk through the <a href="http://www.portugalete.com/content/casco-hist%C3%B3rico">Casco Histórico</a> and then on to catch the metro to Bilbao. It was nice to share a little bit of <a href="http://www.portugalete.com/">Portugalete</a> with friends. I was hoping to stop for coffee in La Giroa, the bar that once played "Born in the USA" every time I entered, but it was closed. We continued on to the metro.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOeZttalfMYuJYN_pn101FIeHejrq9BMxPim4C1R7eG64lqVjVn7uPhk8IfpU6x7P_SR_nrNeZlt-Pzi-A4RA-QjioRs2wx9hPfKbH71Ydqo9L755TlkSHzgUf7KswiH4OIPbeZHsPYk/s1600/DSCF1863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOeZttalfMYuJYN_pn101FIeHejrq9BMxPim4C1R7eG64lqVjVn7uPhk8IfpU6x7P_SR_nrNeZlt-Pzi-A4RA-QjioRs2wx9hPfKbH71Ydqo9L755TlkSHzgUf7KswiH4OIPbeZHsPYk/s200/DSCF1863.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklcOBAPWvM9RDkGJaCH-xkGqOu4MP91uuMkt_WDUZy4fAd0E9-jIg55EPAjQYzcOkcGjUWhGWbC9Hsat1qOBwYvew-lWAXxcZvNmsVzipkxfeYdkGgp5GSFizr4IeVtg413Vmi9O8YAE/s1600/DSCF1862.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/AVvXsEhklcOBAPWvM9RDkGJaCH-xkGqOu4MP91uuMkt_WDUZy4fAd0E9-jIg55EPAjQYzcOkcGjUWhGWbC9Hsat1qOBwYvew-lWAXxcZvNmsVzipkxfeYdkGgp5GSFizr4IeVtg413Vmi9O8YAE/s200/DSCF1862.jpg" width="200" /></a>We got out in the Casco Viejo, <a href="http://www.bilbao.net/">Bilbao</a> which has that typical narrow street, old building, no cars feeling that characterizes many cities in Spain. It is the one area of Bilbao that really hasn't changed. The store names have changed but the overall look and feel is still the same. After a beverage and some outstanding and unusual pintxos in the <a href="http://www.cascoviejobilbao.com/monume-pla.htm">Plaza Nueva</a> we stopped in the cathedral. I had never been in it before. While there were clearly some people in there to pray, I was surprised by the number of tourists inside taking pictures on a Monday morning.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllDKoz9vvDtLF8FhiotGuc0aAmEvtdvb5EywVpvW4ojKDaT9gK1M9Mod1gLX6eJ1tfLPdlmHVgXgvUhmdrO_zcnP_uoSbZk9fXfAODPCF_bjAYzVQ5tEqKJOZ4mOp34lFWFboYq5yfhg/s1600/DSCF1866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllDKoz9vvDtLF8FhiotGuc0aAmEvtdvb5EywVpvW4ojKDaT9gK1M9Mod1gLX6eJ1tfLPdlmHVgXgvUhmdrO_zcnP_uoSbZk9fXfAODPCF_bjAYzVQ5tEqKJOZ4mOp34lFWFboYq5yfhg/s200/DSCF1866.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>As we moved out of the Casco Viejo area we happened upon a rather curious garden. As it turns out Bilbao is in the middle of some sort of a<a href="http://www.bilbaojardin.com/"> garden competition event.</a> I couldn't decide whether what we found was funny or creepy. What's your vote? Oh, and yes it did win an award.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qIC11Q5xufakWwQH-oR1pF0y7nXfwRolASnf7N3zi9e3cMtUd81H2GHYQV49sA71H3XDQpM9i3yQtNYqof6z-sWnVvlZZuSFNMeVvv4JLhKSSa3W6rJtGA7xKrLeVUNRQrdvU2LugsU/s1600/DSCF1870.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/AVvXsEi5qIC11Q5xufakWwQH-oR1pF0y7nXfwRolASnf7N3zi9e3cMtUd81H2GHYQV49sA71H3XDQpM9i3yQtNYqof6z-sWnVvlZZuSFNMeVvv4JLhKSSa3W6rJtGA7xKrLeVUNRQrdvU2LugsU/s200/DSCF1870.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>From there we crossed back over the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nervi%C3%B3n">River Nervion</a> (crossed from Las Arenas to Portugalete, crossed again in the metro to Bilbao, twice, and now again to head to the center of the city.) The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nervi%C3%B3n">River Nervion</a> snakes around. As we crossed, the backside of the train station caught my eye. Architecture along the river is quite beautiful. Once across, we walked the pedestrian mall that parallels la Gran Via. We were in search of the best looking typical pastry we could find, including pastel vasco. It was our last night together with Kevin and Lynn as well as being their anniversary. We found what we were looking for on the corner of the Gran Vía near Moyua.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wfYgy5gmyco78elZpI7v3TABF9ipMv_-XIuLBwEaFoPl0-FVblE6p5SFnzTUaBJd_oxejLw3IjK3ma7JBPk9HtIIhTDITOofhT3wh-fDcrprfj_-u1j81t8wNBBVHTj2IwjSbHIAJEc/s1600/DSCF1877.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wfYgy5gmyco78elZpI7v3TABF9ipMv_-XIuLBwEaFoPl0-FVblE6p5SFnzTUaBJd_oxejLw3IjK3ma7JBPk9HtIIhTDITOofhT3wh-fDcrprfj_-u1j81t8wNBBVHTj2IwjSbHIAJEc/s200/DSCF1877.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Following our purchase we continued on to <a href="http://www.alhondigabilbao.com/">La Alhondiga</a>. As described in earlier posts, its a very unique and beautiful building both inside and out. Before we entered we came upon a mirror with a bronzed frame. Perfect for taking a picture of your reflection. The inside of the building however has low lighting which doesn't ever seem to work well for pictures. At that point hunger was setting in so we headed to Moyua and filled ourselves with more amazing pintxos from El Globo, my favorite pintxo spot, followed by ice cream from <a href="http://bilbao.salir.com/alaska">Heladería Alaska</a>.<br />
