Thankful for Good Friends

Oh course I'm greatful for my own friends, but what warmed my heart yesterday was the friendship Madison has with her friends. It was her birthday and I thought it would be fun if she could talk to some of her friends on Skype. So one friend got up especially early in order to talk to her before school here. Anyone who sacrifices sleep for a friend is tops in my book. And then I got the phone numbers of 2 of her other friends to see if they could get anyone to come over after their school was over. When 8 of them came over to help Madison have a happy birthday, I was overcome with how wonderful kids are. They talked all afternoon and I know it made Madison's day. These are all kids who live very busy lives and yet they took the time to be a good friend. Friends make such a difference in our lives. It makes me want to be a better one.

One week later

     Well, I'm doing better.  The DI  (give away) pile is growing in the garage and I'm doing some deep cleaning  which always makes me feel clean inside as well. Weston and I even put up the Christmas decorations which mainly consist of ones that the kids have grown accustomed to seeing year after year and yelp at the thought of tossing them.  I'm the first to admit that I'm no Martha Stewart or Margrett or Margo.  It's strange to think that Christmas is so close because I haven't made a single purchase nor feel the rush to do so.  There's a section of time that is missing in the chronological events of the year.  So it doesn't seem possible that we are up to Christmas when we never had Halloween.

    It's Madison's 17th birthday tomorrow so if you are reading, Madison, a huge happy birthday to you.  We'll be thinking about you all day. But that's not unusual because we think about you all the time anyways.

Life after Spain

I decided that I'm going to keep up this little blog for awhile because it's been fun. It's 6:30 am on a Sunday and I'm awake so it's the perfect time. I can't seem to stay awake past 9:30 pm yet, but at least I'm not falling asleep during the day. Jet lag was worse when we went to Spain for some reason. And culture shock coming home was worse than going. I have to admit my first few days back were depressing. I didn't want to do anything and the house and yard were overwhelming. McKenzie and Ladd did an awesome job taking care of everything, but I was still facing tasks to be done. Ugh! I realized that I'm the kind of person who likes living out of one suitcase and making do. I like backpacking and wearing the same clothes everyday. I know it might sound weird. And now I look at all this stuff all around me and I wonder how did all of this get here and how do I get rid of it. So that's where I am. I'll keep you posted on how I adjust.

Moroccan Camel Riders

Signing Off From Burgos

This could be my last post because our internet service is going to be disconnected. We may go to the hotel at some point, but just in case, I want to say adios to all my loyal readers out here. I am so glad we did this. It has been an awesome experience and it was just what I needed. Sometimes life gets to be too structured and this gave us all a break from the routine. A big thanks to Cory's partners who carried the load while he was away and hopefully they can do something like this later on. Also, a big thanks to McKenzie and Ladd who took care our of our house, yard and mainly the dog. Who else would do that? It'll be good to see everyone again.

Signing off, Lynette.

Marrakech, Morrocco

We just got back from a pretty exciting adventure in Marrakech. Marrakech is only a 1 1/2 hour plane ride from Madrid and yet it is completely different than Spain. The market there is very famous and we spent hours and hours just walking around the square as well as the many different little streets leading off the square where every square inch was taken up by very aggressive venders trying to get you to buy anything. The only difference between these guys and the ones in China was that these yelled "Hey, Madame" instead of "Hey, Lady".

One of the best things there was the vendors selling fresh squeezed OJ for $.35 a glass. It was incredible and I lost track on how many glasses we drank. The bartering is pretty fun too, especially when they start out at 250 DH and you offer 40 DH because that's what you are willing to pay. And you usually get what you want except for the time the guy just took the scarf right off Cory's head and told him to leave. That material must have been pretty special cuz he wanted a fortune for it. Yea, Cory is now wearing a Moroccan robe, a head scarf, and has a man purse that he never leaves the house without . This is not the man you knew 3 months ago. And he seems very comfortable with the change, too.

The other awesome thing we did was ride camels. How cool is that? I'm mesmerized by camels. I love to watch them walk and see their feet move and I think their faces are so great. But now I have a new profound appreciation for people who had to cross the dessert riding them for hours on end. We didn't have stir-ups and I don't know if you are supposed to have them. It would be a good idea. The saddle was very cushy, but also very wide and it was like doing the splits for 2 hours. It was a great experience, though.

Friday the 13th

In Spain, Tuesday the 13th has a bad omen. So in October we had one of those. I never really worried about the date before. That is before our ride yesterday. We decided to go on a long ride. My idea of long and Cory's idea of long were 2 very different things. I was ready to turn around, but he kept wanting to go just a bit farther to see the sheep on the church lawn and then just a little farther to see the cows all over the road and then just to the next village. The cows here are so cute. I'm not kidding. They are a different breed and their faces are adorable, but they have horns. At one point I didn't think we were going to get past one of they. She just stood there in the middle of the road chewing her cud. I had to actually throw a rock at her rear end. I knew that would get her to move one direction or the other and I was hoping it wasn't going to be forward.

