Beaches, Sunsets and a Farewell to Spain

We have reached the beautiful Costa de la Luz and the end of our journey. Twenty one days has traveled by quickly. The students are ready to eat hamburgers and taco bell. I will be satisfied with a good Lupe Tortilla fajita...beef. I have not had beef in three weeks. Lots of ham. Lots of ham...one day I accidentally selected a pastry (it looked so good) that had sugar and little chunks on top. Silly me, I thought those chunks were pecans...but no they were little pieces of ham. So ham may not be on my list right away.

The other thing that I will be excited to see is a regular toilet. I have been flush challenged on this trip as I try and figure out do I push, pull, or step on it. And this is of course is AFTER I have found the flusher mechanism. 

I am signing off this blog for now. Tomorrow we will return to the beautiful beach one more time.  We will have one last photo class, one last dinner and pack.  We will not have one last full night of rest because we have to get up to leave for the airport at 3 am. 

We have an extremely tough connection flight to make in Paris.  We have one hour from the time we land until the time we take off. We have to change terminals and go through a security check and do this with 18 people.  If you see a picure of Paris on this blog you will know we didn't make it.  Otherwise I will see you all soon.

Stopping in Seville

After a wonderful stop in Cordova at the centuries old muslim mosque converted to Catherdral we arrived in Seville.  Our accomodations were upgraded from hostel to 4 star hotel. It is nice but our friendly hostel in Grananda still is first place for me.

We roamed around the HOT city (109 degrees) when we first arrived and then went in for siesta to wait for the air to get a little cooler. Even at 8 when we went out it was still very hot.  We stopped for an early dinner and then walked over to the Seville catherdral square. Lots going on there with outside cafes, helado shops, street vendors and outdoor musicians.

The next morning at 9 we met with a city guide that took us around the neighborhood and guided us throught the catherdral and royal palace. Guide was great and very personable.

The highlight of the day was going to eat dinner at the Texas Lone Star Saloon restaurant. Everyone is starved for some food from home.  We took our chances and decided to give it a try.  Several kids had ordered hamburgers during the trip only to get a plate of fried looking spam meat.  They were brave again and this time were pleased to get burgers that resemble what we typically get in the states. I had a chicken taco that was fairly similar.  The service was soooo slow. One brand new cook and 20 different orders. The first group of burgers came out and 1 1/2 hours later my taco came out. Pam took the ones that were finished outside to take "blue hour" photos.  That is the time of the day when it is getting dark but when you leave a long exposure on your camera you will get a blue sky...makes for a beautiful photo. Despite the slow service the kids were thrilled with their meal and many bought souvenirs t-shirts of the place.

Today we went on a scenic river boat ride around the city. We are having siesta now and then going to a flamenco show later.

We leave for Cadiz in the morning. We are planning a day on the beach to celebrate the 4th. 

After a Week in Granada

We have been in this beautiful city for one week today.  I would have never guessed the things that we would see or do.  We started with five very hectic days with Tino Soriano, the National Geographic photographer.  His use of color is brilliant. The students interacted so well with him and you could see he was making a difference with their work.  We walked the city with him, went to the science park, and photographed a flamenco session under his guidance.  When he left there was a definite sadness in the air.  The kids lined up to hug him goodbye. He gently placed besos on each girls cheek and shook hands and patted the boys on the shoulder.  You could feel the connection.  

He caught his taxi to the train station and life without Tino slowed down.

Our Hostel Costa Azul is great. I would tell anyone to stay here. It is located in a great location...we step out the door and 15 feet in front is a fresh fruit and veggie stand.  Around the corner are lots of outdoor cafes and the market is a five minute walk. We have great AC and hot water...things we some times take for granted.

We have eaten so much food on this trip...except for breakfast of course. The other two meals are big and I have had much more food than what I am used to eating. Madrid was big on tapas and here we are big on variety.  We have had Middle Eastern sharmas, Mexican food,  great pasta, Asian wok and of course lots of typical Spanish food such as paella and tostado espanola. The ice cream is a must.

Our cultural experience has been that of a tourist at times and a local at other times.  We have seen the beautiful cathedral and Alambra and then we go to a tieta where we watch a very famous bull fighter Salvador Vega test the breeding line of several bulls to see if they are contest worthy.  And then today we go by bus to a country club and watch a session of English horse riding as they practice their jumps.  When you throw in the flamenco dancing photography shoot that Tino set up for us it unfolds as a trip with a huge variety of firsts both for the students and for me.