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Our final destination, the <a href="http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es/">Guggenheim</a>. Unfortunately it is closed on Monday's. So, we settled for some good pictures from the outside. I had to leave the group behind as it was nearing 4pm and I needed to pick up the girls from school by 4:30.<br />
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Eventually we all met back in Algorta. Our evening ended with a nice home cooked meal and, of course, the pastries we picked up earlier in the day.<br />
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<b>Tuesday</b><br />
Tuesday was a short morning as we only had a bit of time to share breakfast with Kevin and Lynne, and take a walk back through the Puerto Viejo of Algorta and along the beach before the cab to the airport arrived.<br />
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It was a very quick five days together but I think we all enjoyed it. Every once in a while it's important to play tour guide in your own city. Too often we forget to look up and to see what we have until it is time to discover and share it through the eyes of a tourist.L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760017586685919341.post-87770254623091867912011-06-20T08:54:00.001+02:002011-06-20T11:34:12.178+02:00A Tourist's View: Part II The Basque CoastIn this part, I no longer get to play tour guide. Together we discovered Guipuzkoa and southern France visiting places new to all of us.<br />
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<b>Saturday</b> <br />
Our plan included meeting friends at noon. On the way we stopped in Gernika. The last time the <a href="http://www.jjggbizkaia.net/home/presentacion/index.asp">Casa de Juntas</a> building was closed. This trip we had just enough time to see it. The building is quite beautiful and I especially enjoyed the stained glass ceiling. Of course it was nice to get some close up pictures of the original and the offspring famous <a href="http://www.euskosare.org/euskal_herria/arbol_gernika?set_language=en&cl=en">Árboles de Gernika</a>, the very important oak trees I talked about in <a href="http://yeazelstravel.blogspot.com/search/label/Guernika">my previous post</a>.<br />
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From there we headed to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lekeitio">Lekeitio</a> where we found our friends from Vitoria, José, Rosa, and their girls. They had met Kevin and Lynne on a previous trip to the states when we were all in California together. It was nice to have them as our tour guides along the coast.<br />
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After walking around Leketio for a bit we began our drive along the coast. The scenery was amazing and the roads were quite curvy. Morgan learned the hard way that she needed to look out the window, not down at her DS. We went through several small towns along the coast and eventually stopped at <a href="http://www.turismozarautz.com/">Zarautz</a>. It was nice to get out of the car, stretch our legs and find a meal. As it turns out, we happened upon a triathlon. It was a really nice course as the swim started in a neighboring town and finished on the beach of <a href="http://www.turismozarautz.com/">Zarautz</a>. Our lunch spot was right along the rows of bikes. I'm not sure where the bike and run went exactly but with the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, it had to be a beautiful course.<br />
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We have noticed that they take their races seriously here. They have relatively short time maximums on their courses so that if the racer doesn't finish each event within a certain amount of time, the racer is disqualified and not allowed to finish. I suspect that makes it easier for the race officials and volunteers. Of course that would also be very disappointing for someone who has trained for a race and then doesn't get to finish it. <br />
