Husa Montana Hotel La Iruela-Cazorla Jaen

... merge back onto the Autoroute. Instead it went left under the Autoroute and into a traffic circle. It took us 10 minutes to realize that in order to get back onto the Autoroute, you had to go under it, go around the roundabout, back under the Autoroute and then through another roundabout to get back on. If you’re confused now, join the club…I keep going over it in my mind and I still can’t figure it out.

We ...

As we've moved into July, the weather in southern spain during the day has gotten oppressively hot. The 2 greatest reliefs from this are LONG siestas (from right after lunch -about 3PM - until 6:30 or 7) and a concoction they have here called Tinto de Verano. Literally translated, this means red-wine of summer, but it is basically a mix of red wine and Fanta (usually lemon flavored) over ice. We discovered it in Malaga, and have been ...

... happy.  Along the walk we kept seeing signs that read "Coto de Pesca sin Muerte."  For non Spanish speakers, these words translate to "boundary of fish without death."  Fish without death?  Wow.  This must be a special place.   It got pretty hot in the afternoon, and Jenny almost took a dip in the invitingly cool river.  The bridge wasn't the best entry point ...

Sorry that entries have been somewhat few and far between these last 2 weeks, but we've been having a great time with Merche and Paco. They are absolutely worderful hosts. Just about every time Paco sees me sitting at the kitchen table (our usual hangout) he offers me another beer or wine, regardless of the time of day. And Merche is a wonderful cook and constantly encouraging us to eat more yummy food. Needless to say, our clothes don't fit ...

... to sum it all up. Now whenever Paco leaves the room he says "Fredrico, ciao italia" with a laugh. Mercedes has offered to teach us how to cook like Spaniards, which we are excited about, but so far we haven´t caught her in the act of cooking, so we haven´t learned much. Today she is also going to take us shopping to replace some of our worn out clothing. This will be our first Spanish shopping experience. I´m excited. Besos y abrazos (hugs and kisses) Jenny

19 de octubre     Today I was super excited, albeit nervous, because Erik was coming to visit. I made sure I had all my stuff packed and ready so that I could go to Madrid, stay the night, and then pick him up at the airport in the morning. The last time I talked to him before his flight, I promised him that I would be there at the airport when he arrived. I would be the first thing he saw when he came out from getting his luggage. Unfortunately, I still had some minor details to work out ...

... partners. He has an abrupt and condescending sense of humor that seems to offend locals. We finally arrived in Yurimaguas and immediately caught a mototaxi (three wheeled, motorized rickshaw) to the boat dock. There are literally thousands in every town in Peru and it only costs 1 sol (30 cents) for a short ride. We got on the Eduardo 1 boat and Erin negotiated a really good deal for us. While every other tourist payed $40 US for a hammock spot on the top floor, we paid $27 ...

... down the street from a huge health club. I have heard that they have everything including an indoor pool. I'm sure they have a track and I've seen tennis courts and everything. No joke, this place is huge. Not only that, but past the health club, called Fuentezuelas, is a beautiful trail that goes for 47km or so through several little pueblos. For those of you back home in CA, think of the Steven's Creek trail only instead of being ...

... find. So I guess I'm on his good side. And all it took was a simple smile. Sweet! Second note to self- always smile at the person who gives you produce. It also helps if you develop some familiarity with them. So develop a good relationship with your grocer. My final piece of news for tonight is that I have finally gotten my phone to work! I am no longer completely removed from the rest of the known world! I was so excited I can't even ...

... smaller town in the province closer to the town I will be working in, but I realized that (a) I was too tired, (b) it was too late, and (c) I was too tired. The first hostel I tried was full, but the man was nice enough to give me a map of the city and the province (which has proven quite helpful), and a list of phone numbers for hotels near the train station as I was planning on leaving the next day for Jódar. I gave the ...