An afternoon of sun..

We went to la huerta this afternoon and grandma made me make lunch. Jk ;) She made me make the tortilla because I tried in Kansas one time and messed it up big time. With a little help from grandma today, it turned out perfectly! I'll try to recreate it again once I'm back home :) 

After lunch, I went to Mazarron beach with Miguel, his friend Sylvia from Berlin, and a couple of his scout girls. I really love this town. The water today was perfect and it wasn't too hot outside either. 

After the beach we took a long drive up the mountains to visit an old military lookout on Cape Tiñoso called la bateria

de castillitos (I think:-/) Anyway, it was really neat. It looks like a really old military base, but has these huge military guns and water pipes which made me suspicious of it's history. Apparently it was built around 1930 to protect Cartagena. It looks out to the south and you the views are just amazing. We stayed until it was too dark to see anymore and I made it home about 11:30pm. 

Another long day jam packed with Spanish and sun and fun...but gosh I'm tired! 

Happy Corpus Christi!

Poor Inma. She is so good to me. She drove me all over town last night, finally getting rid of me after 10:30. The kids were still at grandma's in la Huerta. I'm sure the plan was sleep at their house, but by the time she picked them up I'm sure they were already asleep. So, when I woke up this morning I got the message that they were in the huerta and to call her to pick me up when I was ready. I love mornings. I think that's why I hate working nights so much. I got up a little before 9, got ready for mass, packed my bag for Mazaron beach later, and started the 5 minute walk to San Basilio. It was so nice to go to Spanish mass again! I've definitely forgotten a lot of my prayers, but it was good to be back! 

After mass, I thought breakfast in a cafe sounded nice. Of course, I forgot, I'm in Spain..although cafes are open on Sundays, they don't open till later. So instead I visited this little churreria and had myself a very fattening breakfast of churros and chocolate. 

Fortunately this cafe i planned to go to hasn't changed their wifi password, so I'm able to sit outside their door and pick up their signal on my iPhone :) Inma should be here in about 30 minutes. In the meantime, I'm reading my book, eating churros, and trying to ignore the strange looks I'm getting from passersby as I sit here looking like a street beggar ;) 

It's a good morning! 

Next stop la huerta! 

And later...Mazarron!! One of my favorite beaches!! 

The days just get longer!

Day 3:Saturday. I woke up earlier than everyone else this morning and sat by the pool with my book for a couple hours. This is the pool at Anna and Pepe's house. 

Around 10am I walked a couple houses down to grandma's. I had a breakfast of toast with tomato and cafe con leche. By 11am we were in the pool. Lots of water polo and Marco Polo and then the bread man came. Grandma leaves the bread bag on the gate and he honks for us to come out when he arrives. All kinds of goodies he's got. Today grandma got us a chocolate creme filled croissant! (Notice the wet ground under Loreto..she was fresh out of the pool)

I had grandma give me step by step instructions on the paella again. Maybe I'll attempt I make it in Kansas...she makes it look so easy! Here is she and grandpa carrying in the paellera...she made extra today because we has quite the lunch for my arrival to Murcia! 

After a day full of swimming and talking in Spanish I was pretty tired, but Inma and I made the 30 minute drive to Cartagena to visit hermanos Gaspar y Paco. We had coffee and ice cream and stayed till almost 10:00! The Spanish know how to party late...after all that, I met up with Brittany to watch her hubby Roberto play a padel tournament and we finished the night off with a farewell party for a friend if theirs. 

Now it's 3:00am (like I said, the nights are getting later!) and I'm going to bed! Inma gave me the keys to the extra apartment so I've got a whole piso to myself! Hope I don't sleep too late! 

Day 2:

I didn't plan much today except to meet a friend for lunch. So I got a solid 8 hours of sleep last night and hit the streets this morning. You'd think after walking all day yesterday I would have learned the city better, but it took me a good hour to find my starbucks and plan out my day. Although, that is one of my favorite things....getting lost in new cities :) So I got myself this yummy frappuccino to start my day off and headed to one of the pretty green parks to lay in the sun and read my book. The weather here is probably in the 80's...not bad at all! 

I was supposed to meet my friend at 1:00. I gave myself an hour for the 20 minute walk so that I could get lost (in my usual fashion). I found this sweet bridge. "Escalinta de fotografa Alfonso" it lead straight to the cathedral and royal palace. 

The royal palace from atop the cathedral:

Of course, the inside of the cathedral: 

Rolando took me to a hole in the wall cider house for lunch. Here is the guy pouring the sidra...you gotta pour it just right for the right flavor. I love that he smiled for the picture! 

One last walk by the cathedral on our way home for a picture. Good friend Rolando that I met on the Camino de Santiago. 

I caught a ride to Murcia with Anna's dad, Pepe. It was about 3 1/2 hours. He and his wife Anna live just next door to grandma in la huerta. They built this really nice house here and invited me to stay for dinner and stay the night. Typical Spanish dinner complete with gambas, jamon, bread, fruit, veggies, rabbit and vino! Made me feel right at home again! Plus I got to catch up with Alicia-Anna's sister, who I haven't seen since June. 1:30am now...another long day and I'm ready to sleep! 

I made it back in the country!

No problems! I arrived in Madrid at 8:40 this am and was through passport check, customs and baggage claim by 10am! I didn't get much sleep on the plane and have now officially been awake for 48 hours (minus a couple hours of plane napping). I spent today wandering all over Madrid with Anna. We think in the 9 hours we were out and about we easy walked over 20 kilometers. I had bad walking sandals on and my feet are a little sore but we had such a great time! So glad today was a national holiday in Spain and so Anna and I got to spend the who day together without worrying about work :) 

Coronation of new King Felipe today calls for national holiday and no work. This was what the streets looked like as I emerged from the metro this morning: 

Bad picture, but tons of horses and people waving flags just to watch the king drive by for about 5 seconds. Craziness. But a cool part if their history I was able to witness. 

Passed this cool looking Puerta de Alcala. There is so much history in this city. 

The new king and his wife on a HUGE photo on the side of the puerta del sol building. Just in case you didn't know what he looked like...

Calle Preciados..a lot of people out today. But Anna tells me this is normal. 

After several hours of walking in the hot sun, we stopped at this really cool rooftop bar. Pool, water misters, lounge chairs and claras. Mix lemon fanta with beer..I'd forgotten about this favorite drink of mine! 

Lunch. Surprisingly, walking in the hot sun all day didnt leave us much of an appetite. We split the salad and these panecitos rellenos. I always try something new. Those wormy looking things were called gulas. Never seen or tried them prior. Some kind of seafood. They actually weren't bad...once you got over the fact they look like tiny worms!

A walk through Casa del Campo. It's called el pulmon de Madrid (the lung of Madrid). So many trees. Here is Anna showing her love for the pinos :)

Then I found this little nook in a tree...isn't it cool?!

Believe it or not, I'll try to add some more pics from my camera later. It's 10:00pm now and I'm going to bed! After I finish this yummy bowl of fruit! 

Here we go!

June 18, 4:00pm. Boarding plane for Madrid! I had a pint of Sam Adam's summer ale and watched Spain lose to Chile in the World Cup and thinking I'll sleep pretty well on my 9 hour flight now :) 

Ready for Spain vacation!

I've been gone 11 months and I'm going back for a 2 week vacation! Itinerary includes Madrid, Murcia, London and La Coruña...I'm so excited! Just wish I wasn't such a procrastinator on the whole packing thing....