By the time we turned around, it was getting dark and it had taken us almost 3 hours to get to this point. So we started pedaling faster and the wind was at our back and we were flying until psshhhh, I got a flat. I never get flats. Really, in all the time I've ridden I have had only 2 flats. Cory, however, gets them constantly so he's fast at changing them. No problem. then not 5 minutes later, he gets a flat. This time we use our last CO2 and decide we'd better not throw away the old tube because we have 40 km to go and no one in sight. I'm rationing my food and water because I'm planning on having to stay out here while Cory rides back into town and gets the car to come rescue me. But no worries, we got home just before it was pitch black and all was well. It really was a beautiful ride. Oh, I left out the part when I was coming downhill, taking up both lanes cuz there had't been a car in over an hour, when bam, there was a car on the curve headed straight for me. I barely made the turn without plowing right into the side of it. Scared the driver to death I'm sure.

Seeking Permission

Jesus wants us to ride our bikes out to his village on Saturday. His family used to make wine out there and they would store it in these caves. They don't make wine anymore, but we can go down into these empty caves. It sounds fun. By the way, everyone in Burgos has a village to go to where their family has lived for generations. So anyway, Jesus told us to get permission from our church to be able to drink just a little wine just while we're in Spain. He said you cannot appreciate Spanish cuisine without wine. So he wants us to make an exception because we need this experience. So I told him we'd look into it.

Jesus is next to Cory.

Missionaries in Burgos

Well, we finally got together with Jesus to present the DVDs that were made of the Mormon Handcart Trek that his students participated in July 2008. We went to his English class and showed parts of the DVD as well as explained what the whole experience was about. We thought it would be even better if the missionaries came with us so that they could speak in Spanish if there was some interpreting to be done. The students loved seeing themselves and their friends in the DVD. The trek experience for these Spanish students was fantastic. And because we had 2 hours instead of the expected 1 hour, we opened it up to questions and English practice. This is where it became fun. The kids started asking the elders questions about being missionaries and what they did every day and who they talked to and why they wore suits, etc. They wanted to know about them and how they got to Spain. Jesus, who has spent lots of time in Utah, knew a lot already and he was pleased that the kids were asking questions in English. I thought he might be threatened a little since we were in a Catholic school. But to the contrary. Afterwards he invited all of us to his "house" for a huge lunch with his "community" of priests. Everyone was super nice and friendly to us and to our missionary friends. It was a really fun experience for us to participated in. A big thanks to the Pleasant Grove Stake for taking the Spaniards on a unforgetable journey.

I forgot to take pictures of us teaching, so you get a photo of the church in Lourdes, France. This is a pilgrimage where there is healing water coming from a natural spring. Saint Bernadette saw visions of Mary at this place. People come from all over the world to drink this water.

A Great Day

Sleeping in is always fun, but then we went to class and had the most annoying teacher ever. She taught once last week and thought she was a fill- in substitute. But it looks like she is going to be teaching on Mondays and that means I'm skipping the next 2 Mondays. She has the most grating voice I've ever ever heard and she taught us words that I really don't think I'll need to use. When I'm trying to learn basic Spanish is it really that necessary to know the name of my ring finger or each particular tooth in my mouth. What a crazy lady!

We were waiting for a break in the weather to go for a ride and we thought we had it until we got outside and it started to rain again. We decided to go anyways and ended up completely soaked and muddy and to top it off, Cory had a flat. That's when you get cold. Stopping and standing their. You got to laugh though, as you're peddling along these country roads in the pouring rain and covered in sloosh, people passing by in cars thinking you're completely nuts. It's the best!

The picture is not what I thought. It was taken at the Gaudi park in Barcelona. I just don't know how to remove photos yet.

This is a picture of a Roman aqueduct in Segovia.

Car

Having a car makes me feel kind of wimpy. After riding our bikes everywhere and anywhere in any weather, we now have rented a car. I know, we sold out. But the weather is exactly how they told us it would be. When they said it was the coldest city in Spain, we just assumed they were exagerating. But when the wind blows (every day) it is bitter cold even though the thermometer doesn't reflect how cold it feels. When Martin and Emilio were in town, I was wearing capris and sandals. Now I want my wool coat and scarves. Hopefully it'll warm up one more time.

This is a statue of a leper. His skin is all falling off.

Halloween in España

The missionaries did an awesome job putting on a Halloween party for our branch. This type party might have been a first. We helped and were in charge of the fishing booth. Of course, Cory had to buy a real fishing pole to play the game and we ended up giving that away to a boy at the end. We couldn't find any small toys ( the kinds that fill our homes) so we used a lot of candy and tangarines, and a can of sardines for the branch president. Dressing up is kind of novel to them and not a lot of adults dressed up, but I think next year they will after they saw how much fun it is. The kids say that none of their friends have ever gone trick or treating. What??!!!

Words can be Sharper than Swords

Madison just learned the hard way that electronic media is out there for the world to see and to do with it what they want. It's a good lesson to remember as we communicate through the internet. Everything we write is out there for others to interpret how they want. Things said can be used not as intended and that can be hurtful.

Talking about things that can hurt, Weston and Cory are out looking for weapons and armor. What could be more fun for two guys to do on a very cold night in Burgos. Last week we were riding in shorts and sleeves and today it just keeps getting colder and more windy. (Is windier a word?) Do you think I could get through airport security wearing a suit of armor. that's what I really want to bring home as my souvenior. Ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to put a suit or armor on and walk around. I think they are the coolest things ever! Those two have looking in every town we've been to in order to find the perfect sword. I wonder what they'll come home with?

