Jeff and I sneaked away for an adventure of our own meeting Elisa Gomez, the student we will host in the fall, and her immediate family. They picked us up at the school and took us to their home, which is a condo like home the size of our house. Elisa is finishing her freshman year in high school and is the oldest of three children. Her younger sister Maria is 13 and her brother Alvero is 10. The parents are also Elisa and Alvero and are about five years younger than we are. We had a lovely time getting to know each other, preparing Elisa for what to expect in the fall, and sharing an amazing Spanish meal together. We arrived back at the hotel just in time to join the group for chocolate con churros back in the Plaza Mayor area. Think fried donuts dipped in a substance that’s somewhere between hot chocolate and fudge. Our location is nice because we can do all that on foot. By the time we got back it was midnight with a 7 am wake up call. Ouch!
After
breakfast today we boarded a bus for Escorial where we toured the monastery,
which is currently used as a school. While we had been there before, I didn't
remember much from our last visit so I enjoyed it as a new experience. It was
then on to Segovia for a tour of the city and its famous Roman aqueduct
and castle with a nice break for lunch in between. We are currently riding to Burgos which is a gorgeous drive through the countryside.
and castle with a nice break for lunch in between. We are currently riding to Burgos which is a gorgeous drive through the countryside.
June 15,
2013
We are
sitting on a beach in Biarritz, France, a little coastal town not far over the
border from Spain. I will get to our day today in a moment, but first let me go
back and pick it up at Burgos. We stayed in a fairly fancy hotel and had dinner
there as a group. About 20 of us headed out for a moonlight walk through town
and ended up at the square featuring a statue of a pilgrim. Apparently there is
a well known pilgrimage in Spain, France and Portugal tracing the footsteps of
St. James. The symbol marking the route looks like a shell and we have seen it
a few times since.
Friday
started with a tour of the cathedral of Burgos which has many different chapels
sponsored by the wealthy families of the times. There must have been quite a
lot of wealth because they are laden with gold and valuable art. We headed out
for a day of bus travel and stops at amazingly cool places. Bilbao was where
Jeff and Todd spent a month two summers ago when they had a grant from school
to take a class and immerse themselves in Spanish culture. The city was once
totally industrial but now is a very cool combination of old ad modern since
the Guggenheim Museum was built in the late 1990s. Lunch took place in a mall
where we managed to have an incredible little meal for less than 3 Euros. Mine
was a tortilla Espanol with a crab sauce that I won't soon forget. We strolled
by the river and took in all the sculptures outside the museum, including a
giant puppy made of bright flowers.
The stop in Sebastian was truly a tease because we got just 90 minutes to walk along the ocean and take in the gorgeous landscape and architecture. Oh, and we did manage to make a few minutes for gelato in a cute shop downtown. Jeff would like to spend considerable time in that region someday and though I don't speak the language, I think I would be content to hang out there, eat the amazing food and take in the sights. Another beautiful bus ride to Biarritz took us to still another good meal at the hotel, though this one was rather simple with chicken, green beans and a delightful apple tart. Free time at the hotel gave us a chance to reconnect to the world via phone, e-mail and Facebook, and it’s probably good not to get too far removed from reality.
Today is
our completely unscheduled day and a chance to explore Biarritz on foot, walk
the promenade where one view is more beautiful than the next, and ahhhh, hang
out on the beach. We started the day at a market which was a result of our
quest to find the Milwaukee Cafe, started by a woman from where else but
Milwaukee who had married a French man who was a professional highligh player.
Her daughter was working there at the time and it was funny to hear someone
speak English with no European accent. We treated ourselves to sweet treats,
most of which would be consumed later as a mid morning snack. A little jewelry
stand in the parking lot provided the first splurge opportunity of the day.
The kids got some time to
themselves and the teachers managed to find a quaint Italian restaurant off the
beaten path with great food at a reasonable price. Never have I had so much
good food back to back. I keep hoping I won't like something so it will be a
bit easier to stop. We are building in as much free time as possible today so
we give everyone the chance to do what appeals. Some in the group visited a
maritime museum while others hit the boutiques.
Our last
full day in France was more like two in one because we fit so much in: a bus
tour stopping at the main sights including the Eiffel Tower,a tour through a perfume factory, time hanging out
in the Latin Quarter where we ventured out and had falafels at a little
storefront stand, Montmartre including my favorite spot with the artists
painting in the square at the top, dinner, the boat ride down the Seine and
finally, going up the Eiffel Tower at 11 pm. On the hour the tower’s white lights blink and we got to see it at 11 and yes,
midnight. We would have to rush back for a few hours sleep before heading back
to the US on June 19. What a great trip!