These are a few of my favorite things....

I am ready to go back to school! I am so over summer and wishing for fall to hurry up and get here; jeans with sweaters, my beloved birkenstocks, Hawkeye (and Johnnie...) football games, apple picking, soup, warm slippers and red/orange/yellow leaves.

Happy Summer...

In the summertime when the weather is high you can chase right up and touch the sky...

Wishing...

I were there.

I've been back in the good 'ol US of A for just about two months and am missing Spain immensely! Instead of hiding out in my house from the storms passing through lately, I would much rather be sitting at an outside cafe sipping cafe con leche.

Final Weeks

So... I've neglected to load pictures the last few weeks. Oops.

6 days until I return to the states... still not quite sure what to think about that.

Ahoy, matey!

Our most adventurous day involved renting a car, driving down the coast a few hours to the south part of the island and getting on a big 'ol pirate boat for a few hours of whale watching.
We were fortunate and saw plentiful whales and dolphins (while getting a nice tan!)

It's just too bad they don't do flips and tricks like at Seaworld...

Playa Jardin- Tenerife

Beaches in Tenerife = superb. The sand/rocks are black from the volcanic action on the island. One would think that black sand would scald the bottom of your feet, but it was suprisingly not too hot at all. In fact, I think regular sand is hotter.

What is it about the sound of waves crashing that is so theraputic?

Bon Voyage

I will be on the Island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands until late late next Thursday. Pictures to follow upon my return!

Francia

Stunning.

San Sebastian

Favorite things in San Sebastian:

- Rose Trees... absolutely beautiful

- The River/Cantabric Sea... obviously great

- A wonderful seaside breakfast, listening to the waves crash against the rocks. They even provided blankets incase the breeze is a little too strong

Bilbao

Toledo

Amazing.

Happy Thoughts

(Mediteranean in Barcleona)

Happy Thought #1 : Last night I attended my second spanish yoga class at the University. It's a little different than the yoga I am used to but is still wonderfully relaxing and I am learning all sorts of new vocabulary words :

ribcage: caja

spine: columna vertebral

groin: ingle

Happy Thought #2: Two weeks from tomorrow I fly out for 6 nights and 7 days in the Canary Islands which are just west of Africa, by Morocco. Itinerary so far includes possibly whale watching, volcano-climbing, and most of all --lounging on the beach!!

El Escorial

Yesterday we visited El Escorial, once a Royal Palace and now a monastery. The highlight was seeing the beautiful marble and bronze crypt of all of the kings and queens of Spain. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside so I snapped a few of the crazy snow storm instead.

Mezquita de Cordoba

This is the last set of pictures from our trip to Andalucia. This structure is now a Catholic Cathedral but was originally a mosque. A beautiful architectural mixture of the two religions.

Flamenco, Sevilla

While in Sevilla, the group had the opportunity to see a Flamenco show. Flamenco is both a style of music (mostly guitar and singing) and dance. It is said to date back to the 15th century with gypsies being the primary performers. In summary, it is a mezcla (mix) of hip thrusting, tap dancing, flowy dresses. We were not allowed to take pictures until the last 3 minutes so they are not the greatest quality... but should give a general idea of what we experienced.

Alhambra, Granada

The Alhambra is an ancient Moorish castle and fortress built during the 14th century. It is made up of a series of palaces and gardens along with other smaller buildings and is one of Spain's most famous place of tourism. The architecture is exquisite with thousands of etched stones and mosaics but I loved the fountains the most. The picture of the fountain in the garden above is part of the summer palace and is supposed to exude peace and comfort.... it worked for me!