P.S. This is a real taxidermied horse!

Lost in Portugal

We went to Portugal last Thursday because the kids had Friday and Monday off from school. Porto was this really charming beautiful city with absolutely no sense of a lay out at all. Freeways went every which direction and if you took the wrong one, good luck turning around. It literally took us 3 hours to find our hotel. I'm sure Cory already talked about it in his blog, but let me just say that it was worse than he said. We finally found a hotel (not ours) and we sere so excited. I went in and got directions and off we went. We ended up so lost that we couldn't even find our way back to civilization. So we stopped in at the neighborhood pasteleria and asked again for directions. This time there were 3 men in there and they couldn't decide what to tell us, so the owner told us to get into our car and follow him. Weston was already car sick and so he was hanging out the window throwing up as we tried to stay close to our escort. His head came a little too close to a few parked cars. After 15 minutes we ended up right back at that first hotel. We couldn't tell him the kind man, so we just thanked him profusely, waited until he was gone and went back in to talk to the very nice hotel staff. they again told us how to get to our hotel. But we were lost within minutes. I don't know how Cory eventually found it, but it was a nice sight to see. My idea was to stop at the telepizza, order a pizza to be delivered to our hotel, and then follow the scooter. I know, I'm brillant!

The next day we took the On and Off Tourist bus and it was wonderful. I love the colors of Portugal and all the amazing tile that covers the exteriors of the building. Very different than Spain.

Posting Pictures

I know how to do this now, so I'm going to go back and put in some pictures. I feel so technologically savvy!

Hanging with Emilio and Martin

You never know who's going to show up in Burgos. We went to go say hi to our friends who run the Velada hotel, which is this little hotel on this tiny pedestrian street. It used to be part of a castle at one point in time. But anyway, they said they were completely full for the week which is always good. They said the movie people were here with the actors and the director, etc. So we asked who they were thinking that they were a spanish crew. But, oh no they weren't. It was Martin Sheen who is making a movie about the Camino de Santiago. His son, Emilio Estevez, is the director. We saw Emilio in the car, but with a full beard I couldn't be sure he was the Mighty Ducks coach or not. And then here came Martin going through the little lobby to the car and then back through to the banquet room looking for a sandwich he could give Emilio, and then back to the car. Once the car left, we were the only ones there along with our friends and so we started talking to Martin. We got video to prove it.

Today they were shooting a scene near the cathedral and so we went over after our Spanish class to check it out and there was everyone. I had to actually ask him if he was Emilio and then I told him how my kids grew up watching The Mighty Ducks and how much they loved those movies. I even repeated our favorite line that says, "He ate ice cream with the enemy". Whitney you'd be proud. It took him a second to remember saying that line.

It was kind of cool because no one else knew who he was and he was just hanging out. I got a picture with him. And then later in the afternoon, on our way to seminary, we took Weston by the shoot and we talked to him again. Weston got a picture with him. Wait till we go by again with Madison. Jessica knows the other actors in it, but I have no clue. So I don't think we'll be taking pics of them.

Do I really want to be an extra? I don't think so. I'm too impatient to film the same scene 20 times. I don't know how they do it.

Pictures from Toledo

Red Tape

I've decided it's next to impossible to study here just because of all the stupid rules and paperwork necessary to make everything "official". They are really into it"being official" and love stamps and seals, etc. They insist we needed Madi's 8th grade transcripts and when we tell them that 8th grade isn't official here, they can't understand. OCJH refused to give us anything before 9th grade. But the offficails here say that Madi has to have the 3 previous years transcripts. What the heck! Do they think she fell from the sky and just landed in 9th grade with straight A's? You can come to study as a 12th grader, because then you'd have your 3 years of transcripts. It's retarded to say the least and not a soul in any government building speaks a word of English. Maybe that's where they employ all the slow learners. So right now, Pachi (Madi's host dad), has petitioned the govt for an exception and we'll hear in 3 weeks. Crazy stuff. We thought everything was going to be fine before we got here, but every time we pay for more paperwork, they come up with something else. Are we on Candid Camera or something? Maybe we're in some kind of study to see how much we can take before going bizerk. Now I know why they have metal detectors in their buildings.

The Madrid Temple

We went to a session at the Madrid temple and Weston did baptisms. People here tell us that this was President Hinkley's favorite temple. After being inside, I can see why. The final room is spectacular with an olivie green dome ceiling and is covered with a gold relief (3D) of flowers and vines and is incredibly gorgeous. It knocks you over. We had a great experience in the temple.

And then we went to the zoo and aquarium. It was kind of cold and overcast and we pretty much and the whole place to ourselves. It's huge! McKenzie, we saw 2 pandas. No lines, no crowds, no other people. All the show were cancelled, which would have been fun, but that was the trade-off. The chimps and the baboons put on their own shows for us. They were hilarious. And in the aquarium there was a shart tank that you could right up next to and see the sharks swimming right above your head. You could see every sharp pointy tooth they had just inches from you. It was so gross and so thrilling at the same time. We had a good time even when we had to walk back through the rain to the metro.

