Toruno Huelva

... s. Actually, architecturally, it is a bit of a hotchpotch, but impressive nonetheless. The bell tower, which as in so many Andalucian churches, was formerly a minaret, is more famously known as La Giralda, named for the weather vane being held by Faith, the bronze at the top. We climbed as far as we could, up the sloping ramp within the tower, to the belfry, from which the views were great. 40 miles west of El Rocio, is ...

... out. Andy is looking for engineering opportunities in Barcelona and there seem to be a number of companies that hire native English speakers. So fingers crossed... The plan is that we'll go to Granada for a couple of days then take the train to Barcelona on April 2. So our last week in Sevilla was fun. I taught some classes at a school near to the apartment we've been staying in. The adult classes were good and the teenage kids were surprisingly well behaved. But ...

... they where being persecuted to convert so to get the powers that be off their backs, the Jewish community painted crosses everywhere as a 'sign' that they had, but still did not.   They also took me to this roof top bar that had the most AMAZING view of the Cathedral (the highest building in Seville). (BTW- the opening photo is a picture of the plaza down in front of the Cathedral). It was great to get to hang out with ...

Just wanted to let you know I am in Huelva, Spain visiting my Spanish adoptive family again. I was just delivered a lomo y mayonesa bocadillo tapa by Javier (lamb and mayonnaise appetizer sandwich). Apparently its a big holiday this week in Spain, SURPRISE! When is it not a holiday here?! It makes for a fun and interesting life, but it makes for difficult travel. Ug! Anyway, from what I understand, a long long time ago, in a little village called Almonte, a shepherd saw ...

... my work and packed. So here I am. After lugging all my stuff over this morning to the hotel. Mom and Dad were supposed to arrive midafternoon, but all the trains were booked so they won't get in until 10:30pm. And I have nothing to do until then. So I'm using the wireless in the hotel and wondering if I should go back to my homestay now or stay out. It's sort of awkward, the half-moveout. All my stuff is elsewhere, but I'm still in Sevilla, and I still have a key, so I ...

... basically ever town. Sevilla is the largest, but many other places are quit large also. These people basically dress up in colored cloaks with large pointed hats (that look just like KKK dress, especially on the days that they where all white). The start from a church with a float with a religious message that is very intricate in design and golden colored usually. The KKK looking guys walk ...

... to the Cathedral in the center, with odd streets going elsewhere. Around dinnertime, Sean, Anna, and I walked around and tried to find SOMEplace that was still open for dinner. We found a hole-in-the-wall place and figured it was as good as any other place. It wasn't. It wasn't the worst I'd ever eaten, but it definitely wasn't the best! The food came out real quickly, which made me wonder if they just heated it up. The best part of that ...

... how lucky I was to have the family I got, and again, I have to agree. We had an absolute blast! After dinner, the whole family seemed even more comfortable with me - Meredith was hanging in my room as I took a shower and got ready (10 minutes, you know me - but I didn't want to smell like fish when I went out so I didn't shower before), and as she was in there, Ernesto went in my room and stole the football off my shelf to throw it around, and when I got back from the bathroom, both ...

... and they were mostly the same recipe altered slightly. Eggs, chicken, a meat sauce, and mayonnaise were the main ingredients. I enjoyed it, but there were many people who didn't. And I know that would be difficult to eat every day, but it was fun for the moment. The second day, we received our housing assignments. I was more nervous about that than I was about leaving to come to Spain in the first place! My first instinct was, "Yes! I got a family and not a señora, just what I ...

... I was in Sevilla. I went to the Officina Touristic to inquire about hotels and got a recommendation for a 3-star at a decent price right in Santa Cruz near the Cathedral and the Alcazar. Santa Cruz is an ancient barrio with tall white washed buildings arrayed in a maze of streets so small that all they can support is foot traffic and the occasional scooter. When I stepped from the rail station, there was a row of taxis waiting and I was whisked to within a block of my hotel in ...