Maza Hotel Zaragoza

Spent another night on a parking lot near the city centre. When trying to find a decent place to park our van near all the sights, we got caught up in a lybyrinth of narrow streets, filled with cars (sometimes even in the middle of the crossings...). Well, Boštjan is a very good driver, but my nerves are not as good as I thought.

With the help of a security guard at a bank in one of the ...

... of languages. I think I've attained a new, slightly higher level of Spanish comprehension on this trip, though it'll be short-lived, given that I'll soon be leaving Spain. I've been struggling for years to break through to that next level, and it honestly feels great to finally get there, if even only for a week.

Anyway, the guy was really cool, a physiotherapist in town for some seminar. According to him, it's easy to get by in Spain, but ...

... short ones. We are on our way to Zaragoza on the west side of Spain.

We go through farm land, then fruit orchards, we couldn't figure out what they grown, but there are lots of fruit packing plants along the highway. I kept thinking there would be fruit stands somewhere, but they never materialized.

At lunch time we stopped at a rest area along the highway. It is quite warm, but the clouds are ...

Boring long day on the A23, highest col 1223m.

Looking for aire in Zaragoza when Brits James, Clare and Katie in their motorhome took us under their wing to the park they'd already stayed in. Left over from 2008 water based expo, with typically spanish rusty iron "sculpture".

35 degree C until light shower cooled us all off.

Bren washed her hair in the public drinking fountain, starting a trend with the other family.

... get Mauritania visas a lot more difficult, the forms were all in French so had to try work out what it said, every other nationality had there info on there passport in English and French but good old New Zealand have Maori so had no idea, after an hour we all filled them out and Gary went to embassy and we were to pick them up next day at 3pm, so he jumped in the taxi the next day to go collect the 28 passports and they wouldn't open the gates so he was told to come again on ...

... you care about, with who you have had so many great times, that get on planes to come and see you (in Madrid/New York/Argentina/New Zealand/Australia/France) that go out of their way to get you gifts, that stand by you, that accept you and never judge you, well when you have an abundance of these people that are in the very place that you are leaving well its hard... but nothing lasts forever i guess and even if when i get back and some of them are not there, they all ...

We said goodbye to our wonderful host Sylvia in Guadalahara. The morning light and warmth felt like late May back home. We took to the A2/E90 heading NE towards Zaragoza. One hour later we turned off the highway to visit an old Roman fort on the top of a mountain with a spectacular view, Mendinacellini. Structures ...

... imagine being married to one of those women..you'd never dare question what was on telly again- "It's ok dear, you just sit and watch Most Haunted, I may think it's **** and get incredibly annoyed whenever that fat woman claims ghosts are sexually assaulting her, but you can watch it"). There was also a statue of Augustina Zaragoza, a young woman who fired a cannon at French troops when all of the guns crew were dead or dying, thus preventing the French ...

... my siesta and felt a lot better. I watched a little bit of the basketball game with my dad after dinner and I'm going to bed in a little bit because I'm really tired. I have a friend named Dan who I really like. He's really sweet and funny. I want him to be a good friend of mine so we can get involved in the Spanish culture together but I'm pretty sure he has a thing for me. He's tried to kiss me a few different times so I can't ...

... arrived. Together there were almost 20 of us sitting outside in the autumn night, drinking, socializing, laughing, and getting ready for the wedding of the year in this town. Excitement for the wedding was visibly pulsating in the air; as it was the talk of the town. Everybody in this small, friendly town knew about the wedding, and they were curious to meet the arriving Americans, family and friends of John. On Friday evening (Sep 29, 2006) will be the rehearsal dinner ...