Which one do you think is ours? One of the kids at Maristas (the school Madi attends) said she didn't really like the inside of the White House when she visited. She said it was just like a house; kind of plain. I had to laugh. They are used to palaces and grandiose buildings because that is what they are surrounded by.

Madrid

We had to take Margrett to the Madrid airport so we made a whole trip out of it. Madrid is about 2 hours south of us. We left on Monday so she could have a day there before flying to New York where she was going to meet Candace for a few days before flying home. We took another On and Off City Tour bus like we did in Barcelona and saw all around the historic area of the city which is pretty amazing. Lots and lots of palaces and other beautiful buildings. Cory saw a crazy patchwork of a suit coat that really caught his eye so we got off on another stop and tracked down the store. Luckily, he couldn't buy it because it was just an example of the different colors customers could order. Mom, it was like the rugby "uglies" you brought back for him from New Zealand. The man was adament about not selling it and I feel fortunate because it cost 500 E. You thought the red jacket was loud. This was even more eyecatching.

It was hard to say goodbye to Margrett and see her go off on her own all by herself through that enormous airport. We had a lot of fun while she was here.

I dragged the boys to the Prado National Museum. It's supposed to have the world's largest collection of paintings (8600) with 2000 on display at once. A lot of religious art and no impressionist art. Although I don't particularly enjoy the religious art, I do understand that these artists loved the saviour and painted him in the best way they knew how. Their level of devotion can be seen through their works and I can appreciate that. The roman sculptures were impressive. Weston hated them cuz they're all naked, but I've never seen so many in one place. They were amazing! He wants to know what the difference is between this art and porn. Good question actually. Although we were completely dead on our feet, I'm glad we went. There were several masterpieces shown that you study in art history and here we got to see them in person. I feel very lucky to be here.

A Run to Forget

I have to post this, but fair warning, if you aren't a runner you won't appreciate it. Yesterday I got early so I could run before we left for Madrid. I was up and I was feeling good and although I couldn't go to the bathroom, I thought I'd be O.K. So off I went. Burgos is so quiet at 7am and I was loving it. It's been awhile since I've run in the dark and I was thinking that this was the best time of day and I was running fast. The city workers and I exchanged Buenos Dias and all was going well until mile 4 1/2 and that's when it all went south. I'll just say this. I'm glad I had tights on (first time wearing them) and I'm glad it was pitch black and I'm glad the streets were pretty empty, although there were a few people out by now. Why the heck doesn't a city have porta potties or any public restrooms anywhere? No wonder their forest looks like a huge toilet with paper lying around everywhere. What else can you do? My problem was that I was back in the city by that time, so that wasn't an option. It was bad and that's all I'm going to say. Real bad. I can only think of one other time that was worse. And I don't want to remember. Can anyone relate?

Shopping in Burgos

Well, it was only a matter of time that Margrett got me to go shopping. I actually didn't even know where the shops were. It's not like they have box stores with big neon lights. But we stumbled onto them last Saturday and it turned out to be a very fun day. Cory left pretty early on and that left the 2 of us to take all the time we wanted. The clothes here are all super stylish and you should see how the women dress to even go shopping. There were times where I'd just watch the people because it was like they all stepped out of a fashion magazine. I felt like I had dressed up because I wasn't in my running shoes (thank goodness for that one), but these people were amazing. Skinny jeans and boots are a must, as well as a closet full of scarves in every pattern and color. No one goes anywhere without a scarf. They also don't skimp on coats. I know Burgos is supposed to be an icebox, so it goes without saying that they have a closet full of different coats.

I probably wouldn't have bought anything because of the prices, but it was like I was being egged on to do something dangerous or something. It was like Margrett was daring me to do something outrageous and so I couldn't not rise to the challenge. So I came home with 2 very good purchases. We had a great time together, too. We even stopped in at a little cafe to have hot chocolate and crouissants, which were amazing. The hot chocolate isn't exactly what we are used to in the states. It was so rich and thick. More like dipping sauce for the crouissants. Oh, life is good.

Archeological Dig

I guess I'm not really that interested in archeology because I thought the biggest sight for preneanderthal period in the world wasn't all that interesting. I would never have the patience to kneel there day after day using a paintbrush to dig out part of a bone. I'd get a shovel and take a big shovel full and dump it to the side and then paw through it to see if there was anything. It's a good thing this world is made up of all sorts of people.

Take Cory for example. He thinks once his mom leaves we are going to go Spanish only. That should be interesting since I can't understand anything he says so far. I'm getting better when I read something or when our teacher slowly says stuff, but if someone is trying to tell me something and I don't get a word, I'm lost. Put it this way, I'm not dreaming in Spanish yet.

Smut and Gossip

I should take the time to write a bit more since Cory and Weston are at seminary. They tend to hog the computer and you can tell them I said that. I know we'll be watching the BYU football game later tonight and so this is my chance.

Whitney said more people would comment on my blog if I spiced it up a bit with some juicy stuff. So here goes. Oh, wait, I don't know of any. My friend, Lisa, has the lead in that department. I'm O.K., though, because she never reads this anyway. You guys will have to send me some stuff I can use.

I know who my true friends are because they are the ones who write to me anyway they can. I'm not picky. It could be email, facebook, comments, real mail. Whatever.