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Following lunch The kids let out some steam on the beach and in a park. <br />
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Our travels continued on to San Sebastian. Parking and traffic were tight as always so we headed up <a href="http://www.monteigueldo.es/">Monte Igueldo</a> to take in the spectacular views of San Sebastian below and a bit of amusement. From the top of the tower which was built in 1778 as a lighthouse, we had a great view of the city, the ocean and the amusement park. The girls took a ride on the roller coaster, known as the Montaña Suiza (not rusa). In the center of the tram is a man whose job is to handbrake the coaster throughout the ride. Can you imagine spending your entire day on a roller coaster, repeating the same ride? Another unique feature is the view of the Cantabrian Sea from the coaster set in the mountains. So, I guess if you have to ride a coaster all day long it helps to have amazing views.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzPHcaI4ggRvSLQ6DBdyZze7ATH9Z8G5_d-SNcifethxYYsLkFp_lpjGkZNWRA3ZF9Q-JHCOoDhT12NEj0h3Vyo_ZdEmOKDjDmTIdvgB9Jg5molQiapxBmLjC68jhnT-WrXjfjp31Ui0/s1600/DSCF1798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzPHcaI4ggRvSLQ6DBdyZze7ATH9Z8G5_d-SNcifethxYYsLkFp_lpjGkZNWRA3ZF9Q-JHCOoDhT12NEj0h3Vyo_ZdEmOKDjDmTIdvgB9Jg5molQiapxBmLjC68jhnT-WrXjfjp31Ui0/s200/DSCF1798.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkABtEqwRtQnDRPak0QbIATKrylu10d4_xzbEB0DzyyA3-PmxUgVghewr4MF6LInJG2qapZf658XKrPzFF-ft1eh3G9x5_71HXZhkk0O1EXK_yL5DCu1O-iund8dguKVQa-i1kB_5jN0k/s1600/DSCF1803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkABtEqwRtQnDRPak0QbIATKrylu10d4_xzbEB0DzyyA3-PmxUgVghewr4MF6LInJG2qapZf658XKrPzFF-ft1eh3G9x5_71HXZhkk0O1EXK_yL5DCu1O-iund8dguKVQa-i1kB_5jN0k/s200/DSCF1803.jpg" width="200" /></a>Not far from San Sebastian we found our casa rural, <a href="http://www.nekatur.net/artola#">Artola</a>, in the mountains. It was in a great location overlooking the coast. We were welcomed by a herd of grazing sheep. The downstairs part is a sidrería, cider house, but it wasn't serving on Saturday as it's a small family run place and it's past season. After settling into our rooms, we headed down the mountain for dinner. We ate at <a href="http://www.petritegi.com/">Petritegi Sagardotegia</a> cider house. The food was delicious and plentiful but the girls favorite part was catching the cider in the glass. There is an art to it and according to those who frequent these places, the cider tastes different if it is poured from far away and hits the bottom of the glass with a splash.<br />
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<b>Sunday</b> <br />
After breakfast we headed to France. We visited a really cute town in the Basque region called <a href="http://www.saint-jean-de-luz.com/decouvrir-la-ville,1,1,2.php">San Juan de La Luz</a>. The walk around town was beautiful yet much more touristy than any of the other places we have been. Many little souvenir shops and specialty shops selling "traditional" goods such as woven shoes and items made from striped fabrics that are typical of the Basque region. We also happened upon some sort of horse event as there was a parade of people on horseback dressed in traditional costume and marching their horses. We saw no graffiti on the walls of this French Basque community unlike what we have seen in much of the Spanish Basque region. <br />
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We then moved on to <a href="http://www.paysenfrance.com/64-pays-basque/Hendaye/fr/index.html">Hendaya</a> where we stopped for lunch and to take in the views. It was there that we parted ways with our friends from Vitoria. <br />
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We decided to head home stopping for a quick photo shoot in <a href="http://www.mutrikukoudala.net/">Mutriku</a>. One of the more interesting features we saw was a "natural" pool. They had built a wall in the ocean in a protected but relatively deep area. The tide naturally fills and cleans the pool daily. It was protected so safe for people of all ages to swim and big enough for lap swimming. <br />
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All in all it was a busy but very nice weekend of seeing new sights and sharing time with good friends.L. Rosenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17758316988030963312noreply@blogger.com0