Well, that's all.

For the First Time

We had some big firsts this week. We had our first English guided tour since being here and it was awesome. We were in Portugal and visited a palace/chateau and the only way to see it was with a guide. A live breathing person whom you could ask questions. It was wonderful.

The other first was that I've never seen an entire country's hotel rooms completely booked for a weekend. There was a national holiday that had something to do with their Saints this past weekend. We went to Salamanca (Vantage Point has a scene at the Plaza Mayor and it was spectacular) on Friday night with a reservation and figured we'd get the next night's lodgings later. Ooops! Had to go to Portugal instead. Not a bad idea, though. Portugal was great. It was warm, it was green as Weston would point out, it was less expensive, and it reminded me a lot of Brazil. I guess that makes sense.

Another first, was that today we visited our first Monastery here in Burgos with Margrett. And we got to drive a car to our Spanish class today. That was a big one. And since we have the car until Friday, we get to drive Weston to school and back. He's happy about that one.

Also, I don't want to brag or anything, but I didn't get lost on my runs this weekend. I am pretty proud about that one, especially in Villa Real, Portugal where there isn't a straight street in the whole town.

It's been a very fun week.

Mishap at Cruz Roja

Right as Cory locked our bikes together he realized we had left the key with Margrett back at the house. Oops! Big oops because the bus system going to our house isn't all the great I knew it'd take at least 1 1/2 hours to go to our piso and back. And I decided not to change out my pedals so I had my bike shoes which aren't too practical to walk in. So I stayed with our bikes and Cory and Weston to the bus back and forth. Yes, I said Weston. He moaned his way out of school today and so we made him go to class with us. I sat on a wall outside and studied Spanish. I think I got the good end of the deal because it was time well spent. At the end, a couple came up to me and started talking. They actually enjoyed talking with me and I wasn't embarrassed to muddle my way through. If my kids aren't there to make me feel bad, I just keep on speaking. It's a challenge and I like challenges. What I don't know is if they understand the meaning of what I'm trying to say. Who knows.

Cory's Birthday

He turned 51 years old yesterday. Wow! It's a bit harder to do the usual baking of cakes and frying of scones for breakfast around here. But yesterday I finally found yeast! No one bakes around here because they just get everything at the bakery. That explains why when the spanish boys come to our house and see 25 lb sacks of flour and sugar they are amazed. Those things only come in one size here and that's in 1 kg packages. But now I have all the ingredients to make pancakes and scones. I'm excited. We just bought a mouse cake at the grocery store and it wasn't all that good. I can make a cake now, too, just without frosting since I haven't found powdered sugar. Or we'll just stick with the bakery ourselves!

Madison came over last night after seminary and it sure was good to have her here. We miss not being with her more and once we leave it is going to be painful for all of us. Weston isn't crazy about being with just the 2 of us. I don't understand why since we are so great. That's why he was so excited to have Grandma come I guess.

Traveling in France

We just got back from a trip to southern France. We spent one night in Perpignan and one in Torbes. We saw a lot of country, went to a few flea markets, saw castles, churches, got wet in the Mediterranean, ate a lot of French pastries and went through the Pyrenees. We drove on some famous routes through the Pyrenees which have some grueling climbs. You can appreciate the Tour of France a little more when you are on the same roads they ride on. But we had Margrett instead of our bikes. It was a trade-off, though. Without her we wouldn't have known about the town of Lourdes and Bernadette. Bernadette saw visions of Mary 19 times within a 2 month period. Now there is church built there and the grotto where she saw the visions is now a shrine. People come from all over the world to visit this grotto where there is a spring that supposedly has healing waters. People fill all types of water containers full of this spring water and take it home with them. It is silent all around this area and there are very faithful and religious people who travel to Lourdes to touch and kiss the stones at the grotto and get the water. If you google Bernadette you can read all about her. She was just 14 years old when all this happened and she never denied it even though she was persecuted for her story. Eventually, though, she had a following and people believed her. Enough so that there is a huge pilgrimage to this town of 15,000 people. Over 5 million people come each year and there are more hotels (270) in this town than in any other French city except Paris.

We drove a long ways. I'm discovering European countries aren't all that small. It's funny that I thought it felt like home when we re-entered Spain. All the writing looked so familiar again compared to all that French stuff. On the other hand we had not spoken Spanish in a week and I think I've lost some. And when you don't have much to begin with, that's a problem. In France I found myself asking if they knew English and if they said no, then I asked if they knew Spanish. Like that would help me much. But the question came out before I could really analyze what I was saying. However, they knew neither, so we were back to sign language. Whatever works.

Barcelona

I had a really great art history class in college, but I'm a bit embarrassed that I had never heard of Gaudi before. Well, Gaudi and Barcelona go hand in hand. And for the past 2 days we've seen a lot of both. Yesterday we saw the Sagrada Familia which is a temple of sorts that Gaudi started in 1884 and is still being built according to his designs. The interior is supposed to be finished by the end of next year and the outside is projected to be completed by 2030. It's pretty impressive with all of the details and carvings and stonework. We would refer to it as a huge catholic cathedral, but they call it Sagrada Familia meaning the sacred family and is dedicated to Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

Today we took an on and off city hopper bus all over the city and it was fun as well. We saw the famous Park Guell that has the mosaic iguana that everyone is familiar with. He really has this whimsical kind of folk art style that is so different than the traditional Roman architecture that is so common here. It is quite interesting to see. It has a very "happy" look.

Of course, if I didn't mention the food, my blog wouldn't be complete. Today we just stumbled into this all- you-can -eat sushi buffet. The restaurant had a conveyor belt that sent small plates of food up through the length of the restaurant. All of the tables were set up next to this conveyor belt and you could remove a plate that looked good and eat it. The food was in constant motion and you could pick and choose to eat whatever you wanted. It was delicious and amazing at the same time. We had a great time stacking up the many many empty plates at the end of the table. Then when we couldn't eat more, there was a dessert bar. You had to actually stand up and walk over to that. We don't know how a place like this could make any money. It sure didn't with us eating there. Weston wants to go back tomorrow!!

A Spanish Fiesta

On Sunday night I was supposed to go on a walk with the lady who invited us out to her village for a bar b que. I think I wrote about it because we rode our bikes there with Jesus. Her name is Maribel and her husband is Jesus, also. I had to call her and finalize our plan. If you think talking spanish is hard, try doing it on the phone when you can't point and make hand gestures. Es muy dificil. But not only did we understand each other well enough to meet, we had a whole evening of conversation. Did I mention that she is the French teacher at school. She knows zippo English. Luckily her 14 year old and 12 year old sons know some. In a big bind, they could give me a few words. But her family came to our piso and drove me to a festival that their catholic church was having. It was like a big dance performance in a large tent with a stage at one end. There was ballet, modern, I guess, and then lots of flamingo dancing by this same group of girls. It was really good. I don't know if I've ever seen flamingo dancing. It was quite entertaining. I think clogging might have taken some steps from it. Cory and Weston were too tired from staying up to watch the BYU game that started after 1am. So they missed the whole thing. It was dancing, so I don't think they were too sad. Just surprised that I was gone for so long.

Espanol a la Cruz Roja

I went to our Spanish class at the Red Cross today by myself because Cory and Weston drove to Madrid to pick up Margrett this morning. The spanish language is crazy! They were explaing tener and haber and when to use the past and when to use the present and what not. And this is all in Spanish. I took lots of notes, but it was way above my understanding. The good thing is that I navigated my way home on my bike without Cory leading the way. Every day we take a different path to get home and so I was a little nervous because I am definitely directionally challenged. But I made it back easily. Through all the busy streets and roundabouts and bike paths and pedestrians, I managed just fine.

Now I have the rest of the day by myself. I have unlimited use of the computer (very exciting). I should cook something for the family for when they get back, but I don't cook here like I do at home. It's not like I have a pantry to draw from. If you take away all the time I spend cooking, cleaning, and doing yard work at home, I have a lot of time here to do other things. It's been quite the break from every day life in Utah.

Dinner with Gonzalo's Family

We just had a great dinner with Gonzalo and his brother Jose, who was our very first foreign exchange student we ever had, and their parents at their home. It was so wonderful to see Jose all grown up. And may I say, those 2 boys are very cute. Jose is now 22 and in his last year at the University in Madrid. Gonzalo is a class ahead of Madi. Their English is very good although their parents don't speak any. I told Jose how fun it was to see him all grown up and he said how strange it was to see us living in Burgos. Neither of us ever thought we'd be able to see each other again. I continually feel how lucky we are to have this opportunity to be here and have these experiences. Their family was really friendly and gave us some more tips and ideas of what to see and do while we are in Spain. They even offered us their home in Santander to stay in.

Yesterday we also took a 90 km bike ride to the south. The wind was fierce at times, there were a few climbs, and it took us a long time. The scenery was beautiful, though. Have I metioned how many windmills there are around here? You'd think we were in the Netherlands. They have hundreds of the kind that they have at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon all around us. I think I read that 43% of their energy comes from wind. It was in Sapnish, but I think that's right.

My Grandmother

I received an email from my dad yesterday saying that my grandma had fallen during the night sometime and had broken her femur. She layed on the floor unable to get help for a long time before someone checked on her. This just breaks my heart. My grandma is one of the greatest persons I know. A lot of you have met her and know what I'm talking about. She's almost 97 years old and until recently she was a firecracker. She has lots of hobbies, she is quickwitted and a very fun person to be around.

Yesterday, though, she was having a rod put into her thigh to help mend the broken leg. That's a pretty rough operation for anyone, let alone a 97 year old woman. This is the first time since being in Burgos that I wish I was closer to home. I' ve been thinking about her all day, and just pray that she'll come through this. I'm super glad I took that trip to Sacramento right before coming to Spain to spend time with my parents and to see her. She's been such a positive force for good my whole life. I love you Grandma.

La Vuelta in Toledo

Last weekend we rented a car and drove to 2 great little cities. The first was Segovia just ourside of Madrid. Segovia has an amazing castle. In fact, it's so amazing that Walt disney used it as inspiration for his Disneyland castle. Part of the original Roman aqueduct is still standing in Segovia as well. It's huge and quite remarkable. I love these tiny medevile walled cities. The streets are about 6 feet wide and curve every which way. It's amazing that you find your way out of there. Actually, if I was left to my own, I might not get out. I admit it. I'm directionally challenged.

The next town was Toledo. It's quite a bit bigger. Toledo is where swords are made and we nearly visited every sword shop in town. I am told we missed a few. But due some poor advice, we ended up not buying one there. We'll have to buy one elsewhere. It's not like they were cheap there anyway. There were a lot of pretty cool ones, though. There were all kinds of daggers, knives, anything sharp as well as all the armor that goes along with the night thing. That's what I want. I full suit of armor!

We visited their cathedral and it was enormous. Those things have carvings on top of carvings on top of carvings and all are in gold leaf as well as paintings and columns and so much stuff. It's a bit overwhelming. But on the otherhand, you can appreciate how much effort and time and talent went into creating these monolithic structures.

My favorite thing, though, was that the Tour of Spain (La Vuelta) just happened to be in Toledo on the same day. It was the last time trial and we got to see it. We were inches away from riders and it was so great. You really can appreciate how fast they are as they go flying past you. We got some great photos, though. We also hung out at the finish for awhile. It's pretty low key compared to the Tour of France, at least as far as security . You could just go right up to the riders when they had finished. One boy asked for a rider's gloves and he handed them to the boy. If I knew better Spanish you know I would have done the same thing. But I wanted his helmet. Anyway, it was really something to be there in person.

Cycling in Spain

For a country that produces great cyclists, they don't have much tolerance for cycling within the city limits. Oh, there's a bike path alright, but it zigzags all over the place from one side of the road to the other and people tend to walk right down the middle of it. The worst is when 3 or 4 people walk side by side and make no effort to move. Weston says that's when he uses his bell. The bike path isn't just adjacent to the road. It's separated by a grassy medium or trees or something. So you are either on the bike path or on the promenade or on the street. You can't easily go from one to the other. But any choice you make is met with resistence . When they decided on the tile stones to use on the sidewalks, they didn't consider what would happen in the rain I took my first spill the other day. In the rain, of course. I almost didn't wear my helmet that day and then I heard Tracy Monney in the back of my head. So I put on my helmet and I'm sure glad I did. After I hit the ground, I slammed into a fence. The only part of my body that didn't hurt was my head. Yea! So there kids, always wear your helmets! But I'm through with bike paths and promenades in the rain. I'm sticking to good old asphalt.

Once you get out of the city, it's awesome. Lots of little roads leading to lots of little villages with few cars. Every day is an adventure here and we are having a great time.

September 17, 2009

The Red Cross has free Spanish classes everyday and so we started going. I guess we could use a little improvement. So the first day was really good and we were excited. Today, though, the new teacher took us on a field trip to see some arts festival exhibit inside a trailer and I couldn't understand a single word except "luz" when he was talking about a painting. Complete waste of time. I wonder what next week will bring?

Weston is managing quite well. It's tough to wake up so early, though, and then ride your bike uphill 2 1/2 miles (literally) in the dark. We are proud of him. When we asked him if his Spanish was getting better, he pled the 5th. First we had to explain what that meant. That means, yes his Spanish is getting better and he doesn't want to admit it. So now we are all in school. But I'm starting to agree with my kids that this is "the crazy language".

The weather has turned cold. We ended up going on a bus adventure yesterday to see how to get to where we need to go. I'm hoping the drought continues a bit longer and we can use our bikes the whole time. The bus isn't very convenient for us and so it is either going to take us a long time to get somewhere or we are going to get a bit soggy. However, we did buy a bus pass today.

The Things I Love in Spain

I love how there are so many people out walking and cycling and running every day, all day long. All kinds of people and all ages. I wish we had that at home. I love the food, but could use a few more veggies in my diet. I love baguettes. Put a slice of tomato, a bit of olive oil, and a thin slice of some kind of processed meat (salami, charizo, lomo, etc) and it's heaven. I love my uncluttered apartment. I love the roads and how smooth the asphalt is. Best cycling I've ever had. I love the people we've met and how kind and helpful people have been. I love the siesta. It's like you not only have permission to take a nap everyday, but you are encouraged to do so. I love the time to study and to try to learn something new even though it is so difficult. I love the ice cream and ice cream bars we've been eating everyday. I'm really glad we could have this experience.

Saturday in a Village

I think the village is called Barbedillo de Pez. Names are the hardest things to remember. But anyway, a teacher from school named Maribel, who doesn't know a word of English, invited us out to her village. Jesus said he was coming, too, and made all the arrangements. We met he and his friend Luciano, and rode the 70 km out to the village. And Maribel and her family picked Weston up in the car and drove him. I didn't think we'd ever get there, literally. It was a very long 45 km. But we did make it and had an amazing Spanish Barbecoa. We ate all the traditional foods and they really know how to feed you. We also watched all the boys play this game that is a mixture of tennis and raquetball played on a big outdoor court with 2 walls. It really looks like a great game to play.

The ride back was a nice ride, but I think we were both pretty tired by the end. It's amazing to me that we could understand each other. With just a little help from Jesus and her son, Diego who is 14, we could communicate and now I think we are going shopping together. Oh, this is fun!!!

Weston in School

We actually didn't think this was going to happen, but due to some pressure from the school that's the case now. And boy, is he not excited!!! This is a case when "parents know best". I am convinced that this will be the best thing that comes from this whole trip.

Awesome Ride to the North

Cory and I headed north and found a great, practically deserted, road with hills and descents all along the way. And as we went we saw lots of other roads just like the one we were on. Ohh, the possibilities are endless and the roads are much better than at home. I guess if we payed $4.00 per gallon on taxes we could have nice roads, too. The one thing that we could improve on would be the patch jobs. Have you noticed that our patches are not much better than the broken up asphalt? Well, here they must train them better because even the patches are nice.

Oh, and the bomb was dropped on Weston that he's going to be going to school here, and that didn't go over well at all. The thing is, is that Jesus (one of the teachers here in Burgos) has helped all this happen and he wants Weston to be able to improve his Spanish and he knows the only way that is going to happen is to get him to school. Plus, the govt will pay their school money to have Weston enrolled even though it is free to us. So we'll be actually helping them financially by having Weston attend. Plus, He'll make friends this way. He just doesn't see our point of view. I'm wondering if he ever will again.

Bay of Biscay

My run took me along the coast of the Bay of Biscay. How awesome is that? We drove to San Sebastian yesterday after Bilboa, but it was so crowded and scooters were parked everywhere. We think maybe a festival was going on there or something, but how do you even start to look for a hotel or parking or anything when it's jammed with people. So we drove back to Zaurtz which is a little resort surf town and it was perfect. Our hotel was 2 blocks from the beach and this beach was the most used beach I've ever seen. There were hundreds of people in the water and hundreds along the shore. When we saw it Sun evening there was about 6 feet of shore and people were everywhere. But on Mon. when we went body surfing (we tried) there weren't that many people yet and the tide was way way way out. It was a very flat beach. Weston tried to surf. He says his balance isn't so great, but I saw him get up and ride the little ones in. I could have stayed there a long time, but we had to get the rental car back. Northern Spain is definitely more beautiful, but Burgos feels like home. The north is where the Basque people are from and they have their own language. Their written language reminds me of the Jerry Seinfeld skit on foreign taxi drivers with the name tags with all the extra letters on it.

It was a miracle

We just witnessed the making of the first stake in the Bilboa mission and it was a good experience. First of all, we drove to a city we'd never been to and found a university with 3 campuses, one of which was holding the conference. We just picked one and then drove straight to the right place having no clue as to where we should go. It was a miracle. The mission president spoke in Spanish that the kids understood. He must not have served in Spain. The area authority spoke. He's French, but spoke in English. Then the general authority spoke who was German, but he spoke in English as well. There was a translator whenever something was in English, of course. Can you imagine being called as the first Stake Pres. and changing 5 branches into wards and all that that entails. The general authority, I don't even know his name, told how they had a list of 30 men who they didn't even know, lined up for interviews and how the Lord reveals to them who the new pres. should be. That's an amazing process.

We're in Zarautz tonight and are going body surfing in the Atlantic ocean tomorrow! Cory and Weston stayed up most of the night watching the BYU football game and so they are pretty tired. Thank goodness BYU won because then it was all worth it. I'd wake up once in awhile when they'd scream. Hopefully the people in all the surrounding rooms didn't wake up as well. Of course, I was awake for the last 5 min of the game which is always the most exciting anyways. Way to go Cougars!!! We tried to call you Mckenzie and Thomas, but no one was on line. It was 4am here.

Our first vacation in Spain

It's a little odd to say you are on vacation in Spain when the entire time you are on vacation. But we rented a car and drove to a cool town called Avila where they were having a a mid-evil (don't know how to spell it) festival where Gypsies come to the town and put on this huge festival. People come from all over and a lot of them are dressed up in costume. There are lots of vendors and entertainment, not to mention tons of food. The old city is completely enclosed by the old castle wall. It's 2.5 km around the wall and that's where we ran this morning. We ran around and around and around, but it was fun. I think a new game would be to drop someone off in the middle of a city like this and have them try to find their way out. Forget the corn maze, this would take me hours. The walls of the streets go straight up and every little alleyway is so convoluted, it'd basically stump the average person.

After Just One Week

Look at all the things I've learned to do in just one week. I even set up a blog. It'll be a lot easier to just write a post instead of emailing everyone. And for anyone who really knows me, that is a technological miracle that I did it all by myself. The next hurdle will be to add pictures. Wow! I also learned how to navigate through the city to get to the church. Luckily there is a river here to follow. I even took Weston on a 2 hour bike ride and made it back home. I learned how to use the washing machine and the dishwasher here in the apartment. Yet somehow after just 2 loads, the belt broke on the washer (really, not my fault) and we will just hand wash the dishes because we basically eat one meal. I can go on runs by myself and make it back as well. Directions aren't my forte either and so this always a triumph.

Our Spanish is rough (just above non-existent) to say the least. It's a miracle when we can carry on a conversation with someone and understand anything. But we are studying. Pachi, Madi's host dad, is the best teacher because he speaks so slow. He knows zero English and so we have great times with him.

Burgos is a very beautiful city and bikes are the way to get around. It has been a blast so far. The food is amazing. So far we love it all. Who knew I'd like blood sausage?